ACUTE INFLAMMATION IN THE FEET. 199 
the first to march from Corunna. And this continued to be the 
case, more or less, all along the road. 
Every one who has seen horses afflicted with this complaint 
may form some idea of the task I had in hand. When in this 
state, they are found almost continually lying down ; and if forced 
to stand upon their feet they seem to suffer such acute pain as to 
be truly objects of pity. One would not think of moving them 
under such circumstances, if that could be helped ; nevertheless, 
by giving them plenty of time, putting little or nothing upon 
their backs, and driving them before us, we succeeded in 
getting most of them forward; and strange to say, many of 
them, even of those that were severely affected, appeared to get 
better every day during the march. Some few acute cases, 
indeed, and especially where the hind feet were attacked as 
well as the fore ones, we were obliged to leave behind. But we 
managed to assemble at Lugo and Villa-Franca about 400 horses 
belonging to the brigade. Of these, at least one half had been 
left behind for this one complaint; and the greater part of these, 
again, were of the 7th Hussars, which regiment was the first to 
march from Corunna, and consequently had the least time 
allowed for rest after the voyage. The 10th followed the 7th, 
and left behind a much fewer number of those cases; whilst the 
15th, being the last regiment on march, had very few indeed, in 
comparison with the other two. 
Now, the plain and obvious inference to be drawn from these 
facts is, that the circumstance of standing for any considerable 
length of time together on board of ship, seems highly to predis¬ 
pose the laminated structure of the feet of horses to take on an 
inflammatory action. Nor is this to be wondered at when we 
come to consider the motion of a ship, and the almost unceasing 
efforts the animal is obliged to make in order to preserve his ba¬ 
lance. Continually moving his body backwards and forwards, 
and alternately throwing the greater part of his weight upon his 
fore or hind extremities. 
In the present instance, the disposition to this complaint might 
be increased, perhaps, by other circumstances ; as the animals 
being plunged into the sea from the ships, the crowded state *in 
which they were put up after landing, and the change of food. 
Upon the first of these points, however, I am not much inclined 
to lay any stress, because it may be observed, the disease did 
not actually make its appearance until the troops began to move. 
Neither am I inclined to attribute much to the change of food, 
although I may here remark, that rye is, without doubt, the very 
worst grain that can be given to horses ; and whilst we remained 
at Corunna we saw it frequently produce violent diarrhoea, 
