COCAINE IN THE DIAGNOSIS OF LAMENESS. 
187 
A horse was brought to me “ quarter-sore.,” and for sale. 
Cocaine along his metacarpal nerves sent him away sound 
enough for all practical purposes. 
Some time ago I owned a spavined pacer, and a Jew came 
to trade for him. He disputed the horse’s age and found many 
faults which were not present. I offered to lead the animal 
out to let him see him move; but he said he knew more about 
a horse than I did, and would not have the horse. He prom¬ 
ised, however, to come the next morning if he could do no 
better. Now the horse was lame on the spavin, and I 
intended to dispose of him cheaply and honestly, but thought 
that one lesson on the action of cocaine would do the impu¬ 
dent Jew no harm. Next morning I injected cocaine freely 
around the seat of the spavin, which was low, and when the 
Jew came, he paced so well to balks that I succeeded in dis¬ 
posing of him. That afternoon the old pacer was painfully 
lame again. 
Yesterday I was called to see a fast horse, lame in a fore 
limb. The location was disputed by two other veterinarians, 
and I was summoned to cast the deciding vote. Upon seeing 
the animal move and manipulating all parts of the limb, I 
located the lameness in the lateral ligaments of the pastern 
joint. The owner asked me, “Can you prove that this horse 
is not shoulder-lame ? ” I answered “ Yes, sir,” and at once 
applied the cocaine test. In eight minutes the animal went 
sound, and continued to do so for one hour and twenty min¬ 
utes. 
Last winter I was called to see a horse with an obscure 
chronic lameness. 
History . -r-A chestnut gelding, six years, sixteen hands and 
high -bred, was shipped by rail from Kentucky fourteen months 
previous, and got off the car in Cleveland lame in the off fore 
limb. He was positively never lame before in his life. 
Almost all the leading veterinarians in this and other large 
cities located the lameness in the shoulder, and before 1 saw 
the animal he had been tired, blistered, setoned, etc., etc., at 
every point from the pastern to the withers, and still staid 
lame, excepting that occasionally he would go sound enough 
