THE CUTI3. 291 



laced as to give great strength to its texture, making it 

 almost impenetrable by a knife in the living animal, and 

 possessing extreme elasticity. It is this quality which 

 adapts it so closely to the animal, whether he is plump and 

 muscular, or reduced to skin and bone. In man, and most 

 other animals, where from disease a great reduction of the 

 muscular fibre has taken place, the skin becomes loose and 

 shrivelled. It owes this great elasticity to the innumerable 

 larger and smaller glands which penetrate its entire sub- 

 stance, and furnish that unctuous matter, preserving the 

 skin soft and pliable, and maintains that greasy moisture 

 ^vhich its surface ever possesses, giving that beautiful sleek 

 appearance to the hair. When the animal gets out of 

 condition, and the skin is diseased, then the coat assumes a 

 rough appearance, the hairs refuse to lie down, and it if 

 then said that the coat stares. 



The skin at the bend of the knee and hock is bountifully 

 supplied with this mucous matter to give them suppleness, 

 and to preserve from friction those parts which are subjected 

 to such constant and active movements. Sometimes this 

 secretion exceeds the quantity necessary for the due action 

 of the parts, and from want of attention and cleanliness 

 becomes inspissated, and collects about those parts : and, 

 if this hardness is permitted to remain, it will become a 

 watery sore, which will terminate in lameness, stifi'ness, and 

 pain in the joint when the animal bends it. When this ls* 

 situated in the bend of the knee, it is termed mallenders, 

 and when it is seated in front of the hock-joint, it is called 

 sallendcrs, complaints which we have described at page 132. 

 If these complaints are attended to in their early stage, 

 nothing more will be required than to cleanse the part from 

 the scurf or scab Avhich it produces by soaking it in hot 

 water, and carefully washing it every day with a sponge and 



