DIVISION OF THE EXTENSOR TENDON. 
73 
cident about three or four days previous. I found a very large 
wound situated between the knee and elbow joint, about six 
inches above the former, and towards the anterior and external 
part of the fore arm. It was occasioned by the crook of the 
trace getting entangled in the horse’s leg, whilst the carter was 
letting his team go out of the road to a pond, to drink ; and as 
there were several horses before this one, every step they made 
lacerated the arm the more. The wound was nearly as large as 
my hand, and the extensor pedis was completely divided, just 
below the part where it becomes tendinous. About two or three 
inches of the lower portion of tendon were detached from the 
neighbouring parts, and hanging from the inferior border of the 
wound; and the extensive granulatious that had formed must 
have caused or assisted its protrusion, as it was not observed until 
the day before I was sent for. The horse appeared to be in pain, 
had great difficulty in moving, and dragged his toe along the 
ground at every step. I despaired of ever getting the divided 
tendon to unite; but, however, I was willing to try what Nature 
would do. Accordingly, I drew the ends of the tendon as near 
together as possible, and having connected them by sutures, 
supported the lower detached portion with bandages: the wound 
was cleansed, and the granulations touched with a mild escharotic. 
The next day, finding that the ends of the divided tendon had still 
further receded from each other, the sutures on the stretch, and, 
in short, no prospect of a reunion taking place, I resolved to ex¬ 
cise the lower portion, trusting the functions of the limb to be 
performed by the extensor suffraginis. I therefore amputated 
the protruded portion of tendon, and, having stopped the hemorr¬ 
hage with the cautery, sprinkled the wound with a caustic pow¬ 
der, the fungus flesh having risen above the level of the skin, so 
much so, that no trace remained of the place the tendon formerly 
occupied. Cathartic and diuretic medicines were occasionally 
administered internally; but the only topical treatment afterwards 
employed was an astringent and an escharotic powder, scattered 
over, as the wound required. The horse moved better as the 
wound diminished; and in about six weeks after the accident, 
the parts being completely cicatrized, he resumed his work, with 
a slight scar marking the seat of injury, but without any lame¬ 
ness or impediment in his action. 
Remarks .—The foregoing case affords 'an instance of the 
amazing powers of Nature, m repairing the effects of accidents ; 
for here a comparatively small muscle,—the extensor suffraginis, 
must have increased sufficiently to perform the duty of a much 
larger one, or otherwise the tendon of the extensor pedis must 
have become united by granulations to the surrounding muscles: 
