20 Veterinary Medicine. 



Treatment. Consists in correcting the state of the teeth and 

 ducts and using one of the washes recommended for glossitis. 



Gingivitis. Inflammation of the gums. This is either 

 connected with the eruption of the teeth in young animals and to 

 be corrected by lancing the swollen gums and giving attention to 

 the diet and bowels ; or it is due to scissor-teeth or to the wear of 

 the teeth down to the gums in old horses ; or it is dependent on 

 diseased teeth, or mercurial poisoning, under which subjects it 

 will be more conveniently considered. Barley awns or other irri- 

 tants must be extracted. 



Glossitis, Inflammation of the Tongue. Causes. Mostly 

 the result of violence with bits, ropes, etc., with the teeth, or 

 with the hand in giving medicine ; of scalding food, of acrid 

 plants in the food ; of irritant drugs (ammonia, turpentine, 

 croton, lye, etc.), or of sharp, pointed bodies (needles, pins, 

 thorns, barley and other barbs, etc. ) , which perforate the organ. 

 In exceptional cases leech and snake bites are met with especially 

 in cattle, owing to the tongue being exposed when taking in 

 food. L,ocal infections and those of the specific forms, determine 

 and maintain glossitis. 



Symptoms. Free flow of saliva, difficulty in taking in food or 

 drinking, and red, swollen, tender state of the tongue, which in 

 bad cases hangs from between the lips. The mucous membrane 

 may be white, (from muriatic acid, alkalies, etc.), black, (from 

 oil of vitriol, lunar caustic, etc. ), yellow, (from nitric acid, etc. ), 

 or of other colors according to the nature of the irritant. It 

 may be raised in blisters, may present red, angry sores where the 

 epithelium has dropped off ; may become firm and indurated 

 from excessive exudation ; may swell and fluctuate at a given 

 point from the formation of an abscess ; or may become gan- 

 grenous in part and drop off. Breathing is difficult and noisy 

 from pressure on the soft palate. There is usually little fever 

 and death is rare unless there is general septic infection. 



Treatment will depend on the cause of injury. In all cases 

 seek for foreign bodies imbedded in the organ and remove them. 

 If snake bites are observed use ammonia or potassium perman- 

 ganate locally and generally, or cholesterin as a local application 

 If the irritation has resulted from mineral acids, wash out with 

 calcined magnesia lime water, or bicarbonate of soda or potass. 



