AS TO SOUNDNESS. 35 



extent, and consequences of which we have no means 

 of estimating. I refer to the weakness following a severe 

 bloiii upon a joint. 



Question a man who has suffered at any time from 

 a severe blow upon one of his joints, and he will tell 

 you that the joint is weak, and yet he may have no 

 scar whatever to show you. Four years ago I received 

 a blow from a horse on the knuckle of the index finger 

 of my right-hand while bleeding him at the toe. At 

 first I thought the joint was laid open, but this proved 

 not to be the case. The only evidence left now is a 

 cicatrix of the skin, which is freely movable, and can 

 be pinched up as high as the skin on the fellow knuckle ; 

 the tendon over it is also freely movable, and so is the 

 joint ; and yet, with all this seeming perfection, the joint 

 is weak. This being so, then you see we have two forms 

 of imperfection only to look for in the knee of the horse: 

 namely, mechanical impedim.ent and weakness. The 

 former arises out of either of the fourth or fifth degrees 

 of injury, which we have such a ready and sure means of 

 detecting; the latter we are not so certain about — the 

 evidences of a blow sufficient to cause permanent weak- 

 ness being more equivocal. But, practically, we look to 

 evidences of injury to the hair; such as absence, stiff- 

 ness, or discolouration ; finding any of these, unsoundness 

 is our verdict, although the action may be perfect, and 

 the horse in every other respect sound. This is such an 

 important part of our present study, that I shall make a few 

 more remarks upon it at the beginning of my next lecture. 



