112 
MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY 
If the cut in the joint be large, and the joint-oil continues 
to exude from it, and the horse exhibit symptoms of suffer¬ 
ing much pain, it maj be considered that the wound has 
become incurable ; and under the circumstances, it will be 
but proper to destroy the animal, and relieve him from 
the torture which always accompanies aggravated cases of 
broken knees: for high fever is almost always induced, of 
which he is nearly certain to die ; or if he survives it, the 
inflammation of the parts will induce a deposit of matte 1 * 
in the cavity of the joint, and this becoming fixed, produces 
lameness, for which there is no remedy. 
To enable a person to judge of the exact situation of 
the wound in broken knees, he should have a thorough 
knowledge of the structure and situation of the bones of the 
knee-joint, which is the most complicated of all the bony 
structure of the horse. Between the lower termination of 
the bone of the arm, and the superior portion of the leg- 
bones, there are interposed seven other bones, called the 
carpal bones. Six of these are arranged in two rows of 
three each, and the seventh is placed behind the others. 
Should the wound be situated opposite the bottom row, and 
if its dimensions are small, then there will be little difficulty 
in closing it; and even a pretty large one is frequently suc¬ 
cessfully cured, as there is but limited motion in that part. 
But if it is situate opposite the union of the two rows, its 
remedy is much more uncertain, in consequence of this being 
the seat of the chief motion of the joint, which has a ten¬ 
dency to disunite the lips of the wound, and also induces 
most irritating friction between the bones, which would 
become in close contact with each other, in consequence of 
the expenditure of the joint-oil. 
When the skin has been broken, it is always visible 
afterwards, but the extent of the blemish will depend 
