PUNCTURED WOUNDS. 
267 
pains to thoroughly clean the parts, using antiseptics, and with 
difficulty drew the parts together, using a full curved needle and 
carbolized catgut, making interrupted sutures. If I remember 
right, we put in seven stitches in the oesophagus. Then we 
stitched up the skin, closing the wound completely, and ordered 
the horse tied so he could not eat or drink till morning. 
The following morning we found enough swelling to satisfy 
us, so we removed a few stitches at the most dependent part to 
allow drainage, there being no flow of saliva at this time or up 
to the fourth day. We ordered the horse to be fed on nothing 
but thin gruel, but on the fourth day the owner took pity on the 
horse and gave him some hay and oats, and in swallowing this 
rough food a stitch or two was torn in the cesophagus, allowing 
the food and saliva to flow, but in a much smaller quantity. 
We did not try to stop the flow after this, but kept the horse on 
soft food and gruel. After about fifteen days the flow of saliva 
ceased and in a reasonable length of time the wound healed up 
nicely. The horse was put to work, and has suffered no incon¬ 
venience since. It is now two years since the accident hap¬ 
pened. The horse lost little flesh and had little or no systemic 
disturbance. The only after treatment used was mild antiseptic 
lotion and cleanliness. 
Another case of puncture that seemed like sure death or 
total disability, was of a fine horse belonging to a carriage 
team prized very highly by the owner, when the neck-yoke 
broke, allowing the tongue to fall, and causing the team to run 
away. The tongue broke and a splinter penetrated the hind 
leg, starting in at posterior part of the suffraginis, passing 
under the perforans tendon and down inside of the hoof, and 
rested on the sole of the foot. The splinter broke oft' short and 
remained in the foot. We cast the horse and had to cut the 
skin and tissues away before we could get hold of it with for¬ 
ceps, and it was with difficulty removed. It came out in two 
pieces, having split the whole length. The diameter was fully 
one-half inch and fully eight inches long. We probed the wound 
and decided best to open through the sole of the foot, it being 
