60 DISEASES OF THE HORSE. 
DISEASES OF THE MOUTH. 
LAMPAS. 
Lampas is the name given to a swelling of the mucous membrane 
covering the hard palate and projecting in a more or less prominent 
ridge immediately behind the upper incisors. The hard palate is 
composed of spongy tissue that fills with blood when the horse is 
feeding, which causes the ridges to become prominent, and they then 
help to keep feed from dropping from the mouth. This swelling is 
entirely natural and occurs in every healthy horse. Where.there is 
some irritation in the mouth, as in stomatitis or during teething, the 
prominence of the hard palate may persist, owing to the increased 
blood supply. In such cases the cause of the irritation should be 
sought for and removed. By way of direct treatment, slight scari- 
fication is the most that will be required. Burning the lampas is 
barbarous and injurious, and it should never be tolerated. 
It is a quite common opinion among owners of horses and stable- 
men that lampas is a disease that very. frequently exists. In fact 
whenever a horse fails to eat, and if he does not exhibit very marked 
symptoms of a severe illness, they say at once “he has the lampas.” 
It. is almost impossible to convince them to the contrary; yet it is 
not the case. It may be put down, then, as an affliction of the stable- 
man’s imagination rather than of the horse’s mouth. 
STOMATITIS. 
Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane lining the 
mouth and is produced by irritating medicines, feeds, or other sub- 
stances. The symptoms are swelling of the mouth, which is also hot 
and painful to the touch; there’is a copious discharge of saliva; the 
mucous membrane is reddened, and in some cases vesicles or ulcers 
in the mouth are observed. The treatment is simple, soft feed alone 
often being all that is necessary. A bucket of fresh, cold water 
should be kept constantly in the manger so that the horse may drink 
or rinse his mouth at will. In some instances, it may be advisable 
to use a wash of chlorate of potash, borax, or alum, about one-half 
ounce to a pint of water. Hay, straw, or oats should not be fed 
unless steamed or boiled. A form of contagious stomatitis, charac- 
terized by the formation within the mouth of small vesicles, or blis- 
ters, sometimes occurs. In this disease the horse should be isolated 
from other horses, and his stall, especially the feed box, and his bit 
should be disinfected. 
GLOSSITIS (INFLAMMATION OF THE TONGUE). 
Glossitis, or inflammation of the tongue, is very similar to stoma- 
titis, and mostly exists with it and is due to the same causes. Injuries 
to the tongue may produce this simple inflammation of its covering 
