SOCIETY MEETINGS. 
655 
few cases, and will have at least a dozen notes to send the committee when the 
next call is issued. » 
Of the notes received twenty-two were cases of specific ophthalmia, fifteen 
ringbone, twelve spavin, five cribbing and three kicking. In the twenty-two 
cases of ophthalmia the average age at which the disease developed was five years. 
In one case it developed during the first year of life, while in others it appeared 
after the ninth year was reached. Sex does not appear to be a predisposing fac¬ 
tor, there being twelve males and ten females. 70 per cent, were bay, leaving 
only 30 per cent, for greys, browns and blacks. One was a hambletonian mare, 
two percheron stallions, eleven grade percherons, two grade clydes, six unclassi¬ 
fied. This malady affected the sires of five, the dams of seven, and the grand- 
dam of one. Three notes stated that other offspring of the given sire were sub¬ 
jects of this disease, and in the case of one stallion reported, several of his colts 
developed ophthalmia. In five cases both sire and dam had sound eyes. In six 
notes no history was obtained. 
It is very evident that specific ophthalmia is a very prevalent trouble in Iowa, 
and no practitioner is lacking in opportunity to secure a definite history of sev¬ 
eral cases each year. The cases where the ancestry are known to never have 
suffered from this disease are just as important in the collection of statistics as 
are those with an opposite history, for it must be remembered that we must not 
be prejudiced in favor of the theory of heredity by preconceived opinions. It is 
ours to gather the facts and deduce our opinions from these facts. 
Of the fifteen cases of ringbone neither sex, color nor breed seem to be fac¬ 
tors of importance in the cases reported. The age at which it is developed ex¬ 
tends from the first to the eighth year. Three cases were under two years old, 
two were two years old, four three years old and the others were six, seven and 
eight. In one case its sire had ringbone, in another the dam was afflicted. Out 
of nine colts from a mare which had two ringbones on the posterior limbs, and 
navicular disease in her front feet, all the colts living to be five years old became 
diseased. Three had specific ophthalmia, two had spavin, one navicular arthri¬ 
tis and one had rickets. 
One hambletonian stallion possessing a ringbone sired at least two colts 
which developed a spavin. In four cases neither sire nor dam had ringbone. In 
the other no history was given. 
There were twelve cases of spavin reported, of which ten were males and 
12 were females. Eight were bay, two grey, one black and one roan. Three 
were percherons, two were trotting bred, the remainder not specified. Only one 
developed the disease at two years, three at three years, three at four years and 
one each at five, six, seven, eight and ten. The dam of one mare was spavined. 
One hambletonian stallion was sired by a horse having faulty conformation of 
the hocks, and he developed spavin when four years old. Many of his colts 
have developed spavin, also had curby hocks. 
Five cribbers are noted, three males and two females; two percheron, one 
hambletonian, two unknown. This habit developed in one at the age of twenty- 
one months, two when three years old, in one at four, the other not given. The 
dams of two were cribbers. One cribbing percheron was sired by a cribber, and 
she foaled two colts which acquired the same habit, making a record of three 
