310 FRACTURE OF THE COFFIN BONE IN A HORSE. 
and examined the foot, but nothing could be detected as to the 
cause of lameness farther than that the sole was hard and tender 
from want of stopping. I had him shod with leather, and stop- 
ped up the foot. In walking him out again after this, he evi- 
dently went a little better. On a more minute examination I 
found that he evinced great pain on pressure round the coronet, 
with swelling, and a considerable degree of heat. 
As my diagnosis was very imperfect from these symptoms, 
and I could hear no crepitus, I ordered the foot to be enveloped 
in a warm poultice, and fomentation to be applied three times 
a-day. This treatment was continued for ten days, when, al- 
though a little better, he still was unsound. 
On re-examination I found, when removing the shoe, that the 
horny sole was discoloured from extravasated blood. As the 
owner had absolute need of him for work, he continued his 
work for a day. In the evening he became so lame, that it was 
with difficulty he could be got home, and continued in this state 
for upwards of a fortnight. 
As I was now quite sure that fracture of either the coffin or 
navicular bone had taken place, from the circumstance of his 
falling suddenly lame, and the heat, pain, and swelling round 
the coronet, along with this discolouration of the horny sole, it 
was determined to have him fired and repeatedly blistered, which 
was done accordingly. 
As he did not seem to make much progress, although thus 
treated for three months, the owner had him destroyed. 
On a post-mortem examination of the foot, I found a longitu- 
dinal fracture through one-half of the os pedis. Now the ques- 
tion is, What could have been the cause of this? My conclusion 
is, that, at the first appearance of the lameness, it was merely a 
partial fracture, and that, when he was put to work, in ten days 
afterwards, it produced a complete separation of the bone — more 
especially, in such cases, will this take place. As the bones of 
the foot in founder become more or less diseased, and their phy- 
sical strength materially reduced, the bone is more fragile and the 
elastic principle is destroyed. Instead of ligament or cartilage, 
bone is deposited ; and the result is, that they are not able any 
longer to bear the same weight and concussion as in health, 
without danger of fracture. 
