495 
CASES OF FRACTURES, &C. 
from this place. The only history of the case which I could gain 
from the driver was, that whilst trotting at a pace of about six or 
eight miles an hour, over a perfectly smooth and level road, the 
horse suddenly stumbled and stopped, but did not fall. On the 
driver’s alighting from the box of the chaise, and examining into 
the cause of the stoppage, he observed the horse to be standing 
upon his fetlocks with his feet bottom upwards. The harness was 
immediately taken off; the animal staggered a few steps, and fell 
upon his side, in which position I found him on my arrival, appa- 
rently in extreme pain. From what I had heard from the driver, 
I anticipated a rupture of the flexor tendons at least ; and probably 
the suspensory ligament likewise ; but on a minute examination 
of the leg I could discover nothing of the kind. Judge, however, 
my surprise at finding the os suffraginis completely fractured in 
many parts, together with an opening into the pastern joint (through 
which one or more of the pieces of bone must have protruded). 1 
continued my examination to the other leg, and my surprise became 
astonishment on finding that the os suffraginis of this leg also had 
become fractured. 
My diagnosis of the case was, of course, most unfavourable. I 
advised that the horse be shot, which was immediately done. 
On a post-mortem examination of the part, 1 discovered the bone 
of the near leg to have been (as I expected) fractured into many 
parts — as many as eight pieces — whilst the bone of the off leg was 
fractured into ten pieces. To attempt a minute description of the 
fracture would be quite out of the question. Suffice it to say, each 
bone had the appearance of having been placed on end upon a 
smith’s anvil, whilst the other end was struck very violently with 
a large sledge hammer, and thus the bone literally smashed into 
atoms. 
The surrounding parts were very much contused, though the 
tendons and joints were, with one slight exception, sound. I should 
have added, that the horse was about twelve or fourteen years old ; 
and that the bones were quite healthy. 
CASE IT . — Fracture of the Os Femoris in a Bull. 
The subject of this case was a remarkably fine two-year old bull, 
of the Quartly breed, the property of a farmer of this parish, and 
intended for exhibition at the late Exeter meeting of the Royal 
Agricultural Society. The owner not being, as I suppose, accus- 
tomed to driving cattle about the country in hot weather, sent for 
a smith (who is also a cattle doctor, when he can get a fool to em- 
ploy him) to shoe this bull. It was cast, shod, and let up again; 
but, behold ! one of his hind legs had become useless to him. There 
