NAVICULAR DISEASE IN THE FEET OF HORSES. 35 
flat on the pavement, when, on a more close inspection, I have 
observed a sound straggling straw or two lying between the heels 
of the shoe and the pavement remaining entire, and escaping being 
flattened for a considerable time, in fact, till something disturbs 
the animal, or attracts his attention. I could verv much wish to 
call this false pointing , in contra-distinction to direct pointing. 
There is also another mode of shifting and easing the foot, 
w r hich is more obvious, viz. the bent or tremulous knee. 
Pain, together with this continued habit of resting, diminishes 
the size of the limb generally, from the hoof even to the muscles 
covering the shoulder-blade or scapula; but in cases of very long 
duration, I beg to invite your attention to a considerable altera¬ 
tion in the mass of muscle immediately above the olecranon, 
called the triceps extensor cubiti, which seems pretematurally 
contracted, and ceases to exhibit that plump and prominent ap¬ 
pearance observable in the sound limb of the living and well- 
formed horse. 
Running the patient in hand at a slow trot materially assists 
us in forming our diagnosis, by observing the manner in which 
the lame foot is placed on the ground, whether flat, or principally 
upon the toe or the heels; but I feel quite at a loss to delineate 
on paper the peculiar gait of the animal, which I have observed 
in these lamenesses. 
Before I pronounce the case to be navicular lameness, I scru¬ 
pulously examine the external foot for every probable cause of 
lameness; and, having removed both shoes, and pared the soles, 
I minutely compare the ground surface of the lame foot w ith the 
other, to ascertain whether occult contraction has taken place or 
not: this is not, however, to be expected in every case, as it is 
well known that many navicular lamenesses have occurred mo¬ 
mentarily, as in hunting or other violent exercises. I have 
omitted to mention, in the requisite order, another not unfrequent 
cause of navicular disease, viz. the general inflammation con¬ 
sequent upon the accident of casting a shoe, and the animal 
travelling a considerable distance before the rider may have been 
apprised of it. It is not very uncommon for such an injury to 
leave a chronic lameness after the complete reproduction of horn, 
which may have been a process of many weeks’ growth. 
We are called upon to treat the navicular disease under various 
degrees or shades of the same disorder. The case may be either 
acute or chronic. The lameness may be as sudden and consi¬ 
derable as sometimes proceeds from a fractured pastern or cannon 
bone; or it may be so slight as to require a close inspection on 
pavement to discern it. The disease may have been of very 
