BILATERAL AND UNILATERAL BLANTAR NEUROTOMY 143 



sidebone, for the one located anteriorly as well as the one 

 situated at the posterior aspect of the lateral cartilage. The 

 most important precaution is the examination of the heels 

 for corns. The corn is often a serious complication of side- 

 bone, in fact, frequently the latter has its origin in the former. 

 This fact warrants a careful inspection of the heels to de- 

 termine whether the corn is in fit condition for the operation. 

 Sometimes the heel is intensely reddened, painful, threaten- 

 ing suppuration, or even fissured along the wall, so as to read- 

 ily admit septic matter. Under these circumstances the o'per- 

 . ation is hardly advisable. It should at least be postponed 

 pending a marked amelioration of this feature of the lame- 

 ness. 



In regard to side-bones Prof. W. Owen Williams truth- 

 fully says: "Neurotomy is more successful in removing this 



Fig. 83 — Sidebone. Bilateral. 



form of lameness, and it is attended with more permanent 

 beneficial results than when performed for navicular disease." 

 Reeks does not mention neurotomy in an exhaustive descrip- 

 tion of this disease, and like Moller gives his readers the im- 

 pression that side-bone lameness is not important because it 

 is trivial and transient. These tenets are a direct contradic- 

 tion to our own observation among hard-worked horses and 

 fast heavy-harness horses, both of which we have frequently 

 found suffering from a chronic, troublesome lameness from 

 side-bones that proved refractory to any of the ordinary lines 

 of treatment, but which yielded finally and permanently to 

 plantar neurotomy. If the condition chances to be unilateral, 

 the division of the plantar nerve on the- affected side may al- 

 ways be depended upon to effect a lasting relief of the lame- 

 ness. 



