The Charlier method of farriery, history of a controversy

Par Christophe DEGUEURCE

Professeur à l’École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort et conservateur du Musée Fragonard, Centre de Recherche en Histoire Européenne Comparée, Université Paris-Est Créteil, École nationale vétérinaire d’Alfort, 7 avenue du général de Gaulle, 94700 Maisons-Alfort cedex, cdegueurce@vet-alfort.fr

Pierre Charlier, veterinarian of a transport company of Paris, presented 1765 a revolutionary method of farriery. His horse shoe was made of an iron hook inlaid into the edge of the wall that limited the wear of the hoof while the sole and frog came into contact with the ground and limited slips. This patented device called into question the principles of the French method of farriery, threatened Parisian workshops owned by veterinarians in sight und thus unleashed a controversy of a rare violence that flourished the following
year.

Bull-soc-fr-hist-med-sci-vet-2014-03

Ref. : Bull.soc.fr.hist.méd.sci.vét., 2014, 14 : 35-47