Diseases of the Foot. 371 



ter to apply the slioe, momentarily, at a dull red heat, 

 that any imperfection in fitting may be detected and rem- 

 edied, than to hurry on a shoe which bears unequally on 

 different points. If the sole joins the wall without a 

 break, the two forming one continuous bearing surface, 

 and if both are of their natural thickness, the shoes are 

 better to be coarsely fullered and the nails driven low, 

 the fullering becoming finer and the nails being driven 

 lower as we proceed from before backward, especially on 

 the inner side. When the nails have been drawn up and 

 riveted any roughness of the rivets may be removed with 

 a file, but this should not touch the hoof if it is possible 

 to avoid it. In turning down the clinches better make a 

 slight depression beneath each with the point of the draw- 

 ing-knife than an extended transverse furrow with the 

 rasp, as is usually done. Eemove the shoes before the 

 hoofs have overgrown them so as to aUow them to settle 

 on the sole, and above all before the growth of the toe 

 has drawn the shoe forward and let the heel press upon 

 that part of the sole. 



DISEASE OF THE BONY PULLEY AND FLEXOR TENDON OF THE 

 FOOT. PEDAL SESAMOIDITIS. PODOTEOCHILITIS. NAVIC- 

 ULAR DISEASE. 



This affection, misnamed Coffin-joint Disease, implicates 

 the lower surface of the small sesamoid bone of the foot, 

 its synovial sac and ligaments, and the flexor tendon 

 which plays over it. 



Causes. It is especially the disease of fast horses, and 

 may be largely charged to fi'ietion between the tendon 

 and its bony pulley, to overwork and concussion. But it 

 may also depend on injuries to the foot from bad shoeing ; 

 undue paring; setting in of the shoe on the sole; im- 

 prisoned flakes of horn acting as foreign bodies ; bruises 

 from stones or hardened clay ; rasping, hardening and 

 contraction of the foot;. drying and shrinking of the foot 

 from standing too long idle in the stall; injury to the 



