721 
FUACTUKE OF THE OS METACAllPl MAGNUM OF 
A HORSE; REUNION. 
' By Neil Barrow, V.S., Turriff. 
As cases of this kind do not occur every day in the common 
run of country ])ractice, 1 trust the followinj^ details may in¬ 
terest some of the numerous readers of the Veterinarian. 
Early in the morning of the 13th of June, 1869, I was 
summoned to the home farm at Armidale House, belonging 
to J. D. Milne, Esq., to see a horse that had received an in¬ 
jury to the near foreleg. I found the patient, a very superior 
dark bay cart-horse, about twelve years of age, standing in 
the stable, with his head resting on the manger, the injured 
limb extended, the ground being merely tipped by the toe, 
the pulse accelerated, the breathing quick, with other indica¬ 
tions of acute pain. I learned from the attendant that he had 
been first noticed lame on the previous evening in a park, 
Avhere he and several other horses were accustomed to graze. 
He was at once removed home, a distance of over half a mile, 
doing the journey on three legs, and with much difficulty. 
On examining the limb, I found a very small opening 
through the skin at the inner and front part, and near the 
middle of the large metacarpal hone, with slight effusion and 
great tenderness for two inches around. I could hear no cre¬ 
pitation, nor was I able to detect the slightest movement in 
any part of the bone. By the use of the probe, I discovered 
what I supposed at the time to be a portion of the bone sur¬ 
face grazed. No small surmising occurred among the on¬ 
lookers as to the cause of the accident; and when one ven¬ 
tured to say that he believed that there was a stake still 
V 
sticking in the wound, I gave it as my opinion that it was 
the result of a good sound kick, received, very probably, 
whilst in the act of rearing. Not being well satisfied as to 
the nature or extent of the injury done, I resolved to see the 
case as soon as possible again, and, before leaving, ordered 
warm fomentations to the limb, to be persisted with for hours 
together, and during cessation to apply an anodyne liniment 
all around the wound; tincture of aconite to be given in his 
water, ten to fifteen drops, three times a day (gave no cathar¬ 
tic, the foeces being very soft); and the food succulent, of 
which he partook moderately. 
On the 15th I again saw the horse. Was told he had heen 
down, and was raised with great difficulty, had drunk almost 
no water, and eaten very sparingly. The febrile symptoms 
