WOUND IN THE SEAT OF CAPPED HOCK. 
211 
There was a clean cut wound (as if wilfully done with some sharp 
instrument) through the skin or cap of the hock down to the tendo 
perforatus, which appeared not injured. It was situate a little on 
the inside, and commenced about an inch below the upper end of 
the os calcis, and extended downwards for four or five inches. 
The wound seemed healthy; indeed, granulations were springing 
up. I could introduce my finger inside, the wound being at least 
an inch in width. I had a high-heeled shoe put on, ordered the 
parts to be well fomented, sent a liniment to dress it, and gave an 
aperient. She walked home again the same day, but was very 
lame. 
Wth .—Going on well. Put a plaster over it of white of an 
egg and flour, so as to encourage granulations, and keep it from 
the air. 
1 5th .—Wound looks well, and is growing up fast, there being 
an opening down to the tendon of not above three-quarters of an 
inch in extent, which discharges healthy pus. Touch the granula¬ 
tions with cup. sulph., and leave it exposed to the air. 
19th .—I was rather surprised this morning to find the mare 
worse. She is stiff, and afraid to move the limb: both limbs 
are a little oedematous, and there is also a pouch of oedema hang¬ 
ing near the udder. The hock is but little swelled and inflamed. 
I was informed that for the last day or two there had been dis¬ 
charging from the wound a good deal of “ watery slimy stuff.” 
Passed a probe up it, and found it deeper than I expected, and 
while doing this some portions of coagulated synovia escaped. 
She was thinner, and did not look so well as usual, although she 
fed well. Took a gallon of blood from her, which was dark co¬ 
loured. Blistered all around the hock, so as to close the wound, 
and applied some of the hyd. bichlorid. to the mouth of it, to coagu¬ 
late the synovia; and also gave an aperient, and ordered perfect 
rest. I fear the side of the bursa, or synovial sheath, at the upper 
end of the os calcis, formed by the expansion of the tendon of the 
gastrocnemius internus muscle is now opened into. 
2lst .—I now ascertained that the probable cause of the mare 
being so much worse arose from her being allowed to be covered 
by a stallion, and which may have irritated, and probably burst 
open, the bursa or sheath. The blister has taken good effect, but 
there is still a great discharge of synovia. I applied the cautery, 
and sent some solut. of hyd. bichlor. to be applied to the discharge. 
23 d .—In consequence of the swelling being rather great about 
the wound and hock, a meddling farrier who had called at the 
house ordered fomentations to the hock, and, of course, the wound 
had continued to discharge pretty freely of synovia. Constitu¬ 
tional symptoms are by no means worse, but she is still lifting her 
