The Head and Neck 95 



tissue or retropharyngeal lymphatic glands, the lymphatics being 

 the highway of migration of the pyogenic bacteria. 



Symptoms and Diagnosis. The symptoms are dysphagia, 

 abundant salivation, cough, retching and fever. The throat is sen- 

 sitive to pressure. Inspection reveals an inflamed, tumefied mucosa. 

 Soon the retropharyngeal lymphatics swell, but it is not often that 

 they suppurate. 



Treatment. Hot fomentations give relief, but unless applied 

 continuously and the throat muffled subsequently, should not be 

 employed. The application of hot salt-bags is preferable. A lini- 

 ment composed of equal parts of ammonia, turpentine, and olive 

 oil is beneficial. Internally vaseline may be administered with ad- 

 vantage. Foreign bodies must, of course, be removed. 



FOREIGN BODIES. 



Any of the bodies which may lodge in the buccal cavity are 

 equally liable to be arrested in their passage through the pharynx. 

 When a dog is excessively hungry, or two or more are fed from 

 the same dish, they sometimes attempt to swallow foodstuffs too 

 large for passage of the pharynx which become retained there 

 by muscular spasm and produce the condition known as choking, 

 which, as a rule, quickly terminates in death. 



Symptoms and Diagnosis. The symptoms of pharyngeal ob- 

 struction are : coughing, dysphagia, dribbling of saliva, and attempts 

 to vomit. Choking is characterized by suffocation. 



Treatment. Forceps may be used to renjove bodies which are 

 not productive of acute symptoms but when boluses of foodstuffs are 

 lodged in the pharynx no time must be wasted in seeking instru- 

 ments, but the finger must be employed in an endeavor to dislodge 

 the body, preferably by retracting it, or by forcing it onward into the 

 esophagus. 



NEOPLASMS. 



Myxoma. This form of tumor dccasionally occurs as a poly- 

 poid outgrowth of the pharyngeal mucosa. Dierix saw one suspended 

 from the pharyngeal wall at the level of the supero-posterior as- 

 pect of the larynx. Moeller mentions the occurrence of one which 

 was two inches in length. During the act of deglutition or even 

 locomotion they are apt to become projected into the esophagus. 



