STRUCTURAL DISEASES. 



INFLAMMATION OF THE LIPS, CHEILITIS. 



Causes of Cheilitis : Local injuries ; poisoned ; envenomed ; secondary 

 disease. Symptoms : swelling ; salivation ; difficult prehension ; cracks ; 

 blisters ; ulcers ; indurations. Treatment : obviate causes ; astringents ; 

 antiseptics ; derivatives ; gravitation ; for venoms antacid ; antiseptic. 

 Iodine. 



Causes. Blows, pricks, wounds and bruises with bits or twitch, 

 and other nieclianical and chemical irritants, irritant vegetables, 

 bites of leeches or snakes, stings of insects, etc. It may be a 

 skin disease dependent on disorder of some remote organ, or a 

 local engorgement due to a ct>nstitutional state. (See, Urticaria 

 Surfeit, Purpura haeinorrhagica. Variola, Strangles). 



Syinptoiiis. Swelling, stiffness, heat and tenderness of the 

 lips, with or without local abrasion, or incised or punctured wotind. 

 Food may be entirely refused from inability to take it in with the 

 rigid tender lips, and saliva drivels from the mouth because of 

 their imperfect apposition. Cracks, blisters and raw sores or 

 ulcers may or may not supervene. In old standing cases the lips 

 become indurated and comparativel}'^ immobile. 



Treatment. Remove the cause whether irritants in food, or 

 drugs, sharp pointed bodies lodged in the tissues, injuries by bit, 

 twitch or otherwise. Local applications have comparatively little 

 effect, being promptly removed by the tongue, yet a lotion of 

 vinegar and honey ;- of borax lo grains and honey or glycerine 

 I oz. ; — or of alttm in a similar medium will often prove useful. 

 A dose of laxative medicine will favor resolution, and if there is 

 great tumefaction, feeding thick gruels from high manger, and 

 tying to a high rack so as to prevent drooping of the head, will 

 favor recover}'. In snake bites and stings the local application 

 of aqua ammonia and its administration internally (horse and cow 

 I oz., sheep 2 dr. in 20 times its volume of water) should be prac- 

 ticed ; or permanganate of potash may be used. 



When the heat and tenderness subside, leaving much thickening 

 and induration it may tje repeatedly painted with a lotion of one 

 part of tincture of iodine in three parts of gh'cerine. 



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