578 
GEO. H. BERNS. 
In operating I experience but little difficulty in removing 
the cartilage, and if necessary the wing of the coffin bone. The 
wounds left usually heal without much trouble in from four to 
six weeks, when the patient shows no more lameness ; the cavi¬ 
ty which was made by the removal of the cartilage is filled 
with firm new granulations, and the coronary band again united 
with the foot in its entire length, and the new horn secreted 
by the podophylous tissue is sufficiently strong to enable the 
horse to do ordinary slow work. In about eight or nine months 
a complete and perfect new wall has been formed, and the foot 
shows little if any external indications that it has ever been op¬ 
erated upon. 
In operating I follow the plan of Bernhard as described by 
Liautard in his excellent work on “ Operative Veterinary Sur¬ 
gery ” in all cases where the wall of the foot is comparatively 
sound, and where no corns, broken bars or other lesions can be 
detected at the plantar surface, as their absence is a fairly safe 
indication that the wings of the pedal bone are not affected. 
The foot is prepared by clipping the hair over the tumor as 
closely as possible, by having the horny wall from the heels to 
the toe and from the inferior border of the wall up to the coro¬ 
net rasped down until the blood begins to ooze through the horn, 
and special care should be taken to see that the inferior border 
of the wall is pared down as close as possible to the sensitive 
structures, for if left it is apt to interfere with the operation by 
preventing the proper directing of the blade of the sage knife 
during the most critical stage of the operation, and that is when 
the inner surface of the cartilage is detached from the ligaments 
and articular ’capsule of the joint. The animal is then cast, 
properly secured, and if considered advisable placed under the 
influence of an anaesthetic ; an elastic bandage is next placed 
tightly around the pastern and ankle to prevent arterial haemor¬ 
rhage, and the horn to the extent of one quarter of an inch par¬ 
allel with and just below the coronary border is removed with a 
small drawing-knife and a semicircular incision following this 
groove is made. It should extend from the anterior border of 
