54 = 4 - 
A. LIAUTARDi 
FRACTURE OF THE EXTERNAL ANGLE OF THE ILIUM CAUSING 
FATAL HEMORRHAGE. 
By the Same. 
At four o’clock in the afternoon of the 5th • inst., a brown 
gelding, twelve years of age, was brought to the hospital with the 
following history: Two hours previous, while crossing the river 
in a ferryboat, he had slipped and fallen on the near side. The 
harness was removed, and he rose to his feet with difficulty, 
standing on three legs and manifesting great pain. He was 
immediately walked up to the hospital, a distance of about two 
miles. At this time the near hind leg was carried in extreme 
extension, resembling somewhat the position assumed in disloca¬ 
tion of the patella. The fetlock was flexed and the toe rested on 
the ground, while the entire limb was lifted up and down inces¬ 
santly. The body was covered with perspiration, and the counte¬ 
nance wore an anxious expression. The horse was very reluctant 
to move ; but when forced to do so, would bring the near hind 
leg slightly forward, and bear considerable weight upon it in 
walking. 
The crural region of the left side was surrounded by an enor¬ 
mous swelling, extending from the external angle of the ilium to 
the patella. Rectal examination revealed nothing but a violent 
throbbing of the iliac arteries. The distance between the croup 
and the external angle of the ilium was slightly diminished on the 
left side. No crepitation could be detected, and treatment was 
adopted calculated to reduce the swelling prior to making a posi¬ 
tive diagnosis as to the location of the fracture. The horse was 
placed in slings, but soon became so violent that they were 
removed, and he was allowed to lie down. He sank rapidly dur¬ 
ing the night and died before morning. 
Upon removal of the skin, the cellular tissue of the entire leg 
was found to be infiltrated with blood. A large quantity of 
coagulated blood was found in the areolar tissue of the flank, 
inguinal region and abdominal cavity. Proceeding upward, it 
was discovered that he had sustained a fracture of the external 
angle of the ilium, and a laceration right across the ilio-muscular 
artery, from which a fatal hemorrhage had resulted. 
