and in that way bring about bruising of the sensitive sole
beneath.

Shoes with heels or calks too high, by destroying the counter-pressure of
the frog with the ground, serve to bring about a series of changes we have
described under contraction, and again result in pinching and bruising of
the sensitive structures.

The opposite excess--a shoe thick at the toe and thin at the heels--is
blamed by Zundel for causing a like injury. In our opinion, the reason this
author gives--namely, that the throwing of greater weight upon the heels
leads to bruising of the sensitive structures--can only correctly apply to
a _wrongly-applied_ shoe of this type, and not to the shoe itself. True, a
shoe with a thick toe and thinned heels will throw an undue proportion of
the body-weight upon the heels if the foot is not properly prepared for
it. A wise man, however, will most certainly so cut down the toe for the
reception of this shoe that, with the shoe in position, there will still be
maintained a tread that is normal. To our minds harm is far more likely to
arise from a shoe of this class through the thinned iron heels of the shoe
becoming attenuated under wear to the point of bending, and so inflicting
an injury upon the adjoining sole.

Similarly, this last remark with regard to the thinning of the heels of the
shoe will apply to a shoe with too broad a web. As the thinning of the shoe
proceeds with wear, the inner portion of the thinned branch is bent up on
to the sole, and again inflicts the injury.

The matter of bearing is also of importance when considering the causation
of corn. In a previous chapter we have already described the correct
bearing as that which includes the whole of the lower margin of the wall
and the white line, and just impinges on the sole. Any marked deviation
from that will, if long continued, be followed by injury to the foot.

With the bearing surface of the shoe too narrow--in contact with the
wall solely, or perhaps only a portion of it--it is evident that a large
proportion of the foot that should properly bear weight is thrown out of
action. A heavy strain is imposed on the white line, and undue descent of
the sole and contraction of the heels brought about. Again the result of
this is compression and bruising of the tissues around the seat of corn.

With its bearing surface too wide, the shoe immediately exerts direct
pressure upon the sole with every movement of the animal. The sole normally