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It is necessary to be on one’s guard in purchasing a horse, to see 
that he has never sustained an injury of this kind. We do not necessarily 
consider a slight roughness of the skin over the joint, as constituting 
unsoundness, except when it interferes with the action of the animal. It 
must, at the same time, be borne in mind that a somewhat severe injury does 
not always leave a large scar; and the joint, therefore, may be much 
weakened, and the progression of the animal rendered insecure, by what 
appears as a very slight visible blemish. As our readers know full well, any 
blemish of the knee reduces the value of a horse very materially. 
Lastly, we may turn our attention to the consideration of the treatment 
of broken knees. In the first place, the injury should be bathed with tepid 
water, until all the grit and dirt have been gently but thoroughly removed. 
The animal should then, when the injury is at all severe, be tied up, and fed 
on laxative food. In such instances it is advisable also to give a gentle 
aperient, say three drachms of aloes, and to place the animal in a cool, airy 
box, with the head tied up. The borax ointment, wé have already __. 
mentioned, is a valuable local application. After anointing the wounded 
surface, a strip of lint soaked in carbolised oil (1 in 25) may be placed over the 
wound ; over this a bandage may be gently applied, with the’view of keeping 
the application in contact with the wound. The dressing should be repeated 
once daily. When the injury is very severe, slings are necessary, as the 
animal, becoming exhausted, may be unable to remain standing until the — 
healing process is completed. When the joint is open, and the oil which 
lubricates it escapes, the injury is necessarily much more grave. 
Sometimes the bones of the knee are actually broken in the fall. These 
cases seldom recover. The tendon on the front of the joint is sometimes 
much lacerated and bruised, and this also is a source of additional danger to 
our patient. Warm water fomentations are not to be applied to the wound, 
except when the joint becomes immensely swollen and inflamed. In 
some instances, sutures have been employed for sewing together the divided 
skin; when this covering is alone injured, and torn in the fall. They are, 
however, not much good as a rule, because, when the animal bends his knee, 
they usually burst, and the rent is made worse than before. With the view 
of stimulating the healing of the wound, if it appears sluggish, the antiseptic 
ointment of eucalyptus, carbolic acid, and iodoform is very useful, It also 
stimulates the growth of the hair afterwards. The application of caustics 
to the so-called proud flesh is an unnecessary performance. 
ete ssa TRNESES: eLLOEManes:, 
