982 LIVERPOOL VETERINARY MEDICAL ASSOCIATION. 
Several of the members related cases of fracture that had occurred 
in their respective practices. Mr. Storrar and Mr. W. J. Taylor 
exhibited specimens. That presented by Mr. Taylor was allowed 
by the members present to be almost unique in the annals of vete- 
rinary surgery. It was fracture into several pieces of the seventh 
cervical vertebra. The subject of the case was stated to be a tho- 
roughbred mare, seventeen years old ; whilst galloping, misplaced 
her foot and came down a “ regular purl ” on to the occiput ; she 
arose, shook herself, trotted a few paces, became giddy, and com- 
menced kicking violently, fell again, and once more rose, performed 
a few gyratory movements, and fell to rise no more. On visiting, 
Mr. Taylor found her almost unconscious ; she evinced no pain on 
pressure to the spine, except at its lower part, breathed stertorously, 
but could swallow. Diagnosis : concussion of brain, with probabi- 
lity of fracture of some part of spinal chain. In opposition to Mr. 
Taylor’s unfavorable prognosis, the owner desired him to treat her, 
which wish was acceded to ; the mare lived about a week after the 
accident. A 'post-mortem examination revealed only the fractured 
specimen exhibited, with a little effusion upon the adjacent portion 
of the spinal cord. 
The President considered that it was the duty of the veterinary 
surgeon to endeavour to reduce to a minimum the mediate and 
immediate causes of fracture, as much as to repair bones once 
broken. This he may do by paying due precautions to shoeing, by 
attention to the fitting of harness, by advocating proper appliances 
to carriages, and by many other means that come within his pro- 
vince. He urged the adoption of these precautionary measures, 
inasmuch as a large per-centage of fractures must necessarily have 
an unsatisfactory termination, the difficulties of securing that amount 
of absolute rest which is essential to the repair of these structures 
being often insurmountable ; and also the great probability that the 
commercial value of the animal will be deteriorated far beyond the 
equivalent of his cost for keep whilst under treatment. He thought 
that in all cases where fracture without displacement was deter- 
mined, or even apprehended, the surgeon should withhold his sanc- 
tion for the horse being put to work full six weeks after the inflic- 
tion of the injury. 
Mr. Storrar 9 s opinion accorded with that of the President as to 
the necessity of enjoining complete rest for several weeks after an 
injury which may have probably caused undisplaced fracture. He 
considered that in these cases the bones were kept in apposition by 
the integrity of the periosteum being maintained, as well as by a 
certain dovetailing of the fractured portions of bone, the latter 
remaining intact so long as no lateral or exceptional movements 
occur to produce their disunion. He thought that a few days sub- 
sequent to the injury was a most dangerous period in these cases, 
for the reparatory material thrown out between the broken surfaces 
of the bones had a tendency, by increased pressure, to weaken the 
periosteum, the natural bandage, as it also had to dissever the dove- 
tailing of the splinters. 
