’I have no experience of a similar case, and I should not have supposed that this accident would have caused such acute suffering and violent symptoms.  I think I have heard of such cases making a complete recovery; but I feel sure that, in this case, I only anticipated death by, at most, a few hours.’[A]

[Footnote A:  Veterinary Record, vol. iv., p. 127.]

2.  ’The case I am about to give you an account of, being one of rare occurrence, I thought would not prove uninteresting to the members of the Veterinary Medical Association.  It is an instance of complete removal of the hoof by mechanical force.

’Our patient was a brown mare, five years old, the property of Messrs. Crawshaw and Co., railway contractors on the Sheffield and Manchester line.

’On June 20 the mare was, as usual, working on the line, drawing one of the waggons for the removal of soil from one place to another, and, as was the custom, the pace is generally increased at about the distance of from sixty to eighty yards from where the unloading takes place, in order to add to the velocity, so that the contents of the waggons might roll down so great a precipice.  It was at this increased action, when the mare was being removed from the waggon, that she stepped between the ends of two iron rails, sufficiently apart to admit the foot only, when one end of the rail inserted itself between the sole and toe of the shoe, the other at the top and in front of the crust.

’The mare, finding herself fixed, endeavoured to disengage herself, and, in doing so, got in front of the waggon, which, coming at a great pace, forced her down into the pit, leaving behind the off fore-hoof, which was only removed from its situation between the two rails by a large hammer, it being so firmly wedged in.  The shoe and hoof were bent in a very peculiar manner, as the accompanying cuts will show, the inside heel being completely raised from above the level of the frog, not one of the nails being unclenched, or in the slightest degree having given way to so large an amount of force imposed upon them, although the toe of the shoe was raised from the sole by the rail being immediately under it (see Fig. 114).  The mare had been shod the day before, and, having a good sound foot, the shoe was firmly put on.

’Being a mile from home, she was with some difficulty made to travel that distance.  On her arrival, my preceptor, Mr. Taylor, was immediately sent for, who found her, as I have before stated, with the off fore-foot hoofless.

’Proceeding to examine the foot, he ascertained that it had bled considerably, which, however, was stopped by bandages to the foot and a ligature round the coronet.  The laminae on one side and a small portion of the sensitive sole, though not to any great extent, were lacerated.  The coffin-bone was not at all injured.  The bleeding having nearly ceased, she was put into slings, the foot carefully washed with warm water, and immediately bound up with pledgets of tow saturated with the simple tincture of myrrh and tincture of opium, of each equal parts.