PATHOLOGY OF STRINGHALT. 
139 
ulceration tliat I desired to direct attention to, but to the 
nature of the ulcer.” What ulcer ? I had endeavoured to 
show that what the doctor considered to the cause of string- 
halt was in reality no ulcer at all, but a part of the articular 
lamella, varying in size and outline, upon which articular 
cartilage had never been developed. I may take this oppor¬ 
tunity to state that this peculiarity is not always con¬ 
stant; but, nevertheless, in many instances, it is present 
on the articulations of the tibio-astragalean joint, and 
also on those of other bones forming diarthrodial joints. 
In another part of the doctor's letter he asks (alluding to 
me), “ Does he mean that bone is found in the articulation 
of the foal at birth ? or does he mean that foals are liable at 
birth to a particular form of ulceration ?” I mean neither 
the one nor the other, nor do I think that any such inference 
can be rightly drawn from my remarks. Such sulci as are 
referred to are not ulcers, and the articular lamellae forming 
their bottoms are covered with a thin membrane, so that 
exposed bone is not in the joint, either at birth or afterwards, 
while the part remains in a healthy condition. 
The doctor goes on to say, “ I think, in all fairness, he [I] 
ought to have described the appearance between congenital 
ulcer and that arising from injury or disease.” What does 
the doctor mean ? I have never said a word about congenital 
ulcer, nor ever thought of doing so. The congenital absence of 
cartilage in the tibio-astragalean articulation, which I referred 
to, and still have again to do, is not an ulcer, although I am 
afraid the doctor has mistaken it for such. Further on 
the doctor asks, “ in the two cases of spavin followed by 
stringhalt, referred to by the professor, if ulceration of the 
astragalus may not have existed at the same time ?” To 
this I must reply that I cannot say, not having examined the 
hock post-mortem; but if it did, or even the so-called ulcer of 
Dr. Busteed, I believe that neither the one nor the other was 
the cause of the stringhalt. Again, he asks, “ Has Professor 
Varnell made post-mortems of horses known to have had 
stringhalt without finding ulceration of the astragalus ?” 
Yes; in the worst case I ever saw I dissected both hocks, 
and not a trace of ulceration or disease of any kind existed 
in any of the tarsal articulations. The doctor then observes, 
quoting from my remarks, “ I believe that this form of 
disease sometimes suddenly assumes a different character.” 
In making this statement, I alluded to extensive ulceration 
of the joint (see page 595 of the October number of the 
Veterinarian), and had no reference to the supposed ulcer of 
Dr. Busteed, but merely to true ulceration. The doctor's case 
