198 
ON DIVISION OF THE FLEXOR TENDON IN THE 
HORSE. 
By Mr. R. Davie, F. S. f Elgin . 
Being anxious to contribute my humble mite to the “ New 
Series” of your valuable Journal, I beg to send you a brief ac- 
count of a simple but useful operation which I performed in 
February 1841. 
Having castrated an entire aged horse, the property of Mr. 
Barclay, of Inchbroom, that gentleman desired me to look at a 
pad that he was about to destroy, and which, he said, had not 
put one of his feet to the ground for three months, and he 
despaired of the pony ever being again useful. 
On examining; the animal I found that this was a case of con- 
traction of the flexor tendon, and that the weight of the horse 
rested entirely on the front of the fetlock joint, the foot being , 
turned backwards. I therefore told him, that I thought it 
was yet quite possible to bring the foot to the ground, by divid- 
ing the flexor tendon. He immediately determined that I should 
attempt the operation, and accordingly sent the pony to my 
establishment. It was rather low in condition, but it required 
no farther treatment, before the operation, than the paring of the 
feet and the putting on of a high-heeled shoe. 
This being done, I commenced the operation by making a 
longitudinal incision, about an inch in length, through the integu- 
ment on the inside of the leg, posterior to the nerves and blood- 
vessels, and nearly midway between the knee and pastern joint. 
I next separated, with the back of the knife, the tendon from its 
cellular connexion with the suspensory ligament ; and then, turn- 
ing the edge of the knife to the tendon, I divided it transversely, 
taking care not to injure the bloodvessels, nerves, and integu- 
ment of the leg. 
I, finally, by the aid of an assistant, brought the foot over my 
knee to its proper position. This being done, I observed that 
the ends of the divided tendon were three inches apart. 
I brought the divided edges of the integument together by 
means of one suture, and put a bandage tightly round the leg, 
which I removed on the second day, to apply a little lotion, 
and then replaced the bandage again. 
On the sixth day after the operation I permitted a little walk- 
ing exercise ; but as there was a slight suppuration, I removed the 
bandage, and applied a poultice for one day. 
