40 
REPORT OF THE SCHOOL AT ALFORT. 
were put to hard work much sooner than prudence would have 
justified. 
Desirous of knowing in what extent of injury of the part the 
section might be made with success, Messieurs Renault and De- 
lafond have operated on some old horses, so lame and bent, that 
they could only rest on the very point of the toe. These ani¬ 
mals, some of which had exostosis at the coronet, and which had 
been sold to the knacker as incapable of performing any work, 
were operated upon in the same manner as those mentioned 
above. The limb had become straight, and the foot was freely 
put to the ground three weeks after the division of the tendon. 
These horses were destroyed; and we were convinced, by dis¬ 
secting the tendons, that, in that space of time, the portion of 
tissue which reunited the two ends had already assumed very 
touch the appearance of tendon. 
Plantar-Neurotomy. —An operation not less simple, and 
as happy in its results. Plantar-neurotomy has been practised 
eight or ten times within the last eighteen months in our hospi¬ 
tals ; whether for osseous tumours on the fore part of the coronet, 
Or contracted feet, or old lameness. In the first of these cases 
the anterior branch of the nerve alone was divided; in contrac¬ 
tion of the foot the posterior alone was operated on. 
In three horses with contracted feet, and on whom it was 
judged necessary to excise the nervous trunk on each side of the 
cannon bone, the precaution recommended by M. Berger was 
adopted, to leave an interval of some days between the first and 
second operation. 
All the horses that were thus operated on were returned to 
their proprietors free from lameness ; and we know that many of 
them are working and sound at the present day. There are now 
in the hospital two horses that have been submitted to this ope¬ 
ration, and of whom we presage the best results. 
Castration by Torsion. —Reflecting on the accidents that 
often follow the castration of horses by the clams, and imagin¬ 
ing that they might be avoided by the mode of operation (torsion), 
which consists in twisting and tearing the cord, MM. Renault 
and Delafond have contrived an instrument, by which the difficult 
manipulations of this necessary operation may always be per¬ 
formed with comparative ease, and the most advantageous results 
obtained. They propose to put this fully to the test on horses 
of every age and constitution, and at every season of the year. 
The result of their proceedings will then be laid before the public. 
