DISEASES OF THE LATERAL CARTILAGES 371 
abnormal activity of bone-forming cells. The cartilage is 
invaded, and the side-bone formed (see Fig. 118). 
Treatment.—In the ordinary way the ‘treatment’ of side- 
bone is a thing but rarely mentioned. The explanation 
lies, of course, in the fact that side-bones are so rarely the 
cause of lameness. When lameness does occur with a side- 
bone, and we have reason to believe that the said side-bone 
is the cause of the lameness, it is well before talking of 
treatment to question ourselves thus: ‘In what way does 
the side-bone cause lameness?’ The now generally-accepted 
answer to that query is the explanation put forward several 
years ago by Colonel Fred Smith—namely, that the pain, 
and therefore the lameness, was due to the compression of 
the sensitive lamin between the ossified and enlarged 
cartilage and the non-yielding and often contracted wall of 
the quarters. That, in fact, constitutes the basis upon 
which Smith’s operation for side-bone (that of grooving the 
wall of the quarters) is founded. 
Before describing the operation, however, we may say 
that we are now able to understand that older operators 
who claimed success for other methods of treatment, were 
to a very great extent justified in so doing. 
For instance, take the combined treatments of firing and 
blistering, and the use of a bar shoe. Here the beneficial 
action of the cautery and the blister may be largely prob- 
lematical. The bar shoe, however, would be almost certain 
to give good results. Frog-pressure with the ground would 
be again restored, and the contraction of the heels removed. 
Pinching of the sensitive structures would be diminished, 
and the lameness cured. 
Take, again, the treatment of ‘unsoling.’ It was bar- 
barous, we know—barbarous, because unnecessary and 
easily avoidable. It was practised, however, certainly very 
little more than two decades ago, and practised by men of 
standing in the profession. Without dragging the case to 
light again by mentioning the names of those concerned, 
we may mention that not many years ago a highly respected 
member of the profession was, at the instigation of the 
24—2, 
