138 VETERINARY LECTURES 



228. Lower Jaw. — The space between the corner nippers and 

 the first molar teeth in young horses when being broken in to work 

 is frequently injured by the use of a big heavy breaking-bit, par- 

 ticularly when the horse's head is bridled in too tight, and the bones 

 at this part are in many cases so much damaged that pieces flake off 

 — exfoliate — or have to be removed by an operation. The parts so 

 injured must be dressed once a day with antiseptic lotion (par. 1069, 

 No. III.), and the bit should be kept out of the mouth until the parts 

 are healed. The lower jaw is occasionally fractured, and such an 

 injury must be supported by plasters and splints, and the animal 

 fed on thin gruel, hay-tea, and other slops, until union takes place. 

 It is generally six or eight weeks before the animal can masticate 

 solid food. 



229. The Tongue, which in the horse is much broader at. the 

 point or apex than in the cow, has in all animals important functions 

 to perform, being the organ of taste, and also helping the animal to 

 swallow, etc. It is a fine, delicate, muscular organ, well supplied 

 with nerves and extremely sensitive. It is very easily injured 

 through ill-treatment whilst being handled by ignorant people, when 

 it is liable to be torn, become paralyzed, and mortify ; or it may even 

 be pulled out. The entire horse ' Pickpocket,' for instance, had his 

 tongue torn away while being given a ball. This happened on the 

 groom taking hold of the tongue, when the horse reared up and left 

 a large portion of the tongue in the man's hands. On two occasions 

 I have had to cut about 4 inches off the end of the tongue of a horse 

 through its being damaged — one being too much pulled on giving a 

 ball, the other by putting on a twitch. In each case the member 

 was partially paralyzed and hung out of the mouth, and was so much 

 nipped and bitten by the front teeth — incisors — that it became quite 

 black and mortified. It was cut off at the line of demarcation, and 

 did well ; but afterwards, on drinking, both animals plunged their 

 heads up to the eyes in water before they could suck any up. 



230. Glossitis, or inflammation of the tongue, may be due to 

 injuries of various kinds, such as putting a twitch on the tongue — 

 which ought never to be done — or giving strong medicinal agents 



