ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OF THE HORSE’S FOOT. 5 
anatomical disposition of this organ in the quadruped is so 
peculiar, and withal so distinct from that observed in man 
and other animals, by reason of its greater simplicity, and 
its being undivided, that it has furnished a special character 
by which, in natural history, this and some other creatures 
possessing the like conformation have been classified as 
solipeds, monodactyles , or soliduiigula. 
Though, to the comparative anatomist and physiologist, 
there is a certain disadvantage in being compelled to adhere 
Fig. 1. 
Fig. 1. — a. Commencement of the horse’s hand, or fore-foot. 
b. Commencement of the human hand. c. Commencement of 
the horse’s hind foot. d. Commencement of the human foot. 
to the established custom of considering as the foot that 
which is only a portion of it, and thus shutting out from 
view important regions whose study is of much moment in 
relation to its structure and functions, yet it must be ac- 
knowledged that this drawback is largely compensated for 
by the great interest and importance that attaches to this 
beautiful and most wonderfully constructed organ, which has 
furnished matter for discourse, precept, and admiration from 
the earliest times. 
A comparison of the digital extremity of the horse with the 
hand of man might lead a superficial or inexperienced 
observer to the conclusion that there is but little, if any, 
