54 



SPRAINS. 



blistering, and especially of firing, for removing lameness in recent cases of 

 curb, clearly shows that the pain which causes the lameness is not as a 

 rule that of sprain to ligament or tendon. The preceding I'emarks on the 

 nature of curb most strongly suggest to me the conclusion that the 

 accompanying pain in recent cases is generally the result of an inflamed con- 

 dition of bone, aggravated more or less by the pressure of the back tendons 

 on the part. In arriving at this opinion, I in no way desire to ignore 

 the fact that the injury H'hich gives rise to the offending bony tumour is a 

 sprain of ligament that requires rest for its repair after the lameness has 

 disappeared. I have sometimes found that the incapacity to stand strong 



fhft'rans muscle 



Tibia^. 



True hvckjuml-. 



Astingalus ■ 



duiriform, mafjnam. 

 Cutieirom inediiuri. 



Ciomoii Ocrie 



jTerfpirUiLS 

 -Seat of Itwrcuffh/tuh' 

 Seat orcofified. hock. 



Os caleis- 



CcUcanev - cuboidy 



\ (.iibouL boiiet 

 '■-■Seat of curb 



External sjUiiU bene, 



/h-forcutuf 

 Ferfcrans 



Fig. 28. — Outside view of near hock, with some of the structures removed. 



work which some old cases of curb-affected hocks exhibit, is due to the fact 

 of the ligamentous structure at the back of the hock being more or less 

 weakened by previous sprain. Here we may usually coiuilude that an 

 mttammatory condition of bone had ceased to e.xist ; "although it is quite 

 possible that in some exceptional cases, rheumatoid arthritis (pai^e 267) 

 might be present. ° 



DETECTION AND SYMPTOMS OF CURB.— To detect a curb 

 properly, the observer should view the leg in profile, lettino- his 

 eye run from the point of the hock down the back of the jointT and 

 along the course of the back tendons. If he finds that this line is 



