THE CULTIVATOR. 
107 
Whatever may be the function of the canal it is some¬ 
times the seat of considerable disease, which has been 
confounded with foot-rot, and which “ in common par¬ 
lance,” is here described as a variety of it. 
An accumulation of this sebaceous fluid in the biflex, 
intergidital canal, or the introduction of foreign bodies 
into it, such as dust, dirt, or gravel, may cause a consi¬ 
derable degree of local inflammation, and which may be 
communicated to the neighboring parts. Diseases of 
this canal are of most frequent occurrence when the 
flock is turned on hard, dry, or sandy pastures. Heavy 
and fat animals are, as might naturally be supposed, 
most subject to its attacks; sometimes in every season 
of the year, but oftenest when the weather is hot and 
dry. The great number of sheep that have been attack¬ 
ed by it at the same time, and especially as it has been 
so generally confounded with foot-rot, have excited the 
suspicion thatit is infectious. There does not, however, 
appear to be any ground for this supposition. 
The inflammation is first discovered by the lameness 
of the sheep, which probably leads to an examination 
of him, when the part is found to be hot and tender, with 
some enlargement. If the animal is neglected, the swell¬ 
ing will, probably in a few days, reach the pastern and 
the coronet below, and the fetlock and the leg-bone 
above, and to this will follow ulceration of some part of 
the bxflex canal, which will speedily become a source of 
great annoyance and mischief. The pus penetrating in- 
feriorly will find its way under the coronet, and produce 
quittor, or even loss of the hoof on the affected side; 
sometimes ulcers will appear about the fetlock. 
Generally speaking, the disease attacks only one foot, 
and then the sheep goes about on three legs. If both fore 
legs fail, he must be content to crawl about on his knees. 
The biflex canal is found in all four feet, but it is com¬ 
paratively seldom that the hind feet are diseased. The 
poor animals evidently suffer a great deal, for they 
scarcely feed—rumination is suspended—fever is esta¬ 
blished, and, in some bad cases, the sheep pines away 
and dies. 
Before the disease has gone so far as this, the proprie¬ 
tor, acting humanely and wisely, should send the ani¬ 
mal to the butcher. The note at p. 524 has already ex¬ 
plained the once common opinion respecting this com¬ 
plaint—namely, that it was caused by a worm that had 
eaten its way into the leg, the hole through which it had 
entered being still visible. According to this doctrine, 
the only means of cure lie in the removal or destruction 
of the worm. 
The treatment in the early stage of this disease con¬ 
sists in the extraction of any foreign bodies that may 
have insinuated themselves into this canal, and in fo¬ 
menting the part and the whole of the foot. These lo¬ 
tions should be followed by a poultice enveloping the 
whole foot and the greater part of the leg—an emolli¬ 
ent poultice at first, and until the discharge of purulent, 
and perhaps fetid, matter is staid, and then an astrin¬ 
gent one. A decoction of oak bark will form a good 
liquid for the poultice. In very bad cases, local bleed¬ 
ings (scarifications) round the coronet are practised with 
considerable advantage. Any tendency to gangrene is 
combatted by a solution of the chloride of lime. 
A cure, however, will not often be accomplished by 
these means, except where there is no actual disorgani¬ 
zation of the biflex canal. If that should have taken 
place it will be necessary to lay it open or remove it, 
and when it is dissected out, thickened by inflammation 
and with its singular natural tortuous form, the older 
shepherds will readily be forgiven for endowing it with 
life and the power of producing almost irreparable mis¬ 
chief. The French strongly recommend the removal of 
this singular reservoir, but that will not always be ne¬ 
cessary. The orifice into the canal may be somewhat 
enlarged, and a probe-pointed bistoury thrust into that 
division of it which is most or alone affected, or a small 
seton needle may be introduced, and brought out just 
above the coronet. Either of these operations, and es¬ 
pecially the latter, will usually succeed. The wound, if 
the bistoury has been used extensively, should be daily 
dressed with digestive ointment for a while, and which 
should be afterwards changed for the tincture of myrrh; 
the old butyr of antimony not being forgotten if the case 
seems to require it. 
