Widespread horse-based mobility arose around 2200 BCE in Eurasia.

Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility1. However, the timeline between their domestication and their widespread integration as a means of transport remains contentious2-4. Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 BCE, through close-kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than approximately 2700 BCE, and coincided with a sudden expansion across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples across Europe around 3000 BCE and earlier3,5. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times at Botai around 3500 BCE, a settlement from central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centred on horses6,7. This supports local horse husbandry before the rise of modern domestic bloodlines.

The celebrated écorchés of Honoré Fragonard, part 1: The classical techniques of preparation of dry anatomical specimens in the 18th century.

The écorchés that Honoré Fragonard created between 1766 and 1771 have miraculously survived the ravages of time due to a technique of preparation which Fragonard never revealed. The present paper and a subsequent article aim to explain the classical methods used by anatomists of the 18th century (Part 1) and to throw light on the details of Fragonard's method (Part 2). Anatomists of the 18th century who wished to preserve their dissections used a method of mummification, which has now fallen into disuse: drying after immersion in alcohol. This article explains the stages of the classical method utilized by French anatomists of the Age of Enlightenment. The cadaver was selected with care before the vascular system was injected with a colored mixture of wax, animal fat, and plant resins. The body was then dehydrated by immersion in a bath of alcohol, after which it was removed and positioned by means of a wooden framework, which held the body in the desired pose while the alcohol evaporated. The vessels were painted, and finally the body was varnished.

The celebrated écorchés of honoré Fragonard, part 2: The details of the technique used by Fragonard.

It is remarkable that the famous écorchés of Honoré Fragonard have survived the centuries to reach us today. Studies carried out by several teams have established details of the technique used by Fragonard that help to explain their longevity. The injection of the vessels was achieved by means of a mixture of mutton tallow and pine resin diluted in essence of turpentine and essential oils. This gave Fragonard a very high success rate. Above all, he did not add pigments to his mixture while injecting the veins, and this facilitated the procedure. The vessels were painted after preservation to give them the vivid colors that we can still see today. Another detail that explains their exceptional conservation is that the varnish used by Fragonard was composed of Venice turpentine, made from larch resin and known to repel insects.

Fourier analysis of trunk displacements: a method to identify the lame limb in trotting horses.

The aim of this paper is to present a method allowing the identification of the lame limb in trotting horses. Using a 3-D kinematic analysis system, 13 sound and 25 lame horses fitted with 4 skin markers placed on the dorsal midline of their trunk were recorded while trotting on a track in the conditions of the routine lameness examination. The vertical displacements of the trunk markers underwent Fourier analysis. Results indicated that these displacements could be represented using only the first and second harmonics. From these two harmonics, indices were then developed. The sensitivity of these indices to the different types of experimental errors was also studied. Results showed that the values of the indices of the lame horses were relatively unaffected by the experimental errors. In lame horses, these indices allowed the quantification of the degree of the lameness, the identification of lame limb with a reliability > 95% and the characterisation of the type of trunk movements. These indices could be easily implemented in a computer program to provide objective information to the clinician or to be used as a first step in the development of an expert system. Moreover, these clinical tools may also be extended to other quadrupedal or bipedal locomotions.

Evaluation of three-dimensional kinematics of the distal portion of the forelimb in horses walking in a straight line.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a method that allows quantification of the 3 anatomic rotations in the digital joints of moving horses and measure these rotations when horses are walking in a straight line on a hard track. ANIMALS: 4 healthy French Trotter horses. PROCEDURE: Triads of ultrasonic kinematic markers were surgically linked to the 4 distal segments of the digits of the left forelimb of each horse. Three-dimensional (3-D) coordinates of these markers were recorded in horses walking in a straight line. The three angles of rotation of each digital joint were calculated by use of a joint coordinate system as well as the 3-D orientation of the hoof and third metacarpal bone. A calibration procedure was developed to convert data from measurements within a technical coordinate system to data in relation to an anatomically relevant coordinate system. RESULTS: Precision of the method was 0.5 degrees, and repeatability of the calibrations resulted in variations of 1.4 degrees. Extrasagittal movements of the proximal and distal interphalangeal joints were obvious during landing because the impact of the hoof was on the lateral side. Mean +/- SD extension of the proximal interphalangeal joint was 10.0 +/- 2.5 degrees. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This study provides a description of the technical background, error analysis, and procedures used to measure the 3-D rotations of the 4 distal segments of the forelimb in walking horses. As a major result substantial involvement of the proximal interphalangeal joint in the sagittal and extrasagittal planes should incline investigators and clinicians to consider the functional importance of this joint.

[Claude Bourgelat and the creation of the first veterinary schools]. / Claude Bourgelat et la création des écoles vétérinaires.

