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GENERAL CAUSES— DIVERSE EFFECTS. 



Between the extremes of simple fever, and founder, various 

 structural changes and pathological conditions may be found 

 in the feet of all varieties of breed, and all kinds of feet, whether 

 they be flat, blocky, or of any intermediate form. 



In whatever feet the general causes I have glanced at are in 

 operation, however slowly and insiduously, it only depends 

 upon the element of time and the concurrence of certain con- 

 ditions which may happen at any time unforseen, what the 

 result is going to be ; what particular portion of the foot, and 

 in what manner, and to what extent it shall be affected. In 

 one case we may have simple contraction and atrophy or wasting 

 of the internal structures as the ultimate result. Corns and 

 Cracks may be manifested in other cases. In some cases they 

 culminate in acute or sub-acute navicular disease or founder. 

 Thus, it will be clear that the same general causes may produce 

 the whole of these various specific morbid conditions, and the 

 several links in the chain of direct causation be justly adduced, 

 namely : contraction, nerve-pressure, and diminished or 

 vitiated secretions, of the various structures composing the 

 foot, whether they be the hard external, or soft internal, parts, 

 all having to depend entirely upon nerve-stimulus for healthy 

 action. 



INJURIES FROM NAILING ON THE SHOE. 



The process of nailing on the shoe is by no means an unfre- 

 quent source of irritation to the nerves of the foot, which 

 occasionaly eventuates in canker and lock-jaw. Every one of 

 the errors of carelessness or of positive want of skill, in nailing 

 on the shoe, such as driving the nails too near the sensitive 

 tissues, without actually piercing them ; absolute piercing of the 

 tissues ; driving the nails too high, or too close together; using 

 nails too strong or too weak in the shank ; the too frequent 

 insertion and withdrawal of the nail ; and though last not least, 

 injudiciously tight 'closing' or 'drawing up ; the nails on a 

 weak or tender foot, no one knows better than shoeing-smiths 



