246 VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SURGERY. 



They consist of five or six hundred very fine folds, and are profusely sup- 

 plied with blood-vessels and nerves. The original attack is always acute. 

 It may be entirely relieved and no ill-effects remain. But often a change 

 of structure results from the effects of the :«cute attack. This after-result 

 is known as chronic laminitis. Horses suffering from it are subject to 

 recurrence of the acute disease. Laminitis is very painful, and the lame- 

 ness is excessive. The pain is due to confinement of the products effused 

 by the inflammation within the outer hard, unyielding case of the foot, 

 and the pressure thereby caused on the sensitive structures of the inte- 

 rior. The seat of the disease is in the anterior portion of the foot. 



Etiology. — The immediate cause, most frequently, is concussion. 

 The fore-feet are more often affected than the hind, because concussion 

 is most severely felt in them. Excitement, over-exertion, and indiges- 

 tion are also frequent causes. The disease, however, in many cases is 

 due to metastasis, or the sudden shifting of inflammation existing in 

 some other organ of the body, to the feet. Long and fast driving on' 

 hard roads, especially after a period of comparative idleness, conduces to 

 the disease. 



Both feet, either hind or fore, are usually affected. Similar causes 

 generally affect both feet, and therefore produce similar results. Some- 

 times all four feet are affected. When one foot only is affected, the 

 cause is generally some injury of the opposite foot, which has led the 

 horse to throw all the weight on the previously sound foot. 



Symptoms. — The symptoms of laminitis are very marked. The at- 

 tack occurs very suddenly. The horse can hardly be got to move. He 

 seems as if all his body were cramped. 



There is heat in the feet affected. As the seat of the disease is in the 

 anterior portion of the feet, the animal will save that portion of his feet 

 as much as possible, and will throw his weight on his heels. The dis- 

 ease is intensely painful. On account of the pain the pulse is always 

 accelerated. 



If the two fore-feet only are affected, the hind legs will be drawn 

 under the belly, and the fore-feet advanced so as to take the weight off 

 them as much as possible. If the two hind feet only are affected, he 

 will stand with his fore-feet back under his body and his hind feet 

 brought forward, so as to throw the weight upon the heels. If all four 

 feet are affected, the symptoms will be a combination of the above. 

 Dick says, to diagnosticate a case quickly, the best method is to push 



