324 MANUAL OF MODERN FARRIERY. 



care, lavs the foundation of manj' diseases, and those too of 

 a very painful description. 



To alleviate to a certain extent the severity of those 

 painful complaints, veterinary surgeons have adopted the 

 practice of cutting the nerve which goes to the foot. This 

 nerve has its origin in the union of several of the spinal 

 nerves, and consequently is a nerve which gives both motion 

 and feeling to the foot. The fibres, however, which are 

 connected with motion, are carried only to those parts whicli 

 are concerned in producing motion, and these are muscles. 

 The influence of the nerves acting upon the muscles cause 

 them to contract, and consequently the limbs are moved. 

 The bones, blood-vessels, and other parts are merely passive 

 agents. The muscles of the leg do not extend below the 

 knee, and the fibres of the nerves concerned in motion are 

 distributed above that joint, so that no part concerned in 

 the production of motion extends below the knee ; and 

 when the nerve is divided either above the fetlock or on the 

 pastern, not a fibre is touched concerned with motion, but 

 those of feeling alone, and those are continued to the point 

 of the toe. It will be seen therefore that this operation 

 does not at all interfere with motion ; but the sensibility or 

 feeling of the foot is taken away, and the poor animal 

 relieved from the torture which diseases of the foot generally 

 cause. 'By this means the irritation of the foot is relieved, 

 and this in most cases produces an abatement of the inflam- 

 mation, and the horse will be able to perform work, and 

 have the free use of his foot. 



When horses have inflammatory diseases of the fo(jL^ 

 they generally keep beating it on the ground, which not 

 only keeps up the inflammation, but even increases it, 

 while they frequently destroy the hoof by this constant 

 battering. 



