251 



THE MODERN SYSTEM 



Now the method to prevent this disagree- 

 al)le affection, is to have your Horse shod 

 high before, which will assist him in getting 

 his fore-legs on ; and without calkins behind, 

 which will a little retard their action, and 

 make all four legs work in unison. 



QUITTOR. 



Quittor is one of the most troublesome 

 wounds of the foot the veterinarian has to con- 

 tend with •, and this because it is frequently 

 some time before it can with propriety be 

 termed so. The wound must have existed 

 some time, and a peculiar unhealthy state 

 exhibits itself, the ulcerated surface producing 

 a diseased secretion, which may spread con- 

 siderably around, and in consequence other 

 parts become diseased. The tracts we call 

 sinuses, are not difficult to ascertain, when 

 we see the foot depending, and we all know 

 that matter is sure to find a deepened orifice, 

 if possible ; but when covered with nora, how 

 is that to be obtained ? why of course, the 

 m»*ter spreads itself amongst sensible parts, 

 and they become diseased. Now, our princi- 

 pal care is to lessen all this, or in other words, 

 to remove the irritation then existing. But 

 if the injury should extend to the ligamentous 

 and cartilaginous parts, their living powers 

 being small, a very different complaint is 

 formed, and sometimes a very tedious and 

 troublesome disorder springs up, from the 

 difficulty of forming granulations in parts with 

 such few living powers. 



Quittor may arise from pricks in shoeing, 

 punctures, and over-reaching , but with 

 draught-horses, the most common is from 

 wounds, or bruises inflicted by a tread on 

 the coronet. I never saw this disease in the 



front of the foot, but it principally occurs at 

 the quarters, in the neighbourhood of the late- 

 ral cartilages ; though 1 have heard some say, 

 the whole margin of the coronet is liable. 



The great trouble of treating quittor, from 

 its being so unpleasant a disease to contend 

 with, has brought into use by the older far- 

 riers some of the most violent means, impelled 

 to it by their erroneous views of its nature : 

 the burning out with a red hot iron was one 

 of their favourite plans ; but now, I believe, 

 that is nearly abolished. For my own part, I 

 prefer the stimulating plan to all others. 



A quittor, when it has taken on the ulcera- 

 tive process, and the dead portions are thrown 

 off by suppuration, the farriers would then say 

 a core is come out. The wound then ought 

 to be treated as a simple wound, or abscess ; 

 for farriers are too apt on these occasions, 

 under the idea of assisting the coring out, to 

 introduce strong stimulants. Reduce inflam- 

 mation as much as possible, thin the sur- 

 rounding horn ; and if the matter appears to 

 penetrate in a direct line, downwards only, 

 make an opening in the hoof below ; but in 

 other cases merely dress in any mild way, 

 either with a weak solution of sulphate of 

 zinc, or compound tincture of myrrh. Put 

 the Horse on bran mashes, and give altera- 

 tives. (See medicines.) ■ 



But when the complaint assumes the ap- 

 pearance of confirmed quittor, and not retain- 

 ing the character of a simple bruise, wound, 

 or abscess, we must look upon it now as an 

 ulcer, composed of different branches or si- 

 nuses, or as the old farriers termed them 

 pipes. Here the coring out system has been 

 abundantly used. On some occasions of bad 

 quittor, a portion of ossified cartilage has 

 come away : and as this is by no means on 



