182 COMPENDIUM OF THE VETERINARY ART. 



made very thick at the heels; and when this 

 shoe, for the purpose of saving trouble, has 

 been applied to the foot nearly red hot — in 

 such circumstances the hoof must necessarily 

 contract, whereby its cavity will be diminished, 

 so that the nerves and blood-vessels will be 

 compressed, the circulation of the blood im- 

 peded, and inflammation and lameness will 

 most probably be the consequence. 



All the anterior and lateral surfaces of the 

 sensible foot are covered with that membra- 

 nous or laminated substance which we have 

 before described; but it differs from those 

 lanimye which are found on the internal sur- 

 face of the crust, in possessing numerous 

 blood-vessels, which can be easily demon- 

 strated by injecting coloured wax into the 

 trunk of the arteries ; but the laminae of the 

 criLst cannot be made to appear vascular even 

 by the finest injection, and are therefore sup- 

 posed to be insensible. At the upper part of 

 the sensible foot, where the laminoe terminate, 

 a roundish prujecting body may be obseiTed, 

 extendino- ail round the coronet to the back 

 |ydrt of the frog : this is termeJ the coronarj/ 

 ring. Its surface is covered with the extre- 

 mities of vessels, which are very conspicuous 



