DELAFOND'S EXPERIMENTS. s^7 



although it had been closely fitted to the inside quarter, 

 according to rule. It was not so firm on the hoof; the 

 rivets were not so solid, or so well incrusted in the wall. 

 With the other foot, shod on the hot method, nothing like 

 this was observed ; after, as before the experiment, the 

 solidity of the shoeing was excellent. It was this test 

 that led M. Reynal to believe that the caloric which im- 

 pregnates the horn disposes it favourably for the reception 

 of the shoe ; that it destroys its absorbent, spongy, hygro- 

 metrical properties, and renders it insensible to external 

 influences.' 



With regard to the risk of injury from burning the 

 sensitive parts enclosed within the hoof, the opponents of 

 hot fitting, the majority of whom really knevv^ little, if 

 anything, of the matter practically, and either forgot or 

 were unaware of the fact that horn is a slow conductor of 

 heat, might have been converted by the experiments of 

 Professor Delafond. He showed in a most conclusive 

 manner, that a very long-continued application of the hot 

 shoe was required to affect the vascular parts of the foot. 

 Applying a small thermometer to the inner surface of the 

 sole, and bringing a hot shoe in contact with the ground 

 aspect of the foot, he found it required three mi?iutes 

 burning to produce any effect on the thermometer. 

 Reynal also experimented to test this fact, and the result 

 was, that the thermometer inside the hoof did not mark 

 any change until after the sole had been roasted by a hot 

 iron for a period three times longer than that needed for 

 a farrier to fit his shoe. And M. Barthelemy has watched 



' Fatel. Rapport sur la Ferrure a Froid. Soc. Centrale Veteri- 

 naire, 1846. 



