A CASE OF FISTULOUS WITHERS. 
By Mr. James Tindal, V.S., Golspie. 
[Ill The Veterinarian for May 1839, we recorded a case of 
bad fistulous withers that was under treatment by Mr. Tindal, 
and with regard to which he had solicited the advice of Pro¬ 
fessor Dick. We are now able to follow the history of the case. 
He pursued the inode of treatment recommended by the Pro¬ 
fessor, and the consequence was that it terminated favourably, 
although not until the end of October. Shortly, however, after 
the receipt of Professor Dick’s instructions, the owner wished 
to sell or otherwise dispose of the animal, and Mr. Tindal pur¬ 
chased him for <^11. He shall now give his own account of 
the business.] 
The sinus again opened near the superior anterior and left side 
of the withers. I had it well cleansed out with warm water, and 
then, by means of a splinter of wood and bandages, applied pres¬ 
sure for a few days—but I found that it was impossible to compress 
the bottom of the sinus; and the application of pressure had al¬ 
ready caused such a degree of irritation, that he refused his food. 
I then had recourse to an injection of muriatic acid well forced 
into the sinus, but without any good effect; indeed, it only seemed 
to prolong his sufferings. I therefore determined, as a last re¬ 
source, to remove, as Mr. D. suggested, the diseased vertebra, 
which was effected with great difficulty, owing to its deep situation. 
Having, with Jeff’s hobbles, cast and secured the horse on the right 
side, I commenced by making an incision five inches long. I re¬ 
moved the diseased soft parts, and having carefully dissected around 
the diseased bone, without dividing the ligamentum colli, I then, 
with a very small fine saw, removed the carious bone, which mea¬ 
sured three inches and a half in length: it was also greatly thick¬ 
ened, and perforated with sinuses in every direction. I now 
inserted a seton from above, carrying it obliquely forward and 
downward to near the point of the shoulder—put a few stitches 
through the lips of the incision, and then unscrewed the pin of the 
hobbles. 
During the operation, which lasted twenty-five minutes, the 
animal struggled very much, and the parts bled profusely, and 
several bloodvessels had to be secured. A great degree of consti¬ 
tutional irritation ensued, but in two days it gradually subsided, 
though the parts swelled enormously. Warm fomentations were 
applied twice a-day, and the wounds dressed with the tincture 
of myrrh et aloes. 
The seton was renewed once in eight days, and finally w ilhdrawn 
