FiiusH. 437 



able, of the frog's natural office, at the same time that we are 

 eschewing all such causes as appear to have given rise to the 

 disease. With a frog that has been raised off the ground so 

 long that pressure to it can only be safely restored by degrees, 

 we must rather have recourse to artificial means of pressure than 

 think of lowering the heels all at once, much less of applying 

 thin-heeled shoes or tips suddenly. Such a frog cannot bear 

 pressure like this; though it will be much benefitted by filling 

 the vacancy left between it and the ground when the shoe is on 

 with tow and leather, or gutta percha, or other soft and impres- 

 sible material, which will not only sustain any dressing we may 

 desire to apply, but give for a time the required pressure. 

 Sometimes a bar-shoe can be borne very well, and will give the 

 requisite support ; where it cannot, cross-bars of iron hooping 

 may be introduced underneath the web of a plain shoe to sus- 

 tain any dressing we may desire to apply, and by dossils of 

 tow upon the dressing to give pressure at the same time. 



Coleman, many years ago, introduced what he called "patent 

 frog-bars" for this purpose. And to a certain extent they an- 

 swered ; but they were found troublesome, from the nice appli- 

 cation they required, and were too expensive for common use, 

 and could not be worn for any very long time, or indeed very 

 comfortably, owing to the constant and partial pressure they in- 

 variably made upon the frog. And pressure such as this was 

 likely to be productive of harm instead of good, unless the 

 heels of the hoof were set at liberty to yield to it. With the 

 patent frog-bars this could not well be managed, owing to the 

 number of nails required to keep the apparatus on the foot ; 

 though Coleman succeeded, in this respect, better afterwards 

 by means of his frog-bar shoe. With the shoe in ordinary use — 

 the plain shoe, as it is called — we must effect the object to the 

 limited extent we are able, by carrying the nails, which ought 

 to be as few as possible, as far as we can toe-ward ; though 

 when we have leather and dressings as well to retain, even this 

 measure of forward nailing is taken at a risk. Gutta percha 

 has an advantage in this respect, inasmuch as it admits of being 

 moulded, after being soaked in hot water, into the sole of the 

 foot, alter the shoe is nailed on, and can be made to serve 



