INFLAMMATION OF THE SALIVARY GLANDS. 325 



animal should receive no food, and should be placed by itself in order 

 that the secretion of saliva be not excited by the feeding of its fellows. 

 Small doses of atropine may also be given to check or altogether 

 stop salivary secretion. Further treatment must be based on the 

 general principles of surgery. 



(2.) INFLAMMATION OF THE SALIVARY GLANDS 

 (PAROTITIS). 



The salivary glands at times become the seat of inflammation. 

 The parotid is most frequently affected, the submaxillary and sub- 

 lingual only occasionally. Foreign bodies obtaining access to the 

 glands may produce inflammation. But many cases result from 

 causes not clearly recognised, some of them apparently of an infectious 

 nature. They produce their effects either by irritating the gland 

 ducts directly, or through the blood stream. In men, as in animals, 

 endemic parotitis sometimes shows itself. That in man is clearly 

 of an infectious character, and is vulgarly known as mumps. Animals, 

 and especially dogs, suffer from a similar disease. Not infrequently 

 parotitis appears symptomatically during the course of equine 

 strangles and influenza, and of distemper in dogs, and it has been 

 seen repeatedly in cats. 



The inflammatory condition arises in the parenchyma of the 

 gland. The organ swells, its divisions appear dark red, and their 

 epithelium turbid in small areas. The process soon spreads to the 

 connective tissue which, after a short time, is infiltrated with lymph. 

 Finally pus formation takes place both here and in the alveoli. By 

 confluence of small abscesses greater ones are formed, extensive 

 areas of the gland and its connective tissue become necrotic, and 

 the abscess finally perforates, not infrequently destroying a large 

 piece of skin. Not all abscesses in the parotid region are necessarily 

 due to parotitis ; many are only subparotideal, but perforate by way 

 of the parotid. The abscesses in this region seen in swine and oxen 

 mostly originate in the pharynx. In oxen the foreign body causing 

 the abscess may often be detected by exploring the abscess cavity 

 with the finger. 



Symptoms and course. Acute parotitis, the most frequent 

 disease of this kind, is accompanied by the early appearance of a 

 diffuse swelling in the parotid region. The gland appears hard, 

 hot, and painful ; the head is extended, and inclined towards the 

 sound side. When the swelling is great, dyspnoea and difficulty in 

 swallowing may be present. At times facial paralysis is produced 



