HYDARTHROSIS. 565 
caneful. examination of the diseased joint allows the diagnosis. The 
prognosis of this arthritis is always more serious than that of the sim- 
ple patellar thoroughpin. It resists all treatment. (See Arthritis De~ 
formans.) 
VI.—Tarsal Joints—Articular Thoroughpins of the Hock. 
Due to dropsy of the tibio-tarsal synovial, this hydarthrosis is char- 
acterized by three tumors, fixed in their location but varying in their size. 
One of them occupies the antero-internal region of the hock‘; two are 
situated behind, between the tibia and the calcanean cord, above the 
lateral ligaments ; one of these last can be absent; the other, existing 
with the anterior, characterizes well the articular thoroughpin, which is 
generally more frequent than the tendinous. 
At the beginning, cold water, astringents, massage, tincture of iodine 
externally may be useful. Halley has recommended setons under the 
skin, carefully avoiding the synovial; this is dangerous and not used. 
Ordinarily, blisters are used. For a certain number of cases, their 
application is followed with a marked diminution in the size of the 
tumors ; but the most recommendable treatment is cauterization, firing 
in lines or penetrating points. Horn allows the escape of the synovia, 
and then applies a compressive bandage on the hock.: 
Intra-synovial injections have been advised by Leblanc. In 1861 he 
published facts showing the efficacy of injections of iodine. The 
patient of his Observation I. had an enormous hydarthrosis ; two in- 
jections had: to be made a month apart ; recovery was complete. In 
Observations II. and IV. the subjects had to be treated twice; with 
them also the dropsy disappeared.in a few months. Abadie and Dupont 
have obtained. many times good results with injections of iodine. But 
Bouley, Rey, Lafosse, Verrier and others have had accidents.. Bouley 
tried. this treatment in a horse affected with a large thoroughpin, from. 
which eight deciliters of synovia were removed through the puncture; a 
solution of one part of tincture of iodine against three of water was in~ 
jected ; part of it only could be removed, albuminous clots having closed 
the canula. A high fever followed ; six days after, the animal was unable 
to rest on his leg, pain was excessive ; a puncture was made on the ex~ 
ternal tumor, from which escaped a yellowish fluid, already purulent. 
Multiple abscesses forméd round the joint. Twelve days after the horse 
died. With him ended the treatment of articular thoroughpin by injec~ 
tions of tincture of iodine. To this day, phenic acid, thymic acid, have 
not been much utilized ; no more than other antiseptics. Zimmer is said 
. 
1 The blood-spavin of English. 
