MR. friend’s new horseshoe. 323 
however, we may now add, with some degree of confidence, that 
it is a doctrine which has lost much of its asserted merits among 
those veterinarians whose diploma are of older date, and on 
whose foreheads time has engraved some few wrinkles of ex¬ 
perience. 
With this preface we feel ourselves bound in conscience to 
inform our worthy and excellent correspondent, Mr. Friend, that, 
for our own part, we are by no means the thick-and-thin advo¬ 
cates for frog-pressure which the Professor and his more imme¬ 
diate followers are ; and, consequently, however much we might 
admire any invention for carrying such an object into effect, we 
probably should not recommend its adoption either so frequently 
or for so lon° r a time as the Professor, or even he himself would. 
o 
For all this, however, we tell Mr. Friend candidly, that we 
find much ingenuity, combined with simplicity, in his con¬ 
trivance ; and that, for the purpose tor which he intends it, we 
think he has succeeded better than any one before him has 
done. And the reason why we think so is tnis :—that, while 
his shoe affords every cover and protection the frog can require, 
the frog-bar being a moveable one—“ independent/' to use his 
own expression, capable of ascent and descent,—it admits of (< each 
part of the foot having its proper action,” or, in other words, “ of 
nature being more closely imitated.” The Professor’s patent 
artificial frogs, those he first invented and introduced into the 
army, were, as well as the one before us, capable of springing up 
and down—of ascending and descending ; but then they did not 
afford the same complete cover and protection to the frog; and, 
moreover, were incapable of being used for any length of time, 
in consequence of their harbouring dirt and gravel, and so be¬ 
coming, in the end, a source of evil instead of benefit. 
In regard to the use of leather , in conjunction with iron, as a 
covering or defence for the foot; the practice, or, at least, its re¬ 
vival, is but of very recent date : at the same time it is one that 
appears to be fast gaining ground amongst us. We appear to 
employ leather with two views—as a protection. to the more 
tender parts of the foot, and to counteract or ward off concus¬ 
sion ; and with either one or both views it certainly, on many 
