44 
A CASE OF LAMENESS. 
him, it was discovered he went on three legs. With the greatest 
difficulty, and the constant use of the whip, he was led to a stable 
about fifty yards off. A farrier was sent for, the shoe taken 
off, and the foot carefully examined, but without any cause for the 
lameness being perceptible. Some blood was taken from him, 
and a diuretic ball administered, our vulcanian cotemporary halting 
between the hip and the hock, as the seat of the lameness. I saw 
him on the Monday morning : he was in great pain — had not 
moved during the night — was standing on three legs, the near hind 
one being entirely raised from the ground — his pulse was quick, 
and his appetite quite gone. A very careful examination could 
discover nothing more than a general fulness of the limb from the 
hip to below the stifle, with considerable tenderness on pressure; 
when compelled to move, however, he could place his full weight 
on the affected leg, although with great pain and reluctance. 
During the examination, while flinching from the pressure made on 
the tender part of the limb, he fell on the near side, but, after a few 
struggles, again recovered his legs. After this he was led a few 
steps in the yard ; and as the testimony of all around was, that he 
moved rather better than he did the night before, he was ordered 
to be led quietly to town. Soon after he reached his stable, which 
was not till the evening, he either fell or lay down on the off-side, 
in which position I found him on Tuesday morning. I had the 
hobbles put on him, and then releasing the limb affected, examined 
it in every possible way : it was flexed and extended, abducted 
and adducted, without any lesion or other cause for the extreme 
pain and lameness under which he was suffering being discernible. 
On being released, he was so exhausted that he would not make 
the slightest effort to rise ; and it was the labour of more than an 
hour, with the assistance of pulliSs and several men, after repeated 
falls on either side, that he was got on his legs. A dose of aloes 
and opium was given ; a cold lotion was frequently applied to the 
quarter, and perfect quiet ordered. 
On Wednesday the medicine and lotion were repeated : he was 
led a few yards from his stable and back, when it was observable 
that, although he could flex and extend the limb tolerably well, its 
lateral action was much less under his controul, as he evidently 
could not depend on placing it within a foot further from or nearer 
to him : his medicine is operating well, and he not in quite so much 
pain. A consultation to-day failed to elucidate any decided opi- 
nion on the case ; but a peculiar dull sound was noticed in the hip- 
joint. 
On Thursday, a third opinion was taken, and this was, that the 
case was a fracture of the head of the femur, without displacement; 
but as the owner wished every possible chance to be given, the 
