382 DISEASES OF THE HORSE, 
from closing prematurely. It may be taken off the next day, and a 
daily cleansing will then be all that is necessary. In another case 
the tumor becomes very soft in its whole extent, with evident fluctua- 
tion and a well-defined form. The discharge of the fluid is then indi- 
cated, and a free incision will be followed by the escape of a quantity 
of thin yellowish liquid from a single sac. The wound should be 
kept clean and dressed frequently, in order to insure prompt healing. 
But if the cavity is found to be subdiyided in its interior by numerous 
bands and the cyst proves to be multilocular the partitions should be 
torn out with the fingers and the cavity then treated in the same 
_ manner as the unilocular sac. In still another case the swelling may 
be warm and painful with indistinct fluctuation, or fluctuation only 
at a certain point. This indicates an abscess, and necessitates an 
incision to drain the pus, followed by the careful cleansing and 
dressing of the wound. 
But cases occur in which all the treatment that has been described 
fails to effect a full recovery, and instead a fibrous tumor begins to 
develop. A change of treatment is, of course, then in order. The 
inflammation being chronic will necessitate stimulating treatment of 
the part in order to increase the process of absorption. We must 
again draw upon the resources of experience in the form of blisters, 
the fomentations, the iodin, and the mercurial ointments, as hereto- 
fore mentioned. Good results may always be insured from their 
judicious and timely administration. In applying the powerful min- 
eral inunctions much patience and wisdom are required. It should 
be done by carefully and perseveringly rubbing in small quantities 
daily; it should be done softly and gently, not with force, nor with 
the expectation of producing an astonishing effect by heavy dosing 
and main strength in a few hours; it should be after the manner of 
a siege rather than that of a charge. The object is to induce the 
drugs to permeate the affected part until the entire mass is pene- 
trated. Of course cases will be encountered which resist all forms 
of medical treatment. The tumor remains as a fixed fact; it con- 
tinues to grow; it is large and pendulous at the elbow; its weight is 
estimated in pounds; it is not an eyesore merely, but an uncomfort- 
able, burdensome mass, excoriating all the surrounding parts and 
being itself excoriated in turn; mild treatment has failed and is no 
longer to be relied on. 
Resort must now be made to surgical methods, and here again we 
must choose between the ligature, the cautery, and the knife. Each 
has its advocates among practitioners. In a case like the present, one 
of the difficulties arises in connection with the application and reten- 
tion of bandages and other dressings after the amputation has been 
performed. It is a somewhat difficult problem, owing to the con- 
formation and proportions of the body of the patient, and involves 
