DISEASES OF THE DIGESTIVE ORGANS. 19 



ble, as when copious secretion of the salivary glands is produced by 

 animals eating irritating plants, such as wild mustard. In cases where 

 saliva is observed to dribble from the mouth that part must be care- 

 fully examined by introducing an instrument like a balling-iron into the 

 mouth, or if such an instrument is not at hand, by grasping the tongue 

 and partially withdrawing it from the mouth while all parts of the 

 mouth are exposed to a good light, so that the presence of any foreign 

 substance may be detected. The cause will sometimes be found to 

 depend on a short piece of wood becoming fixed on the palate, its two 

 ends resting on the upper molar teeth of each side ; or it may depend 

 on a needle, thorn, or splinter of wood becoming imbedded in the tongue. 

 Sometimes a sharp piece of tin or other metal may become partially 

 imbedded in the inner surface of the cheek. Hay occasionally possesses 

 some quality which produces salivation, though only in some animals. 

 Another cause of salivation is cattle which have been rubbed with 

 mercurial ointment (see Mercurial Poisons, p. 69), licking themselves. 

 Such cases, of course, arise from the constitutional action of mercury, 

 and indicate the danger of using such a preparation externally, on 

 account of the common habit which the animals have of licking them- 

 selves. 



Treatment. If salivation depends on the irritation and inflammation 

 set up by the ingestion of acid plants, or forage possessing some pecu- 

 liar stimulating property, a lotion composed of an ounce of powdered 

 alum dissolved in a quart of water should be syringed into the mouth 

 twiee a day. using half a pint of the solution each time. If, however, 

 the salivation depends on the presence of a thorn, splinter of wood, or 

 any other foreign substance imbedded in the cheek or tongue, remove 

 the offending object and wash the mouth occasionally with a weak solu- 

 tion of carbolic acid and tepid water. When salivation is produced by 

 mercurial poisoning or by the foot-and-mouth disease (epizootic aphtha), 

 the treatment appropriate to those general conditions of the system, as 

 well as the local treatment, must be applied. 



IRREGULARITIES OF THE TEETH. 



Irregularities of the teeth ma}' be occasioned by the unequal wearing 

 of some of the teeth or by some of the incisors being broken, which may 

 liapiMHi when cattle are pastured on sandy or gravelly soil. The molar 

 teeth may also show irregular wear from similar causes. Their edges 

 may become sharp, or it may hapien that a molar tooth has been acci- 

 dentally fractured. It may also occur that a supernumerary tooth has 

 developed in an unusual position, and that it interferes with the natu- 

 ral and regular mastication of the food. 



Treatment. The mouth may be examined by grasping the animal's 

 tongue with one hand and partially withdrawing it from the mouth, so 

 as to expose the :ncisor and molar teeth to inspection. When it is 



