INJURIES, ETC., IN THE REGION OF THE MOUTH. 361 



may obtain entrance in a very simple way ; for instance, 

 while a horse is eating barley straw, a bit of the straw may 

 become lodged in the frgenum linguae, and in due course of 

 time set ujd considerable irritation ; in some cases, the 

 frajnum may be lacerated or torn completely through. 



Treatment. — If necessary, the parts may be cleansed with 

 tepid water, after which a solution of potassium chlorate 

 should be used on the wound once or twice daily ; carbolic 

 acid lotion and the ordinary white lotion are both good ap- 

 plications, and may be applied freely, without any danger 

 of bad results, if the lotions are of the ordinary strength. 

 The animal should for a time be fed on soft food. 



EPITHELIOMA. 



Epithelioma is a growth of a fibrous character, and 

 usually of a malignant nature, but occasionally occurs in a 

 benign form ; in the earliest stages of its growth, it is a 

 matter of great difficulty to state definitely whether it 

 is of a malignant or a non-malignant character. The 

 disease is one rarely met with in the lower animals, for 

 the reason probably that they are not addicted to the use 

 of tobacco and other habits of mankind. Extirpation of the 

 growth should be attempted by the use of caustics, one of the 

 best applications being carbolic acid, which has frequently 

 been used with success, after all else had failed. In some 

 cases it becomes necessary to remove the growth with the 

 knife ; the after treatment consists of the use of caustics, 

 strong or weak, as the case may require, and treat other- 

 wise as a common wound : in cases where the disease has 

 been allowed to run its course unchecked for a considerable 

 length of time, and in which the alveolar processes have 

 become involved, the teeth loosened, etc., any treatment 

 that may be adopted is likely to end in failure ; and it 



