OBSERVATIONS ON THE S^TRUCTURE OF THE TONGUE. 49 



opium. On the Sth day, the patient had lefs pain than on 



any preceding day, and lefs falivation ; and, on the 9th,' the 



whole dough came away. On the 13th, the tdngue had fo 



much recovered itfelf,^ that there did not appear any lofs of 



fubftance whatever, only a filTure of half an inch in depth, in 



the anterior part of it ; and, as that now feemed to be ex- 



adly in the centre, there was not the fmalleft deformity. 



The preceding cafes, in the view which it is intended to Genefal refultt 

 , , . , r n , ,- 1 1 /• of the preceding 



lake in the prelent Paper, are to be conlidered as lo many ex- cafes at expcri- 



periments, by which the ftrudure of the tongue is in fome ments. 

 refpe^ts afcertained : they enable us to draw the following 

 conclufions. 



The internal ftru6lure of the tongue is lefs irritable than Internal ftruc- 

 almoft any other organized part of the body ; therefore, the ^^^^^g Jas little 

 peculiar fubftance which is interpofed between the fafciculi of irritability, 

 its mufcular fibres, is not in any refped conne6ted with the 

 ijerves which pafs through its fubftance to the organ of tafte, 

 but is merely a foft medium, to admit of great facility of ac- 

 tion in its different parts. 



The nerves of the tongue appear to be more readily com- its nerves eafily 

 prelfed, and deprived of their power of communicating fen- ^^^^ened, 

 Xatiou, than nerves in general ; and any injury done to them 

 41^ not productive of difeafed action in the trunk of the injured 

 nerve. 



. If we compare the effeds of corapreffion upon a portion of Comparatively 

 the tongue, with thofe of a fimilar compreffion upon the hse- ^-^^^ ^^^ •,„ 

 xnorrhoidal veins when they form piles, or thofe of the teflicle follow compref- 

 in cafes of varicofe veins of the fpermatic chord, which not " ^ " °'^" 

 only produce very violent local inflammation, butialfo a con- 

 fiderable degree of fymptomatic fever, it is impoflible nOt to 

 be furprifed that the refults fhould be fo very different ; fince 

 we are led to believe, upon a general principle, that parts are 

 feniible in proportion to their vafcularity, and that all the or- 

 gans of fenfe, when inflamed, are more exquilitely fo than 

 «ny other parts of the body. 



The tongue appears to have a power of throwing off its ItfloughsofF 

 Ploughs in a fhorter time than any other part. Eight or nine ^^^^ ^^ ^* 

 days is the ordinary time of a flough feparating from the com- 

 mon parts : in the bo)''s tongue, it was only five. 



Having ftated the information \ye derive from thefe caf^s, 



lefpe^ding the flruflure, fenfibility, and irritability of the 



Voj,. VII, — January, ISO t. E tongue. 



