Causes; a symptom of other diseases, of the mouth, teeth, throat or
stomach; rank aqueous vegetation, lobelia, pilocarpin, muscaria,
tobacco, mustard, and other acrid vegetables; caustic alkalies, acids,
salts; compounds of mercury, gold, copper, iodine; palsy of lips;
harsh bit; fungi on clover, sainfoin, etc. Symptoms; salivary escape;
frequent deglutition; thirst; disordered digestion, etc. Treatment;
remove cause; astringent washes; sedatives; embrocations to the
glands.
This is often a symptom of some other affection such as aphthous fever,
dumb rabies, epilepsy, stomatitis, pharyngitis, dentition, caries and
other diseases of the teeth, wounds and ulcers of the mouth, gastric
catarrh, etc. In other cases it is due to direct irritants in the food
or medicine, as very rank, aqueous, rapidly grown, spring grass,
lobelia, pilocarpin, muscarin, tobacco, wild mustard, colchicum, pepper,
garlic, ginger, irritant and caustic alkalies, acids and salts, and the
compounds of mercury, gold, copper, or iodine employed locally or
internally. The application of mercurials to the skin is especially
liable to salivate cattle and dogs, partly because of a special
susceptibility to the action of this metal and partly from the tendency
of these animals to lick the medicated surface. Paralysis of the lips
causes a great flow of saliva from the mouth though no more than the
normal amount is secreted. The irritation of a large or harsh bit will
increase the secretion and still more the former habit of attaching to
it small bags of spicy or irritant chemicals. Certain fungi determine
salivation. Mathieu saw profuse salivation in horses, cattle and sheep
fed on clover and sainfoin which had become brown.
_Symptoms_ consist in the profuse flow of saliva, either in long stringy
filaments, or if there is much movement of the jaws, in frothy masses;
frequent deglutition; increased thirst and disordered digestion
(tympany, inappetence, colics, constipation, diarrhœa). In mercurial
salivation there may be loose teeth, swollen, spongy, ulcerated gums,
tympany, rumbling, and the passage of fœtid flatus and soft ill-digested
stools.
_Treatment_ consists in removing the cause, whether this is to be found
in faulty food or drink, diseased teeth or gums, disordered stomach, or
the irritant food medicine or poison ingested. If more is wanted simple
astringent washes like those recommended for stomatitis and a free
access to pure water will often suffice. Tartar emetic or opium has been
known to succeed in obstinate cases. Friction over the parotid or
submaxillary gland with camphorated spirit, tincture of iodine or soap
liniment is sometimes required. In mercurial salivation chlorate of
potash is especially to be commended, and when the bowels have been
unloaded of the agent, iodide of potassium will hasten its elimination
from the tissues and blood.