QUITTOR. 551 



hoof should either be cut away, or a shoe should be made 

 to ' lie off' the injured parts, and be very lightly tacked on 

 with three or four nails, not fully clenched up ; this will 

 allow of a ready removal and re-application. 



TREAD, OR OVERREACH. 



A wound about the coronet or heels is a very common 

 accident to horses, from one foot being set on the other ; 

 when the outer quarter, or toe of the shoe upon the 

 hind foot, will wound the integuments, together with the 

 vascular coronary rim of the fore foot. Or it may occur 

 from a blow inflicted by the heel of the fore shoe upon the 

 front of the coronet, in consequence of the hinder one over- 

 reaching it. In the first instance, all these cases are to be 

 considered as simple wounds, or rather as bruises, which, 

 if extensive, have produced death in the surface and adjacent 

 parts of the hurt; in which some inflammation must occur 

 and be followed by slough of the edges thus injured. And 

 sometimes the injury is so great as to cause sloughing of the 

 extensor pedis tendon and opening of the coffin joint. In 

 no instance, therefore, should an early application of irritat- 

 ing or caustic matters be made, by which more extensive 

 inflammation and an increase of sloughing are produced. 

 On the contrary, wash with water to remove dirt, &c., and 

 if the wound be considerable, wrap up the foot in a poultice ; 

 if not, apply over it simply the mild lotion of chloride of 

 zinc. Should the injury be slight, it may heal at once ; 

 but if not, sloughing and suppuration will occur. Under 

 some circumstances, however, more extensive mischief will 

 follow, when the case must be considered as quittor, or open 

 joint. 



QUITTOR. 



The various accidental lesions just described sometimes 

 suppurate ; and in consequence of the thick covering 

 of horn, cannot follow the usual course of inflammation 

 by proceeding outward, but directs its confined secretion 

 inward, attacking all the internal parts of the foot : this 

 state IS called quittor, which is a diseased state supple- 

 mentary to many other lesions of the foot. Now when it 

 is considered of what different materials this organ is 

 composed ; some vascular and sensitive ; some in which the 



