CURABILITY OF SPAVIN. 87 



or with an understanding that a few days, or a week, or even two 

 weeks, will be yielded for the process of cure. It is not to be 

 denied that incipient cases of spavin do now and then present 

 themselves, which — consisting as some or most of them at so early 

 a stage probably do, purely in exostosis — are capable of being, 

 in the course of a week or a fortnight, relieved to that degree that 

 lameness almost or quite disappears, and that, therefore, the horse 

 is naturally enough considered by his owner to be fit to return to 

 his work: comparatively few, however, will the number of such 

 cases be as will not relapse for medical treatment, and in an aggra- 

 vated and even hopeless pathological condition, compared to what 

 they presented in the first instance. The disease, which at first 

 was confined to the periosteal tissues, outside of the hock joint, has 

 now invaded the synovial membrane within, and the result is, 

 ulceration of the articular cartilages covering the cushion bones : 

 a sad addition has been made to the already existing disease ; the 

 case has become converted from one of a simple into one of a com- 

 plex character; and the cure, if now practicable at all, has been 

 thrown back weeks, if not months. The case of the troop horse 

 (G 4), related at page 77, furnishes a good example of this prone- 

 ness to relapse ; and it is the more striking in this case, because 

 what was deemed sufficient rest was at each period of fresh attack 

 fully conceded. The same thing happens in disease of the navi- 

 cular joint. Here is, as in spavin, ulcerative disease of joint; 

 and whatever treatment be adopted, either in one case or the other, 

 rest — absolute repose of the diseased joint — and that for a sufficient 

 length of time, is indispensably required. The curability of spa- 

 vin so much depends upon an uninterrupted state of inaction of 

 joint, that, as Gibson with truth assures us, with " sufficient time," 

 mild remedies will succeed; whereas, without it, the severest will 

 be pretty sure to fail. And, for my own part, I am very much 

 inclined to the belief that the success derived from deep firing and 

 blistering is in a measure ascribable to the extremely sore and 

 rigid condition of skin produced thereby, rendering it for a consi- 

 derable time, through the pain consequent on the act, next to im- 

 possible to flex the diseased joint. In confirmation of the expe- 

 diency, or, rather, the necessity of rest, I may mention that I have, 



