180 SPECIAL EQUINE THERAPY 



not be changed J the same attendant should administer 

 all medicines, feed, water and give other care. If the site 

 of infection is evident on some portion of the patient's 

 body, it shoidd be treated antisepticaUy if it can be done 

 without unduly worrying and exciting the subject. I 

 have heard of practitioners who cast a tetanus patient 

 to treat the nail wound in the foot when they can yet find 

 it. This shows about the same degree of common sense 

 as is exhibited in the use of an operating table to save 

 cocain. If it is impossible to treat the wound without 

 aggravating the tetanus symptoms, leave the wound 

 alone. Very little good results from local treatment of 

 the case under any conditions, and unless the wound is ia 

 a region where it can be treated easily, I would advise 

 non-interference . 



Much remains to be accomplished along the lines of 

 a uniformly satisfactory treatment for this disease. The 

 most that we can do with our present knowledge of this 

 condition is to make the patient as comfortable as pos- 

 sible; ia other words, treat the symptoms to the best of 

 our ability. 



Before closing the discussion of the treatment of this 

 disease it can do no harm to repeat what has been said 

 about the value of anti-tetanic serum as a prophylactic 

 agent. Every practitioner of veterinary medicine and sur- 

 gery should make it a routine practice to inject a pro- 

 phylactic dose into aU patients presenting injuries of a 

 character favorable to tetanus infection. No treatment of 

 a puncture wound is complete, either from the standpoint 

 of judgment or law, unless it includes a prophylactic 

 dose of anti-tetanic serum. For sure prophylaxis a second 

 dose should be given eight days after the first one. In 

 localities where the clientele does not readily submit to 

 suggestions on the part of their veterinarians, the prac- 

 titioner is in duty bound to inform a client of the risk 



