392 DISEASES OF THE FEET. 



tlie treatment of quittor. I knew of one, and he certainly 

 managed to cure cases after everybody else had failed. His plan 

 was a simple one, and consisted of the injection of a fluid — the 

 composition of which was a secret — into the sinuses every four- 

 teen days. He never allowed any interference with the foot 

 during the interval, and seldom had to apply his remedy more 

 than twice. I almost think that it was the tincture of the 

 terchloride of iron. I deem it advisable, in cases of quittor, to 

 make the incision into the sinus ; but there are cases where these 

 care too small and too numerous to admit of a satisfactory explora- 

 tion. For such the old plan of " coring " will answer well, and 

 it is as follows : — Powder some corrosive sublimate, or arsenious 

 acid, or a mixture of both, very fine ; place a very little of the 

 powder, say five grains, on a small square piece of tissue paper ; 

 double this up cornerwise, and then fold into a stiff plug, 

 pointed at one end. Introduce it as carefully and as deeply 

 into the wound as possible, and, if necessary, apply a bandage 

 to keep it in its place ; over the whole apply a poultice. In 

 from five to seven days a circular slough will have separated, 

 leaving the whole interior of the wound exposed to view. If 

 this presents a uniform red appearance the sinuses have all been 

 destroyed ; but if pale-looking spots or small apertures are seen 

 in it, they indicate that more of the diseased surface requires 

 destruction. This should now be carefully done, or the second 

 slough may extend to important structures. When a healthy 

 surface has been obtained, and the progress of the case still 

 remains unsatisfactory, a blister must be applied to the coronet. 

 This stimulates the reparative process, and removes pain and 

 lameness. 



If any part of the crust should at any time press upon the 

 textures involved in the diseased action, it is to be carefully 

 thinned by the rasp. To sum up, the principles of treatment are 

 as follows : — To make a depending orifice by incision, seton, or 

 counter-opening, by seton or cautery remove all foreign bodies, 

 to destroy unhealthy surfaces, allay irritation, and finally to 

 stimulate the reparative process. 



The vital powers and vascularity of the several structures 

 involved vary to a great extent ; hence the practitioner some- 

 times finds that, after doing all he can, the case progresses 

 unsatisfactorily. I have in such instances found it advantageous 



