CHAP. III.] REST INDISPENSABLE. 483 



wrong medicine, and render the horse a disservice 

 instead of doing him good. The lameness sometimes 

 goes off, without any treatment whatever but rest ; 

 it is, however, more frequently accompanied, or fol- 

 lowed, by some disease of the sole, in consequence 

 of the secretion of horn in the foot being obstructed. 

 Sand-crack, frush, corns, are among these evils, 

 arising from supernatural heat. 



Whenever it so happens, that the secretion does 

 not restore to the entire tendons their original mo- 

 tion, it follows that some part adheres to another ; 

 inflammation is the consequence, and the horse 

 becomes worse and worse every day he is put to 

 work, the lameness never leaving him altogether. 

 When the adhesion begins extensively, the inflam- 

 mation and swelling are equally so ; the pain is 

 then very great, and the lameness complete and 

 permanent. This denotes the disorder called 

 " strain of the back sinews," otherwise, " strain of 

 the sheath of the tendon," the sheath being tech- 

 nically termed flexor tendon. In very bad cases, 

 or where a slight attack has continued some time, 

 the ligament that passes between the back sinew 

 and the pastern bones becomes greatly diseased, 

 and conducts the inflammation to the foot, affecting 

 alike the sole, the coffin-bone, and the hoof, with 

 heat. 



Violent inflicted strains, and consequent swelling 

 above the fetlock-joint, or over the superior parts 

 of the leg, when the lameness is usually very great, 

 require strong physic ; and the inflammatory symp- 



y2 



