ON THE NAVICULAR DISEASE AND SPAVIN. 147 
find swelling to be one of the first symptoms; but in others, 
which are deeper seated, we have not this guide for our assist¬ 
ance. Increased secretion of synovia, or effusion of serum into 
the cavity of the joint, is, no doubt, the cause of the swelling. 
Subsequently, we find either that the synovia becomes absorbed, 
or that the membrane no longer secretes any; and then comes 
that painful state of the joint, and the consequent lameness 
which we may readily imagine will be present, when we consider 
that two surfaces, never intended by nature to come in contact, 
are rubbing on each other in a state of inflammation, while the 
poor beast is at the same time made to perform the most violent 
exertion. All our endeavours are afterwards fruitless to prevent 
those direful effects which all of us have witnessed. It too 
often happens, either through the ignorance or carelessness of 
the proprietor of a valuable horse, that the animal becomes con¬ 
signed to permanent lameness, by his not paying early attention 
to prevent the progress of inflammation in a joint. The horse, 
never before observed to have any failing, is perceived, when led 
to the door, to be slightly lame: the owner, unwilling to lose his 
ride, finds that the lameness gets better after a little exercise ; 
and, encouraged by a belief, prompted by his own wishes, that 
the cause is but a temporary one, takes such liberties with his 
hackney or hunter as to leave him ever afterwards unsound and 
valueless. Whereas, if prompt treatment had been employed, 
instead of allowing the fallacious excitement to mislead him, a 
few days’ rest and care might have saved from premature de¬ 
struction a faithful servant to an undisceming master. 
Effusion of lymph I take to be the second alteration that 
occurs; then ulceration of the membrane; then absorption of 
the cartilages, and caries of the bones; and these followed by a 
train of mischief involving the contiguous ligaments, tendons, and 
all the surrounding textures. This destructive disorganization 
goes on, seldom terminating before complete anchylosis of the 
joint has taken place. A melancholy specimen of such termi¬ 
nation I now present to you, and which may have been, for aught 
I know, the hock of a once valuable horse, that had, perhaps, for 
years before his death, been driven in a hackney coach or post 
chaise, eking out an existence of daily torture and suffering, and 
furnishing an example of cases as fit to come within the pale of 
Mr. Martin’s act, as hundreds that occupy the attention of 
magistrates, who, perhaps, have but little idea of the cruelty 
there is in goading a high-spirited but unfortunate horse, to use 
his aching limbs when in this state. Although our experience 
teaches us that, in the majority of cases which have been some 
time in progress, there is but little hope of cure, yet I have by 
