4 ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY OP T^HE HORSE'S FOOT. 
In studying this subject, I have not neglected to refer to 
such treatises relating to it written by Continental veteri- 
narians as were accessible at the moment. I have purposely 
refrained from entering at any length into the descriptive 
anatomy of the organ, but have confined myself chiefly to 
its general anatomy and histology, so far as these are related 
to its more essential physiological properties. 
The editors of the Veterinarian have kindly and con- 
siderately consented to permit me to avail myself of wood- 
cuts to illustrate my remarks, and the drawings for these 
will be made as accurate as possible ; photography will en- 
sure the fidelity of many, and for the microscopical delinea- 
tions I have invariably employed the camera lucida. 
I have, therefore, reason to hope that others who have 
more ability and opportunity than myself will be induced to 
enter on this investigation, in order to fill up the many voids 
which I have been reluctantly compelled to leave. 
General observations . — In the technical language of zoology 
or comparative anatomy, that portion of the horse's limb 
which popular speech designates the “ foot " is in reality 
only analogous to the extremity of the finger or toe of man, 
whose foot, resting on the ground by parts which correspond 
to the hock, shank, and foot of the horse, is otherwise widely 
different from it in structure and function. But as the foot 
of the horse is sometimes spoken of, even by veterinary 
surgeons, as identical with, or closely resembling that of man, 
and particularly in regard to its functions, and as this false 
analogy leads to erroneous conclusions and, perchance, un- 
reasonable practice, I have thought it necessary to introduce 
the following figures of the skeletons of man and horse in 
similar attitudes, in order to show the comparative relations 
between the limbs of each (fig. 1). 
The foot of the horse should, therefore, if we wish to study 
it comparatively, include the limb from the so-called “ knee '' 
and “ hock " downwards ; and then it will be found that what 
is styled the foot is only the digital portion of the member. 
Indeed, in the restricted sense in which the name is ordinarily 
employed, the terminal segment of the horse's limb may 
most aptly be compared to the end of a huge finger or toe, 
and affords us but a very imperfect idea of what we suppose 
or believe the human hand or foot to be, or even the feet of 
some other animals of the plantigrade or digitigrade orders, 
such as the bear or dog. 
In the fore foot of the horse we may certainly trace a faint 
resemblance to the digital extremity of man's hand, and in the 
hind foot to the last phalanges of the toe; nevertheless, the 
