LAMENESS, FROM VARIOUS CAUSES. 359 



the iron across the fissure can not prevent the opening and closure 

 of the fissure during the action of the foot; whereas, isolating the 

 fissure (or part of it) within the segment of a circle completely 

 effects the object. No tar-cord or strapping, or alteration of the 

 shoe, is required to limit the motion of the crust, all motion being 

 suspended within the segment, and especially after bulging has 

 commenced. 



The objects of treatment, after what has been stated, will clearly 

 appear to be, first, to place the hoof in such a condition as shall 

 not render it liable to crack again; second, to remove that state 

 of it which, in the first instance, disposed it to crack, if it were 

 not of itself the immediate cause of cracking. The way in which 

 the first object is effected has been already shown, and when this 

 has become accomplished, past all risk of return, we may set about 

 to bring into effect the second. A bar-shoe, from its taking the 

 bearing off" the quarters and placing it upon the frog, will, in a 

 measure, give facility to what we now are desirous of preventing; 

 namely, the expansion of the heels of the foot ; but a tip (pro- 

 viding it can be worn, which it frequently may, with great ad- 

 vantage, after a bar-shoe) will bring about greater reform still — 

 will, ii-i fact, by persistence in its use, bring about, in time, that 

 improved form of hoof which will be no more liable to quarter 

 sand-crack. 



The treatment of toe sand-crack is, in some respects, a different 

 affiiir from that of quarter sand-crack. This disease is not only 

 different in its relative situation as regards other parts of the foot, 

 but it arises, as we have seen, from a totally different causation. 

 When once it has occurred, it becomes, compared with the other^ 

 a serious affair. The horse is lame, too lame to continue his work, 

 probably, and we have a penetrant crack to deal with, extending 

 all, or nearly all, the way from the coronet to the toe, discharging 

 blood, or, perhaps, matter of some ichorous, offensive desciiption, 

 plainly csilling upon us for, not binding up, etc., as in the former 

 casf>, but for opening, cleansing, and dressing the same. The shoe 

 being taken off", lot the crack be pared out, and freed from all 

 horny /ags and asperities, and laid completely open to view, so 

 that the bottom can be inspected and dressed with whatever may 

 be deemed requisite. In fact, when once the fissure is dilated into 

 a clean and open channel by the drawing-knife, waim baths or 

 poultices, or dressings of any kind, as may become necessar)', are 



