392 . FISTULOUS PAROTID DUCT. 
Royal Horse Infirmary at Woolwich for strangles. Suppuration 
taking place between the branches of the jaw, his throat was 
lanced in the ordinary mann^, and.in two places, giving issue to 
a very considerable collection of healthy-looking pus. Four days 
afterwards, saliva, mingled with pus, issued from both the open-- 
ings, one of which was opposite to the place where the parotid 
duct crosses the border of the lower jaw; from which circumstance 
it was supposed the duct must have been wounded by the lancet; 
although it was remarked, that the distention was such as, appa¬ 
rently, to have rendered it very improbable. Albeit, the appli¬ 
cation of the actual cautery, followed up by some astringent in¬ 
jections, arrested the salivary emissions; and the animal went 
out of the Infirmary, to grass, at the end of three weeks from his 
admission, discharged, cured.” 
In August following he returned into the Infirmaiy wdth fis¬ 
tulous parotid ducts, but in quite a different situation from the 
punctures originally made by the lancet. The apertures now 
(also two in number) were situated upon the parotid gland itself: 
one, which admitted^ my little finger, opened under the root of the 
ear ; the other opened midway between the angle of the inferior 
maxilla and the transverse process of the atlas. Although there 
was a subcutaneous " sinus running from the upper, it did not 
conduct the probe down to the lower: fluid, however, injected, 
found its way out below. Pus and saliva together ran from the 
upper opening: the lower one discharged pure saliva, which, 
trickling down the neck, kept the hair constantly wet. The 
actual cauteiy was applied to both orifices; into the upper one 
was also injected a weak solution of sulphate of copper, on the 
third day afterwards. At the expiration of the week the iron was. 
again used, the wounds looking healthy, and being nearly closed 
up; and the next day the horse was again sent out to grass. 
In September (three weeks from the date of his second dis¬ 
charge) he was once more brought to the Infirmary for the same 
disorder. There was now but one opening, and that the lower 
one, which, according to the man’s account who brought him, had 
been running” ever since he has been at grass. The issue con¬ 
sisted of both pus and saliva; but the latter was greatly predominant. 
On close examination, it was evident that a principal (if not the 
main) branch of the duct opened opposite the orifice, and poured 
forth all its secretion. What was now to be done ? The cautery 
and astringent injections had failed: the fistulous passage had 
become established. At first, I contemplated the extirpation of 
the gland ; but when I came to consider what difficulties I had 
to overcome, what hazards to encounter, and what time the pro¬ 
cess of subsequent granulation to fill up such a chasm, must ne- 
