299 
THE HORSE’S FOOT. 
Pagnier has proposed to merely thin down the quarter, to 
make an incision in the skin along the superior border of the car¬ 
tilage, and through this to remove the organ. But in this opera¬ 
tion, however thin the hoof may be, it always interferes with the 
entire extirpation of the cartilage. 
Bernard, following the idea of Lafosse, junior, who only re¬ 
moved the superior border of the wall, proposed a mode of pro¬ 
ceeding which is principally useful in cases of separation of the 
hoof. Instead of removing the band of hoof parallel with the 
coronary bourulet, Bernard pared it down with the drawing- 
knife, the sage-knife, or the rasp, in order to make it as thin as 
possible, while avoiding the injury to the sensitive laminae. This 
done, an incision is-made along the coronary band, below it, de¬ 
stroying its union with the laminae. At this step of the operation, 
the indications are the same as in the ordinary modus operandi , 
except that the coronary band being covered with a certain thick¬ 
ness of hoof, is less flexible. This, however, is easily removed, 
as soon as it becomes softened. The remaining steps of the op¬ 
eration are the same as in the ordinary, old way. That is to say, 
the posterior part of the cartilage being well defined, the sage- 
knife is used in the same manner. In this method, however, as 
the sage-knife works more flat-wise, there is less danger of 
wounding the ligaments or the synovial capsules. If any part of 
the cartilage remains near these organs, some care must be used 
in removing it, and it must be done by degrees, and in very small 
portions. 
The advantages of this process are, 1st, the avoidance of ex¬ 
tensive wounds, and of the extreme pain produced by the extir¬ 
pation of the quarter. , 2d, to keep the foot shod, and to allow 
the animal to resume his work as soon as the first pain has sub¬ 
sided, which may occur at quite a considerable interval in ad¬ 
vance of the perfect cicatrization of the wound. 3d, to avoid long 
and frequently-repeated dressings. 
In this method, however, the quarter left intact sometimes 
interferes with the operation, and the excision of the cartilage is 
more difficult, being only practicable, indeed, in cases where 
there is a separation of the wall. 
