590 
COMPARATIVE VALUE OF THE 
advantage resulted from the oj)eration, while only six of the 
one-and-twenty that had been fired were obliged to be re-ope¬ 
rated upon. On all of these six setons were tried, but without 
any success, excepting that which might safely be attributed to 
the length of time the animals were permitted to rest in idleness. 
But the re-application of the actual cautery was, in the majority 
of instances, attended with the most beneficial results. 
The following is a 
table of the cases 
• L 
• 
Number of 
Fired after 
Setoned after 
horses 
Setoned. 
liavingrbeen 
Fired. 
h aving been 
affected. 
setoned. 
fired. 
Wind galls 
. 21 
10 
G 
11 
1 
Bog spavin and/ 
thorough-pin S 
12 
5 
3 
7 
4 
Bursal enlarge¬ 
ment of the ( 
knee and its ( 
> 5 
2 
2 
3 
1 
thecae . 
1 
38 
17 
11 
21 
6 
The greater nurn 
ber of the 
setoned cases were either horses 
set apart for experiment or that belonged to private individuals. 
Those which were in the first instance fired, were, for the most 
part, the property of post-masters. They were all suflaciently 
long under observation to make a fair estimate as to the reme¬ 
dial value of the two operations. 
It will appear from the above table, that the chances of relief 
being afforded are greatly in favour of the actual cautery. In¬ 
deed, if we take into consideration the 7nodus operandi of seton- 
ing and firing in such cases, we shall cease to be surprised at the 
great disparity. 
In applying a seton, we are doing neither more nor less than 
making an artificial fistula; which, from the suppurative action 
that is kept up during the presence of the tape, acts both as a 
counter-irritant and a depletent. The joint being, in a mea¬ 
sure, thrown out of action, the synovia becomes absorbed, and 
the fistula healing after the removal of the tape, the tumefaction 
subsides, and the horse is sound. Sound I ’tis true; but for 
how long? A short time after the animal resumes his accus¬ 
tomed duties, either over the road, in the field, or on the turf, 
the bursae commence to re-enlarge, and at the end of the season 
are as distended as they were previous to the operation. 
The setons having thus failed, firing is had recourse to: not 
of that light and fanciful description so much admired by ama- 
