REPORTS OF CASES. 
343 
was regarded as simple conjunctivitis, due to cold or to 
slight traumatism ; but, as the eyeball and its structures were 
apparently health} 7 , and as her price was reasonable, the 
client was advised to purchase and take the slight r sk, which 
was regarded as trifling. When he had owned her for a 
week he sent for the doctor, as she was feeding poorly, and, 
upon observing her manner of eating, the difficulty was 
found to be that she could not crush the food. She would 
seize a mouthful of hay, for instance, roll it about in her 
mouth, make one or two attempts to masticate it, and then 
allow it to drop out of her mouth as though the attempt had 
caused her much pain. Her teeth were examined and found 
normal, but the temporal fossae was swollen, and extreme 
tenderness upon pressure over the temporo-maxillary articu¬ 
lation. A diagnosis of synovitis of this joint was made, and 
anodyne treatment prescribed. The symptoms as described 
persisted, with slight exascerbations and improvement for 
about three weeks, when an urgent call was received, with 
the statement that the animal was found in the condition 
that she was then in. On entering the stable that morning 
we found her standing in her stall with her muzzle touching 
upon the floor. On backing her she rushed back to the rear 
wall and nearly fell. Taking her into the yard she stag¬ 
gered, fought the air with her front feet and appeared to 
have lost the power of co-ordination, reeling about and finally 
falling, where she lay in a half comatose condition. Pulse and 
temperature about normal. The owner was advised to have 
her destroyed and her head removed for examination. The 
skin was dissected from the head, and a small tumor which 
she showed on the right side of the parietal bone was cut 
into and found to be a callous, with gritty bone distributed 
through its substance. A space the size of a silver dollar 
was entirely devoid of bone, and when the callous was re¬ 
moved the brain was clearly visible, and it is evident that 
there had existed a comminuted fracture at this point, and 
that the bone was being absorbed by the inflammatory ac¬ 
tion. Inserting a finger into this opening a comminuted com¬ 
plete fracture could be easily felt, running down in the di- 
