CUKH. 53 



weight forming a cnmparativeiy large angle with the lever, as would he 

 the ease in a horse which has " sickle hncks." I refrain from citing com- 

 parative length of OS calcis as a predisposing cause of curb ; for as far as 

 I can see, its length as a rule is proportionate to that of the bones below 

 the hock. The gaskin is the part of the leg between the hock and stiHe. 



The calcaneo-cuboid ligament is the term usually applied by English 

 veterinary surgeons to the ligamentous mass, a portion of which gets 



Fig. 26. — Sound hock. 



Fig. 27. — Hock with curb. 



sprained in a case of curb. A more correct title would be " the calcaneo- 

 metatarsal ligament ; " for that would express its extreme points of attach- 

 ment. It is more convenient to regard this bundle of fibres as one large 

 ligament with a single attachment on the os calcis at its upper end, and 

 several (corresponding to the cuboid, cannon, splint bones, etc.) at its lower 

 end, than to split it up, more or less artificially, into a number of respective 

 ligaments. 



The local character of the swelling of curb is a strong proof that the 

 prominent condition of the enlargement is due to a bony tumour, or to dis- 

 placement of bones rather than to inflammation of ligament, the swelling of 

 which is always more or less diffuse. Besides, the good effect ,of severe 



