PENETRANT CAUTERIZATION IN THE TREATMENT 
OF LAMENESS FROM OSTITIS. 209 
pattern unless on a high exostosis, but place your points where 
you can safely puncture and where they will do the most good. 
The severity of the firing will depend on the age of the patient, 
and the area to which you suppose the diseased tissue is limited; 
the length of time lame and the amount of lameness will also 
be factors. The severity of courses will be varied by the depth 
to which we puncture and scar, the closeness of the points and 
the extent of the tissue they cover. A few points properly 
placed and well let in, will often do more good than three times 
as many superficially burned. 
If not thoroughly familiar with the parts, it is well before 
operating to spend sometime in examining a specimen of the 
joint, comparing it with the living and decide where your points 
can be safely placed and where they will do the most good. 
Carefully examine the exostosis and satisfy yourself as to the 
bones involved. 
As an example, we can take a ringbone. A row of points 
can be placed above and below the pastern joint, and if it ex¬ 
tends high upon the os-suffraginis, an extra row will be of 
benefit. A ringbone generally requires pretty severe firing, 
especially in old patients. On that part of the joint which is 
covered by the tendon of extensor pedis, we are not able to 
accomplish much, but at the sides the cautery should be so in¬ 
troduced as to set up plenty of inflammation in the periosteum. 
The growth of the bone thus produced acts much as a splint, 
while complete anchylosis takes place. Of course no punctures 
are made in the posterior part of the joint. 
It the case of an ordinary bone spavin limited to the lower 
part of the hock joint it is not always necessary to use the cau¬ 
tery all over the articulation, in parts where we know the tis¬ 
sues are perfectly healthy. It is well to map it into three areas 
—the first to the inside of the saphena vein, the second between 
the saphena vein and the tendon of extensor, pedis, and the 
third to the outside of this tendon. 
In the first area we can, if the exostosis is at all marked, 
put from five to seven points, touching the large and small 
