ANATOMY OF REGIONS. 
321 
proeminence produced by the inferior condyle. The condyle of the tem¬ 
poral is also easily defined, and between these bony projections is found a 
hollow—indication of the articular interline. A scalpel pushed through 
into that line penetrates without difficulty between the two bony sur¬ 
faces in the thickness of the fibro cartilaginous meniscus. The skin of 
that region is thin and loose; the hairs are fine and short. It is often 
covered with excoriations or depilations which may be the result of 
accident, but which often are in consequence of a long decubitus dur¬ 
ing serious and painful diseases. Indeed in colics, animals are often 
seen, while lying down, raising the head and violently throwing it back 
on the ground, without being conscious of the pain they must necessar¬ 
ily endure in excoriating the prominent parts of the head ; it may even 
happen that the skin, after repeated like motion, is entirely torn away 
and the capsular ligament is lacerated, giving rise to an open joint, an 
accident always very serious as it prevents the regular function of the 
jaws, and interferes much with the feeding of animals which cannot par¬ 
take of anything but soft liquid food. 
The subcutaneous connective tissue is not abundant, it unites in an 
intimate manner the skin to the thin muscular layer underneath, con¬ 
stituted by the paniculus carnosus which unites there with the zygo- 
matico auricularis. 
The connective layer situated under these muscles is more impor¬ 
tant than that which unites them to the skin ; it is it which gives rise to 
the looseness of the skin. 
The peripheric ligament of the joint is situated immediately under 
these layers. Forward, behind and inward it is much less resisting ; in 
this last part, even, it becomes very thin and elastic. The fibres which 
constitute it are running in different directions. A large farciculus, 
whose direction is oblique, backwards and downwards, deserves our at¬ 
tention. Rising above and outside the temporal condyle, it runs under 
and a little behind that of the maxillary. Passing over the articular 
meniscus, the ligament is attached upon its circumference in such a 
way that there is in reality two articulations—one superior, formed by 
the temporal condyle and the superior face of the meniscus; the other 
inferior, constituted by the inferior face of the meniscus and the max¬ 
illary condyle. Each of these articulations has a special synovial 
capsula. 
The skeleton of that region shows some interesting peculiarities. 
The superior articular surface is formed by a condyle and a glenoid 
cavity; elongated transversally, the condyle is situated in front of the 
