378 DADD’S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 
Nature to unite the bones after her well-known fashion. If the 
horse is a valuable one, and the fracture slight, he should be 
placed in slings. The hair may then be shaved off the region of 
fracture to the extent of one foot in diameter; then smear on, 
while warm, a strengthening plaster, composed of pitch, resin, 
and beeswax. But should the fracture be of a very grave char. 
acter—the hones broken in several places, the animal down ane 
in great agony—then the sooner he is put out of his misery thn 
r, 
SPLENT, OR SPLINT. 
Spient, or splint, makes its appearance on the inner and lower 
part of the knee-joint. It consists of a bony tumor (exostosis), 
and, finally, the small bone known as the metacarpus purvus 
becomes united to the cannon or shank vone. This constitutes 
anchylosis, so that the disease is of the same nature as ring-bone. 
Splent sometimes appears on the outside of the leg; but the dis- 
ease is oftener found on the inside, from the fact that it is nearer 
the center of the weight of the body than the outer, and receives 
the greatest amount of concussion The inner bone is said to 
receive nearly the whole weight transmitted to the small bone of 
the knee. A splent on the inside is often the result of a blow 
inflicted with the opposite foot, which bruises the soft parts and 
perixsteum, and, finally, the bones become affected. Faulty shoe- 
ing has also a direct agency in the production of splent. For 
example: if one caulk of the shoe be higher than the other, or 
should the foot be pared more on one side than the other, the 
effect will be to throw the limb into a false position, which may 
result in ligamentary lameness and splent. Splent, however, ap- 
pears sometimes without any assignable cause. On dissecting the 
imbs of aged horses, we frequently find the splent bones firmly 
anited to the shank. The following is the opinion of Prof. Cole- 
man ic regard to splent: 
“A splent once is a spleat always.’ The two bones being once 
united by ossific matter, this connection, whatever we may do or 
apply, will never be altered. It used to be the custom to remove 
the splent with a hammer and chisel, but the production of a 
large blemish, from the destruction of skin, was the consequence 
of this barbarous method. Another practice, as ancient and bars 
barous as the former, was the application of corrosive sublimate, 
