564 VETERINARY. SURGICAL THERAPEUTICS, 
.The external of these cul-de-sacs covers, besides, the tendon of. the 
popliteus and furnishes a small prolongation which runs down the 
groove of the tibia to envelop the tendon common to the anterior 
- extensor of the phalanges and the flexor metatarsi. ‘These two synovials 
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communicate quite. frequently, not to say always, with the femoro- 
patellar synovial. All three are separated, from the tibio-patellar liga- 
ments by a mass of adipose tissue (Chauveau and Arloing). 
Patellar hydarthrosis is characterized by a diffused swelling of the 
_ stifle, more accused inside than outside; the tibio-patellar ligaments are 
less distinct and concealed by an elastic swelling. Flexion of the joint 
is difficult, the leg is stiff, its movement forward very limited. 
This hydarthrosis seldom gives away to blistering applications, 
Dandrieu (1836) said he obtained a rapid success by puncture with a 
bistouri, but an attentive reading of his article seems to show that the 
author had a subcutaneous sero-fatty collection to deal with, instead 
of a hydarthrosis. Charlot and Valtat, after opening the synovial 
with a bistouri, have seen a fatal arthritis occur. We generally treat 
this disease by an aseptic puncture with a trocar and with firing in 
lines, fine points or needles. That is the treatment that Viseur recom- 
mended in 1875. The Observation I. of his paper relates to a patellar 
thoroughpin which had resisted several treatments; the tumor was 
voluminous, tense, painful on pressure ; in walking, the animal dragged 
the leg with a movement of circumduction. Puncture was made with.a 
trocar of small caliber; on the flattened tumor, “a deep pointed firing 
was applied, through the skin only, asin Leblanc’s method,” and its 
action completed by. a blister. In fifteen days the subject received 
walking exercise. Shortly after, the lameness disappeared and the 
horse resumed his work. On another subject, the same result followed 
the same treatment. We could add numerous facts as evidence of the 
efficacy of this method. 
The injection of iodine, used unsuccessfully by Rey, has given good- 
results to Verrier. Ona two years’ colt (Obs. IX of his teport), suffering 
with very large patellar hydarthrosis, two injections had to be made 
some time apart; there was no complication; after three months 
recovery was complete. In case of failure after puncture followed by 
firing, washing by the method of Schede might be resorted to. In 
several cases, Mollereau has used with advantage a solution of, thymic 
acid at 2 p. 1000. 
In horses and dogs the femoro-tibio-patellar joint is quite frequently 
affected with arthritis deformans, clinically manifested by lameness, 
stiffness of the leg, bony neoformation on the articular extremities 
and often also, in horses, with a certain degree of hydarthrosis, The 
