Adjusting Fractures 223 
The animal, may suffer no pain, however, and little 
inconvenience from this. It is surprising to see how 
quickly animals suffering from fracture will learn to 
protect the injured part, and will get up and lie down 
with little difficulty, or will hobble about at pasture. 
Horses recovering from fractures should not be put 
to work for three months. 
When a bone has not been set and the part has 
been subject to movement, the ends of the broken 
bones sometimes heal over, and the condition known 
as “false joint” occurs. The animal is usually severely 
lame and of little use when afflicted in this way, as it is 
practically incurable. If possible, the animal should 
be fattened for slaughter. 
Broken bones in the legs of chickens can be set by 
ineasing the bone in a splint made by using narrow 
strips of cotton cloth covered with glue, applied as a 
plaster-cast is to a larger animal. 
When a fracture occurs close to a joint the infiam- 
mation may extend to the joint, and, in the healing 
process, the bones of the joint become firmly welded 
together, or “anchylosed.” 
The bones most commonly broken in animals are 
those of the legs, jaws, face and hips. It is impossible 
to put splints on broken thigh bones of large animals, 
because the bone is so deeply covered with muscle. 
It is usually a waste of time and a source of expense 
to try to treat a fracture that has “gathered” and is 
discharging pus. This condition generally indicates 
that there are some loose pieces of bone that must be 
removed. 
