420 VETERINARY SURGICAL THERAPEUTICS. 
grammes gave only an elongation of 5 millimeters; 25 kilogrammes did 
not give any more, and the tibia broke under the weight. One can 
judge by those data of the effort demanded, if in place of a rabbit, it was 
applied on a horse or on a steeer ! 
Reduction, then, should be applied in the shortest time possible, before 
the inflammation has invaded the peri-fractured tissues ; however, if in- 
flammatory phenomena exist, it is better to wait for their attenuation 
Such are the indications derived from the above considerations. 
The bony fragments in good position, they must be kept init. The 
internal skeleton being wanting, a temporary external one must be supplied, ' 
Let us consider the means of contention : 
In animals, specially the large ones, perfect immobilization of the center 
of the fracture is not an easy matter. The difficulties are so much greater 
that the patients are more rebel and heavier. The horse cannot stand 
on three legs for a long while; continually he tries to rest on the injured 
extremity. And if the dog keeps quite willingly the decubital position, if 
with him the dressing is easy to apply, it is rare if he does not try to get 
rid of it. 
There are two kinds of dressings: the movable or immovable. The 
first may be changed frequently; no hardening substances unite the 
various parts composing it (oakum, splints, rollers). The immovable 
must remain in place until recovery is completed ; an agglutinative substance 
makes all the various consecutive pieces adhere together. These dressings 
are most used in our surgery; more solid, firmer than the others, they 
offer more resistance to the teeth of dogs, and-constitute an envelope,of 
excessive hardness, likely to take the place of the fractured bony lever. 
The substances used to make these bandages are: oakum, wadding, 
rollers and a great number of hardening stibstances or preparations. 
In general, the region is first covered with a layer of oakum, filling up 
hollows and forming a pad to protect the skin from the pressure of splints. 
These are most ordinarily little thin boards of wood, that can be had any- 
where ; those of metallic wire netting have the advantages of being light and 
easily adapted to the region; molds of zinc, gutta-percha, felt, paste- 
board are also used. This last is very useful in canine surgery ; it is cut 
in strips, having the form, the length and the width of the leg. In large 
animals, a greater resistance being necessary, more solid pieces of wood 
or iron are used. Splints must be made not only to cover the fractured 
bone, but also those that are contiguous to it; they must immobilize com- 
pletely the articulations to which the fractured bone codperated to form 
above or below ; in dogs it is proper to envelop the entire extremity down 
to the paw. The number of splints varies: for small animals two are 
generally enough; three or even four may be necessary for large species. 
