340 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



entering into the construction of the inferior part of the members. Quitters are 

 divided as follows : 



The cutaneous is that of the cutidure or coronary band, and may be consid- 

 ered as a veritable furuncle. 



The tendinous is the necrosis, in small fragments, of the aponeurotic, liga- 

 mentous, and tendinous tissues of the phalangal region. 



Furuncle of the frog consists in a partial necrosis of the plantar cushion or 

 fleshy frog. 



Finally, cartilaginous quitter is nothing else than a slowly-progressive 

 necrosis of the complementary fibro-cartilages of the third phalanx. This is 

 much the gravest on account of its complications and its duration. 



Calk. — Calk is a wound, a contusion of the coronary band, at the toe, 

 the quarters, or the heels, which the animal inflicts himself by the contact of 

 the shoe of another foot during locomotion. It belongs to the category of grave 

 diseases. 



Crapaudine or "Mai d'Ane." — This affection, thus named because it 

 is more common in the ass than in the horse, develops first at the toe upon the 

 perioplic band, then upon the cutidure, and originates essentially from a chronic 

 inflammation with perverted secretory functions of these two structures. It 

 seems to be, as H. Bouley believed, of the same nature as canker, and as a sort 

 of exfoliation of the periople, with this difference, nevertheless, "that the 

 secreted product, instead of remaining diffluent, concretes after its formation," • 

 and constitutes, at the seat of the disease, a rugous surface, laminated longitudi- 

 nally and transversely, varying in severity and extent according to its period of 

 duration. 



We have deemed it needless to enter into more details as to the 

 diseases of the foot, since their diagnosis, their prognosis, and their 

 treatment belong entirely to the jurisdiction of the veterinarian. The 

 foot is the veritable foundation of the animal edifice, which should 

 always be remembered in the purchase of a horse. It is a region in 

 relation to which one cannot be too fastidious. Is it defective ? is it 

 diseased ? One can then foretell the speedy wearing out and ruin of 

 the animal, as well as considerable expenses of shoeing and treatment. 

 On the contrary, is it duly constituted ? is it healthy ? Every day the 

 animal will resume, without discomfort, the work of the day before ; 

 he will never be incapacitated from work, for it is in the inferior regions 

 that the members begin to blemish, and all the more slowly as the 

 extremities are better conformed. Hence, in what concerns the dis- 

 eases, we have only defined them and indicated their seat, not so much 

 for the student to understand them as to direct his attention to certain 

 parts of the hoof more predisposed than others to lose those characters 

 which constitute the desirable points in these parts. 



> H. Bouley, Nouveau Dictionnaire de m^decine, d'hygi^ne et de chirurgie v6t6riuaires, t. 

 iv. p. 552. 



