42 
ON WOUNDS OF THE THORAX. 
Mr. Hales, F.6\, Oswestry. 
There are few accidents of more practical importance to the 
veterinarian than wounds of the natural cavities, whether of the 
larger cavities of the body, or the smaller but very important 
ones of the joints ; and, probably, there are few, if any, injuries, 
the successful or unsuccessful termination of which depends more 
upon the treatment adopted. They are injuries that, if left to 
themselves, or badly treated, will almost certainly end in the use¬ 
lessness of the animal, or in death, if the large cavities or most 
extensive joints are the wounded parts. On the other hand, if 
recourse is had to prompt and judicious measures, and there is no 
material injury of the contained parts, a perfect and often speedy 
recovery may be obtained. I shall, at present, confine myself 
to wounds of the thorax, but probably may, at a future time, 
extend my remarks to opened joints. I would now merely ob¬ 
serve, with respect to wounded joints, that the plan of treatment 
I have followed for several years is similar in principle, though 
somewhat different in the means employed, to that so ably ad¬ 
vocated bv Mr. T. Turner. 
•/ 
In the treatment of wounds of the thorax, I consider that there 
are two principal objects to be kept in view—to subdue or ward 
off inflammation, and to keep the cavity of the chest sealed from 
the admission of the external air: in fact, if the latter is not 
strictly and rigidly attended to, the former cannot be attained. 
I have been surprised at the almost sudden manner in which 
relief is often obtained by attending to the latter indication. The 
horse has been breathing most laboriously, with a depressed ap¬ 
pearance and anxious countenance, accompanied by that hissing 
noise that so clearly marks the passing of air to and from the chest. 
The wound has afterwards been carefully and completely closed, so 
as to exclude the external air, and the breathing has shortly begun 
to improve; the horse has brightened up; and in a few hours the 
respiration has become easy, and the patient in comparative 
comfort. On the other hand, if the air is not excluded, the lung 
on the injured side remains in a collapsed state, and its functions 
cannot be performed : pleuritic inflammation quickly succeeds, 
and death closes the scene. This has been uniformly veiified so 
far as my own practice and experience go. 
By attending to the above directions, we are endeavouring to 
place the parts as nearly as we can in their former position and 
connexion, by substituting an artificial bulwark for the natural 
one that accident has destroyed. It is not difficult to keep the 
