STRINGHALT. 
749 
Professor McQueen assures me (Jno. A. W. D.) that the tendon can be 
replaced and fixed by sutures, and that useful recovery follows. 
X.—STRINGHALT. 
The term stringhalt ” has been applied since olden times to that 
peculiar involuntary movement of one or both hind limbs, in which the 
affected member is Hexed with excessive suddenness, and lifted abnormally 
high, whilst it still continues able to support the animal, and otherwise 
allows of movement in the usual way. Similar movements in the fore 
limbs are rare, but Frick states having seen two cases where they 
occurred. Sometimes the peculiar movement is seen while trotting, 
sometimes also while walking ; as a rule, it persists in spite of work; 
sometimes it disappears for a time, but generally returns with rest; often 
it is only noticeable when the animal is turned in small circles. 
The immediate cause of this interference with movement has been sought 
for in different organs, but up to the present has not been clearly identified. 
Abildgaard considered the condition to be an “ affection ” of the muscles and 
nerves of the hind limb. Villate thought it was caused by abnormal develop¬ 
ment of the spine of the tibia. Sewell and Spooner, when making the 
post-mortem of a horse affected with stringhalt, found that the point of 
origin of the great sciatic nerve in the spinal cord was infiltrated with blood, 
and regarded this as the cause of the disease. Falke identified the condition 
with sciatica in man. Renner took it to be due to chronic inflammation of 
the great sciatic nerve, whilst Hochstetter attributed it to straightness of the 
hocks ; Boccar sought the cause in contraction of the peroneus, after dis¬ 
covering that the condition disappeared on section of its tendon. Foelen and 
many others agreed with him, and reported favourable results from dividing 
the tendon. Goubaux, on the other hand, directed attention to the joints, 
especially to the hip-joint, which in his view became chronically inflamed in 
stringhalt. 
Up to this time investigators had viewed the condition as due to a single 
cause, but K. and F. Gunther divided it into the following varieties :— 
(1) Spavin-stringhalt, i.e., stringhalt caused by spavin. 
(2) False stringhalt, produced by pain in any region of the limb ; and 
(3) True or involuntary stringhalt, due to irregularities in the functions of 
the antagonistic nerves of the lumbar and pelvic plexuses. Gunther states 
having frequently seen hyperasmia of the great sciatic nerve without string- 
halt, but says that stringhalt is sometimes accompanied by relaxation in the 
semi-tendinosus muscle. K. and F. Gunther first drew attention to the con¬ 
nection between stringhalt and certain surgical diseases—as, for instance, 
those of the foot. 
In a similar way, Dieckerhoff divided the disease into— 
(1) True idiopathic stringhalt, which he considered due to contraction in 
the fasciae of the thigh. 
(2) Complicated stringhalt, accompanying spavin, curb, ring-bone, and 
other diseases. 
(3) Symptomatic stringhalt, consequent on inflammation in the pedal or 
other regions of the limb. 
Bassi differentiated two forms :— 
(1) True stringhalt, caused by interference with the movement of the 
patella ; and 
