554 SELF-INFLICTED WOUND OF A HORSE. 
made to assume an inflammatory and healthy tone. These con- 
siderations induced me at once to resolve on a generous diet, 
with stimulation of the wound ; for which purpose, after hot 
fomentation, I dressed it with Ol. Terebinth., undiluted, with- 
out, on the part of the animal, the slightest flinching or 
symptom of feeling. I now measured the wound, and found 
it about fifteen inches in length, from behind forwards, and 
half as much in breadth, with depth sufficient to bury a probe 
a foot long. For the first three or four days, hardly 
any change was perceptible in it ; though afterwards came 
gradually over its edges some signs of inflammation, w 7 hich 
was succeeded by large sloughs, principally of cellular tissue, 
from its interior, having so offensive a character that on 
some occasions I changed the dressing for chloride of lime. 
About this time the animal’s dung, though it remained with- 
out fetor, became very dark, and was voided in small balls. 
This led me to venture on some moderate doses of purging 
mass in combination w ith diuretic mass ; though, fortunately, 
there had been all along no difficulty or complaint about 
his staling. This medicine w r as followed up by tonics ; not- 
withstanding the appetite had been pretty good, and was now 
much amending. The sloughs in time becoming decreased and 
less offensive, w 7 as succeeded by decided inflammatory action, 
which had brought wdth it sensibility of the parts within, 
so that, although an excellent tempered and patient horse, 
he no longer bore dressing so quietly as before, but on occa- 
sions required twdtching. A cradle was used also now 7 , 
though afterwards dispensed wdth. Change of action in the 
w T ound called for correspondent change of dressings: to detail 
however in what this consisted w 7 ould have no useful purpose. 
Let it suffice, therefore, to say that, from this time, all went 
on as well as could be desired. Nature, as usual, conducted 
her operations of healing wdth wonderful and 1 admirable 
effect. Not only was, by degrees, the loose and long and 
jagged skin drawm up into its place, with its edges rounded off 
and contracted, but the chasm itself w T as by degrees filled up 
with granulations until the probe, which had become quite 
lost in its meanderings and depths, could scarcely be made 
to enter at all. At one time, it seemed impossible almost 
to imagine how nature could right herself ; though she 
eventually did so, and most beautifully and effectually in the 
end accomplished her w 7 ork of restoration. So that I may 
here finish the history of the case by saying, that, on the 
7th September last, nearly three months after the accident, 
the horse left Windsor Barracks for Birmingham (where his 
own regiment is now quartered) as w 7 ell as he originally w as 
