684 
OPERATION OE TENOTOMY IN THE HORSE. 
the reparation of the tendon, the amount of secretion for that 
purpose would be in larger quantities from the upper cut 
end than from the lower, which will account for the fact of 
its bulk being greater. This end of the tendon would also 
be drawn, by muscular contraction, further from the point 
where the division was effected, consequently a greater dis¬ 
tance from the effused blood; which circumstance will account 
for the rusty aspect of the lower as compared with the upper 
end of the new substance. 
With regard to the new substance of the divided ligament 
being comparatively larger than that of the tendon, this may 
be accounted for by the fact of the ligament being the more 
vascular of the two, therefore it would be able to throw out 
a larger amount of material for this purpose. The tendon, 
I may remark, is principally supplied with blood from small 
arteries that are given off from the radial artery, the severing 
of which would, to a certain extent, cut off the supply of 
blood to the lower portion of the tendon, thereby lessening 
the power of reparation to the lower portion as compared 
with the upper. But with regard to the ligament, which is 
supplied with blood both from the small metacarpal and also 
by the ascending branches from the large, the former going 
to the upper and the latter to the lower part of the organ, it 
would, unlike the tendon, be as fully supplied with blood at 
the lower part as at the upper. 
I have dissected the limbs of horses that had been pur¬ 
posely destroyed in consequence of the tendons having been 
accidentally divided. One case in particular I remember, in 
which the cut ends of the organ differed materially from each 
other in a pathological point of view. In this instance the 
upper end of the lower portion was in a state of gangrene, 
its fibres were separated from each other, and saturated with 
grurnous matter, there not being the slightest indication of 
reparation. It was not so, however, with the end of the 
upper portion of the tendon, which was of a light-red colour 
and slightly enlarged, having adhering to it a small quan¬ 
tity of newly organized lymph. May not this condition of 
the two ends of the severed tendon depend, first, upon the 
upper portion being more freely supplied with blood, and thus 
have the material for repair more abundantly ; and secondly, 
by its being drawn, by the contraction of the muscles, fur¬ 
ther away from the opening in the skin, and consequently 
from the effects of the atmosphere and other injurious in¬ 
fluences ? With regard to the lower portion of the tendon, 
it being comparatively feebly supplied with blood, and there 
being no power to withdraw the cut end it would, unlike 
