SOUNDNESS. 21 



ment of them with blood, or something like an approach to 

 mortification, (for rottenness is an expression that has here 

 no definite meaning whatever), may take place in the 

 coarse of four-aud-tweuty hours. Indeed, when pneumo- 

 nia proves fatal, it most commonly does so in the course of 

 the first three, or four, or five days; if it continue beyond 

 this, or there be any remission, it is always a favorable in- 

 dication. In these cases, the lungs themselves, as I have 

 just stated, are found nearly black, of the color of the 

 darkest venous blood, with which they are prodigiously 

 glutted ; the pleura also displays a surface highly vascular, 

 and adhesions are occasionally discovered upon it. 



I shall now give a list of the various diseases and infirm- 

 ities that are usually supposed to cause unsoundness, viz. : 



BROKEN KNEES are considered as unsoundness, while 

 the wound is open, or from an enlargement caused thereby, 

 or from the wound being of such a nature as to interfere 

 with the action of the joint, or where the horse goes lame 

 from the injury. 



CAPPED HOCKS are considered as unsoundness, as the 

 difficulty of ascertaining whether the enlargement was 

 caused from merely lying on uneven flooring, from a sprain, 

 or from latent injury of the hock, causes the decision to 

 be given in such a manner as to guard against future trou- 

 bles, and to protect the purchaser from having a crip- 

 pled horse, after supposing him to be a sound one. 



CONTRACTION is considered as unsoundness only when 

 considerable heat is felt at the posterior portion of the 

 foot, where the frog is diseased, or when lameness is present. 



CORNS are considered as unsoundness when they are of a 

 size as to, in all probability, cause the horse to be lame at 

 some future time, or if he is lame at the time. 



COUGH is considered as uusoundness, no matter how 



