[LAMENESS IN THE HIND LEG 195 



Hip Lameness. 



Fortunately, ])ecause of the heavy miiseuhiture which goes 

 to form a part of the loeoniotive apparatus of the rear extremity, 

 hip lameness is comparatively rare. While the term is in itself 

 ambiguous and signifies nothing more definite than does "shoul- 

 der lameness," yet diagnosis of almost any condition that may 

 be classed under the head of "hip lameness" is not easy except in 

 eases where the cause is obvious, as in wounds of the musculature 

 and certain fractures. To the complexity which the gait of the 

 quadruped contributes, because of its being four-legged, there 

 is added the complicated manner of articulation of the bones of 

 the hind leg. This involves the hip in the manner of diagnostic 

 problems and because of the inaccessibility of certain parts, 

 owing to the bulk of the musculature of these parts, diagnosis 

 of some hip ailments becomes an intricate problem. Conse- 

 quently, in some instances, before one may arrive at definite 

 and enlightening conclusions, repeated examinations are neces- 

 sary as Avell as a knowledge of reliable history and recorded 

 observations of the subject over a considerable period. 



Rheumatic atfections, when present, usually cause recurrent 

 attacks of lameness ; myalgia, due to subsurface injury occasioned 

 l)y contusion, generally produces an ephemeral disturbance ; and 

 while these are examples of cases where occult causes are active, 

 tliey are hy no means unprecedented. In cases where the cause 

 of lameness is not definitely located, and when by the process 

 of exclusion one is enabled to decide that the seat of trouble is 

 in the hip, a tentative diagnosis of hip lameness is always ap- 

 propriate. 



In one instance a Shetland pony evinced a peculiar form of 

 intermittent lameness which affected the left hip, and repeated 

 examinations did not disclose the cause of the trouble. After 

 about a jear there was established spontaneously an opening 

 through the integument overlying the region of the attachment 

 of the psoas major (magnus"), through which pus discharged. 

 With the occurrence of this fistula, lameness almost entirely 

 disappeared, but the emission of a small amount of pus persisted 

 for more than a year. The subject was not observed thereafter 



