A TREATISE ON ELEPHANTS. 
of the tail may slough off. In some cases, in spite of active and 
careful treatment, the destructive process continues till it reaches 
some 8 or lo inches from the root of the tail. Mr. Petley informed 
me that the Burmans state that if unchecked the disease spreads to 
the spine. The disease is known to the Burmans as khoo-sah-de 
(eaten by a caterpillar), ooSiJ^DS. The elephant a tat in Plate X 
shows a bandage round stump of his tail. This animal was treated 
for a long time by Mr. Petley but nothing seemed to arrest the 
disease. 
Treatment. — As laid down for ulcers in general, but Burnett's 
fluid and nitric acid diluted as already stated are the best to try in 
these cases. 
Sinuses and Fistul.^:. 
A sinus or fistula is an abnormal narrow channel in the 
tissues forming a communication between a septic focus and some 
other part of the body such as the surface of the skin or a natural 
cavity. The term sinus is applied when the tract is open at one 
end and the term fistula when it is open at both ends. As a rule 
sinuses and fistulae arise from an abscess which has not closed by 
reason of containing some dead tissue or other foreign body. The 
most common seats of sinuses, etc., are above the hoof-slipper, on 
the spine, and the temporal gland. 
Treatment. — Consists in searching for and removing the cause 
if possible ; in neglected abscesses of the spine the cause is usually 
found to be the presence of a portion of dead bone. In the feet the 
sinus will be found to communicate with a small abscess cavity ; the 
pus not having been able to escape through the sole has followed 
the line of least resistance and burst above the slipper. In all 
cases treatment consists in rendering the parts healthy, therefore 
one should scrape out all dead tissue ; this object may also be 
effected in situations where the use of a knife in inexperienced 
hands entails some risk by the injection of Burnett's fluid i dr. to 
8 ozs. of water, solution of nitrate silver lo grs. to the ounce, or a 
very small quantity of powdered corrosive sublimate rolled up in 
the form of a cigarette in cigarette paper may be rammed down and 
left for a couple of days, after which the dead tissue will slough 
out, leaving a healthy surface which may be healed by the ordinary 
means. In cases where the sinus communicates with an abscess 
cavity the best treatment consists in slitting up the sinus so as to 
let out the pus. Should a sinus or fistula extend into a joint cavity 
setting up suppuration there, the joint should be thoroughly washed 
