THE HOKSE’S FOOT. 
267 
copious perspiration. These symptoms vary with the legs which 
are affected, whether the disease is located in the fore or hind 
feet exclusively, or in all four together. As Mr. Bouley says, it 
is a peculiarity of this affection that it may remain localized in 
the feet of one patient, either forward or behind, or may at once 
attack the four extremities, and that it seldom attacks the limbs 
on one side only, to the exclusion of the feet of the opposite side, 
i. e ., it may be laterally biped, affecting either both the fore or 
both the hind feet, but not often occurring otherwise. Some¬ 
times, however, the disease is more marked in one leg than in 
the other of one biped. It is generally only after some trau¬ 
matic lesion, or other local influence, that laminitis occurs in one 
foot only. 
When laminitis affects the two anterior feet, the animal car- 
cies its extremities forward, and the hind feet are brought well 
under the centre of gravity. The standing of the animal is alter¬ 
ed, the walking difficult and painful, and the resting of the feet 
on the ground is done with hesitation and fear. The feet are 
carried forward, because the pressure takes place on the frog and 
on the heels; if it should occur as in the healthy and normal con¬ 
dition, upon the entire inferior circumference of the foot, there 
would be pressure upon all the living tissues, which are gorged 
with blood, tumefied and painful, and this pressure would greatly 
increase the sufferings of the patient. It is, then, to relieve him¬ 
self, and to avoid the intensity of the pain, that the animal instinct¬ 
ively changes its mode of resting on the ground. In placing the 
heels down, the weight is borne only upon a follicular, fatty tis¬ 
sue ; from there it spreads along the side of the coronet to the 
fetlock, and thus upon all the other portions of the leg, and in 
this way the foot becomes greatly relieved during the action of 
resting. If, however, the fore legs only were carried forward, 
the effect would be equivalent to lengthening the body of the 
animal, and he would be unable to carry on the action of walking. 
To allow the fore feet to be moved, it is necessary that the body 
be carried forward by the hind legs and brought closer under the 
center of gravity, a position which contributes also to the relief 
of the animal while at rest, 
