DISEASES FROM FAULTY CONFORMATION 185 
movements continually going on—-in other words, feet with 
weak, spreading heels—are also prone to suffer from corns. 
In this case the flatness induced by the spreading, and the 
insufficient protection afforded by the thin horn, both com- 
bine to lay the sole open to the effects of concussion and 
direct injury. 
Brittle feet—feet with horn of undue dryness, by reason 
of the contraction thus brought about—are, again, particu- 
larly subject to corn. 
So also with long feet. Whether occurring as a natural 
deformity, or as the result of insufficient paring, bruises of 
the sole in feet thus shaped are common. The reason for 
this will be better understood when we come to deal with 
the shoeing. 
Other and minor predisposing causes are those mainly 
referring to an unnatural dryness of the hoof when 
animals reared in the country are put to work in large 
towns. We here really get several predisposing causes 
combining. A sudden change is made from a more or less 
moist condition underfoot to one excessively dry. The 
character of the travelling is wholly altered from occasional 
work upon soft lands to continual labour upon hard-paved 
roads. The horn is often exposed to the vicious influences 
of unsuitable litter, the application of unsuitable dressings, 
and the deleterious effects of the street mud of our cities. 
All these play their part in determining a condition of the 
horn, rendering it open to receive the effects of the more 
exciting causes which we shall next consider. 
Exciting Causes.—Than the shoeing, no more frequent 
and exciting cause of corn exists. Whatever the predis- 
posing influences may be, it is the shoeing that in nearly 
every case completes the list, and finally inflicts the injury. 
The evils in this connection we shall consider under two 
headings—viz., (1) the manner in which the foot is pared ; 
(2) the make and fitting of the shoe. 
First among the faulty preparations of the foot comes 
that of excessive thinning of the sole, especially in the 
regions subject to corn. The farrier addicted to this is not 
