SELF-INFLICTED WOUND OF A HORSE. 
553 
FRIGHTFUL WOUND INFLICTED BY A HORSE, OF THE 
13 th LIGHT DRAGOONS, ON HIS OWN BODY, ON 
THE OCCASION OF THE LATE ENCAMPMENT ON 
CHOBHAM COMMON. 
By W. Percivall, Y.S., 1st Life Guards. 
The subject was a valuable bay gelding, about 7 years 
old; belonging to the 13th Light Dragoons, which was 
brought over in a van to Windsor Cavalry Barracks, in 
consequence of having, on the night of the 15th June, 1853 
— the day after the camp was formed — extensively mutilated 
his sheath and abdomen by being across one of the hooked 
picquet posts. The horse did not arrive at Windsor until the 
middle of the night of the 16th, so that I did not see him 
before one o’clock of the morning of the 17th, nearly two 
days after the occurrence of the accident. The wound then 
presented a large open chasm of lacerated integument in- 
volving the sheath, with the abdominal parietes all around it, 
extending backwards into the perineum, and forwards as far 
as about half way to the umbilicus. Its boundary limits 
consisted of pendulous lacerations of skin, having very irregular, 
jagged or fringed edges, from which had evidently been 
streaming blood, though they now showed but sorts of icicles 
of blood which had become congealed as they dropped down 
from the tattered shreds of the mangled skin. So awful 
and hopeless had appeared the condition of the animal to 
the officers at the camp, that it was deemed advisable to put 
him at once out of his misery, on the spot ; Mr. Legrew, 
however, the Veterinary Surgeon of the regiment, prudently 
suggested that a trial should be given to the case, and that 
this might be done by sending the horse over to Windsor 
Barracks, and placing him under the care of Mr. Percivall, 
the Veterinary Surgeon of the First Life Guards. 
When I first saw the horse, finding that the hemorrhage 
had ceased, and that there was nothing requisite to be done 
at the moment, I ordered him into a box, and had his head 
tied up for the night, so that he might eat, if inclined, a bran 
mash, but not be able to lie down or bite himself. On visiting 
him the following morning, I found him tranquil and depressed 
from the accident, with a weak and not quick pulse, and a 
mouth rather cold than hot, with cold legs and body. The 
wound, which from its extent and lacerated character had a 
very formidable aspect, seemed, from its jagged and still in 
places bloody complexion, to be likely to take on sphacelous 
action, unless its apparent debilitated power was aroused and 
xxvi. 72 
