WOUNDS 209 



occurring in the forge the reader may be referred to the 

 matter under the heading of ' nail-bound,' As in that case 

 so in this the nail may be wrongly directed by improper 

 fitting of the shoe, by the ' pitch ' of the hole, or by the 

 position of the hole. The nails may also be wrongly 

 directed as a result of faulty pointing, or by meeting with 

 the stump of a nail that has carelessly been allowed to 

 remain in the substance of the horn. 



Often pricking is a result of carelessness engendered 

 by a rush of work. Often it is almost unavoidable on 

 account of the character of the foot that is brought to 

 be shod. Feet with thin horn, especially a thin sole, feet 

 with horn shelly and brittle, each in their way are difficult 

 to shoe. 



Sometimes pricking is purely accidental, as in the case 

 of a ' split ' nail. The nail as it is driven splits at its 

 point, and continues to split down its centre, one half 

 emerging at the correct spot on the wall, the other half 

 bending inwards, and penetrating the sensitive structures. 



Common Situations of the Wound. — In a case of picked-up 

 nail the common seat of puncture is about the point of the 

 frog, either in one of the lateral lacunae, in the median 

 lacuna, or the apex of the frog itself. In comparison with 

 this puncture of the sole is rare. 



Prick sustained at the hands of the smith may, of course, 

 run in either of the following directions : (1) Directly into 

 the position where the horny and sensitive laminae inter- 

 leave ; (2) between the sensitive laminae and the os pedis ; 

 (3) into the os pedis itself ; (4) the nail may bend exces- 

 sively immediately after entering the horn, and so pass 

 either between the horny and sensitive sole ; or (5) between 

 the sensitive solo and the bone. 



Classification. — Punctured wounds of the foot may be 

 classified as follows : 



Simple or superficial when penetrating no structure of 

 great importance. For instance, a prick that penetrates to 

 the sensitive sole and is not driven with sufficient force to 

 seriously injure the os pedis we may regard as simple. In 



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