93 



THE VALUE OF THE WORD ATROPHY 



a little further. Will atrophy indicate acute or sub-acute local 

 inflammation ? Yet this is a condition of the foot, the most 

 commonly met with. Will it suit inflammation of any specific 

 tissue of the foot ? I trow not. Will it imply hypertrophy or 

 ossification of the lateral cartilages, Corns, Cracks, or Quittors? 

 These are very common affections of horses' feet. The atro- 

 phied foot is comparatively a rare one. It is usually met with 

 when one foot is smaller than the other and is usually found 

 in association with a shrunken and wasted shoulder, and arm. 

 I regard this as an atrophied condition of the whole limb. 



It is now ten years since this new gospel was preached, and 

 illustrious converts were made, who abjured the doctrines they 

 had long taught upon this subject. I should like to know 

 what gain to science has resulted from the change of 

 nomenclature introduced by Professor Garngee ? 



If the use of the word contraction wrongly, has been pro- 

 ductive of so much " imaginary disorder and imaginary treat- 

 ment," surely the truly expressive word for " almost every 

 condition of the diseased feet of horses " must have led to an 

 opposite result? If mere words have the power which Mr. 

 Gamgee ascribes to them, the millennial period for horses ought 

 surely to have arrived by this time. If it has we have not yet 

 been apprised of it in Chicago. 



FACTS VERSUS FALLACIES. 



Having, I think, settled the question of fitness of the word 

 contraction, and atrophy, to certain diseased conditions of horses' 

 feet, we will leave the words, which are but signs, to take 

 care of themselves, and discuss the realities they represent. 

 Take another glance at the detached hoof. It has an upper 

 and lower circumferent margin, the posterior terminations of 

 these margins meeting together and merging into a triple-com- 

 missured substance called the horny frog. 



It has been said that no two human faces are exactly alike. 

 I believe that no two equine feet are exactly alike ; not even 



