390 



lameness depends largely npon the part of the cartilage which is dis- 

 eased; if the disease is situated in that part of the cartilage nearest 

 the heel, where the surrounding tissues are soft and spongy, the lame- 

 ness may be very slight, e'specially if the patient is required to go no 

 faster than a walk; but when the middle and anterior parts of the car- 

 tilage are diseased the ])iihi and consequent lameness are much greater, 

 for the tissues are less elastic and the colFm joint is more likely to 

 become affected. 



Except in tlie cases to be noted hereafter, one or more fistulous open- 

 ings finally appear in the tumor on the coronet. These openings are 

 surrounded by a small mass of granulations, which are elevated above 

 the adjacent skin and bleed readily if handled. A probe shows these 

 fistulous tracts to be more or less sinuous, but always leading to one 

 point — tlie gangrenous cartilage. AVhen cartilaginous quittor hap- 

 pens as a comijlication of suppurative corn, or from punctured wounds 

 of the foot, the fistulous tract may open alone at the point of injury on 

 the sole. 



The discharge in this form of quittor is generally thin, waterj^ and 

 contains enough pus to give it a pale yellow color; it is offensive to the 

 sense of smell, due to the detachment of small flakes of the cartilage 

 which have become gangrenous and are to be seen in the discharge in 

 the form of small greenish-colored particles. In old cases it is not 

 unusual to find some of the fistulous openings heal at the surface; this 

 is followed by the gradual collection of pus in the deeper parts, form- 

 ing an abscess, which in a short time opens at a new point. The wall 

 of the hoof, over the affected quarter and heel, in very old cases, 

 becomes rough and Avrinkled like the horn of a ram; and generally it 

 is thicker than the corresponding quarter, owing to the stimulating 

 effect which the disease has upon the coronar}^ band. 



Complications may arise by an extension of the disease to the lateral 

 ligament of the coffin joint, to the joint itself, to the plantar cushion, 

 and ]\y caries of the coffin bone. 



Treatment. — Before recovery can take place in these cases all of the 

 dead cartilage must be removed. In rare instances this is effected b}'' 

 nature without assistance. Usually, however, the disease does not tend 

 to recovery, and active curative measures must be adopted. The best 

 and simplest treatment in a majority of cases is the injection of strong 

 caustic solutions, which are intended to destroy the diseased cartilage, 

 and to cause its removal, along with the other x^roducts of suppura- 

 tion. In favorable cases these injections Avill secure a healing of the 

 wound in from two to three weeks' time. While the saturated solution 

 of the sulphate of copper, or a solution of 10 parts of bi-chloride of 

 me}-cury to 100 parts of water, has given the best results in mj' hands, 

 equally as favorable success lias been secured by others from the use 

 of caustic soda, nitrate of silver, suljjhate of zinc, tincture of iodine, 

 etc. But no matter which one of these remedies maj'^ be selected, it 



