OBSERVATIONS ON THE STRUCTURE OF THE TONGUE. 277 



only produce great local irritation, but alfo afTed, in a violent 



degree, the general fyftem of the body. This was my own 



opinion, till I met with the following cafe, the circumftances 



of which induced me to fee this organ in a different point of 



view. 



A gentleman by an accident which it is unneceflary to de- Accident of the 



fcribe, had his tongue bitten with great violence. The im- tongue ven^ 



,. rr o^ r 7 • ■ i • much bitten, 



mediate ettecl ot the injury was great local pain ; but it was and rendered in- 



not attended with much fvvelling of the tongue itfelf, nor any f^nfible, 

 other fymptom, except that the point of the tongue en- 

 tirely loft its fenfibility, which deprived it of the power of 

 tafte: whatever fubftance the patient eat was equally in- 

 iipid. This alarmed him very much, and induced him to 

 ftate to me the circumftances of his cafe, and requeft my 

 opinion. I examined the tongue a fortnight after the acci' 

 dent. It had the natural appearance, but the tip was com--, 

 pletely infentible, and was like a piece of board in his mouth, 

 rendering the ad of eating a very unpleafant operation. I 

 faw him three months afterwards, and it was ftill in nearly the 

 fame ftate. 



From this cafe it appears, that the tongue itfelf is not par- 

 ticularly irritable ; but the nerves paffing through its fubftance 

 to fupply the tip, which forms the organ of tafte, are very 

 readily deprived of their natural adion j this probably arifes 

 from their being fofter in texture than nerves in general, and 

 in that refped, refembling thofe belonging to the other or- 

 gans of fenfe. 



There was another circumftanco in this cafe which very without inflam- 



particularly ftruck my attention, viz. that a bruize upon the 'T^^'^" ""^ '/"'** 

 ' ■' ■' • \ r ^'°" '° pi'<j4uce 



nerves of the tongue, fufficient to deprive tliem of the fpaims, 



power of communicating fenfation, was produdive of no in- 

 flammation or irritation in the nervous trunk, fo as to induce 

 fpafms, which too commonly occur from injuries to the nerves 

 belonging to voluntary mufcles. I am therefore led to be- 

 lieve, that the nerves liipplying an organ of fenfe, are not fo 

 liable to fuch efFeds as thofe which belong to the other parts 

 of the body. 



The fraall degree of mifchief which was produced, and the Cafe of fungous 



readinefs with which the nerves had their communication com- "crefcenceof 



^ r r^ 1 .the tongue, 



pletely cut off, were to ine new tads, and encouraged me. 



