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ON THE PREPARATION OE AN ANIMAL SUTURE. 
509 
Treatment consists in hypodermic injections of strychnia, 
atropine, digitaline, and administration of stimulants and nu¬ 
tritives, either in drenches or enemas. It is sometimes nec¬ 
essary to secure and confine the patient in slings for several 
weeks or months, but mild cases usually do nicely in comfor¬ 
table boxstalls. Feed and water from high mangers. Ton¬ 
ics and alteratives are beneficial during convalescence, which 
is generally tardy and unsatisfactory. The owners usually 
desire post-mortem examinations on the remains of horses 
killed by electricity ; while horses severely shocked and in¬ 
jured are generally treated for some time, in order that dam¬ 
ages may be legally recovered from the traction company. 
A few cases may be cited to illustrate the above remarks' 
I have had a case under treatment and observation for about 
four months, and it is not yet well enough to walk out of the 
stable. Although the company veterinarian diagnosed it as a 
simple case of pleurisy, which would be cured in a few days, 
two of the ablest veterinarians in the city were called 
m as evidence and confirmed my diagnosis—electric shock. 
Dr. J. E. McNeil kindly showed me a horse which had 
been shocked about a year ago and was then driven three 
miles to the country ; the patient suffered severely and was 
unable to control his actions, and it was found necessary to 
confine him in slings for a period of twenty-one weeks. This 
horse is not yet fit for any work. 
I saw a large, heavy draft horse that was shocked early 
last winter, and the owner finally became discouraged, and 
gave the horse away to a farmer. 
There is a great variety of mild forms of electrical injuries 
which appear to cause a reduced or increased function of 
certain sets of muscles of locomotion, especially the abduc¬ 
tors, flexors, and extensors of the posterior extremities. 
ON THE PREPARATION OF AN ANIMAL SUTURE, 
By G. A. Johnson, V.S., Carrol, Iowa. 
(A Paper read before the Western Iowa Veterinary Medical Association ) 
It is a conceded fact that sutures made from animal tissue 
are preferable to those made of silk. 