FOOT-HOT. 
Foot-rot is a disease always at first, and usually 
throughout its whole course, confined to the foot. The 
first indication of foot-rot is a certain degree of lame¬ 
ness in the animal. If he is caught and examined, the 
foot will be found hot and tender, the horn softer than 
usual, and there will be enlargement about the coronet, 
and a slight separation of the hoof from it, with por¬ 
tions of the horn worn away, and ulcers formed below, 
and a discharge of thin fetid matter. The ulcers, if ne¬ 
glected, continue to increase; they throw out fungous 
granulations, they separate the hoof more and more 
from the parts beneath, until at length it drops off. 
All this is the consequence of soft and marshy pasture. 
The mountain or the down sheep—the sheep in whose 
walk there is no poachy ground, if he is not actually 
exposed to infection by means of the virus, knows no¬ 
thing at all about it; it is in the yielding soil of the low 
country that all the mischief is done. 
In attempting to explain this, the author cannot do 
better than to have recourse to much of the beautifully 
graphic description of the healthy foot of the sheep and 
the changes which it undergoes, as given by his talented 
and excellent friend, Professor Dick, of Edinburgh. 
The foot presents a structure and arrangement of 
parts well adapted to the natural habits of the animal. 
It is divided into two digits or toes, which are shod with 
a hoof composed of different parts, similar in many res¬ 
pects to the hoof of the horse. Each hoof is principal¬ 
ly composed of the crust, or wall, and the sole. The 
crust extending along the outside of the foot, round the 
toe, and turning inwards, is continued about half-way 
back between each toe on the inside. The sole fills the 
space on the inferior surface of the hoof between these 
parts of the crust, and being continued backwards be¬ 
comes softer as it proceeds, assuming somewhat the 
structure of the substance of the frog in the foot of the 
horse, and performing, at the same time, analagous 
functions. The whole hoof, too, is secreted from the 
vascular tissue underneath. 
Now this diversity of structure is for particular pur¬ 
poses. The crust, like that in the hoof of the horse, 
being harder and tougher than the sole, keeps up a sharp 
edge on the outer margin, and is mainly intended, to re¬ 
sist the wear-and-tear to which the foot of the animal is 
exposed. The soft pasturage on which the sheep is oc¬ 
casionally put, presents little, if any, of that rough fric 
tion to which the feet of the animal is naturally intended 
to be exposed. The crust, therefore, grows unrestrained 
until it either laps over the sole, like the loose sole of 
an old shoe, and serves to retain and accumulate earth 
and filth, oris broken off in detached parts; in some 
cases exposing the quick, or opening new pores, into 
which particles of earth or sand force their way until, 
reaching the quick, an inflammation is set up, which, in 
its progress, alters or destroys the whole foot. 
The finest and richest old pastures and lawns are par¬ 
ticularly liable to give this disease, and so are soft, 
marshy, and luxuriant meadows. It exists to a greater 
or less extent in every situation that has a tendency to 
increase the growth of the hoofs without wearing them 
away. 
Sheep that are brought from an upland range of pas¬ 
turage are more particularly subject to it. This is very 
easily accounted for. By means of the exercise which 
the animal was compelled to take on account of the scan¬ 
tier production of the upland pasture, and also in con¬ 
sequence of the greater hardness of the ground, the 
hoof was worn down as fast as it grew, but on its new 
and moist habitation the hoofs not only continued to 
grow, but the rapidity of that growth was much in¬ 
creased, while the salutary friction which kept the ex¬ 
tension of the foot within bounds was altogether remov¬ 
ed. When the nails of the fingers or toes of the human 
being exceed their proper length they give him so much 
uneasiness as to induce him to pare them, or if he ne¬ 
glects this operation they break. He can pare them af¬ 
ter they have broken, and the inconvenience soon ceases, 
and the wound heals. When, however, the hoof of the 
sheep exceeds its natural length and thickness, that ani¬ 
mal has no power to pare them down, but there long 
continues a wound, irritated, and induced to spread, by 
the exposure of its surface, and the introduction of fo¬ 
reign and annoying matters into it. 
