INFLAMMATION OF THE CORONET. 



205 



Inflammation of the Coronet (Villitis). 



NATURE AND SYMPTOMS.— This disease, wliicli French 

 veterinary surgeons call mal d'dne, is almost exclusively confined 

 to donkeys, even among which it is not very common. I have seen 

 only a few cases of it among horses. It appears to be, in the first 



Fig. 66. — Inflammation of the perioplic ring. 



instance, a chronic inflammation of that portion of the coronet (the 

 perioplic ring) which secretes the thin covering of horn (the 

 periople) that covers the upper part of the hoof. This inflam- 

 mation of the perioplic ring may extend to the remainder of tlie 

 secreting portion of the coronet, so that the wall, especially at tlie 

 front, becomes dry and fissured to such an extent that in time it 

 resembles the rough bark of a tree which has become more or less 

 detached from the wood (Fig. 66). In aggravated cases, this 



