SEPTIC INFLAMMATION OF THE TONGUE. 259 



severe injuries to the tongue may heal. The end of a horse's tongue 

 had almost been cut off about four inches from the tip by a rubber 

 ring ; nevertheless the wound entirely healed, without suturing and 

 without loss by necrosis. 



Treatment consists in carefully cleansing the cavity of the mouth 

 after each meal. The horse is then either muzzled or tied up, to 

 prevent it soiling the .wound by eating. Clean water should always 

 be kept in the stall. Deep wounds, i.e., such as reach nearly half 

 through the tongue, should be sutured. Very strong silk is the best 

 material, and the stitches are inserted deeply and close together, 

 otherwise they are liable to tear out. If in transverse wounds the point 

 of the tongue appears to be necrotic, amputation maybe considered, 

 but unless unmistakable signs of spreading necrosis exist the operation 

 should be deferred, for not infrequently the tip may be preserved, 

 even where the wound extends three quarters through the thickness 

 of the tongue. Profuse bleeding results on division of the lingual 

 artery, but if the horse has been cast for operation the vessel can 

 easily be taken up with forceps and tied. Amputation by galvanic 

 cautery, or elastic ligature obviates this complication. Injury to 

 the frsenum often leads to formation of abscesses, which may require 

 to be opened. Under any circumstances, the parts must be kept 

 scrupulously clean. 



ACUTE INFLAMMATION OF THE TONGUE (GLOSSITIS ACUTA). 



Compared with injuries produced by external agencies, acute 

 inflammatory processes in the tongue are seldom seen ; but specific 

 inflammations, the result of infection, occasionally occur, especially 

 in cattle and horses. Infection is particularly favoured by hard 

 prickly fodder. Cattle and horses usually suffer in consequence 

 from acute glossitis, which often becomes enzootic, and is clearly 

 due to the entrance of pathological micro-organisms. That septic 

 processes and cellular inflammation may extend from the pharynx 

 to the tongue is shown by Fiirstenberg's observations on sheep. 



The tongue swells at some point and becomes hard and 

 painful. The swelling increases, feeding becomes difficult, and sali- 

 vation soon sets in. In cattle, excessive oedema about the pharynx 

 occurs at an early stage, and the lymph glands become swollen. 

 Should an abscess form in a superficial position the pus is usually 

 discharged into the mouth, but deep-seated abscess of the tongue 

 often breaks in the submaxillary space, and in cattle discharges a 

 peculiarly offensive pus. 



