ON THE NAVICULAR DISEASE. 
41 
four years old, belonging to Mr. Fowler, steward to Sir William 
Heathcote, Bart., was taken suddenly lame in the off-fore leg 
whilst at work in a rough, stony country. The knowing ones, 
who are alw^ays so ready to tender their opinions upon such 
occasions, were divided in their ideas as to the seat of the 
lameness, some attributing it to that old cat’s-paw the shoulder, 
others to the flexor tendons, others to the fetlock, 8cc. The 
shoe was taken off, but they were sure nothing was the matter 
with the foot. I did not see the case until the 14th of Sep¬ 
tember, when the lameness had existed nearly a fortnight, 
but the symptoms were such as to leave little or no doubt on 
my mind that the disease w'as in the navicular joint: I treated the 
mare according to such conviction, and, in something less than 
a month, she was turned out to grass perfectly free from 
lameness. 
A fine chesnut gelding, belonging to-Seymour, Esq. fell 
suddenly lame as the groom was riding her on the road from 
Brighton to Southampton, about the 26th of October. He un¬ 
derwent various treatment until November 7th, when I first 
saw him, and when the lameness was very severe. The evi¬ 
dences of navicular disease were here most manifest. I treated 
him for it, and in a few weeks he w^as sent off to Clifton, 
near Bristol, apparently perfectly sound. 
H. C. Compton, Esq. of Manor House, New Forest, was 
driving a bay mare from his residence to Southampton. About 
three miles from the town, she became suddenly lame to such 
an extent, that Mr. C. thought she had broken down, and was 
obliged to suffer her to walk quietly the rest of her journey. 
Upon a first examination, I could not satisfy myself as to the 
cause of the lameness, but on the following day I did not hesi¬ 
tate to attribute it to the navicular joint, and placed her under 
treatment accordingly : she recovered partially, but not per¬ 
fectly, as she was very much battered by previous work. 
On the 8th of November, a bay horse belonging to G. A. Ful¬ 
lerton, Esq. fell suddenly lame, w^hen Miss F. was cantering into 
Southampton. I examined him, and treated him for navicular 
lameness. He is turned out for a winter’s run, perfectly sound. 
I might easily multiply these cases, but I have merely men¬ 
tioned a few which most readily offer themselves to my re¬ 
collection ; yet I think I have quoted enough to shew that the 
disease is frequently sudden in its actual development. 
In all the foregoing instances, and in fact in every case of 
navicular lameness I have attended, the predisposing cause has 
evidently been what Mr. Turner calls occult contraction, or a 
sole morbidly thick and hard. 
VOL. VI. F 
