NAVICULAKTHRITIS. 
371 
were a person to write thus concerning his lame horse, any veteri- 
nary surgeon to whom he wrote might, in his own mind, without 
any great apprehension of being mistaken, set the case down as 
navicularthritis. 
Commonly, the lameness relapses in the same foot ; now and 
then, rarely until it has several times returned, the fellow fore foot 
contracts the disease ; and when it does, the first stone may be said 
to be laid for the foundation of grogginess : a sad termination, 
which, even by the most judicious and prompt treatment, can but be 
deferred for a longer or shorter period, rarely or never averted. 
After slight and cursory treatment, though the lameness be re- 
moved, should the horse be put immediately after to work, the 
probability is it will return : the only safeguard we know being 
energetic treatment at once, and that followed up by sufficiency of 
repose. There is more probability of a horse standing sound in 
his work after a first than after a second attack : and yet I have 
known many instances of horses standing their work after relapse, 
particularly when the second attack has occurred at no long in- 
terval of time from the first. When, however, a horse comes to 
experience a third attack of lameness in the same foot, but little 
reliance can be placed on him afterwards. He may, and probably 
will, by proper treatment and rest, be restored to soundness again ; 
but not, I should fear, to stand. 1 can hardly recall to mind an 
instance where a third attack has not been succeeded by a fourth, 
and that by a fifth and a sixth : irremoveable lameness in one foot, 
or in both (grogginess) being the final catastrophe. To give a few 
examples, with the view of shewing how, in general, such cases 
proceed to their end, in army practice at least : — F 3, troop horse, 
was first attacked in June 1836; secondly, in February, 1837; 
thirdly, in June 1837; fourthly, in October 1837. C 6, another 
troop horse, was attacked, first, in July 1843; secondly, in March 
1844; thirdly, in May, 1844; fourthly, in February 1845; fifthly, 
in September 1845 ; sixthly (and now in the opposite fore foot, 
as well as in the original lame one, becoming, in fact, “ groggy”) in 
May 1847. G 5, troop grey mare, attacked, first, in September 
1845; secondly in April 1846; thirdly in July 1846 ; fourthly, 
in December 1846 ; fifthly in May 1847 ; and still lame only in 
one (the near) fore foot. 
Making a calculation of cases which have occurred under my 
own observation within the last twenty years, I find that in army 
practice a ratio of about one case of first attack in six or seven 
may be expected to relapse. In private practice, for sundry rea- 
sons which need not be mentioned here, the proportion of relapses 
I should expect would be much greater: though, of course, in both 
situations relapses must be greatly dependent on circumstances. 
