NAVICULAR DISEASE IN THE FEET OF HORSES. 37 
l . 
of the inflamed vessels, and materially diminish their volume, but 
one thing more should be effected, precisely at this juncture, 
viz. syncope, or that state of the heart which is a near approach 
to it; and thus, for one or more moments, the whole vascular system 
is interrupted or stopped ; but reaction presently succeeds in the 
capillary vessels of the inflamed part, which, before the blood¬ 
letting, were on the point of rupture or loss of vitality, arising from 
over-distension, and which have just time to contract vigorously 
on their diminished contents one second before the fresh charge 
is supplied from the great pump and arterial trunks. 
It may be argued, that the taking of one half the quantity 
from the part affected, and the other half by general bleeding, 
in immediate succession, would answer the purpose equally well. 
I apprehend not, and for this reason : since I conceive that the 
influence of the operation on the inflamed part and on the heart 
is reciprocal by the plan I have proposed; but in the other method 
there would be this important difference, that while blood was 
flowing from the system generally, the reaction would commence 
in the capillaries of the inflamed part before syncope could be 
produced, and therefore just at the crisis their volume would have 
again become too great for the vigorous contraction before men¬ 
tioned, and, consequently, the patient would only be relieved, 
instead of being; cured. 
The other indication of cure, and which is of no less importance 
to prevent the recurrence of inflammation within the navicular 
joint, consists in the return or detrusion of the coffin and navi¬ 
cular bones to their original and natural situation within the horny 
box; but even this having been accomplished, and the case no 
longer requiring treatment, we have yet another duty to perform : 
this is, to warn the owner against the slow though certain evil 
that will again accrue to this joint if the animal is subjected to 
long intervals of confinement in a stall, one of the remote or pre¬ 
disposing causes of this disease, and which is almost invariably 
applied to the greater proportion of the most valuable horses kept 
in London. 
Servants have an aversion to dirty their horses’ legs when their 
masters omit to work them. 
For my remarks on this unnaturally quiescent state of the foot, 
together with the various concurring circumstances which establish 
this destructive and prevalent disease, I beg leave to refer you 
to my navicular paper, published-in “ The Veterinarian” 
for February last (1829). 
I feel particularly anxious not to be misunderstood as to the 
kind of navicular cases that I have confidence m being able to 
cure. 
