346 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



leaving nothing but healthy tissue behind. This, with a 

 suitable dressing, heals and gives no further trouble. 



The after-treatment consists in the application of hot 

 poultices. These tend to greatly ease the pain, and at the 

 same time to facilitate the removal of the slough. The 

 poulticing should be continued, therefore, until the sloughing 

 comes about, which happens, as a rule, at about the fifth or 

 seventh day. 



Immediately the slough is cast off, the poultices may be 

 discontinued and dressing of the wound carried out. This 

 consists of injections of solutions of zinc chloride 1 in 200, 

 perchloride of mercury 1 in 1,000, carbolic acid 1 in 20, of 

 Villate's solution, or of such other antiseptic as the surgeon 

 may think fit. The dependent orifice at the sole should be 

 kept open for as long as possible, being occasionally trimmed 

 round with the drawing-knife, and scooped out with a 

 sharp- edged director. 



Directly a healthy and pink-looking granulation is 

 observed along the track of the iron, and the discharge 

 therefrom takes on a thick and yellow appearance, the 

 strength of the antiseptic solutions should be gradually 

 diminished. This point, in fact, is of great importance in 

 treating all wounds of the foot. There is a great temptation, 

 on account of the known excessive liability of the parts to 

 septic infection, to use an antiseptic solution unduly strong. 

 "What must be remembered is that used too strong they 

 themselves give rise to dead tissue, or to impermeable layers 

 consisting of compounds of the discharges with themselves, 

 and so create substances that prove a source of irritation 

 and subsequent trouble. 



The Potential Cautery. — This is employed in the treatment 

 of sub-horny quittor, either in the solid form (in sticks, in 

 lumps, or in the powder), or in the liquid form, when it is 

 injected with a quittor S3Tinge. 



In the former method such drugs as perchloride of mer- 

 cury in the lump, or nitrate of silver, chloride of zinc, and 

 caustic potash or soda in the stick, are introduced into 

 each of the sinuses present. This is done by means of 

 a director or a probe. 



