DISEASES OF HORSES AND CATTLE. 263 



toe-clip and fill well in between the clip and the 

 separation with tar and oakum. This will prevent 

 the dirt from getting into it. Keep the foot soft by 

 putting on a poultice occasionally and by apply- 

 ing a cantharides blister to the coronet. In this 

 way we will increase the growth of horn and in 

 some cases effect a cure. 



Corns. — Corns are the result of bruises at the 

 angle of the heel between the bar and the wall, 

 and usually on the inside heel of the foot, and al- 

 ways on the fore feet, as they are the weight-bear- 

 ers of the body. The structure affected is the sen- 

 sitive sole. The bruises cause a rupture of the 

 small blood vessels, the blood extrava sating into 

 horny sole, causing a red spot. 



Causes: Bad shoeing. Prof. Williams, of Edin- 

 burgh, says: "The ordinary seated shoe is the 

 most irrational invention that ever emanated from 

 man's brain. It is a thing that bears upon no part 

 of the sole except upon the spot that is incapable 

 of bearing such pressure. It is dished out, made 

 concave all around the foot except at the heels, 

 and the result is corns." This saying is correct. 

 Corns can be produced only by pressure on the 

 part, and the above described shoe is calculated 

 to do it A shoeing smith should be ashamed to 

 shoe a horse in this manner in this enlightened 

 age; still that is what they are doing every day. 

 It is said by some of those men that they have 

 found corns on horses that never were shod. Such 

 a case may happen in the unshod horse by the 

 inner corner of the hoof growing long and inclined 



