86 NEUROTOMY. 



Every horseman will recollect cases in which the animal that 

 seemed on the preceding day to be perfectly sound becomes 

 decidedly lame, and limps as though he had lost the use of his 

 limbs ; yet there is no thickening of the tendons, nor any external 

 inflammatory action to show the seat of the complaint. 



The attack is most common in winter, and in wet, cola 

 weather. Good bleeding and sharp purging, the former aided if 

 necessary by injections — and warm fomentations to the afiected 

 parts — constitute the proper treatm.ent. 



NEUROTOMY. 



From the faulty construction of the shoe, the premature and 

 cruel exaction of labor, and various other causes, the horse is 

 subject to a variety of diseases of the foot — all of them accom- 

 panied with a greater or less degree of pain, often of a very in- 

 tense character, and ceasing only with the life of the animal. 



The division of the nerve as a remedy for intense pain in 

 any part of the frame, was systematically practiced more than 

 a century ago. Mr. Moorecroft has the honor of introducing 

 this operation — neurotomy — into veterinaiy practice. He laid 

 bare one of the metacarpal nerves, and divided it. It always 

 immediately reduced the lameness, and, sometimes, the horse 

 rose perfectly sound. This result was not always permanent, 

 however, for the lameness returned in a few weeks, or on much 

 active exertion. He next cut out a small piece of the nerve. 

 The freedom from lameness was of longer duration, but eventu- 

 ally returned. He then tried a bolder experiment — the excision 

 of a portion of the nerves going both to the inner and outer 

 metacarpals, and found that the sensi)iility of the foot was thus 

 destroyed. 



Fig. 10 gives a view of the nerve on the inside of the leg, 

 as it approaches the fetlock. It will be seen that branches 

 are given off above the fetlock, which go to the fore-part of the 

 foot and supply it with feeling. The continuation of the nerve 

 below the fetlock is given principally to the quarters and hinder 

 part of the foot. The grand consideration, then, with the oper- 

 ator is — does he wish to deprive the whole of the foot of sensa- 

 tion, or is the cause of lameness principally in the hinder part 

 of the foot, so that he can leave some degree of feeling in the 

 fore-part, and prevent that alteration in the tread and going of 

 the horse, which the horseman so much dislikes ? 



The horse must be cast and secured, and the limb to be 

 operated on removed from the hobbles and extended — the hair 

 having been previously shaved from the part. The operator 

 then feels for the throbbing of the artery, or the round fxira 



