PUNCTURED FOOT. Oil PRICK. 547 



answer these purposes best should be adopted ; perhaps 

 the following-, though a common one, is equal to any : — 

 melt some shoemakers' wax, and smear all over the hoof; 

 and, before it is quite cold, bind upon the wax firmly about 

 three yards of tape, so as to include as much of the hoof as 

 may be within the turns ; fasten off with a hard knot, and 

 again over the whole smear more wax ; and, lastly, smooth 

 it into an even surface. This done, rub over a little lard or 

 other greasy substance, to prevent the pitchy matter from 

 sticking. In all cases of simple fissure, not very long or 

 deep, pare away the divided edges so as to cut out the 

 crack, and then with a hot iron draw a line above and 

 below the place where the division had been. 



PUNCTURED FOOT, OR PRICK. 



The foot is unavoidably exposed to numberless injuries 

 from sharp bodies penetrating its substance : this may hap- 

 pen in various ways, from nails, pointed flints, glass, &c. 

 The shoe being partly torn off, and then stepped upon, 

 may produce it ; but the accidental puncture by a nail 

 during shoeing is one of the most frequent causes of these 

 accidents. Injuries of this kind are proportioned in their 

 effects according to the parts punctured, and not entirely 

 to the depth of the wound : a knowledge, therefore, of the 

 anatomical structure of the foot is necessary to enable us to 

 ibrm an opinion of the extent of the harm done. A punc- 

 ture through the fleshy frog, even to the vascular portion, 

 is not productive usually of such serious consequences as 

 an apparently more superficial opening made through the 

 centre of the sole ; both may penetrate the capsular liga- 

 ment of the perforans tendon and navicular bone, and either 

 produce anchylosis or destroy the animal. Whenever a 

 puncture takes place of sufficient depth to produce the 

 above-mentioned injury, and synovia escapes, the external 

 opening should be enlarged ; but it should be attempted to 

 close the internal opening, by the continual application of a 

 pledget of tow, soaked in the weaker solution of the chlo- 

 ride of zinc, not to the immediate surface of the capsular 

 ligament, but to the flesh directly over it. This should be 

 renewed three times a day, and the horse should wear a 

 boot, having the foot slightly stopped by means of an old 



N n 2 