The different parts of the hoof, likewise, deprived of 
their natural wear, grow out of their proper proportions. 
The crust, especially, grows too long; and the over¬ 
grown parts either break off in irregular rents, or by 
overshooting the sole allow small particles of sand and 
dirt to enter into the pores of the hoof. These parti¬ 
cles soon reach the quick, and set up the inflammation 
already described, and followed by all its destructive ef¬ 
fects. 
There is another circumstance which tends to produce 
disease in an overgrown hoof. The length to which the 
crust grows, changes completely the proper bearing of 
the foot, for being extended forward, it takes the whole 
weight of the superincumbent parts. By the continual 
pressure on this lengthened part, inflammation cannot 
fail of being set up. The progress of the disease is 
not equally rapid in every instance; sometimes it goes 
to a certain extent, and the foot to a considerable degree 
recovers. All the feet may not be equally affected; the 
fore ones, however, are always the most liable to dis¬ 
ease, on account of the additional weight which they 
carry. Sometimes there is only one foot affected, and 
that is sure to be a fore one—sometimes only one hoof of 
one foot, and occasionally one speedily heals whiie the 
other continues to get worse and worse. 
In the first stage of the disease there is often found 
nothing but a little overshooting of the edge of the crust, 
and which is bent in upon the sole, or the edge of the 
crust is forced asunder from the sole and a rvedge of 
earth is introduced which presses upon the sensible sub¬ 
stance beneath; but at other times the edge of the crust 
continues to grow until it envelopes the whole of the 
sole. It is seldom that there is inflammation enough 
excited to throw off the whole hoof at once; but it se¬ 
parates at different parts, and at each part of separa¬ 
tion there is new horn formed; this although soft and 
unhealthy, and not capable of sustaining pressure, co¬ 
vers, and to a certain degree, protects the sensible parts 
beneath. By degrees, from increased and long-continu¬ 
ed irritation, the parts are no longer able to secrete even 
this weak horn, but granulations of proud flesh sprout 
out, and then the work of destruction proceeds in good 
earnest. 
This is the usual progress of the disease, but at other 
times inflammation seems to be set up at once over the 
whole of that division of the foot, and there is conside¬ 
rable swelling about the coronet, and matter is formed 
and breaks out, and sinuses run in various directions, 
and the whole of the hoof is gradually detached. The 
upper part of the space between the hoofs becomes in¬ 
flamed and swelled, the whole of the inner surface of 
the pastern is sore and raw; ulceration commences— 
it eats deeply—it spreads on every side—it spreads up- j 
wards—and the toes are separated from each other al¬ 
most to the opening of the bifiex canal. That canal be¬ 
comes inffarned—proper inflammation of it is added to 
that of the sensible parts beneath the hoof—the mucous 
follicles which it contains, and of which mention has 
been made, pour out a large quantity of sebaceous dis¬ 
charge, which flows over the fore part of the foot and 
between the hoofs, and assists in the accumulation of 
filth by its adhesiveness. In some cases, as has appear¬ 
ed when the diseased state of this canal was examined, 
the malady commences here. Inflammation of the bi¬ 
flex canal produces much enlargement of the neighbor¬ 
ing parts, and the motions of the foot are interfered 
with, and inflammation and disorganization spread on 
every side. As these increase, and also the discharge 
by which they are accompanied, dirt and gravel, and 
pieces of grass adhere to the ulcerated surface, and in¬ 
sinuate themselves between the pasterns, there soon be¬ 
come one uniform mass of disease. 
The ulceration of foot-rot will not long exist without 
the addition annoyance of the fly. Maggots will multi¬ 
ply on every part of the surface and burrow in all di¬ 
rections. To this, as may be readily supposed, will be 
added a great deal of constitutional disturbance. A de¬ 
gree of inflammatory fever is produced. The animal 
for a while shifts about upon its knees, attended by 
some faithful companion that abandons it not in its ut¬ 
most need ; but at length the powers of nature fail, and 
it dies from irritation and want. 
