The Horse - its treatment in health and disease, with a complete guide to breeding, training and management (1905) (14783980133)
Summary
Identifier: horseitstreatmen01axej (find matches)
Title: The Horse : its treatment in health and disease, with a complete guide to breeding, training and management
Year: 1905 (1900s)
Authors: Axe, J. Wortley
Subjects: Horses
Publisher: London : Gresham
Contributing Library: Webster Family Library of Veterinary Medicine
Digitizing Sponsor: Tufts University
Text Appearing Before Image:
undergo a succession of changespeculiar to it. In Plate II, figs. 1 and 6, it runs parallel with thelong axis of the body,being formed by the twoleft and right limbs re-spectively. In fig. 2 it isaltered both in shajje andextent by the right hind-limb beintr brought to theground, thereby enlargingits area, while at the sametime it is made to assumea trians;ular form. Infig. 5 the line of direc-tion is diagonal from theleft fore to the right hind.These alterations in thebase of support are calledforth by the forward in-clination of the trunk dis-placing the centre of gra-vity. This forward dis-placement is very muchmore considerable as thepace increases, as shown in particular phases of the fast gallop (figs. 3 and 4 of the same plate),where a vertical line drawn from the centre of gravity would fall in frontof the fore-foot, or leading support, and consequently outside the base ofsupport, thus requiring a fresh base to be formed by the advancing fore-liml) to re-establish equilibrium.
Text Appearing After Image:
Ilg. 19.—Base of Support MUSCLES IN RELATION TO POWER AND SPEED The movements of locomotion by which the body is transferred fromplace to place ai-e effected by muscles, which, acting in obedience to the will,are termed voluntary muscles. 32 CONFORMATION AND ITS DEFECTS These fleshy masses which clothe the bones are each and all endowedwith the property of contractility. When this power is called into actionby nervous stimulation it has the eiTect of bringing the two extremities ofthe muscle towards each other, by which the length is diminished, while atthe same time its thickness increases. These changes are well seen in the biceps or muscle of the upper arm, ifthe elbow be bent and the closed hand be brought up to the shoulder. When a stimulus is applied to a nerve entering a muscle, the latter ismade to contract throughout its entire length at nearly the same moment;as a consequence, it is found that the period occupied by the contraction ofa short muscle is nearly equal to that