The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1855-05-26
From the Farmer and Visitor.
SPAWN.
BY W. W. ogMoNp, V. r.


anxiety, which could have been prevented,
had the disease been properly understood.
lhaye, in my travels through cities and
towns, met with men who have told me they
could cure a SPAWN of any kind in one
the nature of the disease, they knew moth
ing about it. They didnot know how many
bones composed the heck Joint, or how it
was constructed, but they could cure.
They might cause by some counter irrita-
ton, the horse to rest the limb, until nature
could strengthen the injured parts but in
nine cases out of ten they work the wrong
way, and in the place OF doing good do harm
by causing Il greater inflammation in the
joint than otherwise would have existed
As a consequence, there is more stiffness OF
the joint than there would have been had
the poor brute not had such quackery prsc-
tiscd on him.
SPAWN is 4 compound Of two diseases,
known as oxosiosis and anchylosis. The
former signifies hypertrophy, stiff joint, all.
sorption of inter-articular cartilage, and sub
sttuton of bone. Ancylosis, however, does
not take place in what is called the true joint,
the tibia and astragalus, but it generally ap-
pears beneath the true joint, within its col
lateral or inferior calculations, known as
the tarsal bones.
have at my office some very fine speci-
mems Of SPAWN, and other anchylosis Of
join!s which have caused lameness for some
years; and should be happy to find a man
that has the ability to cure such spayins and
ring,bones.
SPAWN has been disease that has had
-, Lao
all have failed to restore the hook to its for
mer state of soundness. Nor need we Won
der at this; for when the cartilage is ossified
there is no means that we know of to re-
store those parts, therefore the horse must
naturally have stiffness Of the Joint There
have been great many horsemen who have
suffered their horses to be treated for SPAWN
in amost brutal manner by men that have
had no more feeling for a horse than if it had
been made of iron. A gentleman has
horse, the subject Of spawn, and hear ing of
one Of those "magic men" being in the place,
who oan cure the SPAWN, the poor brute is
given into the hands of his tormentor to be
ton and experience the latter class of men
might be to prescribe for simple forms of
disease, they cannot be trusted to perform
dangerous, and one that requires a know
edge of anatomy and physiology to Diagnose
it with any degree of accuracy. Surely,
when men unacquanted with the mechan-
ism Of Joint undertake to restore it to a
healthy state by means OF agents whose ac-
tons are to them unknown, then their
weapons are like sword in the hand Of o
mailman.
Tho nf -. -,
but far from being always eiFectual The
owner Of the horse will neither consult his
own interest nor the dictates of humanity, If
he suffers the chisel, or the gimlet or the
pointed iron, or arsenic, to be used There
are means that can be taken, which will &C
complish our object and be much more to
the credit Of humanity. When we find that
there is an inflammation in the Joint, we
should give the horse rest, and apply some
cooling evaporating lotion to the part but
should this fail to accomplish the object, we
had better apply a stimulant, such as the
tincturc of cantharidcs, applied in mild
form.
In the first place it is not best to breed
from spawned mares or broken down hois o..
There are two causes, for SPAWN, namely:
predsposing and exciting; the latter being
more rare than the former 1t is true, there
can ingencral be found an exciting cause for
spawn; but if we take the pains to trace
back the breed Of such subjects, we shall
find that it was a hereditary predispositlon,
and on the first opportunity it has made its
appearance. A horse that has q well CON
structed hook seldom has SPAWN We are
most apt to find this malady in short, round
hooks.
SPAWN is so common in these parts that
il man purchase q horse with sound hook,
he thinks himself safe, but | wish the reader
to understand that SPAWN is not always bo-
ny tumor to be seen on the hook; there
might be anchylosis Of the cuniform bones,
and after the horse has been driven short
distance the lamenoss might disappear so
that it could not be detected.
Many horses have been treated for hip
and stile lamcness when it has been no
other than SPAWN. The hook joint being
the most important joint of locomotion, we
should, on purchasing horse, examine the
part thoroughly, and have good idea of its
form. The joint is composed Of six bones,
exclusive of the 1.-THE and tarsal bones
They are in two layers, the lower is three
in number, called the cunciform bones,
which rest on the tarsal bones Each of
those bones IS covered with elastic cartilage,
and each admiring of n certain degree of mo-
ton. The diminished conclusion is diff
fused among them all, and thereby neutral
lied and rendered comparatively harmless
Each of those bones is covered not only bv
cartilage, but by membrane secreting sy.
novia, so that in fact these bones are formed
into so many distinct joints, separate from
each other, and thereby guarded from inju.
~, yet united by various lisaments, poss.
cssing altogether sufficient motion, vet
bound together so strongly as to defy dislo.
cation.
But there is often an injury done to those
bones that is not always accounted for The
smith often does much toward this by his
injudicijus management of the feet, by not
making the shoes or feet level, and thereby
causing the weight and conclusion to be
thrown on the inside splent bone, which
produces inflammation of the car,iiasinous
ends of those bones
And should the inflammation not be spcc.
Oily subducd it will soon convert the cartila.
ginous substance that united the splcnt
bones to the shank into bone, and thereby
have an enlargement and Stiffness at the
joint.
would suggest that the best way to free
our country from this maady is to select
such stock for breed as is perfectly free from
such diseases, and leave the young colts at
home when we require the services of the
dam, and not do as is so commonly done in
this vicinity w.a.days-tie the colt to the
side of its dam and drive it all day. 1t is
much better TO leave the colt at home fast.
ing; than 10 ovcrdrive the little animal 80 as
70 ruin him for life.
FOUNDER IN llonsEs.-l send you a receipt
for founder in horses, which | have never
seen print. have used and recommend