22 SPECIAL EQUINE THERAPY 



"The case in this grey gelding was brought to us for 

 treatment because of a 'bunch' on his forehead. 



"According to the owner's statement it had been form- 

 ing for several months, being about the size of a hazel 

 nut when first noticed. It had now attained the size of 

 a large hen egg and had about the form of an egg, the 

 apex pointing straight outward, like a horn. 



"No abrasion could be seen; the skin over it was per- 

 fect. 



"The location of the 'bunch' was exactly over the fron- 

 tal sinus, a little to the left of the median line. To the 

 examining finger it felt very tense, almost hard, and 

 pressure with the finger over it evidently caused consid- 

 erable pain, evidenced by jerking the head and attempts 

 at rearing up. A cyst was diagnosed ; no details as to the 

 nature of the cyst were gone into. 



"With a twitch on the nose an exploring trocar was 

 inserted. Instead of pus (which was really what we 

 expected to find), there came a flow of rusty-colored 

 liquid which spurted outward to a distance of six or 

 eight feet. 



"As the contents flowed out the apex of the 'bunch' 

 caved in and it could now be plainly felt with the exam- 

 ining fingers that the frontal bone at the base of the 

 bunch had disappeared or become absorbed. The skin 

 could be pushed into the sinus like an inverted glove 

 finger. 



"The diameter of the hole in the frontal bone was ir- 

 regular, varying from one inch at the narrow point to 

 more than two inches at the widest. The edges were very 

 smooth and seemed to have a thickened margin. 



"When most of the fluid had been drawn oflf the area 

 was painted with iodin and the horse sent home, with 

 instructions to bring him in again in three or four days. 

 This gave us time to look up the handling of the condition. 