The first veterinary school in the world was created in Lyon in 1761 by an equerry, Claude Bourgelat (1712-1779), a man renowned for his skill in horsemanship and horse medicine, a man fully able to understand the issues of his time. Aware of the scope of the physiocratic movement and of the need to improve the health of farm animals, he was able to understand the expectations of Henri-Léonard Bertin, Minister of King Louis XV, in proposing the creation of an establishment, breaking with traditional farriery. The creation of the Veterinary School of Lyon would mark a milestone: the consideration of livestock and the establishment of a profession, based on a scientific approach applied to all species. His relations, his communication skills, his European reputation and the opening of the first two schools to foreign students have ensured dissemination of this renewed vision throughout Europe, and provided these schools and their creator with a reputation that they still retain today.

Fragonard's ecorchés in the context of a new project for a historical museum of veterinary medicine.

This article presents a brief history of the collection held at the National veterinary school in Maisons Alfort, France. We consider the place of Fragonard's anatomical preparations with particular attention, but also try to understand the evolution of the whole collection from its origins in the Enlightenment to the twenty-first century. We discuss the recent museological choices made by the museum's current director. In particular, we contextualize the idea of presenting the museum close to the form it took a century ago. We also present the current research and teaching associated with the museum, underlining its integration into the veterinary school.

Anatomic study of cranial nerve emergence and associated skull foramina in cats using CT and MRI.

Magnetic resonance (MR) images of the brain of four normal cats were reviewed retrospectively to assess the emergence and course of the cranial nerves (CNs). Two-millimeter-thick images were obtained in transverse, sagittal, and dorsal planes using a 1.5 T unit. CN skull foramina, as anatomic landmarks for MR imaging, were identified by computed tomography performed on an isolated cat skull using thin wire within each skull foramen. Thin slice (1 mm slice thickness) images were obtained with a high-resolution bone filter scan protocol. The origins of CNs II, V, VII, and VIII and the group of IX, X, XI, and XII could be identified. The pathway and proximal divisions of CNs V were described. CNs III, IV, and VI were not distinguished from each other but could be seen together in the orbital fissure. CN V was characterized by slight contrast enhancement.

Anatomical study of cranial nerve emergence and skull foramina in the dog using magnetic resonance imaging and computed tomography.

Twenty-two magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain studies of different breeds of dogs were reviewed to assess the anatomy of cranial nerve (CN) origins and associated skull foramina. These included five anatomic studies of normal brains using 2-mm-thick slices and 17 studies using conventional clinical protocols with 3- or 4-mm slices on both normal and abnormal brains. Images were obtained in transverse, sagittal, and dorsal planes to allow a thorough comparison between studies. CNs II, III, V (and its divisions), and VIII were observed consistently on conventional studies. On the thin-slice studies, the origins and proximal portions of CNN IV, VII, and the group of IX, X, and XI could be seen. The origins of CNN VI and XII were not observed with certainty. In parallel, a computed tomography study of an isolated skull was performed with a thin copper wire within each of the skull foramina to determine precisely each CN exit and to facilitate recognition of the course of CNs when exiting the skull on MRI images.

Three-dimensional kinematics of the equine interphalangeal joints: articular impact of asymmetric bearing.

The objective of this study was to assess the effects of asymmetric placement of the foot on the three-dimensional motions of the interphalangeal joints. Four isolated forelimbs were used. Trihedrons, made of three axes fitted with reflective markers, were screwed into each phalanx. They allowed to establish a local frame associated with each bone and thus to define the spatial orientation of the phalanges. The limbs were then placed under a power press, and subjected to compression with gradually increasing force (from 500 to 6 000 N). The procedure was performed in neutral position and with the lateral or medial part of the foot raised by a 12 degrees wedge. Flexion, collateromotion (passive abduction/adduction) and axial rotation of the interphalangeal joints were measured using a cardan angle decomposition according to the principle of the "Joint Coordinate System" described by Grood and Suntay. Raising the lateral or medial part of the hoof induced collateromotion (about 5.6 degrees +/- 0.8) and axial rotation (about 6.5 degrees +/- 0.5) of the distal interphalangeal joint. The proximal interphalangeal joint underwent axial rotation (about 4.7 degrees +/- 0.5 at 6 000 N) and slight collateromotion. Both interphalangeal joints underwent collateromotion in the direction of the raised part of the foot (i.e., narrowing of the articular space on the side of the wedge), whereas axial rotation occurred in the direction opposite to the raised part of the foot. These results confirm the functional importance of interphalangeal joint movements outside the sagittal plane. In particular they demonstrate the involvement of the proximal interphalangeal joint in the digital balance. These data are helpful for the identification of biomechanical factors that may predispose to interphalangeal joint injury. Also the data may be of use for the rational decision making with respect to exercise management and corrective shoeing of the lame horse.