Cattle 1853 - Lewis Family Farm

THE SALIVARY GLANJS. 201
sionally even on the outside of the lips. These pustules break, and
minute ulcers succeed, which may run a little into each other ; but
they oftener speedily heal.
This is very harmless. There is sometimes a slight degree of
fevpr, rarely such as interferes with the appetite, but never to indi-
cate danger. The disease, may last ten days, a fortnight, or more ;
but gradually yields to mild doses of physic ; the beast may thrive
the better afterwards for having got rid of something that was op-
pressive to the constitution.
Homoeopathic treatment.—This requires more especially the employment
of aconilum, and of mercuriusvivus. Acidum nitri also is
very effectual, especially in dry inflammation. Carlo vegetahilis is
specific in treating induration succeeding to inflammation : conium.
lycopodium and silicea, are also recommended in this case.
THE SALIVARY GLANDS.
The food, when first gathered, is rolled hastily into a pellet, and
swallowed, without being mingled with much of the moisture of the
mouth ; but the second mastication is another affair—the food is
not only to be thoroughly broken to pieces and ground down, but
brought into that softened and pultaceous state, in which it can be
thoroughly acted upon by the gastric juice, and digestion performed.
The mouth is furnished with various glands, which secrete a limpid
fluid of a somewhat saline taste, and called the saliva, by which the
food is thus softened. These are differently named, according to
their situation.
The parotid gland, or the gland in the neighborhood of the ear,
is the largest and most important of them. It occupies the hollow
which extends from the root of the ear to the angle of the lower jaw.
It consists of a vast number of little glands connected by cellular
tissue, each having its minute duct to convey away the fluid that is
secreted, and these ducts communicating with one another, and join-
ing together to form one main branch, termed the parotid duct,
through which the united stream is conveyed into the mouth.
The following cut will give the reader a sufficient notion of the
situation and connections of this gland, and also of~ the bloodvessels
of the neck, and principal muscles of the upper part of it.
1. The splenitis (spleen-shaped) muscle, occupying almost the
whole of the upper and side part of the neck, and extending from
the parietal ridge, as far down as the fourth and fifth vertebrae of
the back.. It arises by two tendons, one from the atlas, and the
other from the mastoid process of the temporal bone : it is attached
superiorly by tendinous and fleshy fibres to the ligament of the neck,
and inferiorly by fleshy fibres to the transverse processes of the
bones of the neck, and the fore part of the spine. There is one
muscle on each side of the neck. When they act together, they erect
9*