156 



DISEASES OF THE BONES AND ARTICULATIONS. 



gallop, where the animal is more kept up to the bridle, and 

 the weight thus thrown more directly upon the upper extremity 

 of the bone, and is thence transmitted to the seat of splint, in 

 the same way as a blow will cause an indirect fracture, as already 



explained. As a rule, the inner side 

 of the upper third of the metacarpals 

 is the seat of splint ; but, owing to 

 peculiarity of form and shape of the 

 leg, the deposit may be found upon the 

 outer side, or both upon the inner and 

 outer, and middle aspect of the limb. 

 Percivall describes five classes of splints : 

 1st. Simple. i 



2d. Double or pegged splints ; that 

 is, those which are found upon both 

 aspects of the limb, with an osseous 

 communicating bar running from one 

 to the other. 



3d. Those close to the knee. 

 4:th. Consisting of two or more 

 exostoses upon one side of the leg, 

 one above the other, with perhaps an 

 osseous communication. 



5th. Little bony excrescences, in- 

 volving the knee-joint, namely, the 

 head of the metacarpus minor inter- 

 involving the three metacarpal ^^^s, and trapezoid, or metacarpus 



bones, a, Inter-metacarpal groove, minor CXtemUS, and unciform, 

 presenting a smooth healthy sur- a • i t 4. i j. 



face. b,% Osseous deposit, in- ^ Simple sphut, when uot causmg 

 voiving the extremities of the lameness, and in a position removed 



metacarpal and superior sesa- r. ^.^ . • i j. • j^ i 



moideanligaments. c, c, c,Irregu- ^^'0^ either artlCulatlOU Or teudou, IS 



lar ossifications, involving the not looked upon as an uusouudness, 



small metacarpals, lower end of , . ,, .-, .-, r, , ■, -, 



large metacarpal, and forming L>ut all tue Other lomiS.must be claSSl- 



points of attachment to tiie supe- fied as causcs of imsoundness, as they 



rior sesamoidean ligament above . . . tit, i 



its bifurcation. are at any time liable to cause lame- 



NoTE.-The more impnrfant por- ucss*; and are iudicativc of more 



tions of this form of splint, namely, . , . • 'ii • ^ 



those involving the ligamentous strnc- discase than IS apparent cithcr to the 



tures, are hidden from view in the i /» ■ i • t 



living subject. ejQ OT toucli 01 tlic examiuer ; disease 



involving articulating surfaces, ligamentous structures, or inter- 

 fering with the movement of a tendon. 



Fig. 22. — Compound splint, 



