REVIEW—LAMENESS IN THE HORSE. 299 
projecting bis lame limb is an indicative symptom. How different, 
for example, will be the going of a horse lame in the foot from one 
that is lame in the shoulder!—in one instance the animal will boldly 
advance his limb, but fearfully place his foot upon the ground ; 
while in the other case he will shew impediment or difficulty in 
projecting the same limb. It will be observed whether he turns his 
toe unnaturally inward or outward, or whether in going he treads 
most upon the heel or upon the toe of the foot: on which last cir¬ 
cumstance further and more correct information may be obtained 
by inspection of the shoe of the lame foot, the parts worn indi¬ 
cating the greatest pressure or habitual tread of the foot.” 
After which, in order to confirm our diagnosis— 
“ With this information, and with all that can be learnt besides 
from the horse’s manner of going and putting down his foot, the 
veterinarian, as the horse stands before him, sets about inspecting 
the lame limb, and examining it in every part with his hand. 
Some lamenesses are perceptible to the eye, and discoverable by 
the eye better than by the hand; others are detectible by the hand 
alone ; while, again, there are others that elude detection by either 
eye or hand, and which can be judged of through the action alone, 
aided by the horse’s manner of standing. A quick eye, judging 
from the general appearance of the lame horse and from his mode 
of going, even in the absence of any manifest disease or defect to 
account for the lameness, will very often discover at once the seat 
and nature of it: on the other hand, a man accustomed to the feel 
of legs and feet will, in the dark, be able to detect the seat of ordi¬ 
nary lameness as well as if he had actually been looking at the 
parts he has been feeling.” 
We take credit for having read most of the works on veterinary 
surgery and farriery that are to be met with ; but in none of them, 
or rather in all of them put together, never have we met with one 
tithe of the information here conveyed. In those incipient but 
fearful diseases of the joints, commencing and developing them¬ 
selves so insidiously that their existence even, and much more 
their actual seat, require all the tact and nicety of the practitioner 
to recognize them, we cannot too well bear in mind that 
“ Inflammation taking its rise in the synovial membrane, being, 
generally speaking, sub-acute or chronic in its character, we are not 
to expect any very striking increase of temperature ; neither are we 
to look for any thing beyond fulness, by way of swelling, seeing 
that the increase of synovial fluid is but very moderate and that, 
unless the case be one of combined sprain, there is no very 
