380 NAVICULAR DISEASE. 
some period, extending from six to nine months, the lameness reappears. 
This time the treatment occupies a longer space; and the subsequent 
soundness is of shorter duration. Thus the malady progresses; the 
period occupied in curative measures lengthens, while the season of use- 
fulness diminishes; till, in the end, the horse becomes lame for life. 
The worst of it is, that the pain in the lame foot occasions greater 
stress to be thrown upon the sound member; the result generally is that 
both legs ultimately become affected with the like disease: such is ordi- 
narily the case. The horse with a tender foot will always bring it 
gently to the earth; but this circumstance obliges the animal to cast the 
other foot to the ground with heedless impetuosity. The consequence 
is, the sound foot is sooner or later forced upon some stone or other 
inequality; from the law of sympathy, the disease subsequently makes 
rapid strides; for at death both feet are usually found in a similar 
condition. 
The effect of these repeated attacks is soon shown. The anguish has 
been likened to toothache, only it must assuredly be a toothache twenty 
Nd ST A 
A HORSE, WITH NAVICULAR DISEASE, POINTING IN THE STABLE. 
times magnified. All people know “there never yet was philosopher 
who could withstand the toothache;” but think of the poor horse with 
twenty toothaches compressed into one agony! The man can seek a 
thousand changes to divert his suffering; the simple horse cannot even 
drink intoxicating fluids, and has hitherto not learned to smoke. The 
suffering, therefore, continues. And as man strives to spare a decayed 
tooth by masticating on the other side of the mouth, the horse endeavors 
to ease an aching foot by leaning all its weight upon a sound limb. 
Thus it learns to point in the stable or to advance one leg beyond the 
center of gravity, leaving the healthy member to support the entire 
weight of the body. 
