132 DISEASES OF THE MOUTH. 



origin, aiul is due to violent traction on the tongue by herdsmen or 

 othei's when administering draughts of their own composition. This 

 traction causes rupture of the muscle and slight interstitial hemorrhage. 



The symptoms develop somewhat rapidly. Whilst at first the animal 

 shows difficulty in grasping food, it is soon totally incapable of doing so. 

 The tongue loses its mobility, is no longer protruded from the mouth, and 

 swallowing becomes so painful that salivation sets in. On direct exami- 

 nation the tongue is found swollen, thickened, immobile, painful, and 

 occupying the whole of the oral cavity, sometimes projecting beyond the 

 region of the incisors, and preventing the mouth being closed. Inflam- 

 mation may become so intense that the point of the tongue hangs out of 

 the mouth. It becomes blackish, bleeding, swollen, and excoriated by 

 contact with foreign bodies or simj)ly with the row of incisor teeth. 

 The saliva becomes foetid, blood-stained and purulent, and contains large 

 quantities of broken down epithelial cells. It is not uncommon to note 

 more or less extensive necrosis. 



Diagnosis. The diagnosis of this form of glossitis presents no 

 difficulty, for if under certain conditions it may resemble, for example, 

 the glossitis of actinomycosis, it differs essentially from that disease by 

 its rapidity of development, by its complications, and also by the absence 

 of the specific ray fungus. 



Prognosis. The prognosis is grave, not only on account of the 

 possible complications, but also because the animals are unable to feed 

 and therefore lose flesh with very great rapidity. 



Treatment. The first steps in treatment are in the nature of local 

 disinfection, in order to prevent general infection. The mouth therefore 

 should be washed out five or six times per day with boiled water, followed 

 by antiseptic injections until improvement commences. Solutions of 

 boric acid or l)orax (8 per cent.), chlorate of potassium (2 to 3 per cent.), 

 or salicylic acid (3 to 4 per cent.), are useful, but the free employment of 

 1, 2, or 3 per cent, solutions of chloral is even preferable. 



With the idea of protecting the organ from external injury, Lafosse 

 formerly suggested the use of a suspensory bandage for the tongue, fixed 

 to the base of the horns by small bandages. Guittard recommends 

 scarification of the free part, and the application of a support perforated 

 at the bottom to allows the blood, saliva, pus, etc., to escape. In spite of 

 careful attention the disease may last from two to three weeks. 



CHRONIC GLOSSITIS. 



This form of disease has also ))een termed " sclerosing glossitis " and 

 " non-actinomycotic wooden tongue," because it is anatomically charac- 

 terised by induration of the tissues, and because apparently it resembles 



