DISEASE OF OSSEOUS TISSUE IN THE HORSE. 
651 
Phosphates of lime and magnesia . . 55*80 
Carbonate and salts . . . . 5'59 
Cartilage, vessels, and fat . . 38'61 
100-0 
Simon’s ‘Animal Chemistry/ vol. iii, Case 410. 
Osteoporosis, according to this description, most correctly 
applies to the peculiar changes that had taken place in parts 
of some of the bones of these horses, and to such an extent, 
that we might almost venture, were it not for the altered spe¬ 
cific gravity before alluded to, to designate the disease by that 
term. But, as we have before stated, there are other portions 
in some of the bones that are evidently otherwise affected, 
and in which the morbid change is quite dissimilar. 
It was thought that the term 6C mollities ossium ” would be 
appropriate in expressing the pathology of this disease ; but 
as far as I understand that term, it merely applies to soften¬ 
ing of bones, without reference to any particular cause. 
The term, however, is usually used in instances where the 
bony tissue has become absorbed; and by referring to 
Dr. Wilks*s Pathological Anatomy (page 25), it appears that 
there may be two forms of (( mollities ossium, v the one where 
the earthy constituents of the bone are removed leaving the 
animal matter, and the other, which appears to be rather a 
fatty degeneration. Now, we have seen that the latter is 
the case in a very marked degree in parts of some of the 
long bones of these animals. 
To show the amount of fat in some bones affected with 
softening, I have selected the following analysis of a femur, 
by Lehmann (see Simon*s Animal Chemistry, page 407) : 
Phosphate of lime .... 18'83 
Carbonate of lime .... 3'83 
Phosphate of magnesia . . . *54 
Soluble salts .... '43 
Cartilage ..... 41*54 
Pat ..34-15 
As a proof that bones are subject to fatty degeneration, 
I would also refer the reader to Paget’s Lectures on Surgical 
Pathology (vol. i, pages 133 and 134), from which I have 
extracted the following observations: “ But it is now to be 
added, that the bones, like other organs, are liable to fatty 
degeneration, which, because of the obscurity of its origin, 
we must be content to call spontaneous; and this fatty 
degeneration of bone is the disease which most English 
writers describe as f mollities ossium/ ” 
I have now but few more remarks to make in concluding 
