American Veterinary Review, 
FEBRUARY, 1879. ' 
ORIGINAL ARTICLES. 
ATROPHY OF THE PLANTAR CUSHION. 
By G. Chenier. Translated by A. Liautard, M.D., V.S. 
( Continued from page 370.) 
3d. Can the dry condition of the horn be considered as the 
cause of hoof-bound ? If facts are superficially looked at, the im¬ 
portance of this influence seems to be evident; but if they are 
scrutinized without preconceived ideas, it is easy to see that there 
exists in it only a simple coincidence. Let us try to prove it. 
At first one must remember that the layers of horn are more 
dense and consistent, as they are more superficial. Mr. Goyau 
says 7 “ Nature has made with the same substance a soft envelope 
for the living tissues and a hard external covering, essential and 
necessary for the connections of the foot with the ground.” These 
qualities of the horn were indeed necessary, so as to allow the 
hoof its double duty—hardness and consistency on the surface, to 