This is a dreadful account, and yet, after all, the dis¬ 
ease is more manageable than could well be imagined, 
if it is attacked in its earliest stage and treated with 
proper decision. It will seldom be necessary, or indeed 
proper, to adopt any means for the purpose of abating 
inflammation before the radical mode of cure is adopted. 
Poultices and emollients will only weaken the parts, and 
cause the fungous granulations to increase with tenfold 
rapidity. 
The foot must be carefully examined, and every por¬ 
tion of loose and detached horn pared off, even though 
the greater part, or almost the whole of the hoof may 
be taken away. The horn once separated from the 
parts beneath will never again unite with them, but be¬ 
come a foreign body, and a source of pain, inflamma¬ 
tion, and fungous sproutings. This, then, is the first 
and fundamental thing— every portion of the horn that is 
in the slightest degree separated from the parts beneath 
must be cut away. A small, sharp, curved- pointed knife, 
or a small drawing knife, will be the best instrument to 
effect this. 
If there are any fungous granulations they must be 
cut down with the knife or a pair of sharp curved scis¬ 
sors, unless they are exceedingly minute, and then the 
caustic about to be mentioned will destroy them. The 
whole foot must be thoroughly cleaned, although it may 
occupy no little time, and inflict considerable pain on the 
animal. The after expenditure of time, and the suffer¬ 
ing of the patient, will be materially diminished by this 
decisive measure. 
The foot should then be washed with a solution of 
chloride of lime, in the proportion of one pound of the 
powder to a gallon of water. This will remove the fee- 
tor, and tendency to sloughing and mortification, which 
are the too frequent attendants on foot-rot. The muri¬ 
ate or butyr of antimony must then be resorted to, and 
by means of a small stick with a little tow tied round 
one of its extremities, applied to every denuded part: 
lightly where the surface has a healthy appearance, and 
more severely where fungous granulations have been 
cut off, or there are small granulations springing up.— 
There is no application comparable to this. It is effect¬ 
ual as a superficial caustic; and it so readily combines 
with the fluids belonging to the part to which it is ap¬ 
plied, that it quickly becomes diluted, and comparative¬ 
ly powerless, and is incapable of producing any deep or 
corroding mischief. So far as these foot cases are con¬ 
cerned, it supersedes every other application. The 
change of colour in the part will accurately show to 
what portions it has been applied, and what effect has 
been produced. 
If the foot has been in a manner stripped of its horn, 
and, especially, if a considerable portion of the sole has 
been removed, it may be expedient to wrap a little clean 
tow round the foot, and to bind it tightly down with 
tape, the sheep being removed to a straw-yard, or some 
enclosed place, or to a drier pasture. This last provi¬ 
sion is absolutely necessary when the sheep is again 
turned out; for if the foot is exposed to the original 
cause of disease, the evil will return under an aggra- 
vated form. 
The foot should be dressed every day; each new se¬ 
paration of horn removed ; and every portion of fun¬ 
gous submitted to the action of the caustic, with a de¬ 
gree of severity proportioned to the necessity of the case. 
The new horn should likewise be examined. If it ap¬ 
pears to be healthy and tolerably firm, nothing should 
be done to it; but if it is soft and spongy, the caustic 
must be lightly applied. The sooner the bandage can 
be removed, and the sheep turned into some upland or 
thoroughly dry pasture, the better will it be for the foot, 
and the health of the animal generally. 
The worst cases of foot-rot will readily yield to this 
mode of treatment, provided the bone has not been ex¬ 
posed, and there are no sinuses running either into the 
joints or deep-seated parts of the foot, or of the pasterns 
above. All superficial mischief will be readily repair¬ 
ed, and more speedily than could have been thought 
possible; but there is always a considerable degree of 
uncertainty, when the hoi'n being removed, the ulcera¬ 
tions are found to be deep, and certain sinuses or open- 
