THE 
VETERINARIAN. 
VOL. XXIII, 
No. 273. 
SEPTEMBER 1850. 
Third Series, 
No. 33. 
LAMENESS IN HORSES. 
By William Percivall, M.R.C.S. and T.S. 
Laminitis. 
Fever in the Feet — Acute Founder. 
OF THESE THREE APPELLATIONS for the same disease, laminitis 
is the name most in accordance with our modern nomenclature ; 
fever in the feet , the one most in common use, and, indeed, most 
expressive of the translated form of the disease; while founder is 
very significant of the utterly helpless, and but too often hopeless, 
condition of the patient. Calling the animal foundered literally 
signifies, in the language of our dictionaries, that he is “ in a ruined 
or ruinous state or condition a meaning assumed on the authority 
of our oldest writers. Chaucer says, 
“ His hors lepte aside and foundered as he lepte 
that is, fell to the ground (fundus) or grounded, the same as a foun- 
dered ship is said to do. For general use, I prefer the name Lami- 
nitis , on account of its scientific origin, as well as for its brevity ; 
although I am not quite sure that it is comprehensive enough in 
its import to be free from objection. 
Horses, though the especial, do not appear to be the 
exclusive Subjects of the disease. In The Veterinarian 
for 1835, Mr. Ball, of Launceston, has related the case of a milch 
cow who, after calving, “ caught a chill, which first settled itself in 
Ihe udder and partly in the feet ; ” but was subsequently, “ bv 
some topical application” to the former, translated into the fore 
feet, “causing the poor beast to hobble along like a foundered 
horse.” The cow recovered under Mr. Ball’s treatment, though it 
was administered late. Such comprises the substance of a narra- 
tive which would have been more valuable had it been more cir- 
cumstantial and amplified. D’Arboval accounts for the disease 
being especially seen in the solipede animal, from the hoof in which 
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