128 DISEASES OF THE FEET AND LEGS. 



weight of the animal is borne upon them ; and the hocks 

 behind, because they are the propelling power. 



It is remarkable in cases of lameness, that when the 

 disease is seated in the feet, the lameness becomes tem- 

 porarily aggravated on work ; whereas if it proceed from 

 disease in the legs, it becomes apparently less after 

 the limbs have been worked a while. With regard to 

 animals keeping their condition while labouring under 

 lameness, experience has taught me that horses lame in 

 the fore feet will, if able to work at all, continue to do 

 so without apparently losing condition from the fret of 

 lameness ; but when the hind legs are the seat of dis- 

 ease, the condition evaporates very rapidly. This, I 

 imagine, is because an animal lame in the fore feet will 

 lie down and take more rest than when sound ; whereas 

 if lame behind, he will not take sufficient rest, as rising 

 and lying down cause him pain ; hence he continually 

 stands, and, of course, aggravates the disease. 



The foot is thus sectionised and described by Dela- 

 were P. Blaine, Esq. : — 



7c 



Fig. 2.— Section of Foot. 



" On examining a perpendicular section of the foot 

 and pasterns, there appear the coffin-bone (a), the 



