158 DISEASES OF 



on the error that the foot of the horse is a non vital 

 piece of machinery. 



Some years ago one of my employers owned a horse 

 that was the subject of contraction, and having heard 

 high recommendations of the use of this screw by a 

 professional operator, he asked my opinion of it I was 

 compelled to say that unless such force was used as 

 would cause a temporary laminitis, it would take longer 

 to expand the contracted heels in this manner than by 

 other and less vigorous measures. The ease with which 

 the heels could be forced open by means of this jack 

 screw appeared so plain that the gentleman concluded 

 to give it a trial ; and I had the opportunity of 

 watching the results, in which I confess I had some 

 curiosity. I found that immediately after the screw 

 had been used, the horse appeared to have relief for 

 a few minutes, but that it was soon followed by in- 

 creasing pain to such an extent that one day when I 

 happened in the stable ( about an hour after tke-operator 

 had gone ), I exclaimed, "Why your horse is foundered!" 

 The attendant informed me that the horse always stif- 

 fened up in that way about an hour after being oper- 

 ated on. I was not surprised, as I had told the owner 

 (when my opinion was asked) that, "on account of the 

 clo&e vascular connection between the heels of the cof- 

 fin bone, which could not be made to expand, and the 

 heels of the hoof which would be pushed apart by the 

 use of the screw some of the bloodvessels would nec- 

 essarily be ruptured, and the remainder would be 

 stretched so as to be considerably weakened, and thus al- 

 low blood to be extravasated and an inflammation set 

 up." This was precisely what had happened in the 

 above mentioned case, and sure enough the horse was 



