66 MR. reeves’ reply to amicus. 
sider the act of expiration certainly partly spasmodical, although 
the animal is free from those passions and emotions of the mind 
which produce attacks of dyspnoea in man. The broken-winded 
horse is affected, like the asthmatic man, by sudden changes of 
temperature, or states of atmosphere, wherein the quantity of 
oxygen in a given space of air is more or less altered ; and this 
is the all-important object to the suffering animal, who is straining 
himself to death to pump as much air into his lungs as will 
oxygenate the blood. Owing to these circumstances we cannot 
draw a perfect line of resemblance between broken wind and 
asthma. 
Is broken wind hereditary1 I think not, excepting so far 
as breeding from an animal of peculiar conformation may pro¬ 
duce a tendency to the disease. There are two kinds of horses 
which seem most subject to it:—One is an animal rather high 
on his legs, with his elbows and arms close together, very 
narrow between the shoulders, and withal flat-sided and badly 
ribbed up. This animal has no capacity of chest and room for 
his lungs to play, from want of the requisite roundness of make; 
the other animal has a round chest, but it has no depth, and 
the consequence is, his belly seems to swell out, and becomes 
pendulous—what is commonly termed “ pot-bellied and this 
is the worst subject of the two for this complaint, although a 
better horse than the first. This is a chest that cannot expand 
laterally, since it is circular already, and there is no depth with 
it. This is also the make to give all the disposition to be a 
gross feeder, and the lungs may become too large for the chest. 
Such a horse is more likely to go broken winded than the first- 
described animal, which, from his make, may happen, very 
likely, to be a moderate feeder, and perhaps good-for-nothing 
animal. 
MR. REEVES’ REPLY TO “AMICUS’” QUERY 
ON THE EXPANSION OF THE FOOT. 
To the Editor of “ The Veterinarian .” 
Sir,—I n your Number of last month, I observe a paragraph 
from a correspondent styling himself “ Amicus,” who wishes 
“ to obtain some light on the subject of expansion,” and requests 
the Editor’s permission to “ask Mr. Reeve a few questions 
stating that “ ho” (Mr. Reeve) “ has written that his solution 
will * give a very fair approximate to the actual degree of ex- 
