174 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



The plates are made so as to cover the greater part of the 

 length of the lesion, and are fastened to the wall by two or 

 more screws on either side of the crack. It is an advan- 

 tage to slightly let the plate into the wall by means of 

 fitting it hot. In a complicated crack the plate serves the 

 further useful purpose of holding in position antiseptic 

 pledgets, and so keeping the lesion free from dirt and grit. 

 (d) By Various Methods of bandaging the whole Cir- 

 cumference of the Wall. — In our opinion this method of 

 attempting to secure immobility of the crack, and so pre- 

 vent its extension, is not often followed by success. The 

 main objection to the method is that it subjects the whole 

 of the wall to the same pressure, and does not restrict the 

 operation to the point at which it is required. As in the 



Fig. 90.— Sand-crack Belt. 



case of the metal plate, however, this method has the ad- 

 vantage that antiseptic dressings may be kept in position in 

 the case of a complicated crack. 



The binding of the wall may be accomplished in two 

 ways. The simpler of the two is to merely apply the 

 sand-crack belt depicted in Fig. 90. Beneath this should 

 be applied a compress of tar and tow or other material, and 

 the whole tightened up and kept in position by means of 

 the buckle and strap. This method of binding admits of 

 after-tightening should it unfortunately work loose. 



The older method of binding the wall, and one now often 

 practiced by the smith, is to use a quantity of so-called 

 4 tar-band ' or other stout cord. With this the foot is 

 neatly bound after the manner of a cricket-bat handle, and 



