M. DELACROIX'S OPINION. 325 



the sides. A horse furnished with such a chaussure could 

 not walk four steps without mutilating himself and falling. 

 What is more, we have hippo-sandals the two flanks of 

 which are united above, and which could never make a 

 shoe for a horse, even if the animal were standing still. 



When we see the same ground containing 



hippo-sandals and nailed shoes, it must be evident that the 

 first were not destined for the feet of horses. It has been 

 said that at least they might be employed for horses' feet 

 in a bad condition ; but besides the impossibility of using 

 many of them for any such purpose, and which is obvious 

 enough, we have discovered in our excavations a shoe 

 intended for a diseased foot, one of the branches of which 

 has been enlarged to an extraordinary degree, so as to 

 cover one-half of the sole.' 



Veterinary surgeon Duplessis, of the French artillery, 

 likewise announces his disapproval of the name and the 

 use given to these contrivances. Referring to the opinions 

 of the Abbe Cochet and M. Megnin, he says: 'These 

 gentlemen justly deny the possibility of these strangely 

 formed bits of irons ever having been placed under horses' 

 feet. I am of their opinion, for everything is opposed to 

 such an admission. The lightness and freedom required 

 for rapid paces would prevent their employment in this 

 way, as well as the impossibility of fixing on a round flat 

 foot a heavy ill-balanced machine like this. The example 

 afforded by all the human foot-covers would show them 

 (the Romans) that it was at least indispensable that it 

 should resemble in shape the plantar surface of the 

 foot.' ' 



' Journal de Med. Vet. Militaire, vol. iv. p. 163. 



