16 
DISEASES OF THE TONGUE. 
(C) CHRONIC INFLAMMATION AND NEW GROWTHS IN THE 
TONGUE (MAKROGLOSSIA). 
Under the names of tuberculosis of the tongue, degeneration of the 
tongue, wooden tongue, and chronic inflammation of the tongue, many 
different conditions have been described, which have a certain similarity, 
inasmuch as in all the tongue gradually becomes larger and thicker, and 
eating and breathing are rendered difficult. 
The nature of these processes until lately was doubtful. Numerous 
foci being found in the lungs, they were described as tubercular. In 1875 
Siedamgrotzky, in view of their pathological and anatomical appear¬ 
ances, suggested that they were due to the entrance of some irritant. 
More recently they have been carefully investigated and it is clear 
that several diseases have been confounded. Micro-organisms such as 
actinomyces, botliryomyces, and tubercle bacilli have frequently been 
found, and less often psorospermia. The latter, however, cannot always 
be viewed as pathological, inasmuch as they are sometimes found m 
perfectly healthy parts of the tongue. At times no cause whatever can 
be assigned for the chronic inflammatory process by which the fibrous 
tissue of the tongue increases at the expense of the muscles. Probably 
malignant new growths occur, but owing to the want of proper investi¬ 
gations nothing certain can be said on this head. Tumours, at any rate, 
are much less common in animals than in men, in whom carcinoma 
and syphilis furnish a large number of tongue diseases. The ox is the 
most frequent sufferer, and in it disease is generally due to actinomyces 
or bothryomyces. Pflug has urged, however, that chronic indurating 
glossitis does not always result from actinomycotic infection, but may be 
due to hyperplasia of the muscular connective tissue. Imminger has 
found only 4 to 8 per cent, of these tongue diseases to be due to 
actinomycosis. Probably bothryomyces and staphylococci are some¬ 
times the cause. Truelsen and many others have detected actinomyces 
in the horse’s tongue. Compared with actinomycosis, tuberculosis of the 
tongue in oxen is comparatively rare. 
(a) glossitis chronica interstitialis fibrosa. 
This disease, first described by Truelsen as occurring in the ox, con¬ 
sists essentially in simple hyperplasia of the interstitial connective 
tissue of the tongue. The tongue feels hard and craunches under the 
knife. The cut surface is smooth and greyish white. The muscular 
substance has almost disappeared. Imminger describes two forms, viz.: 
(1) Disease of the tip of the tongue in young, and (2) Disease of the base 
of the tongue in old animals. 
The cause is hitherto unknown. 
