508 SPLINT. 



established, or in other words, if the inflammation within the 

 joint goes on to ulceration the disease is incurable ; and the 

 best course to adopt is to put the animal to slow work upon 

 a farm. 



SPLINT. 



A Splint is a small bony protuberance, the ordinary site of 

 which is upon and between the cannon and the splint bones of 

 the extremeties. 



Splint is a frequent cause of lameness ; its appearance is 

 generally sudden ; but at times, in consequence of the smallness 

 of the protuberance, inexperienced or careless observers are 

 very likely to overlook its existence. It is stated that large 

 sized Splints never cause lameness, but this is not correct. 



Horses having straight shoulders and upright pasterns are 

 far more predisposed to manifest Splints than horses whose 

 pasterns and shoulders are oblique. 



Splints are the most common to the fore extremities, and 

 they usually appear upon the inner sides of the limbs. The 

 hind limbs, however, are not exempt from the disease ; but in 

 the latter case Splints are generally situated upon the outer 

 side of metacarpal bones. 



The nature of Splint, its position upon the metacarpal bones, 

 and the relation which it holds to the functions of the limb, wiU 

 be more clearly and fully explained to the reader by reference 

 to the annexed engraving. Fig. 31 is a representation of the 

 bones of the fore limb of a horse viewed as they appear upon 

 their inner side ; g the radius or the bone of the arm, this bone 

 is only partly shown ; /the scaphoid ; e the magnum ; d trape- 

 zoid ; a small metacarpal or inner splint bone ; h the large 

 metacarpal or the cannon bone. The bones /, e, d, are three 

 which enter into the formation of the knee joint. Now a Splint 



