PERI PLANTAR SHOE IN CHRONIC LAMINITIS. 295 
weight is entirely supported by the posterior region of the 
frog, during the first period of the tread, and then by the 
prominent anterior part of the sole, the inferior border of 
the crust very seldom reaching the ground. When such a 
pathological state exists, what treatment should be selected ? 
The only efficacious means consists in the application of a 
shoe adapted by its form to protect the sole from injury. 
But what shoe should be chosen ? This question has been 
solved in very different manners. Unanimity even does not 
exist upon a point which appears to be a very important one. 
We think a light shoe is the most appropriate when the foot 
has undergone such great modifications as those which cha- 
racterise chronic laminitis. 
Another essential point is the protection the shoe affords 
to the sole of the foot ; protection easily obtained by the 
application of a wide shoe, the advantage of which is, however, 
destroyed by a considerable augmentation in its weight — be- 
side, the wide shoe must be so disposed as not to bear upon 
the diseased parts during locomotion. This, again, is only 
obtained by placing the foot in an abnormal position. In 
theory we admit the shoe can be so made as to obtain this 
shape without changing in the least the regularity of the 
tread. In practice it is more difficult, sometimes impos- 
sible, when we have to deal with an unskilful blacksmith, or 
with one that is not accustomed to prepare shoes for patho- 
logical purposes. 
In one shoe, exceptionally pathological (the Charlier, for ex- 
ample), are united the qualities sought for. What encourages 
me to publish this notice is that the Charlier shoe has lately 
been imported into England, where, if the reports we have ex- 
amined are exact, it has already made great progress. Since 
many practitioners are acquainted with it, a trial can be 
made. We do not hesitate to state that experiments will 
prove successful. 
It must not be forgotten we are examining the shoe as a 
means of allowing horses suffering from chronic laminitis to 
continue their work. We have met with many horses so 
affected, wearing shoes ordinarily made use of in the treatment 
of the disease above mentioned, which were unable to accom- 
plish their daily tasks, but which immediately walked with 
greater ease after the application of a Charlier shoe to each 
affected foot. 
The shoe should be deep ; very slightly incrusted at the 
toe, more so at the heels. The depth of the shoe will vary, 
firstly and principally, with the convexity of the sole 
secondly, with the size of the horse. The convexity is rarely 
