DISEASES. 737 



■destroyed; the quarter then presents irregularities, and some- 

 times divisions, which may be of long continuance, and give rise to 

 a lameness which may, perhaps, become permanent. This danger 

 indicates the necessity of exercising the utmost skill and caution 

 in operating, in order to avoid possible injuries to the coronary 

 band. 



Several modifications of the ordinary mode of operation have 

 been proposed. Some have had for their principal object, the 

 prevention of the extraction of the hoof, with a view of thus re- 

 turning the animals to their work at the earhest period practic- 

 able. It is thus that Hazard, Jr., proposed to make a crucial 

 incision upon the skin covering the fibro-cartilage ; the four flaps 

 being so dissected as to expose it, and then removing it with the 

 sage knife. In this process, the extirpation of the entire cartilage 

 becomes extremely difficult without inflicting injury upon the lat- 

 eral hgaments and the synovial capsules. 



Pagnier has proposed to merely thin down the quarter, to 

 make an incision in the skin along the superior border of the car- 

 tilage, and through this to remove the organ. But in this opera- 

 tion, however thin the hoof may be, it always interferes with the 

 entire extirpation of the cartilage. 



Bernard, following the idea of Lafosse junior, who only re- 

 moved the superior border of the wall, proposed a mode of pro- 

 ceeding which is principally useful in cases of separation of the 

 hoof. Instead of removing the band of hoof parallel with the 

 coronary bourrelet, Bernard pared it down with the drawing- 

 knife, the sage-knife, or the rasp, in order to make it as thin as 

 possible, while avoiding the injury to the sensitive laminae. This 

 done, an incision is made along the coronary band, below it, de- 

 stroying its union with the laminse. At this step of the operation, 

 the indications are the same as in the ordinary modus operandi, 

 except that the coronary band being covered with a certain thick- 

 ness of hoof, is less flexible. This, however, is easily removed, as 

 soon as it becomes softened. The remaining steps of the opera- 

 tion are the same as in the ordinary, old way. That is to sa}', the 

 posterior part of the cartilage being well defined, the sage-knife 

 is used in the same manner. In this method, however, as the 

 sage-knife works more flat-wise, there is less danger of wounding 

 the ligaments or the synovial capsules. If any part of the car- 

 tilage remains near these organs, some care must be used in 



