OPEEATIONS ON THE FOOT 113 



moments more the jockey emerged from the weighing-room 

 and the next view of the horse was his tearing up the course 

 in the prehminary, and " pulhng double." I was sorry for 

 the jockey if he felt as I did at that moment, for if he did 

 I fear he and his horse would have parted company at the 

 first fence, as I was certain there would be a smash before 

 the end of the long and difficult three miles of the Kildare 

 Hunt Cup course. It was not until I saw him again in the 

 front rank passing the stand, in the first round, that I 

 breathed freely, and even then I felt very guilty, and, had 

 he come to grief badly, I don't think I should ever have 

 operated on another horse except in such a way as would 

 have left unmistakable traces after it. 



' "The old horse wins !" screamed a thousand voices as 

 the competitors safely cleared the last bank (now taken 

 away for a gorse fence) the last time round, and from 

 that moment the operation went up in my estimation a 

 hundredfold, and I almost lost all interest in the finish 

 (and it was a close one, with my patient a good third), 

 resolving I would operate for the future on every animal, 

 young and old, which showed symptoms of navicular 

 disease. 



* Neither owner nor jockey knew the horse had been 

 operated on, and he was soon after, on the strength of his 

 performance, sold for a good price to come to England. It 

 is idle to think that all cases are as successful as this was, 

 as experience soon told me ; but I consider that, in careful 

 hands, the advantages well outweigh the disadvantages of 

 the operation, and. I have selected this instance merely as 

 a practical example.'* 



It is solely with the object of ventilating both sides of 

 the question that we quote the last two cases. In our 

 opinion, the colours in which the results of the operation 

 are there painted are far too rosy. The practitioner who has 

 before him the task of satisfying a client as to what will or 

 what will not be the results of an operation he has suggested 

 will do well to weigh each side of the argument carefully, 



* Veterinary Journal, vol. iii., p. 254 (W. Pallin, M.R.C.V.S.). 



8 



