692 OPERATIONS ON THE FOOT. 



worse, if the pulsation at the digital arteries is stronger, harder 

 and more frequent, it becomes necessary at once to thin the sole 

 down, and make a puncture upon the Une of demarcation of the 

 sole and wall with the drawing knife. Often then a flow of pus 

 or blood, more or less altered, takes place, the nature of which in- 

 dicates the progress of the disease. If it is of a grey blackish 

 color, it is evidence that the homy tissue only is affected ; while if 

 white, it indicates a greater change. Hertwig advises this opera- 

 tion always, when laminitis is of long duration. He thus pro- 

 duces an artificial seedy toe, which is considered the mildest form 

 of the disease. He recommends to make a deep groove upon this 

 white line so far as there is separation of the wall from the podo- 

 phyllous tissue, and then combines the treatment with the use of 

 astringent baths of suljohate of copper. We have, on several oc- 

 casions, been pleased with this treatment, combining it with the 

 application of a blister around the coronet. It is preferable to 

 the longitudinal grooves, or to trephining, which is sometimes 

 recommended. 



There are numerous cases, however, when, notwithstanding all 

 these rational means, the disease cannot be arrested, and when a 

 fatally chronic laminitis ensues. This must be considered incur- 

 able in the majority of cases. It is almost impossible to bring 

 the foot back to its physiological condition, and, above all, to pre- 

 vent the hypersecretion of the hoof which characterizes it. 



However, in case of simple seedy toe, if it is the result of 

 hemorrhage, or even of suppuration, a cure may sometime be ob- 

 tained. Generally, by thinning it down, the entire portion of the 

 wall which, at the toe, the mammae and the anterior part of the 

 quarters is superposed, to the keraphyllous hoof, without adhering 

 to it, is removed. The keraphyllous hoof, also, is thinned down 

 in its whole extent ; then a dressing of hoof ointment or tar is ap- 

 plied so as to protect it from drying and to keep it supj^le. In 

 these cases, the hoof coming down from the coronary band has 

 sometimes united with that flowing over the podophjdloiis laminae. 

 At other times the seedy toe is only cleaned of its contents, and 

 is filled with medicated oakum, if there is a wound of the j)odo- 

 phyllous tissue, or with hoof ointment and Venice turpentine, the 

 whole being kept in place by a wide web shoe. The last treat- 

 ment seems to us the best, only instead of hoof ointment we em- 

 ploy gutta percha, melted with gum ammoniac, as recommended 



