DISEASES FROM FAULTY CONFORMATION 185 



movements continually going on — in other words, feet with 

 weak, spreading heels — are also prone to suffer from corns. 

 In this case the flatness induced by the spreading, and the 

 insufficient protection afforded by the thin horn, both com- 

 bine to lay the sole open to the effects of concussion and 

 direct injury. 



Brittle feet — feet with horn of undue dryness, by reason 

 of the contraction thus brought about — are, again, particu- 

 larly subject to corn. 



So also with long feet. Whether occurring as a natural 

 deformity, or as the result of insufficient paring, bruises of 

 the sole in feet thus shaped are common. The reason for 

 this will be better understood when we come to deal with 

 the shoeing. 



Other and minor predisposing causes are those mainly 

 referring to an unnatural dryness of the hoof when 

 animals reared in the country are put to work in large 

 towns. We here really get several predisposing causes 

 combining. A sudden change is made from a more or less 

 moist condition underfoot to one excessively dry. The 

 character of the traveling is wholly altered from occasional 

 work upon soft lands to continual labour upon hard-paved 

 roads. The horn is often exposed to the vicious influences 

 of unsuitable litter, the application of unsuitable dressings, 

 and the deleterious effects of the street mud of our cities. 

 All these play their part in determining a condition of the 

 horn, rendering it open to receive the effects of the more 

 exciting causes which we shall next consider. 



Exciting Causes. — Than the shoeing, no more frequent 

 and exciting cause of corn exists. Whatever the predis- 

 posing influences may be, it is the shoeing that in nearly 

 every case completes the list, and finally inflicts the injury. 



The evils in this connection we shall consider under two 

 headings — viz., (1) the manner in which the foot is pared; 

 (2) the make and fitting of the shoe. 



First among the faulty preparations of the foot comes 

 that of excessive thinning of the sole, especially in the 

 regions subject to corn. The farrier addicted to this is not 



