278 
REPORTS OF CASES. 
warding it, with the hope that it may interest and mayhap 
benefit some brother practitioner who has an obstinate case 
under treatment, should you consider it worthy of insertion 
in the pages of your valuable journal. 
Perhaps we are going too far in apparently presuming that 
similar treatment has not been adopted by some, but we don’t 
remember at the present moment having read, nor in conver¬ 
sation with any practitioner (with the exception of one gen¬ 
tlemen, who made the suggestion to us after having tried it 
experimentally) heard of the agent (acetic acid) applied in 
this disease. 
Our patient was a six-year-old, dark bay gelding, about 
15.3 hands high, of the cab-horse class of animal, and owned 
by a large firm of ’bus and cab proprietors in London, Eng. 
On entering the box along with the owner, we were in¬ 
formed the case had been under treatment for five months, 
and he thought recovery exceedingly doubtful; in fact the 
case had been pronounced incurable, but “ doctors differ,” and 
he hoped a change of treatment might have a beneficial ten¬ 
dency. We need not occupy time and space in giving the 
symptoms, which are familiar to every practitioner ; suffice it 
to say, that we were almost able to diagnose the case before 
seeing it, by our sense of smell, the fetor was so offensive. The 
affected limb was the off hind ; it was enlarged from the top 
of the coronet to the lower aspect of the hock, with the char¬ 
acteristic cracks, discharge, etc., the enlargements known as 
“ grapes,” due to the plugging up of the ducts of some of the 
subaceous glands, and the retention of their secretion. 
Our plan of treatment was as follows : Constitutionally —A 
sharp purgative, followed by mineral tonics. Locally —A poul¬ 
tice composed of equal parts of wheat bran and linseed meal, 
made the proper consistency, with hot water. In the poultice 
was placed and thoroughly mixed, acetic acid (B. P. strength) 
f. § iv. 
A loose coat or stocking, made of stout sacking, was put on 
the limb, and the poultice packed inside of the leg of the 
stocking. This was allowed to remain on for twenty-four 
hours, and when removed, and the parts thoroughly cleansed 
