of a great variety of forms have been strongly 

 recominendecl to the piibHc at different times. 

 Each of these has been tried by individuals ; 

 each has had a temporary success; each has had 

 its partisans ; but none have ever been generally 

 adopted. From this variety in the forms of 

 shoes it is evident, that the first principles of 

 shoeing have never been established so as to 

 place the subject beyond all dispute ; and it is 

 the object of the present treatise to hiy before the 

 public some plain facts, which m^y tend to de- 

 monstrate the comparative merits of the different 

 methods of shoeing hitherto practised. To do 

 this, it is not necessary either to enter into an 

 anatomical detail of the structure and natural 

 history of the internal parts of the foot, or into 

 a minute description of the external parts; with 

 the division of which, into crust, sole, bars, and 

 frog, it is presumed every one interested in the 

 subject is sufficiently acquainted : but it may not 

 be improper to mention some of the general 

 functions of those pai ts which form the bottom 

 of the foot, and are more particularly connected 

 with the subject of shoeing. 



The crust constitutes the principal and con- 

 stant support of the foot. 



The sole ties the lower edge of the crust toge- 



