LAMENESS: ITS CAUSES AND TREATMENT. 339 
irregularity in the direction of the spine, and there may be a diminu- 
tion or loss of sensation in the posterior part of the trunk, while the 
anterior portion continues to be as sensitive as before. In making 
an attempt to get upon his feet, however, upon the removal of the 
hobbles, only the fore part of the body will respond to the effort, a 
degree of paraplegia being present, and while the head, neck, and 
fore part of the body will be raised, the hind quarters and hind legs 
will remain inert. The animal may perhaps succeed in rising and 
probably may be removed to his stall, but the displacement of the 
bone will follow, converting the fracture into one of the complete 
kind, either through the exertion of walking or by a renewed attempt 
to rise after another fall before reaching his stall. By this time the 
paralysis is complete, and the extension of the meningitis, which has 
become established, is a consummation soon reached. 
To say that the prognosis of fracture of the body of the vertebra is 
always serious is to speak very mildly. It would be better, perhaps, 
to say that occasionally a case may recover. Fractures of the trans- 
verse processes are less serious. 
Treatment.—Instead of stating the indication in this class of cases 
as if assuming them to be amenable to treatment, the question natur- 
ally would be: Can any treatment be recommended in a fracture of 
the body of a vertebra? The only indication in such a case, in our 
opinion, is to reach the true diagnosis in the shortest possible time 
and to act accordingly. If there is displacement, and the existence 
of serious lesions may be inferred from the nervous symptoms, the 
destruction of the suffering animal appears to suggest itself as the one 
conclusion in which considerations of policy, humanity, and science at 
once unite. 
If, however, it is fairly evident that no displacement exists; that 
pressure upon the spinal cord is not yet present; that the animal with 
a little assistance is able to rise upon his feet and to walk a short dis- 
tance—it may be well to experiment upon the case to the extent of 
placing the patient in the most favorable circumstances for recovery 
and allow nature to operate without further interference. This may 
be accomplished by obtaining immobility of the whole body as much 
as possible, and especially of the suspected region, by placing the 
patient in slings, in a stall sufficiently narrow to preclude lateral mo- 
tion, and covering the loins with a thick coat of agglutinative mixture. 
Developments should be watched and awaited. 
FRACTURE OF THE RIBS. 
The different regions of the chest are not equally exposed to the 
violence that causes fractures of the ribs, and they are therefore 
either more common or more easily discovered during life at some 
points than at others. The more exposed regions are the middle and 
