98 THE DISEASES OB THE DOG. 



CHAPTER VI.— ON THE DISORDERS OP THE 

 DIGESTIVE APPARATUS. 



The.. Mouth and its appendages. — In carnivora the gape 

 is wide and so .the thin cheeks can, when the jaws are 

 closed, be drawn out to form a pouch, which is used in 

 place of a funnel for reception of liquid medicines. The 

 lips are small and their muscles to an extent rudimentary ; 

 they are everted in some breeds by the long canine teeth, 

 and are more or less papillated on their free margins. 

 The palate is wide opposite the centre of the molar rows, 

 but narrows in front ; it presents imperfect transverse 

 ridges. The tongue is thin and wide, often hangs freely 

 from the mouth vibrating at its edges. It presents a 

 central raphe, and in this is a remarkable fusiform mass 

 apparently of cartilage. The operation of " worming," so 

 frequently practised in days gone by, consisted in the 

 removal of this organ by an incision into the frsenum linguae 

 or else of the fraenum itself. It was practised on young 

 and mischievous puppies " to prevent their going mad." 

 Its immediate effect was to prevent them from tearing 

 carpets, -rugs, and such like, with their teeth because of 

 the soreness of their mouths thus mutilated. On this its 

 reputation was based. It is cruelty, and any performance 

 of this needless operation should be dealt with as such. 

 The true physiological value of this extraordinary organ 

 has not yet been demonstrated. The base of the tongue 

 is wide and has numerous papillas ; the whole of the 

 isthmus faucium is wide and capacious. We must notice 

 the shortness of the pendulous palate as compared with 

 that of the horse and its rudimentary uvula. Also, that 

 the tonsils are well developed, being rounded, elongated 

 from before backwards, and capable of receding into special 



