ANTERIOR MEMBER. '2'21 



Diseases and Blemishes. — These are wounds, the result of kicks upon 

 this region from other horses, but which are only grave when they interest the 

 internal face of the region, where the bone, as we know, is directly subcutaneous 

 and not covered with muscles. In this situation they are often complicated by 

 fractures of the bone. 



At other times, synovial dilatations, which proceed from the upper extremity 

 of the region of the knee, may exist here, but these appear upon the forearm 

 only when they have reached a large development. Those of the humero-radio- 

 cubital articulation are extremely rare, and, in our experience, we have seen only 

 two examples. They manifest themselves posterior to the external lateral liga- 

 ment of this joint, and can be clearly seen when the member is placed upon the 

 ground. They then acquire a volume equal to one-half of that of a hen's egg, 

 and disappear altogether when the limb is raised. 



Finally, let us mention the wounds which are located upon the external 

 lateral ligament of the humero-radial articulation. The external side of the 

 joint forms a prominence, projecting above the level of the surrounding surface, 

 which is continually being bruised, and receives most of the pressure when the 

 animal assumes the decubitus for a long time upon a bed with insufficient litter. 

 These wounds are very grave, for they may be complicated by an opening of the 

 articulation and terminate in the death of the animal. 



The defects of direction, true blemishes, we will study with the vertical axes 

 of the members. 



E.— The Chestnuts. 



The name chestnut is given to a horny production, more or less 

 vohiminous, according to the race, situated upon the middle part or 

 the inferior third of the internal face of the forearm. 



But little developed in the finer races, it is large in common 

 horses, in which it is habitually cut or peeled off in arranging the 

 animal's toilet before presenting him for sale. 



The absence of the chestnuts in the anterior members has been 

 observed, but it is a very rare fact. (The chestnuts are the rudiment 

 of the nail or hoof of the internal digit or thumb.) 



F.— The Knee. 



Situation. — The knee, corresponding to the wrist of man, com- 

 prises all the radio-carpo-metacarpal articulations. It is at this region 

 that the anatomical foot commences. It is also the region where the 

 anterior member is almost completely divested of its muscles, and is 

 constituted by nothing but the bones, the tendons, and the ligaments. 



Limits ; Anatomical Base. — Limited above by the forearm and below 

 by the canon, this region has for its osseous base the seven carpal bones arranged 

 in two supsrposed layers. One of these bones, the first and the most external 

 of the four of the superior row, also called the supra-carpal, is situated somewhat 



