186 



THE STEUCTUKE OF THE HOKSE 



the £ bars 9 (fig. 26, 5 and 6). The upper edge of the 

 wall is hollowed to fit on to the coronary cushion. The 

 inner surface is longitudinally furrowed by deep and 

 complex grooves, which exactly correspond to the 

 delicate lamellae and laminella3 of the ' podophyllous 

 tissue.' The new hoof continually grows from the 

 coronary cushion above, and slides down over the 

 lamella of the derm, receiving from them upon its inner 

 side a certain amount of addition to its thickness in the 

 form of soft epidermic cells, which afterwards harden 

 and become incorporated in the general mass. The 

 external surface of the wall when in a natural condition 

 is smooth and shining, and appears to be made up of 

 fine, closely arranged, parallel fibres, passing in a 

 straight line from the upper to the lower margin. 

 There are also not unfrequently transverse grooves or 

 rings, indicating varying conditions of the matrix at the 

 time of growth, especially marked in certain abnormal 

 states of health. 



The different regions of the wall have received 

 technical names useful for descriptive purposes. The 

 front part is called the ' toe' (fig. 26, 2, 3) ; the two sides, 

 the outer and inner c quarters ' (l, 2, and 4, 3) ; the points 

 where the wall suddenly bends inwards and forwards, 

 the 'buttresses ' (l and 4) ; the inner reflected ends, which 

 nearly reach the centre of the sole, the i bars ' (5 and 6). 



The space between the lower edges of the wall is filled 



