186 Diseases of the Digestive System. 
be fed on fluid rations, as Fibrine biscuits bruised and 
soaked in hot water or milk, and given when cool, 
Paralysis of the Tongue is not common, but it 
occurs now and again in bulldogs and spaniels, hanging 
loosely and useless from one side of the mouth ina dry 
and often discoloured condition. In most cases the 
ascertained cause is nervous disorder. It is congenital 
in some animals, and therefore incurable. 
Treatment comprises the use of nerve tonics, as 
strychnine. Purchasers of valuable dogs should be on 
the alert for this deformity, as unscrupulous dealers 
practise the surgical art of amputating the portion visible 
on the outer side of the teeth. 
Ptyalism, or Zxcessive flow of Saliva, arises in the dog 
from the incautious use of mercurial ointment as a 
remedy for the mange, also when the mineral has been 
too frequently or too largely administered internally, 
when such Symptoms as the following are present: Dis- 
coloration or perhaps looseness of the teeth, sore and 
swollen gums, and in long-standing cases disease of the 
bones. Saliva drivels from the mouth, and when the 
jaws are separated the flow is largely increased. The 
animal is dull, highly sensitive to cold, and the body 
generally is cold, especially the ears and legs. A close 
examination is essential in order to decide accurately, as’ 
ptyalism arises from other causes, as defective teeth and 
disease of the mouth, &c. (See Mercurial Poisoning.) 
The Lips are liable to invasion by warty growths, 
which sometimes affect the outer cheek, as well as 
internally, together with the tongue and palate. Increase 
in size, and their possible recurrence, may prove highly 
inconvenient and troublesome, besides being a serious 
disfigurement. The most effective treatment is that of 
constant excision by suitable sharp scissors or the knife, 
the parts being afterwards touched with lunar caustic. 
Inflammation of the Pharynx or Pharyngitis 
always accompanies Laryngitis (which see), one of the 
common results being permanent thickening or ulcera- 
tion of the lining membrane, the disease having assumed 
a chronic character. Free dressings with nitrate of 
