IfEUROTOMY OR NERVING. 543 



of foot lameness, no matter from what cause, an opportunity has 

 been afforded to dishonest persons for imposing upon the public 

 by availing themselves of this practice ; an opportunity, it need 

 not be said, which has been freely used, and thus a valuable 

 operation has been brought into undeserved disrepute. The 

 cases likely to be benefited by this operation are few, and 

 should be selected with great care ; otherwise the loss of 

 the animal's hoof may be, and often is, the termination of 

 the case. 



This operation is recommended by veterinary authors in 

 incurable cases of lameness of the navicular joint ; but suffi- 

 cient caution is not impressed upon the mind of the reader, to 

 enable him to guard against the fatal results which too often 

 follow. 



In deciding upon a case for this operation, an animal should 

 be selected with a foot as free Irom contraction as possible ; 

 free from corns ; comparatively free from inflammation ; with a 

 concave ground surface ; open heels ; hoof free from rings or 

 roughness; and no bony deposits within the hoof. In such a 

 case, the operation may be performed with success. A horse 

 that has been foundered should not, under any circumstances, 

 be operated upon, as ossification of the laminae frequently fol- 

 lows such an attack ; nor a horse affected with ossification 

 of the lateral cartilages, corns, or badly contracted hoof; for 

 these are the cases where loss of the hoof is likely to follow, 

 rendering the animal useless. 



After the operation has been performed, care should be 

 taken in driving the animal ; for it should be remembered that 

 no matter what accident may happen to the foot, the animal 

 is. unconscious of pain. The feet should be frequently exam- 



