574 DADD'S VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SORGERY. 
of the toe of the shoe, showing that the lee! is rarely or but very 
gingerly put to the ground; also the circuimstance, often observ- 
able by the groom, of the animal resting the Jame (hind) limb in 
the stable; on cvcasions, perhaps, xnackling over upon it, and so 
pearing the weight upon the toe alone. And it has happened 
before now that, while doubt was impending as to the locality 
and nature of the lameness, a spavin has made its appearance, and 
dissipated all further conjecture; and with tlis development of 
the spavin, the lameness, 30 far from being augmented, is not 
unlikely to become better. This is an observation made so long 
ago as the time of Solleysell, This admirable observer, in one 
part of his chaptcr on spavins, says: ‘At their first piercing, they, 
generally speaking, make a horse halt, and afterwird the swelling 
growing bigger, the horse halteth no more with it.’ ” 
I have noticed that spavined horses are usually the subjects of 
ill-shaped hocks; hence this peculiarity of conformation would 
seem to indicate that such animals have a certain amount of pre- 
disposition lurking in their systems. The ordinary exciting causes 
are sprain or strain, and overwork. 
Now, what will cure spavin? This auestion was propounded 
to the anthor, some time ago, and the following answer waa 
elicited. The answer is as good to-day as when first written. 
“What will cure spavin?” I answer: Time, rest, and the appli- 
caticn of remedies adapted to the various stages of the disease, 
The usual remedies, in the early stage, are rest, frequent use of the 
shower--bath, and rvfrigerating lotions. In the chronic stage, and 
when the disease Lus commenced on the articulating surfaces of 
the hock-joint, or un ossific bony enlargement has made its ap- 
pearance, then we 1esort to counter-irritation, by using some one 
of the preparations of cantharides or iodine. “ What will cure 
apavin?” is a tough question for a medical man to solve; for, if 
he has been properly educated, he knows well enough that bone 
apavin, like hip-joint disease in the human subject, is, to all in 
tents and purposes, in :urable—-I mean in so far as the physiology 
and pathology of the parts are concerned. Soft tissues, once 
having been changed into bone, never can be remetamorphosed 
into the original condition so as to possess thei: inherent qualities 
of elasticity (contraction and expansion). At the same time wi 
are all horsemen enough to understand what the term “ 2ure’! 
means when annlied to the disease known as snavin. It signifies 
