494 
ON THE NAVICULAR LAMENESS 
dismounted immediately, thinking there might be a stone in his 
tuot; but finding that was not the case, he led the animal quietly 
lome. A ext day when I saw him he was excessively lame. I 
could see nothing to account for it in any part of the leg. I had 
iis shoe taken off, but we could discover nothing wrong in the 
oot. And I should here remark, that this horse had a particu¬ 
larly fine, strong, circular hoof; in short, 1 never saw better feet 
m my life. He was taken into the hospital stable, bled at the 
toe, oidered physic, &c., and placed in observation. A month 
a tei v\ aids the lameness was no better; but there was no apparent 
cause. The foot was cool; the horse did not seem to point or rest 
it orwaid, but stood upon it in the stable as firmly as upon the 
other; and yet, when put in motion, he was as lame almost as if 
ns leg was broken. I began to think it possible that there might 
be some muscular or other injury in some part of the shoulder. 
We took a quantity of blood from the axilla, and a blister was 
applied, in the liquid form, over the whole extent of the shoulder : 
it was repeated at the end of a fortnight, the lameness not beino' 
at all relieved. It was not till about the end of December, three 
months after the accident, that the lameness began at all to abate * 
and then the horse was ordered to take a little gentle walking exer¬ 
cise. A fortnight afterwards, however, the lameness had again 
increased considerably; from which circumstance I w r as led to con¬ 
clude that the foot was the more probable seat of lameness; and I 
determined to try the effect of nerving. 
On the 10th of January we proceeded to operate, excising 
a portion of toe pastern nerve (rather more than an inch on each 
side) below the joint. To my no small surprise, as well as satis- 
action, the horse got up from the operation and trotted sound. 
In a month he was in the ranks, and he remained in the regiment 
upwards of eight years afterwards, during which time he con- 
tmued quite sound, although he was sometimes put to very consi¬ 
derable exertion. I he following year we went to Ireland, where 
the duty is often severe for horses. In 1826, this horse was one 
of the paity stationed at Kensington barracks for escort and dis¬ 
patch duties, all of which he went through without flinching*. To- 
wards the latter end of that year two squadrons of the regiment 
weie 01 deied to embark for Portugal: he was selected as an effec¬ 
tive horse, and he remained so all the time we were in that coun- 
tiy. On the return of the troops, early in the spring of 1828 a 
great number of horses were cast and sold at Lisbon, and this was 
one, not, however, for lameness, but because he was getting old, 
c».nd considered not worth bringing home again: even then he 
fetched near £20 sterling. 
1 legiet exceedingly that 1 had not an opportunity of examining 
