THE SALIVARY GLANDS. 201 



sionally even on the outside of the lips. These pustules break, and 

 minute ulcers succeed, which may run a little into each other ; but 

 they oftener speedily heal. 



This is very harmless. There is sometimes a slight degree of 

 fever, rarely such as interferes with the appetite, but never to indi- 

 cate danger. The disease may last ten days, a fortnight, or more ; 

 but gradually yields to mild doses of physic ; the beast may thrive 

 the better afterwards for having got rid of something that was op- 

 pressive to the constitution. 



Homoeopathic treatment. — This requires more especially the em- 

 ployment of aconitum, and of mercurius vivus. Acidum nitri also is 

 very effectual, especially in dry inflammation. Carho vegetahilis is 

 specific in treating induration succeeding to inflammation : conium, 

 lycopodium and silicea, are also recommended in this case. 



THE SALIVARY GLANDS. 



The food, when first gathered, is rolled hastily into a pellet, and 

 swallowed, without being mingled with much of the moisture of the 

 mouth ; but the second mastication is another affair — the food is 

 not only to be thoroughly broken to pieces and ground down, but 

 brought into that softened and pultaceous state, in which it can be 

 thoroughly acted upon by the gastric juice, and digestion performed. 

 The mouth is furnished with various glands, which secrete a limpid 

 fluid of a somewhat saline taste, and called the saliva, by which the 

 food is thus softened. These are differently named, accordino- to 

 their situation. 



The PAROTID GLAND, or the gland in the neighborhood of the ear, 

 is the largest and most important of them. It occupies the hollow 

 which extends from the root of the ear to the angle of the lower jaw. 

 It consists of a vast number of little glands connected by cellular 

 tissue, each having its minute duct to convey away the fluid that is 

 secreted, and these ducts communicating with one another, and join- 

 ing together to form one main branch, termed the parotid duct, 

 through which the united stream is conveyed into the mouth. 



The following cut will give the reader a sufficient notion of the 

 situation and connections of this gland, and also of the bloodvessels 

 of the neck, and principal muscles of the upper part of it. 



1. The splenius (spleen -shaped) muscle, occupying almost the 



whole of the upper and side part of the neck, and extending from 



the parietal ridge, as far down as the fourth and fifth vertebr£e of 



the back. It arises by two tendons, one from the atlas, and the 



other from the mastoid process of the temporal bone : it is attached 



superiorly by tendinous and fleshy fibres to the ligament of the neck, 



and inferiorly by fleshy fibres to the transverse processes of the 



bones of the neck, and the fore part of the spine. There is one 



muscle on each side of the neck. When they act together, they erect 

 9# £,.,/.. 



