184 TREATMENT OF NAVICULARTHRITIS. 



have the animal kept standing, taking care that his head is tied 

 short up, all day long ; while, at night, he is placed in a littered stall 

 to lie down, or else is turned into some confined yard or box. This 

 is preferable to standing with the hoofs immerged in water, because 

 from the conducting property of the clay, and the continual eva- 

 poration going on from the various irregularities of the trampled 

 clay bed, the feet experience so much more refrigeration. In this 

 simple treatment I persevere until such time as heat has entirely 

 left the external parts, and swelling likewise ; at least, the latter to 

 that extent that it is from appearances likely to subside : and thus 

 have I known numberless cases of the kind described at the head 

 of this paragraph either restored to soundness, or to that approx- 

 imation to it that they have been considered sufficiently recovered 

 to perform whatever has been required of them. 



About firing the coronet or pastern, I have nothing more 

 to say than that it is an old practice, one that was had recourse to at 

 a time when navicularthritis was noted as '^foot lameness," without 

 any thing being known of its seat or nature ; at the same time one 

 which, from its counter-irritant operation, has no doubt been on 

 many occasions followed by benefit; not more benefit, however, than 

 would have resulted from a blister, nor so much as generally is 

 found consequent on blistering after blood-letting. Added to which, 

 the scorings of the cautery, if made dee'p, tend to disorganize and 

 destroy the secretory structure of the coronary body, and this may ^ 

 entail a defective or irregular formation of horn. 



