THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. XXXVII. 
No.438. 
JUNE, 1864. 
Fourth Series. 
No. 114. 
Communications and Cases, 
FRACTURE OF THE SESAMOID BONES OF THE 
OFF FORE-LEG OF A HORSE WITH LUXA¬ 
TION OF THE FETLOCK JOINT. 
By Professor Varnell. 
In the month of April, 1864, I had sent to me a specimen 
of fracture of the sesamoid bones of the off fore-leg of an aged 
thorough-bred horse, complicated with luxation of the fetlock 
joint. Two cases only of this description have before come 
under my notice, and I am inclined to think, without 
making especial reference to our various veterinary authors, 
that very few instances of the kind have been recorded. 
For this reason I am the more indebted to Mr. Blakeway for 
the trouble he has taken in sending the specimen, and also 
for the history of the case as contained in the following letter. 
Stourbridge, April 21 st, 1864. 
Dear Sir, —I met with, to me, rather a rare case this week, which 
I will relate, and then you will judge for yourself. On Tuesday last I 
was sent for to our race-course, about one mile from town, to see an aged 
thorough-bred gelding that had “ broken down ” while taking a gallop, he 
having to run at Kidderminster steeple-chase on the following Tuesday. 
I found he had dislocated the off fore fetlock joint. The condyloid ex¬ 
tremity of the large metacarpal bone appeared to be resting on the sesa¬ 
moid bones. I advised that he should be destroyed, which was done 
immediately. Upon examining the legflit my leisure, I found the sus¬ 
pensory ligament completely rupturedW'-A small portion also of the 
superior part of both sesamoid bones was broken off. The ligaments 
of the joint were completely torn asunder, and the large metacarpal bone 
xxxvii. 25 
