PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS. 47 



from the most simple, even influenza, is liable to dege- 

 nerate into various typhoid forms. A fuller extract from 

 Mr. Fenn's paper I have already given. 



58 The incurable nature of ulceration of the tongue 

 led me to consider whether the poison might not pervade 

 the sanguiniferous system, otherwise why should the 

 removal of the diseased mass by ligature, or thfe knife, 

 prove unsuccessful in eradicating the contaminated tis- 

 sue ? Dr. B 's and Dr. Tod's case of the woman's 



tongue, show satisfactorily that the teeth had nothing to 



do in producing the ulcerated surface. Dr. B 's 



case, and Dr. Tod's case of M. J T 's demon- 

 strate, that neither the knife nor the ligature had any 

 effect in arresting the disease ; and Sir Astley Cooper's 

 views of the inutility of these means in checking the 

 disease in Dr. B 's case, confirm these — the consti- 

 tution of the unfortunate individual having been poi- 

 soned with the ensnaring weed, through his ignorance 

 of the nature of his hallowed luxury. 



59. Representations have been made of the ulcera- 

 tion of the tongue as it occurred in Dr. B 's case 



and also Mr. J T ^'s. I have here to ac- 

 knowledge the handsome liberality of Dr. B , in 



permitting me to copy the interesting case of ^an afi*ec- 

 tionate friend, and the admirable sketches of the dis- 

 eased tongue, made by that talented draughtsman, Mr. 



James Stewart. Dr. B acknowledges that he was 



an excessive smoker himself for years, until he became 

 so nervous, that he could not steady his hand, when he 

 "threw away tobacco forever." Here I may remark, 

 how many narrow escapes of having cancer of th© 



