THE 
VETERINARIAN, 
VOL. XXXVI. 
. No. 430. 
OCTOBER, 1863. 
Fourtli Series. 
No. 106. 
Communications and Cases, 
STRING-HALT—ITS DOUBTFUL PATHOLOGY. 
By J. Busteed, M.D., New York. 
Dear Spirit, —Enclosed you wdll find a few notes of some 
post-mortems made upon liorses that had string-halt. My 
observations do not agree with those of Professor Spooner, or 
with the views entertained by Percivall, Youatt, or Goodwin. 
All of those gentlemen attribute this disease to an abnormal 
condition of the vertebrae, medulla spinalis, the sciatic nerves, 
or their coverings. From the dissections made by me, I am 
inclined to believe the disease is located in the hock-joint— 
that the spasmodic action is caused by the friction of the 
tibia passing over an irritable ulcer on the astragalus. It 
is well-known to medical men that cartilage, when in a 
healthy condition, is devoid of sensibility, but when inflamed 
or ulcerated, there is no tissue in the body productive of so 
much suffering; it is also known that some ulcers are so in¬ 
dolent that the application of caustic will scarcely cause pain, 
while others are so sensitive that the mildest dressing can¬ 
not be applied without severe suflering; I refer to this, as it 
is the only way that I can account for ulceration of the hock- 
joint which I have occasionally found in horses that Averc 
free from string-halt and from lameness. 1 am disposed to 
think it is the irritable form of ulcer only Avhich causes the 
spasmodic tAvitching of the limb, Avhich is but a symptom of 
disease. 
Case 1.—Sept., 1841.—I had purchased for me, at the 
market Avhere the old and diseased horses arc sold, an aged 
XXXVI. 39 
