420 



SALIVA. 



Ranula.-The disease called ranula, which 

 was long supposed to depend upon the deten- 

 tion of saliva within the salivary duct, owing to 



inflammatory closure of its orifice, and the dis- J? ins u o a ' 



!, , ^H v.0* his observations, that the difference between 



silk moistened in the mouth of a hydrophobic 

 animal. There appears but little doubt that 

 hydrophobia is really a disease produced by 

 a morbid poison circulating in the system ; 

 nor does the long period which occasionally 

 elapses between inoculation and the develop- 

 ment of the disease in any way militate 

 against the correctness of such a view, for we 

 are aware, from the history of other well- 

 recognised morbid poisons, how various the 

 period required for development of action is ; 

 probably bearing some relation to the tempe- 

 rament and general habits of the subject af- 

 fected. 



Dr. Wright believes that there is no che- 

 mical difference (or, rather, none admitting of 

 detection) between healthy saliva and that 



^f wh h {f ca P able 

 drophobia. He has succeeded 

 rabies by mjectmg healthy saliva into th 

 insof ammals ' "* * * 



saliva capable of producing hydrophobia, and 

 the fluid in its normal state, must be regarded 



tendon consequent upon such condition, has 



been lately shown by Dr. Goruss Besanez* 



to depend on the development of an encysted c , 



tumour within the duct. The fluid evacuated rather as one of de S ree than m kinch 



from ranula has been analysed by him, and its 



composition determined as follows : 



Water - 95 '029 



Traces of fat and chloride of 



sodium - 1-062 



Aqueous extractive matter - 0*923 



Albuminate of soda - - 2'986 



Infection. Saliva is said to have produced 

 disease by contact in a variety of ways ; with 

 how much truth appears most uncertain, but 

 the following statements are related as mat- 

 ters of fact : 



Syphilis is said to have been communicated 

 by kissing, and by the morbid saliva adhering 

 drinking cup. Lassius, Wedelius, and 



to a f - 



This analysis shows the contained fluid of Victor Schneider are of that opinion. Phthi- 



ranula to differ entirely from saliva, and places 

 it among the products of morbid secreting 

 sacs. Under the microscope, blood corpuscles 

 and inflammatory exudation corpuscles were 



sis, according to Bernhard Gladbach, has been 

 communicated by means of the saliva; and 

 scurvy, also, according to Rolfincius, Senner- 

 tus, and Michael. Ledelius states that an old 



observed, none of the ordinary characters of woman infected a boy with ague by giving 



saliva appearing. Much curious information 

 has been collected by Dr. Wright with regard 



him bread to eat which she had previously 

 mumbled. Many other equally strange and 



to the morbid conditions of saliva, and the disgusting statements of this kind have been 



production of hydrophobic disease. Among put forth by old writers, which sliow little 



the statements made by various authors are else than the imperfect method of inquiry 



. 1 /_ 1 I ' I i I ./*!* 1_ _ 1 1 * 



the following, -f- 



Hydrophobia. Ambrose Pare agrees with 

 Galen and Dioscorides in the opinion that 

 morbid saliva may produce hydrophobia by 

 contact with the second skin. The disease is 



which satisfied the older investigators, and a 

 lamentable inclination on their part to re- 

 gard coincidences as of necessity bearing the 

 relation of cause and effect. 



The saliva is stated to become coloured 



stated by Ccelius Aurelianus to have been com- occasionally, but the subject requires further 



municated to a sempstress who used her teeth ' TX ml 



to unsew the cloak of a hydrophobic patient. 



Schenckins states hydrophobia to have been 



communicated by a sword which had been used 



some years before for the purpose of destroying 



investigation. Drs. Thomson and Christison 

 have noticed it of a blue colour under the use 

 of lead, and Dr. Wright says that ordinary 

 medicinal doses will produce that effect. The 

 same observer has noticed a deep blue co- 



a rabid dog. Palmarius relates that a peasant loured saliva in purpura and advanced stages 



i i i _ _i ! i .._i_; j i i _ ^l f f i ' ,' . -i_ _i 1 Ul 



rendered his children rabid by kissing them. 

 Magendie and Breschet succeeded in pro- 



of fever, and is of opinion that prussian blue 

 is the cause, but has not yet examined the 



ducing hydrophobia in a dog by inserting the point. Great acridity of saliva has been ob- 



saliva of a rabid man under the skin of the 

 animal. Dr. Herturch found that out of fifty- 

 nine trials, only fourteen animals became 

 affected with real rabies. Mr. Youatt suc- 

 ceeded in causing hydrophobia in a healthy 



served in maniacal patients. Dr. Wright has 

 recorded that such saliva is sometimes so 

 irritating as to be capable of excoriating the 

 hand when applied to it. 



Children's saliva may become so acrid as to 



dog by inserting as a seton-cord a piece of excoriate the nipples of any nurse who may 



Phys. und Patholog. Che- 



ae una ivincrosKopie, vol. ii. . 



t See Dr. Wright's communications to the Lancet, acetic acid from saliva discharged during sali- 



1844. vation, and believes it may also exist in rheu- 



