REPORTS OF CASES 
833 
TINCTURE OF IODINE IN FISTUE.E. 
By T. J. Pence, V. S., Troy, Ohio. 
I have been a constant reader of the Review for thirteen 
years. Would not be without it for twice the subscription 
price. I have learned a great deal from it, and now I think I 
can contribute something to the knowledge of others. I have 
discovered a cure for fistula in all its forms—head, inguinal, or 
any fistulous tract. It consists in the injection of the tincture 
of iodine to bottom of the abscess once in from five to eight 
days. I have cured fistulse of both head and withers that had 
been running for months, and the horse was considered worth¬ 
less, with from three to five injections. I now like to get fis¬ 
tulse to treat since my discovery, while before I dreaded to treat 
them. I have never failed with this treatment.to cure the very 
worst cases, and I believe that it is a specific. 
I had a case in a mare with a running sore at the stifle for 
four months ; it had formed a pocket ten inches down, outside 
of the leg. I opened the abscess at the bottom, washed it out 
with warm water; then injected tincture iodine pure into the 
cavity; held finger over opening below, pressed or worked 
medicine all through the cavity, and left some of the tincture to 
be put in after five days. The owner injected it one week after¬ 
ward, instead of five days, and in two weeks from the time I 
opened it it was healed up, and now after four months is sound. 
I could tell you of more than twenty parallel cases, but just 
one will suffice: A sorrel mare, belonging to a Mr. Geo. Young, 
had fistula of the head (poll-evil) ; had been treated by a cure- 
all gentleman of the neighborhood for three or four months ; he 
had used a favorite prescription of his : turpentine, corrosive 
sublimate, etc., etc., until he had burned and eaten down the 
muscles and adjacent tissues until the mare could not get her 
head down to drink out of a bucket. Sitting on a chair I opened 
up each side, took out a half pint of dry flesh, washed it out 
well, put in tincture iodine, gave him some to put in every five 
days, and in three weeks the mare was healed up sound. There 
may be other medicines as good, but I have not found them out. 
I have long since believed that many fistulse that would have 
gotten well if treated once in two to five days with this medi¬ 
cine were kept running by using the caustics too often and too 
strong. I trust others may have as good success with this treat¬ 
ment as I have, and that they will report their experience 
with it 
