FRACTURED LIMBS OF HORSES* 
505 
either to tighten or slacken the slings at pleasure, and there was no 
liability of their giving way. Having adjusted on him the slings, 
I proceeded to set the leg, by bandaging up the whole limb from the 
foot to the stifle joint, taking care that they were so applied as to 
make the limb of one uniform thickness, tapering towards the foot. 
I next applied two splints, notched every three inches like a but- 
cher’s shamble, on the outside of them, and had them shaped to the 
leg of the horse as near as possible; they were about two and a half 
inches wide. Their lower ends rested upon the ground — the upper 
reached the stifle joint. I next applied two splints before and two 
behind, and about eighteen inches long ; two were of steel wrapped 
in pads, and two of ash wood. The splints were secured in their 
proper places by bandages and buttons on their outer sides, and 
occasionally by a little pitch, the whole being fastened together by 
straps and ropes. For about a foot in length, around the upper 
part of the splints, I had them regularly rolled with soft rope, as 
high as the stifle joint. By the time I had got all things adjusted, 
the horse appeared faint with pain, and broke out into a profuse 
sweat ; but no sooner did he feel the slings to be a support to 
him than he carried both hind legs under his body, relaxed his 
knees, and threw all his weight into the slings. In this way he 
lay apparently quite composed for about an hour, when he resumed 
a standing position again. I then applied fomentations of tolerably 
hot water to the whole limb, so as to keep it constantly moist. I 
gave in a bran-mash nitrate of potass half-an-ounce, potassio- 
tartrate of antimony one drachm, three times a-day for fourteen 
days ; then twice a-day for four weeks ; and then once or twice 
occasionally for four weeks more, which completed the cure. At 
the end of five weeks I first perceived him to bear a little weight 
on the fractured leg ; after that time he could be perceived almost 
daily to improve. At ten weeks and a day, having left him out 
of the slings for a little while in the stable by himself, I found him, 
on my return, lying down on the broken leg. This rather alarmed 
me, but I took hold of his tail, and he sprang up manfully. I then 
gave him walking exercise for seven days, putting him in slings 
at night. The day after eleven weeks I took him home, and he 
was turned out to grass for a month ; afterwards he was taken 
gradually to his usual work. Some idea may be formed of the 
size and strength of this horse, when I tell you that, in about six 
months after, he was sold to Mr. J. Yail, Norton Woodsetts, who 
informed me that he some time after took from Sheffield to Wood- 
setts two tons, five cwt. of manure, besides the weight of the cart, 
a distance of about three miles, and heavy up-hill road half the way. 
Case III. March 22 d, 1838. — Mr. J. Holmes, contractor, 
Broomhall-street, Sheffield, requested me to see a mare which had 
