OPERATIONS ON THE FOOT 93 



unless the cause of the lameness is diagnosed with certainty 

 to be situated somewhere in the posterior region of the foot, 

 section of the posterior digital alone will not give total 

 insensibility to pain. Added to that, we may remember 

 this : Below the point at which the digitals branch off 

 from the plantar there is always more likelihood of the 

 part we are attempting to render insensible being supplied 

 by another and adventitious branch, or a branch that, as 

 regards its direction, is abnormally distributed. As a last 

 consideration, we may say that the higher operation is the 

 easier to perform. 



Percival, in his works on lameness, has some very sage 

 remarks to make by way of a preliminary, and w f e cannot 

 do better than quote them here. He says : 



' To command success in neurectomy three considerations 

 demand attention: 



' 1. The subject must be fit and proper; in particular, 

 the diseases for which neurectomy is performed should be 

 suitable in kind, seat, stage, etc. 



1 2. The operation must be skilfully and effectually per- 

 formed. 



' 3. The use that is made of the patient afterwards should 

 not exceed what his altered condition appears to have fitted 

 for him. 



' The veterinarian who is guided by considerations such 

 as those will find that he has restored to work horses who 

 would otherwise have been utterly useless. A plain and 

 safe argument wherewith to meet the objections to neurec- 

 tomy is simply to ask the question what the animal is worth, 

 or to what useful purpose he can be put, that happens to be 

 the subject of such an operation. 



' If the horse can be shown to be still serviceable and 

 valuable, then he is not a legitimate subject for the opera- 

 tion. The rule of procedure I have laid down is to operate 

 on no other but the incurably lame horse; and whenever 

 this has been attended to, not only has success been the 

 more brilliant, but idemnification from blame or reproach 

 has been assured.' 



