REVIEW—SHAW ON THE FOOT OF THE HORSE. 229 
of the lamince that support the height of the animal, this highly 
organized structure would receive irreparable injury; which we 
invariably observe to be the case when the laminae have become 
deprived of their strength by the existence of inflammatory dis¬ 
ease—the coffin-bone descends, the horny sole gives way, pre¬ 
senting a convex surface towards the ground, the concavity of the 
coffin-bone being occupied by depositions of lymph, the result of 
disorganization of the sensitive sole. My views of the non¬ 
elasticity of the lamince are borne out by Mr. Spooner, the present 
Professor of the London Veterinary College, who set forth in a 
lecture on the foot in 1843 :—“ The sole is attached to the crust 
by a fibrous substance, which is readily crumbled away, proving 
that the sole cannot descend .” The theory that the laminae possess 
an up-and-down motion is, therefore, quite a fallacy, as well as 
all theories derived from it. Mr. Ernes, a practitioner of consider¬ 
able eminence in London, also stated, at a meeting of the Veterinary 
Medical Society, in 1843, that the sensitive laminae and those of 
the hoof are wedged so closely together that there could not be any 
motion between them. A convincing proof of the fact is, that, if 
we take away the strength of the crust, by removing the horn with 
a rasp, the result will be that it (the crust) falls in—the coffin 
bone descends upon the sole, bulging it downward, presenting pre¬ 
cisely the same appearance as we observe consequent on inflamma¬ 
tion of the laminae.” 
“ Having discussed the physiology of the laminae, I have one 
remark to make relative to the crust, which has also escaped notice, 
previous to arriving at the subject of expansion, that is, the down¬ 
ward and backward motion of its front at the upper portion, which 
affords a powerful spring in awarding concussion, as well as 
assisting the small pastern bone from (ini) its descent.” 
Touching the descent of the sole, and consequent expansion of 
the quarters, we are quite prepared to join hands with Mr. Shaw. 
It has always appeared to us irreconcileable with every principle 
of statics that one concavo-convex body in close contact at every 
point with another concave body could in any manner or measure 
alter its shape and become flat without either correspondent altera¬ 
tion in the concave body placed upon it and in close union with it, 
or else some separation and detachment of one from the other. The 
thing is perfectly impossible. But, supposing the concavo-convex 
body (the sole) did become flat, then must it dilate and occupy a 
broader space, and this it could not do without “ expanding” or 
forcing out the quarters; an operation which, considering to what a 
VOL. XXII. H h 
