Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1894-11-09

muscles that are sprained. The most
notable muscular sprain in horses affects
the large muscles of the shoulder, con
shutting shoulder slip, occurring in
young or raw horses when first put to
two-horse ploughing or in cavalry
horses performing the evolution known
as wheeling. That the substance of the
muscle is affected in these cases is evil
dent from the shrinking of the textures
which subsequently occurs, and which
often leaves notable ilatness of the
shoulder surfaces. In sprain of the
psoW, the powerful muscles which pass
along the under aspect of the spine and
aduct the hind limbs. the muscular sub
stance has also been found to be torn.
All sprains, says Captain Smith, can
he either seen or felt. They cause more
or less lamencss, heat and swelling.
From bruises they are distinguished by
the tense, firm hardness of the swelling,
and by its not pitting on pressure. This
resisting nature of the swelling results
from the outpouring ofeXudate amongst
the closely packed bundles Of strands
which, as stated, make up these fibrous
cords. The actual condition of the
splained tendon Is thus described: "The
tibers rupture: the bloodVessels are
lacerated; and hpmorrhage into the
structure of the tendon takes place. If
we have an opportunity of examining "A
sprain very early, We find on longitude
nal section that the seat of injury is
marked by extensive blood eXtravasa-
ton, the part looks like recent severe
brGise and the torn fbers with ragged
eXtremlies may even be seen separated
by blood clots between the libers, push
ing them apart, is a quantity of eXudate;
some of the fbers are quite white in
color, contrasting greatly with the in
tense blood strainn9 around.
The whole tendon is thickened from
hemorrhage and emulation, and this
eXudation may even be found beneath
the skin covering the part in the form of
yellow gelatiuous fluid ellused into the
cellular tissue. If we examine Il sprain
somewhat older, the blood cluts have, AS
we might expect, disappeared; but the
part is still. the color of washed-Out
muscle, the peculiar glistenlng appear
ance of healthy tendon is absent, the
parts are greatly enlarged, the tissue is
much softer than normal tendon, and
blood can readily be squeezed from its
~, 81; Ia,
appearance of IA strained tendon is very
characteristics; it can be bent and twisted
without Offering resistance, and more
over, on exposure to the air, instead of
driving as hard as wood, like normal
tendon, it dries soft. All this is easily
explained; the soft hIbby condition is
due to the inf lmmatory eXudate; the
material which has repaired the damage
is librous tissue, but it is not the special
tibrous tissue of tendon: tendonous It's
sue once destroyed i never replaced. the
cicatrlcial tissue, which takes its place.
is IA poor apology for tendon, whilst the
etlusion which so readily occurs into the
spaces between the bundles of tibers.
These tibers are at their strongest when
the bundles lie side by side, atlordng
mutual support and considerable
strength they are at their weakest when
the individual bundles are dissected out
and separated by an eXudate.
Hence sprained leg must always
necessarily remain weak leg"
In horses the tendons most frequently
sprained are the lleXors of the fore limb,
and especially those known as the back
tendons; the most common situation
being at some point between the knee
and the fetlock, usually two or three
inches above the fetlock. The injury
may affect the Performs, the ensheath-
ing perforatus. the subcarpal ligament,
or the annuiar ligament which binds
these tibrous cords at the fetlock. In
slight cases few fibers or bundles of
fibers may he torn. In more serious
cases nearly the whole substance of a
The lesion, although usually transverse,
is occasionally longitudinal The fibers
in the center of a tendon are stated to
be more liable to sprain than those of
the periphery. In serious reiterated
sprains of the back tendons the several
textures enumerated may all be implicat-
ed. In violent eXertions, as in racing,
the deeperseated suspensory ligament,
passing down the posterior aspect of the
limbs close to the bones, is liable to be
torn, frequently where it divides imme-
diately above the fetlock. This con
stitutes the serious irreparable accident
termed "breaking down." Notwith-
standing his exact knowledge OF the
surgical anatomy of the parts, and
practical experience, Professor Smith
declares that it is greatly.more difficult
than has generally been admitted to de-
termine in so called spraIns of the back
tendOns which OF the several textures
liz. -.