DISEASES. 713 



must, however, include more than tlie purulent center, so tnat the 

 diseased tissues may be well exposed and the suppurative process 

 detach them readily. This removal, always proportioned to the 

 internal lesions, is made either lengthwise, following the direction 

 of the horny fibres, or crosswise. In that case, it will attack only 

 a portion of the wall toward its point of union with the skin. 

 This latter method, it is true, requires less cutting, but it has sev- 

 eral quite serious objections and often necessitates a second oper- 

 ation. Even in cases where the growth of the granulations can 

 be controlled, and where a good return of the horse is obtained, 

 the horse only recuperates its perfect integrity by the slow growth 

 downward of the waU. In some circumstances the operation is 

 completed by the removal of a portion, or even of the entire mass 

 of the sole, when it is separated from the velvety tissue. 



The removal of a portion of the wall must be accomplished in 

 the manner which will be indicated for cartilaginous quittor, in 

 carefully avoiding the injury of the coronary band and of the 

 podophyllous tissue. The diseased tissue being exposed, all that 

 is of bad appearance is removed, the carioiis portion being freely 

 taken off. An ordinary' dressing of oakum with diluted alcohol, 

 or any other drug, kept in place with a light shoe or slipper, en- 

 tire or truncated, as the case requires, is then applied. 



As for all wounds of the foot, the dressing needs only to be 

 changed when the pus accumulated under the oakum, or other 

 peculiar conditions indicate it. It is true that changing the dress- 

 ing is an effective means of cleansing the wound, but it has the 

 inconvenience of also irritating it, and especially at the begin- 

 ning may tend to infeiTupt the natural process of repair. It is of 

 advantage, after the first dressings, to change them as infrequently 

 as possible. In this way hemorrhages, which may always be 

 looked for, are avoided. This is a point of the first importance. 

 It has been proved that even in operations where a jDortion of the 

 wall has been removed, a dressing left on for from fifteen to 

 twenty days without removal, was followed by rapid recovery, the 

 new hoof growing under the oakum without suppuration. It is 

 useless to probe or wipe out the surface of the wound. On the 

 second dressing, that is, after a few days, the parts begin to be 

 covered with numerous white points, which are so many rudi- 

 ments of hoof. These, which at first are soft, white, and isolated, 

 gather together by degrees, and first unite into a thin layer, soft 



