514 SCOTTISH METROPOLITAN VETERINARY ASSOCIATION. 
had lately had an opportunity of examining and of making a 
post-mortem examination of a well-marked case of this descrip¬ 
tion occurring in the secretary's practice. The horse, working 
on a dunghill, became lame, and next morning was found with 
his near hind leg dangling in the air as if it was fractured. On 
being moved, however, it was found that he could stand well 
enough on the leg, but, whenever he attempted to draw it 
upwards, he seemed to have lost the proper power over it; it 
hung pendulous in the air, the hock remained unflexed, the 
tendons of the gastrocnemii muscles relaxed and flaccid, and the 
foot could be twisted up nearly to the end of the tail. When 
made to walk the foot was placed carelessly down and then 
jerked backward and upward in a convulsive way. The horse, 
being an old one, was killed, and an extensive rupture of the 
fibres of the flexor metatarsi and extensor pedis was found to 
have taken place, being on the anterior part of the former and 
on the posterior part of the latter muscle, midway between the 
stifle and the hock. Professor Williams stated that the most 
distinguishing symptom in such cases is the peculiar relaxed 
state of the gastrocnemii tendons. This arises, not, as has been 
supposed, from paralysis of these muscles, but from the loss of 
antagonistic force; the flexor metatarsi being powerless, there is 
nothing in front to counterbalance the action of the gastrocnemii 
behind. 
Mr. BorthwicJc said that he had, a few weeks ago, attended a 
carriage horse one of whose hind legs had been entangled in a 
wire fence, and in the struggle to get free the muscles in front 
of the leg, a little above the hock, were nearly cut through. 
The general appearance of the leg and the state of the tendo 
Achillis was exactly similar. 
Professor Williams went on to say that the late Professor 
Dick evidently had seen such cases and knew much about 
them, but he confounded them with strain of the gastrocnemii 
themselves, whereas in the latter case exactly opposite symptoms 
are exhibited; for it was rather a singular fact that about a 
week after the horse above mentioned was brought in, another 
horse came into the College yard with an injury to the gastroc¬ 
nemii muscles, and at every step the leg was jerked forwards 
and upwards nearly against his belly ; extreme extension of the 
hock in the one case, extreme flexion in the other, though in 
both the tendo Achillis is more or less relaxed. Milder cases, 
such as that now shown by Mr. Aitken, present modified 
symptoms; and unless the rupture was excessive, almost all, 
Professor Williams was of opinion, with time and rest might 
recover. 
At the last meeting it was arranged that Mr. Hutcheon should 
