THE PASTERNS. 



345 



but otherwise, except when they attain a great size, they do noi interfere with 

 the action of the animal, or cause any considerable unsoundness. The farriers 

 used to suppose that they contained wind hence their name, wind-galls ; and 

 hence the practice of opening them, by which dreadful inflammation was often 

 produced, and many a valuable horse destroyed. It is not uncommon for wind- 

 galls entirely to disappear in aged horses. 



A slight wind-gall will scarcely be subjected to treatment ; but if these tu- 

 mours are numerous and large, and seem to impede the motion of the limb, 

 they may be attacked first by bandage. The roller should beof flannel, and soft 

 pads should be placed on each of the enlargements, and bound down tightly 

 upon them. The bandage should also be wetted with the lotion recommended for 

 sprain of the back-sinews. The wind-gall will often dimmish or disappear by 

 this treatment, but will too frequently return when the horse is again hardly 

 worked. A blister is a more effectual, but too often temporary remedy. Wind-galls 

 will return with the renewal of work. Firing is still more certain, if the tu- 

 mours are sufficiently large and annoying to justify our having recourse to mea- 

 sures so severe ; for it will not only effect the immediate absorption of the fluid, 

 and the reduction of the swelling, but, by contracting the skin, will act as a 

 permanent bandage, and therefore prevent the reappearance of the tumour. 

 The iodine and mercurial ointments have occasionally been used with advantage 

 in the proportion of three parts of the former to two of the latter. 



THE PASTERNS. 



a The shank -bone. 



b The upper and larger pastern-bone. 



c The sessamoid-bone. 



d The lower or smaller pastern-bone. 



e The navicular or shuttle-bone. 



/ The coffin-bone, or bone of the foot. 



g The suspensory ligament, inserted into the sessamoid-bone. 



It A continuation of the suspensory ligament, inserted into the smaller pastern-bone. 



The small inelastic ligament, tying down the sessamoid bone to the larger pastern-bone. 



A* A long ligament reaching from the pastern-bone to the knee. 



