NAVICULAR DISEASE. 341 



made with the rowellmg scissors, the knife inserted and 

 the tissues divided from within outward. This is the 

 least painful way. As a rule it is best to make a good-sized 

 incision, especially if the practitioner be not very expert in 

 the performance of the operation. The nerve is white and 

 glistening in appearance, and on being pressed will give rise 

 to a vigorous manifestation of pain on the part of the animal. 

 By this it is known to be the nerve, and not the artery or 

 vein. Having decided that it is the nerve, it should be 

 raised by means of the tenaculum, and about one inch of its 

 length excised. The first cut will give rise to severe pain, and 

 cause the animal to struggle violently ; the second cut, which 

 should be made lower down, will be painless. After excising 

 a portion of the nerve, the wound should be closed b}" means 

 of sutures or bandages, and afterwards treated as a 

 common wound until healed. The patient should receive 

 careful usage for some time afterward, and great care 

 should be exercised in shoeing such a horse to prevent 

 pricking. The feet should also be subjected to a careful 

 examination every night when the animal comes in, to see 

 that they have received no injury, as the animal cannot 

 feel any pain in the neurotomized structures, and conse- 

 quently the most violent injury may occur to the foot and 

 the animal show no sign whatever. The unfavourable results 

 of neurotomy are suppuration, perhaps from a corn, which 

 in a foot not devoid of sensation would have caused lame- 

 ness, and been searched for, treated, and cured before 

 reaching the suppurative stage. In some cases extensive 

 suppuration occurs, and must be treated at once to prevent 

 sloughing of the hoof. In other cases gelatinous degenera- 

 tion of the foot follows, and may do so even when neu- 

 rotomy has been performed under the most favourable 

 circumstances, and in the most suitable case possible to 

 select for the operation; the foot breaking, or twisting oflf ; 



