NEURECTOMY AS A PRACTICAL OPERATION. 
527 
month to six weeks; after excision two months to several 
years, an average, as generally quoted, of one to two years. 
The distal end becomes atrophied. The nerve regeneration is 
sometimes very imperfect, which may account for some cutane¬ 
ous sensibility and the continued integrity of the foot, without 
manifesting any lameness. On the other hand the nerve may 
never regenerate itself, the intervening space being occupied by 
a band of cicatritial tissue. This is the ideal. 
2. Effect upon the Gait .—In navicular disease, if the per- 
forans has not contracted adhesions, and the other parts of the 
foot are normal, digital or low, neurectomy has little or no influ¬ 
ence upon the gait. If the lesions are chronic, the gait stilty, 
tne animal fi equently stumbles and the tendons and ligaments 
have become rigid and contracted, the movements will not be 
as fi ee as in the noimal foot. Trotting and running races have 
numerous neurectomized contestants which win races in fast 
time. Even in saddle horses, the operation in many instances 
has been most successful. Tne high operation does sometimes 
interfere with the speed, although the running turf has innumer¬ 
able instances of such horses that are bread-winners. In fact, 
one would be surprised at the number of race horses that have 
been nerved. 
3. Growth of the Hoof .—After section of the nerve, the 
I10111 is secreted more rapidly. The foot is apt to be high- 
heeled and long-toed ; the wall and sole are thicker, sometimes 
twice the normal thickness. Shoeing should be more frequent. 
After the low operation the foot often approaches the normal 
in shape and the heels spread. 
4. Accidents from pricking, street-nails may be more fre¬ 
quent, but this is very insignificant. I have seen cases in which 
the quarter and portion ot the sole were separated by suppur¬ 
ation from picking up a nail and had to be removed, but a good 
recovery followed. Such was a fact in case No. 10 of my oper¬ 
ations. 
5. Degeneration of the Structures of the Foot and Separation 
of the Hoof. It was my intention to speak in detail of the phy- 
