222 
WOUNDS OF THE CHEST-WALL. 
may assist healing. Where possible, the diseased bone should be scraped 
with the curette. For this purpose it will often be necessary to cast the 
animal. The actual cautery under certain circumstances may be useful, 
as Landers case shows. Where acute inflammation occurs, warm 
antiseptic poultices will hasten recovery and minimise swelling ; abscesses 
must be opened. In the acute stages, the animal, having difficulty in 
walking, must remain idle; but in chronic cases, it is generally better 
at slow work. 
Fracture of the sternum, which is rare in horses, was observed by 
Sand. The horse had run away and fallen violently to the ground. 
It rose, however, and after galloping a further distance of about 400 
yards ^-suddenly fell once more, and immediately died. Death was 
found to have been due to injury to the internal thoracic artery, 
which had been torn by a fragment of the sternum. Sand thinks that 
the horse had fallen on its shoe. 
XV, —WOUNDS AND BRUISES OF THE SOFT PARTS 
OF THE CHEST-WALL. 
(1.) WOUNDS OF THE CHEST-WALL WITHOUT 
PERFORATION. 
Wounds associated with injuries of the sternum have already been 
discussed, and consideration has now to be given to those of the soft 
parts ; injuries due to collar pressure will be considered elsewhere. 
Such wounds in horses are caused by collisions with the pole of the 
carriage, by two animals meeting violently; in the army by lance 
thrusts, or by falling on uneven hard ground or on the rider’s spur. 
When the injury is on the anterior surface of the chest, the trachea, 
the great vessels, and the first ribs may be endangered. Injuries to 
the sides may consist of extensive gashes in the chest and shoulder 
muscles, or an offending body may force its way between chest-wall and 
shoulder, severely damaging the larger blood-vessels and nerves. 
Thienemann records that a horse, which had received a wound over 
the elbow and died two days afterwards, had the axillary vein torn 
through. Hiibner describes a case in which the horse fell; a fluctuat¬ 
ing swelling immediately appeared, in consequence of rupture of the 
axillary artery, gradually extended over the neck and chest, and proved 
fatal forty-five minutes later. 
Prognosis depends chiefly on the position and degree of the injury. 
Wounds involving only the skin and superficial layer of muscle usually 
heal well, especially if the secretions find ready exit; but deep-pene¬ 
trating wounds to the lower border of the neck are very grave; the 
