500 THE ANATOMY OF THE HOUSE 



hair, losing its counectiou, falls out ; but the young hair soon takes its place 

 and grows to a length suited to the temperature to which the skin is exposed. 

 The horsehair on the contrary is not shed, but if it is plucked out it is 

 reproduced, though slowly. 



Every part of the skin is sensible to impressions from external objects, 

 but the sense of touch, such as we possess in the fingers, can only be said to 

 reside in the lips, and partially in the feet. All these parts are profusely 

 supplied with nerves of sensation, and the horse may often be observed to 

 use them in examining external objects, especially his lips, which are the 

 most delicate of his organs of touch. The engraving on page 499, of a pre- 

 paration of the nerves of the face, shows this distribution very clearly, and 

 will give an idea of the numerous ramifications of sensitive nerves supplied 

 to the lips. The feet are also largely supplied with nerves, though not to the 

 same extent as the human fingers ; and being covered with horny matter, 

 the sensibiHty of the surface is greatly reduced : still there can be no doubt 

 that the horse uses them occasionally in making out the nature of objects 

 presented to him : and this is especially the case with the fore-feet, though 

 it will sometimes happen that the hind extremities are used for the same 

 purpose ; as, for instance, in ascertaining the nature of a hard body before 

 kickinjr at it.^ 



THE FOOT 



It is necessary to examine the structure of the foot most carefully, not 

 as an object of cui-iosity connected with the sense of touch, but on account 

 of the numbei-less diseases and accidents to which it is subject. No part of 

 the horse is so liable to the effects of hai-d work and mismanagement as 

 this, and there is consequently none which more requires our care both in 

 health and disease. The bones and ligaments entering into the composition 

 of this organ have already been described ; the former at page 383, the 

 latter at page 419, We have now to examine into the structure of the 

 sensible and insensible parts which cover these bones. 



The parts entering into the composition of the foot will be better 

 understood by a reference to the annexed section of the phalanges or 

 fin^'ers terminating the metacarpal or metatarsal bones, as the case may be. 

 with their investments. It will be seen that there is very little space 

 between the pedal-bone and the crust, which, together with the sole, forms 

 a horny case or natural shoe, for the sensible and delicate investments of 

 the bone. So small is this space, that when infiammation takes place there 

 is no room for any swelling (the invax-iable accompaniment of that disease) 

 and intense pain is occasioned, as well as rapid disorganization of the 

 structure itself. The horny case is attached to the foot by a delicate 

 membrane, which lies in folds upon the pedal-bone, and it can be torn away 

 by violence, or when putrefaction has commenced, with great ease. These 

 parts are here separately displayed. The several parts which we shall have 



1 The editor has had hundreds of unnerved horses under observation, but failed to 

 discover any difference in their manner of using the front feet, to ascertain the nature of 

 an object in which tliey were interested. Do they not employ the feet merely to move 

 au object for better in;<pection or more couvunient application of the lips? 



