364 DISEASES OF THE FEET, 



because the muscles of locomotion are inflamed, as is sometimes 

 supposed, but because he requires all his feet to be upon the 

 ground at the same time to bear the weight of the body. He 

 will often groan from pain, while sweats bedew the skin. 



To diagnose a case quickly, the best nethod is to push the 

 horse backwards, when it will be seen at once that he will 

 elevate his toes, and throw his weight upon the heels. The 

 pulse of laminitis is full, strong, and accelerated; and it will 

 maintain the character of strength and fulness even after general 

 debility has manifested itself. 



In some instances the animal lies down upon its side, with 

 the legs stretched out, for hours together, evidently feeling great 

 relief from the assumption of this position; whilst in others, 

 particularly during the earlier periods of the disease, it will 

 stand persistently. 



When the hind feet only are affected, the patient stands with 

 all his four feet together ; the fore ones are pushed under the 

 body, and not extended forwards, as when they are inflamed; 

 the hind ones are extended forwards, in order to throw the 

 weight upon the heels. Many, especially students, suppose that 

 when the hind feet are inflamed, the horse stands with them 

 pushed backwards, to remove them from the centre of gravity as 

 far as possible. Such is not the case, since this position would 

 cause the weight to be borne by the toes, the part of the feet 

 which he is most careful to relieve, as it is the very spot where 

 the inflammation is most acute. The sufferings of the patient 

 are even greater when the hind feet are affected, and usually 

 the symptoms become greatly aggravated by the standing pos- 

 ture. It is distressing to witness so much pain; the animal 

 standing " all of a heap," with anxious eyes ; now nervously 

 elevating one foot from the ground, then its fellow ; its respira- 

 tions hurried and nostrils dilated, in fact, " blowing," as vulgarly 

 expressed ; when compelled to move, as soon as the toes of the 

 hind feet are pressed to the ground, he takes a kind of a jump 

 forwards, performing perhaps two or three automatic steps, from 

 the agony of the pain. He rarely stands long when the hind 

 feet are affected, and experiences immediate relief when recum- 

 bent. Very often the pulse will fall twenty or thirty beats in 

 the minute in the course of a quarter of an hour after he has 

 assumed this position. 



