EXPANSION OF THE FOOT. 
441 
was given to horses that were well ; but being well and in good 
health, they withstood the disease for some days, but in about 
seven days they all had it. 
Again, a horse was taken ill, and was removed from his stall, 
and another put into it, and he was taken ill on the 2d day. 
But in all the cases, those have proved the most troublesome 
where the veterinary surgeon was not called in at first, but delayed 
for some days, the party treating them himself. 
Perhaps you will say, that nothing stated here proves that it is 
contagious. After seeing what I have of it, I am of opinion that 
it is, but its malignity depends on the state of health of the animal 
at the time. 
I wish these few lines may bring some of your correspondents 
out on the subject. 
Yours very truly. 
To the Editor of “ The Veterinarian T 
*** We are not at all sure, in our own mind, that the disease 
is not contagious, although we confess we have not been in the 
habit of treating the subjects of it as though it were. The con- 
tagiousness of a disease is by no means in all cases so readily 
proveable as unprofessional persons might imagine. What say 
some of our professional friends on the subject? — E d. Vet. 
EXPANSION OF THE FOOT. 
By Edw. Chaly, VS. 
Sir, — BEFORE the discussion on the expansion of the foot quite 
closes, I should like to record my opinion on the subject. I am, 
and have been for a long time, satisfied there is no expansion of 
the crust dependent on the action of the animal: an opinion I 
made public some years ago in a debate on shoeing, at the Ve- 
terinary Medical Association*. My object in these few remarks is 
to support, and, as far as I can, strengthen the conclusions arrived 
at by Mr. Gloag in the experiments so ably conducted by him, 
by shewing that we can apply no force to the dead foot powerful 
enough, or make any observations on the live foot delicate enough, 
to demonstrate that elasticity, sufficient for the well-being of the 
animal, is produced by the expansion of the lower part of the crust 
or wall of the hoof. 
I have made experiments both on the live and dead foot. They 
* See Transactions for 1842-43, page 190. 
