58 
QUITTOR. 
when, some time afterwards, he perceived a greenish slough pro¬ 
truding, about the size of a large pea. This’was followed by 
cicatrization of the wound, and the horse was restored sound 
to his master. 
After what has been advanced, one would scarcely believe 
that M. Bareyre could have settled this question so perempto¬ 
rily in favour of one of these two methods; and particularly as 
nothing appears in the three cases he has related to warrant 
such an inconsiderate decision. But what surprises me still 
more is that this veterinarian has gone so far as to assert that 
almost invariably after the operation, the animal becomes lame 
for life ; even in the most simple cases, and when the operation 
has been performed under the most favourable circumstances 
and with the greatest dexterity.^’ What can have induced M. 
Bareyre to depict the operation in such dismal colours ? I do 
not pretend to answer this query ; but I can assure him, that of 
above thirty horses which I have operated or witnessed being 
operated on for quittor, a very small proportion remained lame. 
Among others, I may draw his attention to Butholle’s horse, 
a plasterer, at Courdimanche, from whose foot my father re¬ 
moved, in my presence, not only the cartilage, but even the 
sole and a portion of the coffin bone, which had been fractured. 
Three months after this, the same horse underwent the opera¬ 
tion for quittor, which had been produced in the opposite carti- 
lage by tight ligatures. Notwithstanding all this, the animal 
got quite sound, and works in harness at this present, day. Lest 
my own particular cases should appear to M. Bareyre unsatis¬ 
factory, I will remind him of a case related at the end of his 
own work by M. Gerard, Veterinary Surgeon of Artillery ; who 
says, for these last ten years, at least, every horse on which I 
have operated for quittor has gone with the diseased foot un¬ 
shod until he was perfectly recovered which certainly must 
mean that the horses became sound. I might also quote cases 
from the Dictionary of Hurtrel d^Arboval, in further confirma¬ 
tion of this. 
M. Renault thinks he has established the following general 
positions :— 
Dif. That it is an error to suppose that, in all cases, caustics 
are preferable to extirpation. 
2nd. That extirpation ought to be adopted, 
A. Whenever the anterior part, or the base of the cartilage, 
is the seat of the caries. 
B. Whenever there is a sinus in the heel, penetrating very 
deep and running forwards. 
C. Whenever the cartilage, although itself healthy, is iso¬ 
lated by suppuration. 
