314 DISEASES OF THE FOOT. 



tion, it forces the little fleshy plates of the cofTm-bone, from the horny ones of the 

 crust, or the horny sole from the fleshy sole, or even eats deeply into the internal 

 parts of the foot. These pipes or sinuses run in every direction, and constitute the 

 essence of quittor. 



If it arises from a wound at the bottom of the foot, the purulent matter which is 

 rapidly formed is pent up there, and the nail of the shoe or the slub remains in the 

 wound, or the small aperture which was made is immediately closed ajrain. This 

 matter, howevsr, continues to be secreted, and separates the horny sole from the 

 fleshy one to a considerable extent, and at length forces its way upwards, and appears 

 at the coronet, and usually at the quarter, and there slowly oozes out, while the aper- 

 ture and tlie quantity discharged are so small that the inexperienced person would 

 have no suspicion of the extent of the mischief within, and the difficulty of repairing 

 it. The opening may scarcely admit a probe into it, yet over the greater part of the 

 quarter and the sole the horn may have separated from the foot, and the matter may 

 have penetrated under the cartihiges and ligaments, and into the coffin joint. Not 

 only so, but two mischievous results may have been produced, — the pressure of the 

 matter wherever it has gone has formed ulcerations that are indisposed to heal, and 

 that require the application of strong and painful stimulants to induce them to heal ; 

 and, worse than this, the horn, once separated from the sensible parts beneath, will 

 never again unite with them. Quittor may occur in both the fore and the hind feet. 



It will be sufficiently plain that the aid of a skilful practitioner is here requisite, 

 and also the full exercise of patience in the proprietor of the horse. It may be neces- 

 sary to remove much of the horny sole, which will be speedily reproduced when the 

 fleshy surface beneath can be brought to a healthy condition ; but if much of the horn 

 at the quarters must be taken away, five or six months may probably elapse bel'ore it 

 will be sufficiently grown down again to render the horse useful. 



Measures of considerable severity are indispensable. The application of some 

 caustic will alone produce a healthy action on the ulcerated surfaces ; but on the 

 ground of interest and of humanity we protest against that brutal practice, or at least 

 the extent to which it is carried, and is pursued by many ignorant smiths, of coring 

 out, or deeply destroying the healthy as well as the diseased parts — and parts which 

 no process will again restore. The unhealthy surface must be removed ; but the car- 

 tilages and ligaments, and even portions of the bone, need not to be sacrificed. 



The experienced veterinary surgeon will alone be able to counsel the proprietor of 

 the horse when, in cases of confirmed quittor, there is reasonable hope of permanent 

 cure. A knowledge of the anatomy of the foot is necessary to enable him to decide 

 what parts, indispensable to the action of the animal, may have been irreparably 

 injured or destroyed, or to save these parts from the destructive eflect of torturing 

 caustics. When any portion of the bone can be felt by the probe, the chances of 

 success are diminished, and the owner and the operator should pause. W hen the 

 joints are exposed, the case is hopeless, although, in a great many instances, the 

 bones and the joints are exposed by the remedy and not by the disease. One hint 

 may not be necessary to the practitioner, but it may guide the determination and 

 hopes of the owner; if, when a probe is introduced into the fistulous orifice on the 

 coronet, the direction of the sinuses or pipes is backward, there is much probability 

 that a perfect cure may be effected ; but if the direction of the sinuses is forward, the 

 cure is at best doubtful. In the first instance, there is neither bone ncr joint to be 

 injured ; in the other, the more important parts of the foot are in danger, and the prin- 

 cipal action and concussion are found. 



Neglected bruises of the sole sometimes lay the foundation for quittor. When the 

 foot is flat, it is very liable to be bruised if the horse is ridden fast over a rough and 

 stony road; or, a small stone, insinuating itself between the shoe and the sole, or 

 confined by the curvature of the shoe, will frequently lame the horse. The heat ana 

 tenderness of the part, the occasional redness of the horn, and the absence of punc 

 ture, will clearly mark the bruise. Tlie sole must then l)e thinned, and particularly 

 over the bruised part, and, in neglected cases, it must be pared even to the quick, ir 

 order to ascertain wliether the inflammation has run on to suppuration. Kleeding at 

 the toe will be clearly indicated ; ajul jjoullices, and such other means as have either 

 been described under " Inflammation of tlie Feet," or will be pointed out under the 

 next head. The principal causes of bruises of the foot are leaving the sole too much 

 exposed by means of a narrow-vvebbcd shoe, cr the smith paring out the sole too 



