OBSERVATIONS ON SOUNDNESS. 
15 
are the questions put to a veterinary surgeon when called 
upon to report upon such cases. It is interesting to learn 
what our forefathers said about this affection. “Mark¬ 
ham's Masterpiece" contains several articles upon it. For the 
edification of your readers who have not this work in their 
possession, I will make a few quotations by way of comparison. 
“ A splent is to the outward feeling a very gristly or rather a 
hard bone, sometimes as big as a hazel-nut, sometimes as big 
as a walnut, according to the age thereof, growing upon the 
inside of the fore leg, between the knee and the upper 
pastern joint, and sometimes just [underneath and close 
unto the knee, which is, of all others, the most dangerous 
splent, and doth the soonest make a horse lame. It cometh 
by travelling a horse too young, or by over pressing him 
with heavy burthens, whereby the tender sinews of his legs are 
offended. Now for the knowledge thereof it is easie, because it 
is apparent unto the eye, and most palpable to be felt. The 
cure according to the opinion of the ancient farriers is, to take 
an onion, and picking out the core, put into it half a spoonful 
of honey, and a quarter of a spoonful of unslacked lime, 
and four pennyweights of verdigrease; then closing up the 
onion, roast it in hot embers until, it be soft; then bruise it 
in a mortar, and as hot as the horse can suffer it, lay it to 
the splent, and it will take it away, but in any case cut no 
skin." Many other formulae are given in this work. The 
actual cautery is strongly recommended in some instances, 
and so is the knife; for example, u Others used to slit the 
sorance with a knife the whole length of the splent, and 
then with a cornet to open the slit, and lay the splent bare, 
then to make about the wound a coffin of clay all open to 
the top; then take boar’s grease made scalding hot, and pour 
it into the wound until the clay coffin be full, then let it rest 
until the grease be cold; after that let the horse rise, and 
this with once dressing will take the splent clean away 
without any blemish or eye-sore." 
Again, after speaking of other remedies, such as a snail and 
salt, &c., Markham writes thus: “Now, after all these former 
practices, you shall understand that the cleanliest way to 
take away a splent is, first, after you have cast your horse, 
with a hazel stick of a pretty poise' and bigness, gently to 
beat the splent at the first, then by degrees a little harder 
and harder, till the splent grows soft in every part, then 
with the point of your lancet let out all the blood and 
water; then take a brickbat, and having laid it on the 
fire, when it is exceeding hot fold it in a red cloth, and 
therewith rub the splent and smooth it upon the top till 
