HOR 



IIOR 



slight bleeding will always be ser- 

 viceable ; physic rarely does good ; 

 but alteratives, composed of nitre, 

 black antimony, and sulphur, will be 

 very beneficial. Matifre is a disease 

 of a diflerent character. It is the 

 curse of the stable into which it en- 

 ters, for it will almost certainly affect 

 every horse. Thorough dressings 

 with Barbadoes tar and linseed oil, in 

 the proportion of one of the former to 

 three of the latter, will be the most 

 effectual external application, while 

 alteratives and physic should be giv- 

 en internally. Hidc-hound is a very 

 appropriate term for the peculiar 

 sticking of the hide to the ribs when 

 a horse is out of condition. The sub- 

 cutaneous adipose matter is all ab- 

 sorbed. The alterative above rec- 

 ommended will be very usel'ul here. 

 Grease is an undue secretion of the 

 fluid which was designed to lubricate 

 the skin of the heels, and that secre- 

 tion being also altered in quality. 

 The hind legs begin to swell, a fluid 

 exudes from the heels, the hairs of 

 the heels become erect like so many 

 bristles, and the skin of the heel is 

 hot and greasy. Soon afterward 

 cracks appear across the heel, they 

 discharge a thick and offensive mat- 

 ter, and then deepen. They spread 

 up the leg, and so does the tumefac- 

 tion of the part. In process of time 

 the skin, inflamed and ulcerated, un- 

 dergoes an alteration of structure ; 

 prominences or granulations appear 

 on it, assuming the appearance of a 

 collection of grapes, or the skin of a 

 pineapple. They increase, and a foe- 

 tid discharge appears from the crev- 

 ices between them. 



" The cause is generally neglect of 

 the horse. He is suffered to stand 

 in the stable with his heels cold and 

 wet, and this must necessarily dis- 

 pose them to inflammation and dis- 

 ease. 



" In the first stage of gi-easc, bran, 

 or turnip, or carrot poultices will be 

 serviceable, with moderate physic. 

 Then astringents must be employed, 

 and the best are alum or sulphate of 

 copper in powder, mixed with eight 

 times the quantity of Bole Armenian, 



Ll2 



and sprinkled on the sores. These 

 should be alternated every three or 

 four days. The grapy heels are a 

 disgrace to the stable in which they 

 are found, and admit not of radical 

 cure." 



Wounds in horses seldom heal by 

 first intention ; the lips should, how- 

 ever, be brought together nicely and 

 bound by sticking plaster or a ban- 

 dage ; if suppuration occurs, keep the 

 wound clean by warm water. For 

 the medicines, see Pharmacopwia. 



HORSE'S FOOT. The structure 

 of the feet of horses is much more 

 complex than one might suppose at 

 first sight ; it is contrived so as to 

 furnish an arrangement of springs, 

 whereby the w'eight of the body in 

 ahghting on the hoof is broken, and 

 the animal is enabled to leap from 

 the ground with facility. This struc- 

 ture will be seen in Fig. 1, which 

 Fiff. 1. 



6-... 



/- 



represents a section of the lower 

 part of the leg. a is the coflin bone ; 

 b the navicular, or nut bone ; c the 

 coronary, or little pastern bone ; d 

 is the pastern bone ; e the tendon, 

 or sinew, of the muscle which bends 

 the foot backward ; / is the same 

 tendon sliding over the navicular 

 bone, and g its insertion in the bot- 

 tom of the coflin bone ; h the elas- 

 tic matter of the sensible frog ; i 

 the insensible or horny frog ; k the 

 horny sole covering the sensible parts 

 of the foot ; / the front horn that 

 protects the coffin bone ; m the pro- 

 cess of the coflin bone, to which the 

 extensor tendon, n, is attached, for 

 the purpose of throwing the foot for- 

 ward ; the attachment of the ex- 

 tensor to the coronary bone, to assist 



401 



