14 HISTORY OF HOESE-SHOEING. 



perfecting horse-shoeing, other European nations have to thank 

 English veterinarians of the end of the eighteenth and beginning 

 of the nineteenth centuries for much of the improvement then 

 observable. Up to the end of last century the farrier's craft 

 depended upon very defective anatomical knowledge, while it 

 had absolutely no physiological basis. Shoeing was done by 

 rule of thumb. 



J. Clark first drew attention to the elasticity of the hoof, 

 and was followed by Osmer, Coleman, Moorcroft, and Goodwin, 

 who invented shoes differing completely from those previously 

 employed. Most of these were fashioned with a knowledge of 

 the elasticity of the hoof, as is shown by their horizontal and 

 seated-out foot surface ; Goodwin's is the only shoe concave on 

 the ground surface, but like the others it shows a completely 

 level bearing for the hoof and a rounded toe. 



Goodwin was the first to use seven, instead of eight nail-lioles, 

 four being on the outer and three on the inner side, as shown 

 in his illustrations. 



The greatest impression, however, was produced by Bracy 

 Clark's writings on the general anatomical formation of the 

 foot and the elasticity of the horny box. This author 

 advanced the theory of the expansion of the posterior portion 

 of the hoof during movement, and the simultaneous sinking of 

 the frog and flattening of the sole, from which originated many 

 new views and experiments. On it he founded the use of a 

 shoe hinged at the toe, by which he sought to allow of expan- 

 sion and contraction when weight was placed on or removed 

 from the foot. Although his shoe met with little acceptance, 

 Clark rendered great service by drawing attention to the 

 injurious contraction of the foot which followed the existent 

 system of shoeing. He advocated turning out horses unshod 

 in order to promote expansion of the foot, and made important 

 contributions to the study of laminitis. His views on the 

 changes of form produced in the hoof by pressure were adopted 

 by the Germans and French, and provided a scientific basis for 

 the practice of farriery. 



Until the middle of the present century the German horse- 

 shoe was almost always provided with calkins and usually 

 exhibited eight nail-holes. It was very broad, and had open 

 heels, the inner of which was about one- third thinner than 



