562 
DR. PIERCE. 
cases of fractures that have occurred in my practice of late. 
It tends to show to what extent nature will repair damage 
with a little assistance from man, and that we should not be 
too hasty in advising the destruction of a poor dumb brute. 
Case I. On the 20th of March last I was called in great 
haste to the race track to see a horse that the trainer said had 
gotten hurt in his stall. Upon arrival I found a most beauti¬ 
ful thi ee-year-old chestnut stallion, a grandson of Direct, 
standing in one corner of his box with the blood dripping 
from his mouth. 
On examination I found a compound comminuted fracture 
of the inferior maxilla, beginning between the front and lat¬ 
eral incisors on the left, extending in an oblique direction to 
the first molar on the right, making a three-cornered piece, : 
and taking with it four incisors. The piece was held by the ■ 
skin in such a manner that the table surface of the teeth 
looked forward, and the fractured portion kept piercing the 
roof of the mouth. 
I ordered the animal brought directly to the hospital 
where we placed him on the operating table, and proceeded 
to get the parts in apposition. I found it impossible to do so 
at first on account of the ragged edges, but by removing some ■ 
of the irregularities with the bone forceps I had no difficulty, 
and with silver wire made fast the teeth on the broken 
piece to the solid molars on the opposite side. Then by 
placing splints under the jaw, and bandaging around through 
the mouth, I made it quite solid. 
The next question was, “ How is the horse going to eat 
all this time?” it being .impossible for him to take up a 
mouthful of food or masticate it after he once had it in his 
mouth. . By boiling oatmeal (having it rather thick), and 
placing it well back in his mouth with a wooden spoon he 
managed to get it down, and enough to satisfy him fairly 
We removed the bandage every day, carefully washing 
out the wound with an antiseptic, and always keeping a muz¬ 
zle on except when feeding him or dressing the wound. 
In twelve days we could see signs of reunion beginning to 
