TETANUS SUPERVENING OPEN-JOINT. 
21 
attend a gray horse, the property of one of the officers of the 
3rd B. E. Regiment, that had fallen with its rider a day or 
two before I saw him. On examining the animal in ques¬ 
tion, I found he Avas the subject of severe laceration of both 
knees, but more especially of the near one, from which a small 
amount of synovia was escaping, the result of injury of the 
sheath of the extensor metacarpi magnus tendon. I had both 
wounds cleansed, and to the near I applied a cataplasm, con¬ 
sisting of alum and flour; to the off, there being merely the 
protrusion of the subcutaneous tissue, I applied simple pres¬ 
sure by means of cold bandages, ordered to be kept wet, ex¬ 
ternally. I then left directions for the animal’s head to be 
tied up, to prevent his lying down, and he was to get only 
bran mashes and green grass preparatory to a dose of 
physic. Two mornings afterwards I again saw my patient, 
had the physic given him, and dressed the wounds as before. 
There was no escape of synovia visible when the cataplasm 
was removed. I visited him again as before, the physic had 
operated, and the wounds were doing well, the off one being 
now dressed with a solution of the sulphate of copper, with a 
view to suppress the luxuriant granulations. At the expira¬ 
tion of the week the treatment Avas changed, the wounds 
being then dressed with Ung. Alum, comp., under Avhich 
they progressed favorably till about three or four weeks 
after the accident, when on visiting my patient as usual my 
attention was attracted by his tail, the position of which I did 
not like, and on Avalking quietly up to his head the disease 
from which he was then suffering was perfectly manifest. His 
head Avas protruded, the nostrils dilated, his eyes retracted and 
partly concealed by the cartilago nictatans; and in short, every 
symptom indicative of tetanus. On looking at the wounds I 
found them unhealthy: I had them freely fomented, and left 
to nature. In the mean time I sent for the folloAving: 
Jc 01. Crotonis, gtt. xv; 
01. Lini, Oiss; 
Aloes (in solution), 5ij. Fiat haust. 
This was given, although the animal’s jaAvs could only be 
parted for about an inch. I then left orders that he was to 
be kept as quiet as circumstances would permit—unfortu¬ 
nately, the stable he occupied formed a corner of two of the 
principal thoroughfares, and through them there was much 
traffic—and that a pail of warm gruel, to be occasionally re- 
neAved, should be left in the stall, in which he Avas permitted 
to roam loose. 
