28 
ON HOCK LAMENESS. 
observations upon any cases but those with whose previous his¬ 
tory I had been acquainted, but it is ridiculous to suppose that 
I have examined no others. I have in many instances found a 
slight excavation in the groove of the astragalus, and, though less 
frequently, on the ridge of the tibia, and the horses to whom such 
hocks had belonged, I have had no reason to consider lame at 
the time of death ; but the appearances in these cases have been 
very different from those I have described, for they presented no 
discolouration, were comparatively smooth on their surfaces, and 
bore no traces of inflammation, while these appearances have been 
very striking in the instances I have pointed out. It may be 
asked, why 1 have not before mentioned these appearances as ex¬ 
isting in the hocks of other horses ? My reasons for not doing 
so have been because I was not acquainted with their previous 
history, and because I was not satisfied in my own mind whether 
they were normal or not. I am free to acknowledge that these 
notches or indentations may exist without actual lameness; but 
although this may be the case, yet it does not necessarily follow 
that they form the natural and healthy structure of the joint, be¬ 
cause we know that alteration of structure will often go on to a 
considerable extent without producing lameness ; whilst, in other 
instances, lameness may follow a slight alteration of structure, 
if suddenly produced and attended w'ith inflammation. I have 
in my possession the hocks of foals a few' months old, in which 
not the slightest indentation on the tibia or astragalus can be dis¬ 
covered ; and among others, in the skeleton of an old horse, 
no such appearance is exhibited in either hock. It must, how¬ 
ever, be borne in mind, that this is not the subject of dispute, for 
in no paper of mine have I ever stated, that a simple indentation 
on the ridge of the tibia or its corresponding astragalus must ne¬ 
cessarily occasion lameness, or even that it constituted disease. 
INot having made such an assertion myself, I must, therefore, 
decline the assistance of any one else in making it for me. Nay, 
I have been rather inclined to believe that these indentations were 
of a normal character ; but then, be it remembered, they differ 
in every important characteristic from the lesions I have pointed 
out. I cannot, perhaps, in this place do better than describe 
the appearance of some hocks now in my possession, as this will 
give, probably, some idea of the difference between those attend¬ 
ed wdth lameness and those without it. First, then, I will men¬ 
tion a hock that belonged to a five-year old horse wdiose previous 
history I was scarcely acquainted with, but whom I had no 
reason to consider lame. There is, in this case, an indentation 
about the middle of the ridge of the tibia, the exact size of which 
