Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 49.djvu/404

386 relief to the pain, swelling, and stiffness; so much, indeed, that after a few massages of five or ten minutes each of frictions and pétrissage once a day, the dog had full use of the leg that had been masséed, whereas the leg that had not been masséed remained swollen, stiff, and painful for a long time, and in some did not recover at all. It is but fair to state that, no matter how severelysome of the dogs were injured, especially the shepherd dogs, they did not seem to mind it at all after it was over, running about as if nothing had happened as soon as they were set at liberty. These were not chosen for massage. The details are amazingly interesting, but space forbids mention of more than one of the experiments, which may be taken as a fair sample.

The two shoulder joints of a large watchdog were dislocated by inward flexion. The head of the humerus of each was plainly visible under the skin, showing a luxation forward and inward—intracoracoid. It was easily reduced, put back in place, by traction. Five minutes of massage was at once given to the right shoulder, which seemed to afford relief, judging from the grateful way in which the animal submitted; and after this a figure-of-8 bandage was applied around both shoulders. He had massage five minutes daily to the right shoulder alone, and for the first three days he walked with difficulty. The right shoulder gradually became less painful to touch, and he stood firmer on this side. On the fourth and subsequent days all sorts of pressure upon the masséed shoulder were borne without discomfort; but when the other shoulder was pressed the dog growled and attempted to bite. Six days after the dislocations he supported himself well in the masséed limb, but held the other up, as the non-masséed shoulder was still swollen and painful. Both shoulders then staid in place, in spite of passive movements that might have dislocated them. On the eighth day the dog walked well with the masséed limb, but held the other up, as the latter was still swollen and painful, and there was crepitation in the joint. Thirteen days after the injury the dog took an occasional step with the limb that had not been masséed, and two months later it was in about the same condition, while he made free use of the limb that had been masséed in walking and running. There was then atrophy (wasting) of the muscles of the left shoulder, evident by the prominence of the bones; none, of the muscles of the right.

Testimony in favor of the early use of massage in dislocations in human beings, being careful not to move nor disturb the joint, is gradually accumulating. Not only M. Castex, but also MM. Fége, Archambaud, and others, have reported more favorable results from its application from the very first day of the injury than when it had not been used. Passive motion, I think, should not be begun until the patients find that they can make a little