PERIPLANTAR SHOEING. 
705 
under the circumstances above enumerated is dependent upon 
the oxidation of the strychnia by the compounds added to the 
solution of the alkaloid in sulphuric acid, and that nascent 
oxygen, i.e. oxygen at the moment of its liberation from its 
combinations, derived from other sources is also capable of 
developing as similar chromatic display. In the opinion of 
the author, the most satisfactory mode of applying and wit¬ 
nessing this reaction is the exceedingly pretty and ingenious 
one devised some years ago by Dr. Letheby. The suspected 
strychnia is dissolved in a few drops of concentrated and 
colourless sulphuric acid, and placed in a shallow platinum 
capsule. The positive pole from two cells of Grove’s battery 
is caused to touch the outside of the bottom of the capsule, 
and then the negative pole is made to just touch the surface 
of the liquid within the capsule. Directly this arrangement 
is completed a current of electricity traverses the fluid and 
decomposes it, oxygen is eliminated at the negative pole, and, 
as it rises through the liquid, oxidizes the strychnia, and 
causes the beautiful play of colour already alluded to. As 
the author has been enabled to easily detect ^oT^^th of 
a grain of strychnia by this method, and as none of the 
agents employed in the process possess colour, it is obvious 
that Dr. Letheby’s method is one which may he resorted to 
for the discovery of minute quantities of the alkaloid, and 
one which is free from the objections which might be 
raised to the employment of bichromate of potash and 
other coloured reagents. Other tests for strychnia have 
been invented by various chemists, but those described 
in this article are all-suflicient for the identification of even 
exceedingly minute quantities of the poison, so that we 
may now leave this portion of the subject, and proceed 
to a description of the methods by which the alkaloid may 
he discovered when in admixture with organic and other 
substances. 
{To he continued.') 
PERIPLANTAR SHOEING. 
By G. Fleming, Veterinary Surgeon. 
In 1865, the Parisian veterinary surgeon, M. Charlier, 
brought to the notice of his colleagues a method of shoeing 
horses which, after a careful study of the anatomy and phy¬ 
siology of the feet of these animals, and after a somewhat 
