250 DISEASES OF THE HORSE’S FOOT 
the left, and the horse, being unhooked, ought to have 
turned to the right. Here, unfortunately, the near fore-foot 
became wedged in between two converging railway plates, 
one of which formed a part of the waggon-way, on which the 
trucks were running. The horse was a big animal, and 
freshly shod with heavy shoes, on which a toe-piece and 
calkins were used. The shoe was roughly but strongly 
nailed on with eight nails, the clinches of which were all 
firm. This shoe was fitted wide at the heels, and when the 
foot was fixed in the points (toe downwards) it protruded 
over the face of the rail. When the trucks reached it they 
pressed it down, and, the horse leaning forward, the hoof 
was drawn off like a glove. The hoof was almost as clean 
inside as if taken off by maceration—only towards the toe 
was a small portion of the coffin-bone and some torn lamin 
left inside the hoof. 
‘As soon as possible after the accident, so I was told, the 
foot was bound up with tow and a bandage; then a sack 
was cut up and placed over all, and the horse slowly led to 
his loose-box. He ‘‘carried” the leg all the way, limping 
along on the three sound ones. Almost immediately after 
reaching the box he lay down, but only for a short time. 
The standing position was not long maintained—profuse 
perspiration set in, and the alternations of position became 
more rapid and violent, till plunging and rolling were added 
to the other signs of excruciating pain. I was also told 
that the groaning of the poor animal was almost constant, 
and at times so loud and prolonged as to amount to a shriek. 
‘T have no experience of a similar case, and I should not 
have supposed that this accident would have caused such 
acute suffering and violent symptoms. Ithink I have heard 
of such cases making a complete recovery; but I feel sure 
that, in this case, I only anticipated death by, at most, a 
few hours.’ * 
2. ‘The case I am about to give you an account of, being 
one of rare occurrence, I thought would not prove un- 
interesting to the members of the Veterinary Medical 
* Veterinary Record, vol. iv., p. 127. 
