_Nature and Causes._ The usual seat of fracture is the orbital process
of the frontal bone, yet any portion of the orbital margin may suffer,
and even the inner wall or floor of the orbit may be broken by a
penetrating instrument. Horses and polled cattle and sheep are
especially exposed to the injury, while in horned stock the region is in
a measure protected. Carnivora, which have no bony orbital process, are
less liable but may still sustain fractures of the remaining parts.
Horses and polled ruminants suffer mainly from beating the head on the
ground or other solid body in the paroxysms of colic and enteritis, or
in nervous affections; horned stock suffer from concussions in fighting
and direct blows by the horns. All animals suffer from blows with clubs,
kicks and other mechanical injuries.
_Symptoms._ With (and less frequently without) a skin wound, there may
be indication of depression, or mobility of the detached segment, or its
sharp edge may be felt, through the skin, or by the sterilized finger
introduced into the orbit. In case of a penetrating or stab wound, which
cannot be followed by the finger, it may be followed by an aseptic probe
and any fracture recognized. The conjunctival sac must be first
thoroughly washed out with an antiseptic lotion, as the introduction of
any septic germs into the osseous wound, is likely to cause a dangerous
infection or abscess.
_Treatment._ Simple, slight fractures with blunt instruments are treated
by rest and cooling, disinfectant lotions. If foreign bodies or detached
particles of bone are found in the wound they should be extracted. Shot
that are difficult to find, may be left, as they are often aseptic and
tend to become encapsuled. Should they cause abscess they will usually
be found in the pus sac and may then be removed. Displaced bones may
often be replaced by the finger in the orbit. Sometimes they can be best
reached by trephining the frontal or maxillary sinus and introducing a
lever through the cavity (Hendrickx). If the sinus has been involved it
must be opened in any case. Cadiot advises bandages impregnated with
black pitch to fix the bones in certain cases. Antiseptic washes
(sublimate 1 ∶ 5000) and antiseptic cotton packing are demanded for all
wounds.