TARSAL TENOTOMY. 
105 
trization is complete, which will be in from one week to ten 
days. 
By this method of operating the haemorrhage is slight and 
will subside with no treatment in time for you to apply your 
dressing, and very little swelling follows the operation. 
Some practitioners advise the removal of a section of the 
tendon, which I believe unnecessary, as it only complicates and 
delays cicatrization and does not have any bearing upon the 
result. 
According to all authorities, the only exostoses giving the 
desired result from the operation are those situated high in the 
tarsal region and forming a pronounced projection from the 
hock, or, in other words, a high and prominent spavin. 
While I will admit that the results in these cases are more 
pronounced immediately after the operation, I believe that in 
all cases where the tarsal groove is at all involved, the result 
will be satisfactory and equal to the actual cautery, for you not 
only relieve the pressure caused by this tendon, but also create 
a counter irritation greater and far more effective than that 
caused by a blister or fire-and-blister. 
I will answer the argument that it is useless, where you 
have the articular surface involved, in Yankee fashion, by ask¬ 
ing, “ How many cases with articular complications do you 
relieve with the actual cautery ? ” In my practice I confess 
articular lameness is not a specialty. 
I will submit to you a brief report of a few cases that I have 
operated upon during the past year : 
No. I .—Bay gelding, ten years old ; a large prominent exos¬ 
tosis, situated high ; this horse had been fired and blistered 
three times, and blistered alone six times during the past two 
years, and never went sound. Tarsal tenotomy performed on 
January io, 1900, the horse being very lame at the time. Cic¬ 
atrization complete and going sound in ten days; has worked 
steadily since that date at all kinds of work, including hansom, 
and has never taken a lame step since. 
No. II .—Bay gelding, 16 years old, very large spavin with 
