TREATMENT OF NAVICULARTHRITIS. 177 



It is any thing but an agreeable duty on the part of the veterinarian 

 to feel himself forced to make such disclosures as these; and I may 

 add, unless he be prudent enough to make such preliminaries un- 

 derstood, the treatment of the case may, in the end, prove any thing 

 but creditable to him or satisfactory to his employer. 



The Treatment of Navicularthritis may be either of a 

 mild or soothing description, or such as affords relief rather by the 

 absence of annoyance and irritation than by any especial curative 

 influence in the means employed ; or it may consist in the adop- 

 tion of such remedial means as are proved to possess positive power 

 over the disease present. In a case of navicularthritis which is 

 quite recent, the preferable plan of procedure is this negative form 

 of treatment ; such being advantageous both on account of the less 

 alarming aspect it presents to the owner of the lame animal, and 

 because very frequently — supposing the horse to be put under it 

 immediately after the lameness shews itself — soundness will result 

 from it. I am quite aware it may be said that this is dallying with 

 the case — losing time by treatment — which, supposing it does suc- 

 ceed, may fail to permanently remove the lameness. I am not of 

 opinion, however, that the short time occupied by such palliation 

 materially affects the subsequent and more appropriate treatment 

 of the case ; and as it very frequently happens that it is desirable 

 to have the horse restored to soundness in a short interval of time, 

 and without blemish to his foot or leg, even though such restora- 

 tion cannot for certainty be depended on to last, I think the simple 

 plan of treatment I am about to describe, in cases that are truly 

 recent, will be found advisable : at the same time I wish it to be 

 distinctly understood, that, in a case in which the proprietor of the 

 lame horse is willing to afford the requisite time, and the horse, 

 after being restored to soundness, is to be expected to return to 

 severe work, there can be no question about the general inadequacy 

 of this mild treatment to answer such an end. 



The simple plan of treatment I adopt in a case of navicularthritic 

 lameness which has but just commenced, is to have the shoe taken 

 off the lame foot, to have the sole of the foot pared out, and the 

 crust rasped round, and afterwards to have foot and leg immersed 

 in a warm bath, the immersion being succeeded by the envelopment 



VOL. TV. A a 



