568 
THE TREATMENT OF LAMTNITIS. 
has dominated farriery for several centuries, and proved a 
fruitful source of mischief. If the article is correctly perused 
it will be seen that 1 alluded to shoeing in general, and I am 
quite ready to prove that this statement is founded on fact, 
jfleavy shoes are a source of injury to feet and limbs, and a 
waste of power. No fact has been better demonstrated within 
the last five years ; and it is fully recognised by the highest 
continental authorities, however strenuously it may be opposed 
by Mr. Broad. 
I am quite willing to concede the palm of novelty to the 
ingenious theory of the manner in which ponderous lumps of 
iron attached by numerous nails to horses’ feet should so 
largely benefit them. I am even ready to admit that it is an 
astounding feat in theorizing; though whether it deserves 
the claim to correctness sought for it—whether it will satisfy 
the readers of the Veterinarian, as well as myself—or whether 
it will give a new idea in reference to the cause of other 
diseases of the feet, in addition to laminitis—is grave matter 
for doubt. In my humble opinion, Mr. Broad, in introducing 
a “ vibration” theory, has overlooked some points in connec¬ 
tion with shoes, and their relation to the feet of horses, which 
are of paramount importance, and which, if brought to bear 
on his laws of mechanics, would considerably disturb them, 
and upset the conclusions he has arrived at. From what I 
can gather from his exposition, I infer that a light shoe 
vibrates on a horse’s foot, but that a heavy one does not; 
which is tantamount to saying that a small bell will ring 
'when struck, but that a large one will not. 
If we admit, for the sake of argument, that plates of iron, 
tightly nailed to the under surface of hoofs, do vibrate wlien 
brought into contact with the ground, it will be found that 
Mr. Broad’s explanation is contradicted by the mechanical 
laws he accepts for his guidance. He says, “ horses’ feet 
receive less concussion when travelling on hard roads or 
paved streets, when shod with heavy shoes, than when sliod 
with light ones, the mechanical law showing the theory of 
the same is that of vibration, the result of concussion—the 
lighter the body, the greater the vibration, provided that the 
blows causing the concussion are equal. When the light 
shoe comes in contact with the pitching a large amount of 
vibration is produced, and received by the foot; but in pro¬ 
portion as the shoe is increased in weight the vibration 
decreases in quantity.” Here tbe question simply is, does a 
foot loaded with a heavy shoe—say two or three pound sin 
weight -strike as lightly on the ground as one carrying a 
plate weighing one ounce ? I have always thought that a 
