320 VETERINARY SURGICAL THERAPEUTICS. 
VIII. 
SPRUNG KNEES. 
The deviation of the knee forward of the plumb-line, produced by the. 
obliquity of the bones of the fore arm and of the canon, is most com- 
monly the result of excessive work, an indication of wearing of an extre- 
mity: the horse suffering with it is called “ sprung-kneed.” Sometimes, 
however, the conformation is observed in young animals as a congenital 
malformation, or again occurring in the first days of life. These are called 
“ brassicourts"’ by the French. 
The treatment is indicated in animals with which this conformation is 
congenital or occurring during the first years of life. When it is due to 
overwork, to wearing, the subject is not worth intervention. 
Sometimes the deformity is much marked. Brachet has related the 
case of a filly which, perfect at birth, was, towards the third month of her 
life, so severely affected on both fore legs, that both heels nearly touched 
the elbows; the animal was walking on her knees, almost as fast as other 
sound subjects of the same age. Strong pulling on the lower end of the 
leg was not sufficient to open the radio-metacarpal angle, so powerful was 
the retraction of the flexors of the canon. Other authors have men- 
tioned similar cases. Suykerbuyck has seen an eight-day colt whose 
right anterior leg was sprung and knuckled to sucha point that the leg was 
resting on the metacarpo-phalangeal joint. When the deviation is not 
much marked, it may be removed by proper splints. Brogniez has in- 
vented an orthosome which can be used in such cases or applied after 
carpal tenotomy. Solleysel and Lafosse, thinking that sprung knees were 
due to shortening of the coraco-radial aponeurosis, proposed its subcuta~ 
neous division. ‘The operation has given some success (Brogniez, Chas- 
saing), but the result is doubtful. 
Retraction of the external and oblique flexors of the mecatarpus seems 
to be the great cause of sprung knees. Numerous authors, and among 
them Dieterichs, Hering, Brogniez, Bassi, Brachet, Chassaing, have pub- 
lished the successes they have obtained by the section of those tendons. 
Miquel, on an animal sprung on both knees, cut the tendons on one 
leg first, and several days later on the other: the animal recovered its 
plumb-standing. A ten-year-old horse, not so severely affected, was 
operated on both legs atone sitting, The wounds were closed with pinned: 
