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. 
