PROGRESS OF VETERINARY SCIENCE AND ART. 35 
pellicle, like that on lime water, exposed to the contact of air. 
This precipitate, spoken of above, consists of carbonate of 
lime. The secretion of the parotid contains much carbonic 
acid. The above-mentioned deposit does not occur on the 
saliva of the sublingual and submaxillary glands, which, 
however, differs from that of the parotid by a different degree 
of viscosity. The density of the parotidean saliva does not 
vary much under different circumstances, and its alkalinity 
is constant. This alkalinity may vary in degree ; it depends 
on salts of soda in the sheep and dog, but on a salt of potash 
in man. 
The solid constituents of the saliva are either organic or 
inorganic. The organic are albumen , casein , and ptyalin. 
The inorganic consist in bicarbonate of potash, chloride of 
potassium, carbon and phosphate of lime, and sulphocyanide 
of potassium. These salts do not vary in their proportions 
in the parotidean product from that of the other salivary 
glands. 
An important character of the secretion by the parotids, 
is that it is in relation with certain nerves, and there are 
two nerves that specially influence it, viz., the fifth and the 
seventh. 
The other salivary glands are distinguished like the parotid 
from the peculiar characters of their products, and from the 
nerves presiding over their secretions. 
Submaxi llary Saliva. — It takes an important part in 
connection with the sense of taste. 
It is limpid, less fluid than the secretion of the parotid. 
On cooling, it sometimes becomes of gelatinous consistence, 
but no precipitate of carbonate of lime occurs, or pellicle on 
the surface. 
The alkalinity of the submaxillary saliva is more marked 
even than that of the parotid. Sulphocyanide of potassium 
has not been discovered in it. Its characters are much the 
same in man and animals. The submaxillary glands are 
under the influence of the lingual nerve. There is some 
relation between the gastric secretion and the function of these 
glands. Acids excite salivary secretion in a peculiar manner, 
but chiefly that of the submaxillary, next that of the parotid, 
and lastly of the sublingual glands. In an hour and a 
quarter, during which time the secretion of saliva was excited 
by an acid, 44 cubic centimetres of saliva were secreted by 
the first, 23 by the second, and 5 by the third of the above- 
mentioned glands. 
Bernard here discusses the question as to the nature of 
