AMPUTATION OF THE CLAWS IN OXEN. 
833 
greatest difficulty lies in so directing the knife as to exactly find the 
joint; but by bearing in mind the topographical relations given, and by 
using a very narrow, though not too weak a knife, the difficulty is much 
diminished. Cadiot proceeds as follows : Having thinned the horn over 
the seat of operation (fig. 314), he discovers by palpation, and by moving 
the claw from side to side, the exact position of the joint, which lies 
about 1 inch below the coronet. This he opens with a curved knife 
similar to that used in excising the lateral cartilage (No. 4 in fig. 300). 
. Inserting the knife into the joint he makes the incision A, B, C (fig. 314), 
Fig. 314.—Disarticulation of the ox’s claw. Primary incision. 
dividing the horn, podophyllous tissue, lateral ligament of the joint, and 
the synovial membrane. With a knife of opposite curvature the incision 
A, D is made, extending to the navicular bone. The claw is then dis¬ 
articulated by plunging the knife into and through the joint and dividing 
the strong lateral ligament, &c., of the opposite side. The disarticulated 
portion is then removed by a straight cut, D, E. 
From this point the procedure is similar in all cases. 
After completely dividing the claw at the joint, loose or necrotic 
pieces of tissue are removed with scissors or knife. # Any undermined 
parts and granulations are thoroughly disinfected, the articular cartilage 
scraped away from the coronet or suffraginis bone with a curette so as 
to produce a better granulating surface, the operation wound covered 
