360 DISEASES OF THE HORSE'S FOOT 



repeated weekly until such time as the wound shows suffi- 

 cient growth of horn — quite a thin pellicle — to act as a 

 protective. It may then be left undressed, except for some 

 simple hoof dressing and a bandage. 



Complete healing of the wound takes from about four to 

 eight weeks, at the end of which time the animal can be 

 again gradually put into work. The labour, however, should 

 be light, and quite three or four months should be allowed to 

 elapse before any attempt is made to put him to heavy work. 



Should the second method of operating have been the 

 one adopted, then there is one slight difference in the after- 

 dressing that needs attention calling to it. In this case we 

 have more or less of a hidden cavity left to deal with rather 

 than the broad and open wound left in either of the other 

 methods. This cavity, left by the extirpation of the carti- 

 lage, must be thoroughly dressed with iodoform or chinosol, 

 or with Bayer's iodoform in ether. The packing with car- 

 bolized tow and the bandaging may then be proceeded with 

 as before. 



In conclusion, we may say that the operation is one of 

 some delicacy, and needs a good surgeon for its successful 

 performance. Furthermore, no one of the antiseptic pre- 

 cautions we have advised can be omitted. It is, perhaps, 

 these two considerations (and in justice to the English 

 surgeon we should say most probably the latter of them) 

 that have prevented this operation from being generally 

 adopted. 



That it is successful there is no gainsaying. Professor 

 Bayer, of the Vienna School, with whose name is associated 

 the last of the three methods of operating we have described, 

 is enthusiastic in praise of the operation, and says : ' The 

 favourable results that I have got by this operation have 

 caused me wholly to abandon the medicinal treatment, and 

 to prefer in all cases the surgical operation as being the 

 best means to the end.' 



Partial Excision of the Lateral Cartilage. — Discarding the 

 somewhat elaborate methods we have just described, there 

 are English operators who removed the necrosed portion 



