, CONCLUSIVE ARGUMENTS. 569 



completely failed, and was a mere tradition, only advo- 

 cated by some eccentric individual, whose fancies were 

 unassailable by facts. 



Even M. Riquet, who had retired from the army, and 

 had become veterinary surgeon to a large Omnibus Com- 

 pany in Paris, no longer recommended it ; and the army 

 horses were shod on the infinitely superior principle of 

 hot fitting. 



Professor Bouley remarks, that it is impossible to do 

 iustice to a horse's feet, when shoeing them in a stable, 

 away from the forge, by this cold adjustment of the shoes. 

 There are so many variations in size, form, and general 

 configuration, which no workman can remember when 

 making the shoes ; and if these are not rigorously adapted 

 to the disposition of the foot, then is that organ likely to 

 suffer. 



Alluding to the experiments that had been instituted 

 to ascertain the relative value of the two methods, he 

 says : ' From whence arises so great a difi^erence in the 

 results, which is completely to the disadvantage of the 

 cold fitting ? It is because the hot shoe, in fusing the 

 horn with which it comes in contact, imprints itself, it 

 may be said, like a seal into sealing wax, and in this way 

 the foot and shoe are in the same relation to each other 

 as surfaces that exactly coincide ; while no matter how 

 expert the workman may be in using his tools to level the 

 horn in a cold state, he can never do this so completely 

 as may be done by making an impression with the heated 

 shoe, and consequently establishing between the plantar 

 margin of the hoof and the shoe an exact coaptation. It 

 may be added, that when the horn has been softened by 



