81 
ON THE RE-UNION OF FRACTURED BUT NOT 
DISPLACED BONES. 
Hj/ Mr. J. B. Simon Ds, Tivickenham. 
In the last number of your excellent periodical is a valuable 
paper from Mr. Friend, of Walsall, on fractures of the bones of 
the extremities. I had thouo;ht of makino; a few remarks on 
these cases, but, probably, should not have carried my intention 
into execution had not a similar case occurred in my own prac¬ 
tice to-day. With the greater part of the opinions offered by that 
gentleman I cordially agree; but there is one to which I cannot 
assent, as my own practice compels me to come to a different 
conclusion. 
He says, that every case of fracture without displacement of 
the parts would have been curable, if committed to the care of a 
veterinary surgeon in time. Now, of these deceptive cases of 
fractures, if I may be allowed such an expression, three or four of 
the tibia have fallen under my observation, and not in one of them, 
(although I flatter myself the same treatment as that recom¬ 
mended by Mr. Friend was as rigidly adopted) was I successful. 
I have invariably found, that the power afforded either by the 
periosteum, muscles, or fasciaj, separately or conjointly, has, after 
a few days, been withdrawn, and the bones have separated ; giv¬ 
ing that appearance to the leg which is so graphically described 
by Mr. Friend. I will relate a case in proof of this assertion, 
which occurred in my practice in Suffolk. 
A young and valuable cart-mare, the property of a Mr. Knight, 
of St. Lawrence, near Bungay, had received a kick from one of 
the other horses during the night, they being at that season of 
the year turned into the yards. On the following morning, this 
mare was discovered to be lame in the near hind leg, but the cause 
was not apparent to the owner. He requested me to visit and 
examine her. I found the mare in the stable bearing some 
weight on this leg, but certainly not so much as on the other 
leg. She was feeding, and did not seem to be suffering much 
pain. The pulse was a little increased. 
I made an examination of the leg without being satisfied as to 
the seat of lameness. I then inquired whether she had been 
newly shod, and proceeded to take off the shoe, in order to ex¬ 
amine the foot. In doing this the pain was evidently increased, 
and she could scarcely bear the foot being raised, which satisfied 
me I must look much higher for the cause of lameness. She 
was led into the yard in order to make a more minute examina- 
