SPAVIN. 
483 
used fail in the horse that is turned out, or taking exercise, he 
must ascribe the failure to the lack of that quietude which is 
found so desirable towards the cure of spavin. 
It is possible it may be argued, in opposition to what I have 
stated on the desirableness of rest or quietude, that spavined horses 
that are severely fired, and afterwards turned out, by no means so 
infrequently come up very much relieved, and, on occasions, in a 
state of soundness. All this I am ready to grant. But I would 
account for the fact in a way somewhat different, perhaps, from 
the explanation commonly given. I admit that the firing, as a 
most severe and enduring counter-irritant, has been productive of 
great benefit; at the same time we must not overlook the other 
effect this violent excitement of inflammation and ulceration of the 
skin covering the hock necessarily has had, and that is, from the 
soreness and pain occasioned by flexion of the joint, the compul- 
sion on the part of the animal to refrain as much as possible from 
moving, at all events, from bending , the hock ; so that, in effect, 
the diseased joint has in a measure been, during the turning-out, 
in a state of repose. Moreover, it must be remembered that the 
motions of flexion and extension are principally effected by the 
rotation of the trochlea between the tibia and the astragalus, and 
that the cuneiform joint is not necessarily called into action, though 
it cannot escape being compressed the while, and consequently, 
in the state of disease in which it is, injured more or less every 
time weight is thrown upon the lame iimb. After all, however, 
any abstinence from motion or compression the joint may expe- 
rience in the turned- out horse, is not to be compared to the state 
of absolute quietude it enjoys in the horse that is kept up ; added 
to which, whatever amendment may result from the inability to 
flex or bear weight upon the joint so long as it continues painful, 
and sore, and stiff, we may expect will be again forfeited the mo- 
ment he loses this pain and soreness, and regains the use of the 
joint. In fine, by turning out we are liable and likely to undo 
much, if not all, that we have taken so much pains to accomplish 
by the iron ; and to this error in treatment I ascribe, more than to 
any other circumstance, the large proportionate number of failures 
in the cure of cases of spavin. 
BLOOD-LETTING, as locally or topically as it can be practised, I 
regard as a valuable remedy in all cases where the disease is re- 
cent and inflammatory in its character. Were spavined horses 
brought to us as soon as they manifested lameness, instead of being 
worked on until they become too lame to continue at work — as is 
but too frequently the case — success would attend many ot those 
curative efforts which now end in lamentable failure. Topical 
blood-letting would not be then, as it is but too generally now-a- 
