118 ARTISTIC HORSE-SHOEING. 



well guarded with lard, and this will bring off all the 

 hair, which will be reneAved, together with that cover- 

 ing* the part rubbed off, in about three weeks, and will 

 almost invariably prevent any blemish, which is very apt to 

 show itself if the blister is not applied ; for although the 

 hair comes on again if left to itself, it is often of a different 

 color to that of the surrounding parts, and the critical e^^e 

 distinguishes the blemish at once. Secondl}^, if the true 

 skin is cut through so as to show the cellular membrane 

 beneath it, but the joint itself is not exposed, a physic ball 

 may be given as before, and hot fomentations applied if the 

 bruise is very severe, or the arnica wash at once if there is 

 only moderate swelling. As soon as the inflammation is 

 abated, I should here also apply a blister, because I 

 have always found that the swelling caused by it contracts 

 the wound, and that the consequent blemish is much less 

 than would otherwise be the case. Indeed, I have suc- 

 ceeded in this way in effecting almost complete cures of 

 very large wounds of the skin, where a piece of it as large 

 as a 25-cent-piece has absolutely been cut away, besides 

 more extensive abrasions of the cutical around its edges. 

 Such a broken knee would, in the ordinary way, have exhib- 

 ited a permanently bare spot of the size of a 10-cent-piece, 

 but by the above treatment the bare space Avas not bigger 

 than a pea, and sometimes scarcely so large. After the 

 blister has risen, it must be carefully dressed with sweet 

 oil, or lard Avithout salt, sometimes called ''fresh liquor"; 

 and when the wound on the knee throws out healing granu- 

 lations above the level of the skin, they must be kept down 

 to the exact level by touching them freely with a piece of 



