CHAP. IV.] SPECIFICATION OF COLEMAN'S SHOE. 503 



cases from the want of an assortment adapted to the 

 various kinds of feet ; a defect that may be now re- 

 medied in some measure by the cheapness of the 

 malleable invention of Mr. Dudley, as sold at a 

 cheap rate by Mr. Long, of High Holborn. 



Under these new circumstances, and seeing that 

 Mr. Coleman's opinions as to frog-pressure, and the 

 diseases consequent upon the absence of it, are em- 

 bodied in his specification, drawn up to obtain this 

 patent (for the professor has several), he may be 

 allowed to speak for himself on this ever-interesting 

 subject. He says, " the improvement proposed in 

 this patent is to prevent contraction, and to relieve 

 contracted feet, contracted frogs, flat soles, corns, 

 sand-cracks, thrushes, canker, and quittors, and also 

 to prevent cutting." 



The patentee observes, that " the fore feet of 

 horses in their natural state are nearly circular, but 

 from the ordinary shoe worn in this country, which 

 keeps the frogs from off the ground, the hoofs of 

 horses with light fore-quarters are generally found 

 to be more or less contracted, and this in proportion 

 as the frogs are more elevated, and support little 

 weight;" whence the cause of those diseases. To 

 remedy this defect, and to afford the necessary ex- 

 pansion to the hoof, the patentee proposed the 

 annexed forms, observing that no specific form of 

 shoe can be suited to all horses under all circum- 

 stances, and to every sort of road ; it being neces- 

 sary to alter the shoes of the same horse at different 

 periods. 



