432 
LAMENESS IN HORSES. 
exciting the concern of the master of the horse in something like 
equivalent ratio to its dimensions, or to such estimate as he may in 
his own mind come to of its deformity. So short is the time in 
which capped hock on occasions arises that its origin is often said 
to be “ sudden.” The groom quits his stable overnight, seeing his 
horses “ all right,” and on his entry next morning discovers one of 
them to have a capped hock. The history, as he full well knows 
himself, of which is, that the injured horse has been kicking in the 
course of the past night, and some how or other has contused the 
point of his hock. The swelling, globular in shape, and as large 
round as an Orleans plum or a small orange, imparts warmth when 
pressed by the hand, shews some tenderness when squeezed, and 
at the same time conveys a sense of elasticity and fluctuation to 
the fingers. Should it be punctured or cut into in this recent con¬ 
dition, yellow serous fluid, similar to what runs from serous abscess, 
is discharged. 
In this stage of the disease little or nothing besides prevention of 
repetition of injury is requisite to insure the gradual, and in time 
complete, subsidence of the swelling. But too often, however, it 
happens that the kicking is renewed, perhaps the following night, 
the consequence of which is still further enlargement of the cap, 
together with, should it not have come on at first, the supervention 
of inflammation in it. In this way the swelling may attain the mag¬ 
nitude of a small gourd, and even a larger size than this, becoming 
not only a great deformity, but a tumour of a frightful and alarming 
character. Nor will matters make an end here; for, in time, 
whether there take place absorption of the collected fluid or not, 
morbid changes will ensue in the condition of the external or sub¬ 
cutaneous cap. From being thin and simply faschial in texture, it 
becomes thick and fibrous, tendinous even in substance. Neither 
will the skin clothing the cap remain unaltered, but likewise 
will become thickened and indurated. In old and callous capped 
hocks we readily detect with the hand these changes of structure; 
and, supposing we are bold enough to puncture them or introduce 
setons through them, the trocar or seton-needle will be sure to 
betray the change the parts have undergone in the additional force 
required to penetrate their several tissues. 
Even when operations of the kind are undertaken under different 
circumstances, they are very apt in the end to leave behind them 
changes (should they not be already in existence) such as I 
have been just describing ; though the immediate and pretty certain 
result of making a wound into a capped hock is suppuration or 
abscess of the cavity. This it is that makes the puncture of 
capped hock a dangerous experiment, the suppurative action 
