ARTHROPATHIES IN NERVOUS AFFECTIONS. 569 
wearing of the bony surfaces ; the other productive, bringing the forma- 
tion of cartilaginous vegetation (ecchondromas) or osseous (osteo- 
phytes). The epiphysar cartilages undergo the velvety change; their 
central portion, which receives the greatest pressures, is eliminated. 
The bony surfaces that are in contact become eburnated, ivory-like or 
marked with fissures. At the periphery, cartilaginous neoformations, 
which soon ossify, are seen. The ligaments, articular capsula and mus- 
cles contribute also to the formation of these bony deposits. If some- 
times there is synovial hypersecretion, it is ordinarily a rule to find in the 
joint only a very small quantity of thick, reddish fluid; sometimes even 
‘the dryness of the joint is complete. The serous is generally red, vas" 
cular, covered with villosities. Articular foreign bodies are frequent. 
The interarticular ligaments, meniscus (stifle and temporo-maxillary 
articulation), are always much altered, sometimes entirely destroyed. 
For articulations that can be easily explored, the deformity of the 
joint, the slow development of the process, its chronicity, allow the diag- 
nosis. Inthe horse and dog the femoro-patellar dry arthritis is easily. 
made out. The animal is lame on one hind leg, and on exploring it the 
stifle is found voluminous and the articular extremities swollen. 
he march of the disease is continued and progressive; prognosis 
almost always fatal. Yet, working animals can be used at slow work 
(walking) for a more or less long time. 
Blisterings, intrasynovial injections, firing, fail just as much as cold, 
hot moisture, compressions ormassage. In dogs, we have obtained some 
slight improvements with needle firing. In horses, if the disease was 
located on the lower regions of the legs (knee, fetlock, coronet, foot), 
neurotomies might permit the utilization of the subjects for some time 
longer. 
X. 
ARTHROPATHIES IN NERVOUS AFFECTIONS. 
The influence of the nervous system upon the nutrition of bones and 
articulations is yet little known. Experimentation has shown, however, 
that simple nervous sections are rarely followed by osteopathies and 
arthropathies. Those would rather occur when neuritis or myelitis come 
to complicate the nervous trauma. Exceptional in animals, they are 
frequent in man after pricks, shotgun wounds and others accompanied 
with neuritis. Various affections of the spinal cord (traumatisms, com- 
. pression, chronic inflammation, locomotor ataxia) or of the brain (hem- 
orrhage, softening, tumors) may also give rise to arthropathies. . 
Treatment is that of the causal affection. No local interference can 
do any good. 
