332 THE MODERN HORSE DOCTOR. 



horn is secreted. The small vessels arising from the vascular 

 and nervous membrane beneath the hoof,* which is considered as 

 a continuation of the true skin, enter also into these canals. The 

 small vessels alluded to, technically called papilla, possess the 

 properties of sensibility and conductibility. They are formed 

 from cells, and have an allotted function to perform, for which, 

 in their healthy state, they are all-sufficient, and for which no 

 other class has or can perform without derangement to the parts. 



The bars are a continuation of the external portion just de- 

 scribed. They form an angle at the heels, which terminate 

 towards the toe. They serve to give strength and durability to 

 the hoof, prevent contraction of the heels, and thus aid the hoof 

 in protecting the soft and sensitive parts. The internal portion 

 of the bars presents the same appearances as that of the crust. 

 They are held together by vital affinities, and so long as they 

 maintain their normal integrity, the foot will preserve its form. 



Next in order is the sole. It is considered to be more elastic 

 than the crust, and is the medium of the sensitive faculty, through 

 which, together with its powers of elasticity, the percussion of 

 the foot against the ground is regulated. 



The horny frog is still more elastic than either of the parts de- 

 scribed, and any unnecessary u paring," on the part of the smith, 

 is to be deprecated. 



On the internal portion of the parts just described we find a 

 beautiful set of laminse, resembling those found on the under part 

 of a mushroom : their number is said to be about five hundred, 

 which articulate with a similar number given off from the coffin 

 bone. Each lamina, having two sides and an edge, forms a series 

 of articulations, numbering about three thousand ! The whole 



* The nails of man correspond to the hoof of a horse, for they are formed of 

 a substance analogous. If we examine the nail under the microscope, we shall 

 find that it consists of hard, transparent, and somewhat elastic plates, which 

 adhere to the vascular and nervous membrane of the papilla?. The latter are. 

 arranged in longitudinal and parallel rows. The internal surface of the nail, 

 like that of a hoof, is soft, pulpy, and marked with longitudinal grooves and 

 prominences, corresponding to the laminse found within the hoof. A similar 

 arrangement, possessing, however, exquisite sensibility, is found on that portion 

 of the finger covered by the nail ; and, by this mutual adaptation, the connec- 

 tion between them is sustained. The nails are a continuation of the true skjn, 



