97 
Foreign Department. 
ON DORSO-LUMBAR SPRAIN IN THE HORSE. 
By M. Arm. Goubaux, 
Frofessor of Anatomy and Physiology at the National Veterinary School at Alfort. 
[Continued and concluded from page 46.] 
SYMPTOMS : —We shall be excused for having described the 
lesions before the symptoms which denote their existence. It 
was deemed best to invert the usual order of description for the 
purpose of shewing how lesions varying so much in their seat, 
their nature, and their extent, could give rise to one common 
symptom. Hence it happens that all such lesions as alter the 
concatenation of the vertebral chain become manifest by the 
symptom we call (tour de bateau ) “ rick (or ricket) in the back.” 
During rest, the hind legs of such horses are more or less ad¬ 
vanced under the centre of gravity, and are spread abroad : some, 
indeed, stand in the posture of staling. Sometimes the body 
may be observed to be athwart to one side or the other, and fre¬ 
quent muscular contractions may be observed in the limbs, 
shewing an evident weakness, and difficulty in maintaining the 
standing posture. Lastly, we may detect more or less tender¬ 
ness by pression in the region of the loins, or else there is com¬ 
plete insensibility. 
In walking or trotting, besides the difficulty of its performance, 
will be apparent the remarkable waddling gait of the hind 
quarters, tour de bateau *. The hind legs straddle in their ad¬ 
vance, sometimes drag the ground, and, when that is the case, 
experience the greatest difficulty in circling and backing. Every 
now and then they suddenly fail and sink down, and as quickly 
recover themselves; or else, when stopped, the animal bends 
his hind legs under his body and shrinks down upon his quarters. 
These symptoms may betoken two distinct pathological states 
of the dorso-lumbar spine, either separate or in combination :—• 
1st. Pain ; since it is certain that sprain of the ligaments must 
give rise to it, which the animal endeavours to relieve by various 
irregular movements characteristic of “ rick” in the loins; 
2dly. Discontinuity in the dorso-lumbar spine; so that, the im¬ 
pulsion (in progression) communicated by the hind limbs to the 
spine, acting on a breached or broken part of it, causes contor¬ 
tion, instead of transmitting the force direct to the fore quarters. 
* So called because the waddling or rocking movement of the quarters has been 
compared to the motion of a boat rocked from side to side by the waves.— Bourgelat. 
VOL. XXV. O 
