VETERINARY SCHOOL AT ALFORT. 
389 
part of this crop, presented the same physical character which it 
would have done in its natural state, except that it was very much 
thickened. 
The dissection of a great number of articulations of the thigh 
has convinced us that these soft tumours, called by veterinarians 
vessizons, usually arise from distention of the synovial membrane 
of the tibia astragalus, and not, as has been generally believed, a 
dilatation of the great serous bag which facilitates the sliding of the 
tendon of the deep flexor muscle of the phalanx in its passage over 
the posterior face of the tarsus. 
The School has received from M. Prange, V.S., two very in- 
teresting preparations. One is a comminuted fracture of the right 
coxa, opposite to the cotyloid cavity ; the other a very ancient 
hernia of a portion of the epiploon, and the small intestine through 
a normal opening of the phrenic centre of the diaphragm. The 
epiploon adheres to one of the sternal sides, and forms a sort of 
conical bag which contains the hernial intestine. 
M. Ayrauld, V.S., has sent to the School a calf, the body and 
limbs of which were twisted in a most extraordinary manner. The 
skin only covered a portion of the body. About the level of the 
right elbow no portion of it appeared. Afterwards it was con- 
tinued obliquely towards the back and at the left side, and formed 
a kind of case over the right posterior limb. The inferior and lateral 
sides of the abdomen were wanting, None of the digestive organs 
had their natural form and dimensions. The heart was on the 
outer side of the thorax, and rested on the left lateral wall of this 
cavity. The preparation and examination of the skeleton of this 
unnaturally-formed animal enabled us to state that the base of the 
vertebral column had undergone a curve from the right to the left; 
that the right natural side of the thoracic cavity was composed 
solely of some long fragments, some of which were sunk in the 
flesh, and others attached to the extremity of the spinal apophyses 
of the dorsal vertebrae ; that the left anterior leg had but one whole 
bone, namely, the scapulum; and that the rest of this limb con- 
sisted of a kind of cartilaginous stump about three centimetres 
long. Lastly, the bony vault of the pallet formed scarcely a ves- 
tige of a division between the mouth and the nasal cavities. 
M. Maupeiver, Y.S., has also presented to the museum a curious 
specimen of chronic pericarditis from a cow. The pericardium had 
acquired a very extraordinary development. Its internal cavity 
was divided into two distinct compartments. The smallest of 
these contained the heart, the tissue of which was very flabby 
and discoloured. The other, and larger one, contained about 6 lbs. 
of thick fluid of a dirty yellow colour. It was formed externally 
by the pericardium, the internal surface of which was covered with 
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