FRACTURES. iu 



weight attached to it, will bring the separated bones again into apposition, 

 and in about a month the natural cartilage of the part will be sufficiently 

 re-instated. 



Fractubes op the limbs. — These, fortunately, are of rare occurrence in 

 the horse, for although their divided edges might be easily brought again into 

 apposition, it would be almost impossible to retain them in it, for the slightest 

 motion would displace them. A rapid survey of each may not, however, be 

 altogether useless. 



Fracture op the shoulder. — The author is not aware of the successful 

 treatment of this accident by any English veterinary surgeon. Mr. Fuller 

 attempted it, but from the difficulty of keeping the divided edges of the bone 

 in apposition with each other, and the natural untractableness of the animal, 

 and symptoms of tetanus beginning to appear, the patient was destroyed. The 

 fracture was a little above the neck of the scapula, and the muscles were dread- 

 fully lacerated.* 



It is not at all times easy to discover the existence and precise situation of 

 fracture of the humerus. The lameness is very great — the animal will not 

 bear at all upon the broken limb — he will drag it along the ground — he will 

 move slowly and with difficulty, and his progression will consist of a succes- 

 sion of short leaps. The lifting of the foot will give very great pain. If he 

 is roughly handled, he will sometimes rear, or throw himself suddenly down. 

 By careful application of the hand a crepitus will more or less distinctly be 

 heard. The chances are always materially againt the union of a fracture of 

 the humerus. The patient must be kept constantly suspended, and splints and 

 bandages carefully applied. M. Delaguette attended an entire draught-horse, 

 whose humerus had been fractured by the kick of a mare. The fracture ex- 

 tended longitudinally through two-thirds of the length of the bone, and the 

 parts were separated from each other. They were brought again into appo- 

 sition, and kept so by means of pitch plasters and splints. The horse was 

 put into slings ; the pavement of the stable was taken up ; a hollow dug 

 under the fractured limb, and this depression filled with straw, in order to afford 

 a soft support for the foot. He was bled, gruel alone given as food, and injec- 

 tions daily administered. 



On the 25th day the rollers were removed and replaced. On the 40th day he 

 began to rest on the fractured limb. On the 60th day the bandages were 

 removed — the fracture had been well consolidated, and the horse rested his 

 weight upon it. It is reluctantly added that he wa3 afterwards destroyed, on 

 account of some disease of the loinst. 



Fracture op the arm. — This accident is not of unrrequent occurrence. 

 It commonly takes an oblique direction, and is usually first discovered by th ; 

 displacement of the limb. Mr. Gloag, of the 10th Hussars, gives an interesting 

 account of a case that occurred in his practice. " An entire black cart-horse was 

 grazing in a field, into which some mares were accidentally turned. One of 

 them kicked him severely a little above the knee. He, however, contrived to 

 get home, and, being carefully examined, there was found a simple fracture of 

 the radius, about an inch and a half above the knee. The ends of the fractured 

 bone could be heard distinctly grating against each other, both in advancing 

 the leg and turning it sideway from the body. He was immediately placed in 

 a sling not completely elevated from the ground, but in which he could occa- 

 sionally relieve himself by standing. The leg was well bathed with warm 

 -water, and the ends of the bone brought as true to their position as possible. 

 Some thin slips of green wood were then immersed in boiling water until they 



Veterinarian, vol. viii. p. 143. + Journal Pratique, Dec. 1834. 



