ON THE NAVICULAR DISEASE AND SPAVIN. 155 
him again ; taking care to keep the foot well pared during the 
time; and also, in most cases, previously applying a blister to the 
coronet. 
One more quotation from Mr. Turner, and then I shall con¬ 
clude:—“ From the facts that I have collected relative to groggy 
lameness, I am thoroughly convinced that we have as much control 
over the early stage of this disease as we have over any less 
important organ, when attacked with inflammation.” Such a 
statement appears to me to be almost at variance with the rest of 
his observations. It is, at least, an admission that the chronic 
form of the disease is not curable; and I will ask whether we 
are justified in calling the disease by any other name than chronic 
when it has lasted long enough to produce all the changes in 
structure which Mr. Turner attempts to remedy by his method of 
treatment. Before, however, I leave this subject altogether, 
I must say that no one more highly appreciates the efforts of 
Mr. Turner than I do in endeavouring to throw light on the 
most important class of diseases that come under the veterina¬ 
rian’s care. 
On Spavin. 
Having occupied so much of your time already, I will en¬ 
deavour to explain, in as brief a manner as I am able, my ex¬ 
perience on the subject of this complaint; but as my ideas of this 
disease are very different from those of the authors of both the 
present and past day, I shall commence by quoting to you what 
has been published relative to it by Mr. Percivall and by Mons. 
Heurtrel D’Arboval. 
From Mr. Percivall’s Elementary Lectures I quote the follow¬ 
ing :—“ The word spavin has been applied to several diseases of 
parts about the hock-joint, not only distinct, but even opposite 
in their nature, prefixing to it, by way of diagnostic, the epithet 
bog, blood, or bone, according to the supposed nature of the 
malady. Now-a-days, however, we seldom use the term, except 
to denote the last of these affections: the two first, having their 
origin in extremely erroneous notions, are pretty generally dis¬ 
carded among professional men. We would define a spavin 
(called by horse-dealers and grooms a jack^) to be an exostosis 
upon, or near to the inner and lower part of the hock. In its 
origin and progress it is very similar to a splent; indeed, it may 
be, in reality, purely a splent; although, from its situation, we 
should denominate it a spavin. To explain this, a spavin may, 
and commonly, we believe, does arise from an inflammation of the 
cartilago-ligamentous substance connecting the head of the inner 
