MASSAGE. 677 



Sir William Bennett states that passive exercise (p. 24) should 

 always be preceded by smooth massage, ■which sooths the irritable 

 muscles so completely that movements of the most complete kind 

 are readily employed without exciting muscular contraction of a 

 harmful sort. 



In horse practice, the most useful forms of massage are rubbing 

 {effleurag^ and kneading {petrissage). In both, the pressure 

 should be exerted more or less in the direction in which the lymph 

 flows (towards the heart), and should be firm, after the first few 

 movements ; in fact it should be applied, so as to resemble muscular 

 pressure as nearly as possible. When the rubbing or kneading is 

 liable to irritate the skin, a little lanoline or vaseline can be applied 

 to the hands, so as to diminish friction. 



Rubbing consists in gentle stroking and rolling of the skin, 

 gradually increasing in strength to moderately firm rubbing, in a 

 linear or curvilinear fashion, the firmer friction being always 

 employed in the direction of the blood and lymph currents 

 towards the heart. Over large m^uscular masses, the whole palmar 

 surface of one or both hands should be kept in close application 

 to the patient's skin, while in the smaller areas and over 

 bones unprotected by muscles, the palmar surface of the thumbs 

 and finger tips will be most conveniently employed. A good 

 rubber will not relinquish the apposition of the palm to the 

 patient's skin, until the whole series of centripetal [towards the 

 heart] and centrifugal [away from the heart] strokes constituting 

 the effleurage of the part is completed. The extent of the stroke 

 in length will depend upon the dexterity and reach of the operator 

 as well as on the part of the body to which it is applied ; but, 

 speaking generally, the greater the extent, the more grateful to 

 the patient will the manipulation prove to be. The downward 

 stroke should be light in all cases. The correct speed of these 

 double strokes may be put down at about 100 in the minute. 

 We learn from Dr. Eccles that in kneading, the base of the palm 

 of the hand should be kept close to the skin of the massaged part, 

 and that the squeezing should be done between the adducted 

 (brought together) fingers and the base of the palm of the hand ; 

 and not between the fingers and thumb, as in pinching. 



In hand-rubbing the tendons and ligaments of a horse's fore leg, 

 between the knee and fetlock, hold up the leg with one hand, and 

 begin by gentle rubbing from below upwards, by means of the balls 

 of the finger tips, thumb and palm of the other hand ; the pressure 

 being gradually increased until it is fairly firm. The stroke should 

 be made through the whole extent of the cannon bone, and its 

 strength should be decreased as it approaches the knee. Kneading 

 can be subsequently employed, as the case may indicate. The 



