TEN 



\ze the grape to a cold climate may fail ; yet the trial de- 

 fen-es, it is faid, to be made. The cafe does not apply 

 equally to tht- potatoe. The original plant appears to be 

 Taluable, independent of any artificial charader, and would 

 confequently admit of a change, tending even to fome de- 

 gree of deterioration, before it was materially injured m its 

 properties. 



TENDERING, a name given to the foft tops of deer's 

 horns, when they begin to (hoot forth. 



TENDING, in Sea Language, denotes the movement by 

 which a fhip turns or fwings round her anchor in a tide- 

 way at the beginning of the flood or ebb. Thus, if the 

 flood fets northerly, it is evident that the fhip, unlefs when 

 moored head and ftern, will fall into the line of the current, 

 turning her head to the fouthward, and vice verfd. 1 his 

 tranfition from one fituation to the other is called tending or 

 fwinging. Falconer. 



TENDINOSUM Centrum. See Centrum. 



TENDON, Tendo, in Jnalomy, the hard, infenfible 

 cords, by means of which mufcular fibres are attached to 

 bones. See Muscle, after the defcription of the mufcular 

 fyftem of animal life ; and Fibrous Sv/km. 



Tendo ytd'i/lis, the powerful tendon belonging to the 

 mufclis of the calf of the leg, placed jull above the heel ; fo 

 named in allufion to the fable, in which Thetis is faid to 

 have held her fon, Achilles, by this part, when flie dipped him 

 in the Styx. See Gastrocnemius. 



Tendon of ylchilles, Ruptured. When the tendo Achillis 

 is unfortunately cut, or ruptured, as it may be in con- 

 fequence of a violent exertion, or fpafm of the mufcles, 

 of which it is a continuation, the ufe of the leg is imme- 

 diately loft ; and unlefs the part be afterwards luccefsfully 

 united, die patient muft remain a cripple for life. 



The ancient furgeons feem not to have been well ac- 

 quainted with the rupture of the tendo Achillis, which they 

 probably might miftake for a fprain, or fome other com- 

 plaint. In cafes in which this part had been cut, they re- 

 commended approximating the feparated portions, and 

 maintaining them in contaft by means of a future. 



When the ruptured tendo Achillis was afterwards better 

 undcrftood, the plan which we have juft now mentioned was 

 ftill continued, the integuments being divided for the purpofe 

 of bringing the tendon into view. But that fuch a painful 

 mode is altogether ufelefs and wrong, it is fcarcely neceflary 

 for us at the prefent day to obferve. 



The fuperficial fituation of the tendo Achillis always 

 make? the nature of the accident eafy of difcovery, and it is 

 only when there is a confiderable degree of fwelling (which 

 is very rare), that the cafe can be at all difficult to under- 

 fland. When the tendon has been cut through, which is not 

 an ordinary thing, the divifion of the (liin brings the ends of 

 the finew into view. When the tendon has been ruptured, 

 the patient hears a found, like that of the fmack of a whip, 

 at the moment of the occurrence. In wliatfoever way the 

 part has been divided, there is a fudden incapacity, or, at 

 leaft, an extreme difficulty of ftanding and walking. Hence 

 the patient falls down, and cannot get up again. Befides 

 thefe fymptoms, there is a very palpable depreffion between 

 the ends of the tendon, which depreffion is increafed when 

 the foot is bent, and diminirtied, or even quite removed, 

 when the foot is extended. The patient can fpontaneoufly 

 bend his foot, none of the flexor mufcles being interefted. 

 The power of extending the foot is ftill poffible, as the 

 peronei mufcles, the tibialis pofticus, and long flexors, re- 

 main perfcft, and may perform this motion. CEuvre^ Chi- 

 rurgicales de Default par Bichat, tom. i. 



The indications aie to bring the ends of the divided part 



T E N 



together, and to keep them fo, until they have become fimily 

 united. The firft objeft is eafily fulfilled by putting the 

 foot in a Hate of complete exteiifion ; the fecond, namely, 

 that of keeping the ends of the tendon in contadl, is more 

 difficult. 



In order to have a right comprehenfion of the indications, 

 we ffiould confider what keeps the ends of the tendon from 

 being in contact. The flexion of the foot has this effeifl on 

 the lower portion ; the contraftion of the gaftrocnemius 

 and foleus on the upper one. The indications then are to 

 put tiie foot in an unalterable ftate of extenfion, and to 

 counteraft the aftion of the above mufcles. 



The aftion of the mufcles may be oppofed : i. By keep- 

 ing thefe powers in a continual ftate of relaxation. For this 

 purpofe, the leg mull be kept half bent upon the thigh. 

 2. By applying methodical prefl'ure to the mufcles ; me- 

 thodical, becaule it is to operate on the fleffiy portion of the 

 mufcles, and not on the tendon, the ends of which being de- 

 prefled by it, would be feparated from each other, and, 

 inl^ead of growing together, would unite to the adjacent 

 parts. The preffiare fliould alfo operate fo as to prevent 

 the ends of the tendon from inclining either to the right or 

 left. 



This kind of prefl'ure, which the bandage ought to make, 

 feems to have efcaped the attention of all authors. Who 

 cannot fee, however, that the aftion of the mufcles being by 

 this means refifted, the upper end of the tendon will not 

 have fuch a tendency to be drawn upward, and feparated 

 from the lower one ^. CEuvi-es Chirurgicales de Default par 

 Bichat, tom. i. 



The famous Petit feems entitled to the honour of having 

 firft devifed the plan of treating the ruptured, or divided 

 tendo Achillis, by keeping the leg and foot in a particular 

 pofture, with the aid of an apparatus. Seeing that the ex- 

 tenfion of the foot brought the ends of the tendon into con- 

 taft, it occurred to him that fuch extenfion fliould be main- 

 tained during the whole of the treatment, in order to bring 

 about a permanent union. This happy idea, the fimphcity 

 of which fliould have rendered it obvious to all praftitioners, 

 once having originated, became the common bafis, on which 

 have been founded all the numerous methods of cure, which 

 have been fince recommended. Default par Bichat. 



The celebrated Dr. Alexander Monro, profeflbr of 

 anatomy at Edinburgh, happened to rupture his' tendo 

 Achillis. When the accident took place, he heai"d a loud 

 crack, as if he had fuddenly broke a nut with his heel, and 

 he experienced a fenfation, as if the heel of his flioe had 

 made a hole in the floor. This fenfation, he fays, has alfo 

 been obferved by others, though fome have complained of 

 a fmart ftroke, hke what would be produced by a ftone or 

 cane. Immediately fufpefting what had happened, the 

 doftor extended his left foot, in which the occurrence had 

 taken place, as ftrongly as he could with his right hand, 

 while with the left he prefled the mufcles of the calf down- 

 ward, fo as to bring the ends of the broken tendon as near 

 together as poffible. In this pofition he fat, until two fur- 

 geons came to his affiftance. They applied comprefles, and a 

 bent board to the upper part of the foot, and fore part of 

 the leg, both which they kept, as nearly as poffible, in a 

 ftraight line, by a tight bandage, made with a long roller. 

 But as this mode of dreffing foon became very uneafy, it 

 was changed for the following one. A foot-fock or flipper 

 was made of double quilted ticking, from the heel of which a 

 belt or ftrap projefted, of fufficient length to come up over 

 the calf of the leg. A ftrong piece of the fame materials 

 was prepared, of fufficient breadth to furround the calf, and 

 this was Caftened with lacings. On the back part of this 

 9 vn 



