DISEASES OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGES 367 



and the cartilage carefully examined with the foot in that 

 position. If, then, at any spot above the normal contour 

 of the os pedis we meet with hardness or rigidity, we are 

 to look upon that foot with suspicion. Nevertheless, pro- 

 viding our conscience is sufficiently elastic, the animal may 

 be passed sound so far as the existence of a side-bone is 

 concerned. We know, however, that with commencing 

 rigidity we may ere long expect one, and if our opinion is 

 asked with regard to that particular, it must be admitted 

 that with rigidity of the cartilage once commenced it is 

 usually not long afterwards before a fully-developed side- 

 bone makes its appearance. 



As is only to be expected, the first noticeable hardening 

 of the cartilage is to be found near the normal bone. We 

 may thus look for it more particularly in the lower portions 

 of the cartilage. We think we may say, too, that in the 

 vast majority of cases the ossification of the cartilage com- 

 mences in its anterior half. It is thus brought about that 

 often we are called upon to examine and report on the 

 condition when we have anteriorly a side-bone in course of 

 formation, and posteriorly a perfectly normal cartilage. It 

 is to the latter half of the cartilage that dealers and others 

 mainly, if not wholly, devote their attention. A horse with 

 the cartilage in this transition state will therefore pass 

 muster, and a nice little point of ethics has again to be 

 decided by the veterinary surgeon before giving his sig- 

 nature to a certificate of examination of an animal in this 

 condition. 



With regard to alteration in gait, we may say at once 

 that side-bones in heavy animals are not often the cause of 

 lameness. In fact, where the foot is well developed, when 

 neither the foot as a whole nor the phalangeal bones give 

 evidence of disease, and where the pasterns are fairly 

 oblique and well formed, this alteration of the cartilages 

 may be looked upon as of no serious import at all. Neither 

 is the side-bone due to blows or other injuries likely to be 

 productive of lameness — that is, always supposing, of 

 course, that the foot in other respects is of good shape. 



