166 



to promote absorption. In such cases, however, no 

 means are very speedily beneficial, and time must be 

 given for their operation : but should the deformity 

 be great, the firing iron may be employed to cause 

 exfoliation of the part. Yet as in the removal of 

 one blemish, it is not justifiable to create another, 

 the violent agent must be applied after a particular 

 manner. The integument should be first divided, 

 and the edges of the incision drawn asunder, so as 

 to expose the bone, which alone should be touched 

 with the cautery. By this simple expedient the 

 osseous structure will be destroyed ; and as such 

 structure is not highly sensative, the suffering of the 

 animal will be slight, while after exfoliation has 

 taken place, the trivial cicatrix will be concealed by 

 the hair. When caries is present, the symptoms 

 do not materially differ from those described as in- 

 dicating the death of a tooth. The disease may 

 commence at any part of the fang or crown ; but 

 the structure which it generally first involves in the 

 horse, is the crusta petrosa : for however far the 

 caries had proceeded, I have usually recognised it 

 working from this substance into the ivory. The 

 crusta petrosa is the least osseous, and most vascular 



