328 
REVIEW. 
The responsibility of the Farrier in relation to accidents 
accruing from shoeing. 
“ In France, by the article 1382 of the Civil Code, it is or- 
dained, 6 That whosoever shall cause damage to another, is 
compelled by law to repair such damage/ ” 
Is this article applicable to the farrier, who, in shoeing a 
horse, shall, through one or other of the mishaps described 
in this chapter, lame the horse ? 
There cannot exist the least doubt about it. 
“ But, in order that such law may have reasonable appli- 
cation, it is requisite that such mishap or injury have arisen 
from negligence or imprudence on the part of the farrier, and 
not from circumstances over which he possessed no control. 
66 Neither is the smith liable when lameness has resulted 
from shoeing a horse whose foot is a deformed one, and 
difficult to shoe. 
“ But, let the smith pay the penalty of his misconduct if 
he has driven his nails faultily into a horse’s foot, which is a 
good one, or has burnt the sole of the foot, so that the horse 
is laid up for some time without being able to work, or has 
succumbed under it. 
“ Often at Lyons have the justices of the peace and the 
civil tribunal given the article 1382 this intrepretation.” 
In Chapter XXVI we have “ Means proposed for the con- 
servation of the hoof.” 
66 Independently of the resources furnished by Shoeing,” 
says M. Rey, “ for the conservation of the hoof, there are 
means furnished through hygiene as well as through 
medicine, w ith which we ought to be acquainted, because 
they exert a sanitary influence on the nature of corn.” 
This last clause in the above sentence is precisely the one 
we have a great desire to arrive at the truth of; since 
it is matter of great doubt, whether we really possess any 
power at all of benefiting the hoof in this way ; one great 
proof of which is, the very little use that is made of hoof 
ointments , and various other applications recommended for 
the purpose. We do not believe that any man would make 
much by quacking about hoof-ointment, to make the horn 
grow or to supple it, since the subject is one difficult of 
demonstration as it is, about which there reigns a very great 
