Central veterinary medical society. 15o 
examinations of fresli subjects, found there was a deposition of 
more fat, and not calcareous matters; and his, Mr. Paget's 
observations, led him to think that the liability to fracture was 
due to a want of compactness. It seemed to be commoner in 
America, especially where the land had been gradually reclaimed. 
At this stage the further discussion of the subject was adjourned 
to the next night of meeting, and the President introduced several 
specimens of laminitis. In the first case the horse had been 
overfed and but little used. After a ride he returned lame, and 
had simply had some aloes administered; five days after he (Mr. 
J. P. Mavor) was sent for, and found the horse to be suffering 
from an acute attack of laminitis, the breath was fetid and the 
bowels constipated; the horse was eventually destroyed, the spe¬ 
cimen showed rupture of the capillary vessels of the sole and 
laminae. The next case was of chronic laminitis, where there was 
descent of the coffin bone and deposit of horny matter in the inter¬ 
space. The next case was of sandcrack of a hind foot that had 
been unskilfully treated, pus had formed and accumulated, 
throwing great pressure on the periphery of the nerves, causing 
by reflex action on the spinal cord such excessive irritability of the 
dorsal respiratory muscles and diaphragm, such violent spasms, 
that both urine and faeces were involuntarily expelled, till in one 
of these paroxysms a blood-vessel burst in the lungs, and the 
horse died suddenly from haemorrhage. In the first case, if early 
attended to, the most efficient means of treatment at disposal is 
hypodermic injection of the vegetable alkaloids, for they act 
immediately on the nerve centres, restore their deranged function, 
thereby removing the cause, and the effect in the feet would of 
itself cease. Should any other remedy be required, he advised 
saline aperients and the application of cold. Whereas, in the 
other case, the contrary action is indicated, the removal of the 
pus by local treatment, when the irritation and reflex action would 
cease. In the case of sandcrack no hypodermic treatment had 
been adopted, the case being considered too bad to hold out hope 
of recovery. 
The evening being now advanced, the further discussion of the 
subject was adjourned. 
The election of Messrs. Stanton and Shaw was declared 
unanimous. 
Present;—Ten Pellows and one visitor. 
James Rowe, Jun., 
Hon. Sec. 
