Lampas in Horses.

Gisborne Times, Volume VI, Issue 232, 9 October 1901, Page 4

Lampas in Horses.

u-XTi'in: r.v av. t. kkxiull.. i M.iU'.V.S. L.'ii’A'. I may :«.•'*! you at the outset, is ! not a di-wase. a ltd that the ope ration of > burning -.-tr. sonic of the bars from the I roof of ;i lmr»cV mouth for a supposed disease - barbarous, cruel, at: 'i useless, and oi:<,i worse than useless. Having made these somewhat bold assertions, you will naturally enough espool me to give my reasons for making statements which may appear contrary to facts. In order to do this the more perfectly, it will be necessary to glance briefly at the anatomy and physiology of the peats involved in what is eoomionlv termed lampas. and in doing so 1 will endeavour to avoid technicalities as much as possible. If you examine the upper jaw of a horse, you will find there are a number oi i semi-circular ridges and grooves running I a toss the roof of the nioulli. The sub- | stance of which these ridges and grooves s composed generally termed t!« • palate, and consists of a guantitv <•! t! io 1: 1. 1 1 a<l mucous mombrance covcrui-; an ela-tic fibrous substance containing a number of netves and blood-vessels. its -hown in flic dissected portion, due large artery running along a narrow groove ui the bone to the palatine artery, wha n s ;oias it- fellow from tile opposite side, lust in the centre oi the roof of the mouth, immediately behind the incisor teeth. This mtery is sometimes severed in lancing the palate, and horses have bled to death from this cause. The artery gives off numerous branches as it passes along, which supply the parts with nourishment. The palatine nerve may be seen running alongside the artery, and distributing its branches in ail directions. These structures are, therefore, vascular, and highly sensitive, and belong to the class of what arc termed erectile tissues, that is. they are capable of becoming distended or raised under certain stimuli. This distension or erection is caused by an overflow of blood to the pan. The semicircular ridgc-s or bars, as they arc commonly called, have all their concave surfaces placed backwards': this is for the purpose of enabling the animal to retain the food in its mouth after it has been gathered m by the lips and teeth ; am thev also perform a similar olhce to the j grooves in a millstone. 11 v the Intern (sideway) motion of the tongue, the four is passed along these grooves until i comes between the teeth to be ground The molar teeth have also grooves am ridges running across them, withou 1 which Ihe animal would be unable t( thoroughly pulverise its food. The ban nearest to" l-he incisor teeth, being higiib sensitive, assist the animal in dis criminating the character of its food. 1 any of you have watched a horse eating t feed containing small stones, or rathe hard and objectionable substances, am noticed how (juiekly he rejects them, yoi will he better able to judge of this faculty

1 must now say a word ol' two on dentition. As you are nil aware, the horse in common with other single-hoofed animals, lias two sets of teeth, one termed temporary, and the other permanent. 1 may. however, tell von that this does not apply to nil the teeth, for the last three molars on either side, above and below, do not make their appearance until most of the others have been replaced, consequently are not sln-d, but remain permanent. At the time of birth tnc foal generally for the two central incisor teeth up, and in a month or so afterwards the next two make their appearance, and the two corner ones soon fallow. At two and u half years obi, or iheivabouts, the two central ones are shed, and the permanent ones spring up in their places. At three and a half, the next two are replaced, and at four and a half the corner ones. Puling tlie time that the temporal.,' teeth are be ing cast, and the permanent ones making their appearance, and often for a considerable time afterwards, the gums and palate are swollen and tender, sometimes to such an extent to interfere with mastication. This swelling of the gums and palate is consequent upon, and necessary to, dentition. The young teeth receive their nourishment and the material for their growth entirely from liio blood ; therefore the determination of ft larger amount of blood to the parts increases the rapidity of their growth, and enables them sooner to push the temporary ones out of their way. This condition, which lias been termed lainpas from time immemorial—why, 1 cannot say —lias been supposed to be a disease requiring special treatment, but is, in reality, a wise provision of Nature to hasten the fulfilment of the painful process of teething, which would otherwise bo tardy, and cause pain and inconvenience for a longer period. Now, you arc all aware that the period of teething in children is a very critical one, and generally causes fever, nervousness, etc., and sometimes tits, convulsions, and deatl). This being so, I would like to ask if there is anything wonderful in supposing that sonic of the. disorders of young horses are attributable to a similar cause'. 1 f have no hesitation in saving that it is my opinion that in many of the cases when young horses refuse their food, lose condition, and appear altogether out of sorts, it arises more frequently from the general febrile symptoms set up by teething than from any impediment to mastication from flic swollen state of the palate, although the latter condition may be present to a considerable extent. But assuming, on the other hand, that the refusing to cat. loss of condition, etc., are due entirely to the swelling and soreness of the gums and palate, do you not think that cut ting the large molar teeth would j be likely to cause more pain and inconvenience than the incisors do'.’

Why, then, burn the liars from the incisors ami leave the molars to themselves ? I think L hoar some of you saying, “ Oh, that's all very well; but how about lamnas in aged horses that have dene teething ” That a swollen condition of the palate does sometimes occur in aged horses I am (pule willing to admit, and it is not surprising that it should be so, when we remem'ber what I have already said about the erectile and sensitive character of the palate. When the teeth get worn short the palate is more easily bruised and injured, but the swelling arising from this is seldom so great or painful as that from teething, and docs not often cause much inconvenience. Lampas, then, is not strictly speaking, a disease ; it is only a sign that the palate is irritated from some of the beforementioned causes. Some of you may say, are the parts not inflamed? and is not inflammation disease ?

Lampas can scarcely be considered an inflammatory condition, It is merely an overflow of blood to the parts, causing them to become swollen and sensitive. If it were active inflammation it would probably result in suppuration, ulceration, or slouching. Hut we never see any of these results, except in cases which have been subjected to the barbarous practice of burning which cannot be too severely condemned. This operation consists of burning, cutting, and tearing one, two, or sometimes tlucc of the bars from the palate, immediately behind the incisor teeth, by means of a red-hot iron, with a sharp edge, turned up like a scraper. If there were no pain inflicted by the operation, and no harm done by removing some of the bars, there could he no possible benefit from it. But let me tell you that, in removing the bars in ibis fashion you not only inflict, most cruel torture, but remove what nature has endowed the horse with for a very wise purpose, as has already been pointed out. If you have been able to follow mo in this description of the nature and causes of lampas, I trust you will be able to form a clearer conception of what it is, and how needless and unjustifiable it is to burn out the bars, for it not only interferes with dentition by depriving the teeth of their support and nourishment, and makes tbs horse* look prematurely old, but inflicts unnecessary pain, and lays the foundation for disease. Look at a horse's mouth that has been burned for lampas, and you will find, in nine cases out of ten. that the hollow caused by removing the bars is filled with sand, dirt, and portions of food in a state of decomposition. causing ulceration of the guuis, and disease of the teeth.

The custom of burning for lampas has long since dictl out among professional men (1 never knew one to perform it), and I trust, if any of you are called upon by owners of horses to perform it, you will think of the suffering and injury it inflicts upon a poor, dumb brute, without any corresponding benefit, and wiselydc-

tenuine neither to do it or countenance anyone wiio docs, and X am sure you will feel in your heart you have done right, and be the better man for it. The only treatment required is to scarify tile palate tnd give the animal a few doses of laxative medicine and cooling diet.