Causes; fever; vascular vacuity, after bleeding, diarrhœa, etc.;
destruction of glands; Calculus. Symptoms; slow, difficult
mastication; digestive disorder. Treatment; remove mechanical
obstruction; correct constitutional disorder; employ stimulation to
gland—pilocarpin, electricity.
Entire suppression of salivary secretion is usually the result of some
other disease. It may be a manifestation of the general tendency to
retain water in the febrile system, or it may be an indication of
vacuity of the vascular system as after bleeding, profuse diarrhœa,
diuresis, or diaphoresis, or it may be the result of the entire
destruction of a salivary gland or the obstruction of its duct by some
foreign body or calculus. In proportion to the completeness of the
suppression, mastication and deglutition become difficult or impossible.
The condition must be met by the removal of the cause which is operative
in the particular case. The treatment may be surgical for the removal of
obstructions, or medical with the view of overcoming anæmia, fever,
profuse secretions from other emunctories, or the simple physiological
inactivity. To meet the last indication small doses of pilocarpin, or
the application of a gentle current of electricity will usually succeed.