GLOSSITIS. 345 



nearly the highest point of the cavity, and unless the head is 

 inclined to the opposite side, pus must fill the antrum before it 

 will overflow into the nose. 



In incising an abscess beneath the muco -periosteum of the 

 hard palate, the presence of the somewhat large anterior palatine 

 artery, lying in close apposition with the inner border of the 

 alveolar process, should be remembered, as haemorrhage is likely 

 to be troublesome if the vessel is injured. 



The alveolar processes of the maxilla and the mandible may 

 be expanded by cystic or solid new growths. Cysts may be 

 derived from the original epithelial tooth elements, while the 

 common new growth is that of the character of a myeloma. In 

 both there will be a tendency for a considerable thinning of the 

 compact bone, frequently giving rise to a characteristic 

 parchment- like crackling. 



THE TONGUE. 



Wounds of the Tongue. A deep, incised wound of the tongue, 

 caused most commonly by the closure of the teeth upon it, is apt 

 to bleed rather freely, on account of the vascularity of the organ. 

 If the ranine artery be cut across, it will be needful to apply a 

 ligature, but in the majority of cases a stitch inserted deeply 

 into the substance of the tongue by means of a fully curved 

 needle will control the haemorrhage by the pressure of the two 

 surfaces of the wound one upon the other. 



Glossitis. The exposed position of the surface of the tongue 

 and its liability to irritation and injury, either from the passage 

 of food substances over it or from its oft-repeated movements 

 against the teeth, renders superficial inflammation extremely 

 common. 



Dyspeptic ulcers are apt to occur at or near the tip of the 

 tongue, probably from the incessant worrying of this portion of 

 the mucous membrane by contact with the none too clean and 

 often roughened posterior surface of the incisor teeth. 



The ordinary superficial dental ulcer of the tongue is seen more 



