Excision of the tongue : the substance of a paper read before the Surgical Section of the International Medical Congress, held in London, 1881 / by Walter Whitehead.

  • Whitehead, Walter, 1840-1913.
Date:
1881
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Excision of the tongue : the substance of a paper read before the Surgical Section of the International Medical Congress, held in London, 1881 / by Walter Whitehead. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The Royal College of Surgeons of England. The original may be consulted at The Royal College of Surgeons of England.

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    side. At the left side of tlie extreme tip of the tongue and on the dorsal surface there was a small growth of a circular form, and about half an inch in diameter. This was slightly raised above the general surface of the tongue, and showed projections resembling fihform papillte, the whole being covered with moist soft whitish scales. The mass was firm, and somewhat rough to the touch, but was not painful. Behind this was a circular sore, one inch in diameter, which reached from the left border of the tongue to a little to the right side of the middle line. It did not, however, extend to the under surface of the tongue. It was moist and bright red in colour, except in its centre, which was occupied by a whitish brown slough. Its surface was granular, and its edges were everted and fungating. The tissue of the tongue near the ulcer was for a httle distance swollen and hard. The inferior surface of the tongue was much swollen, hard, and tender to the touch in the region of the ulcer, but was not ulcerated. The general surface of the tongue from the tip to the level of the posterior margin of the ulcer was covered by whitish scales, that accumulated into a small mass near the posterior part of the ulcer. The tissue on the floor of the mouth was a little swoUen, but did not feel hard. The patient had lost some teeth opposite the sore, but had no carious teeth. The glands beneath the tongue were felt externally to be enlarged but soft, but there was no enlargement of those at the angle of the jaw or in the neck. The patient complained much of pain, which shot up along the left side of the face to the forehead and ear, but never affected the right side. The pain was increased by eating and drinking, especially cold fluids. There was great salivation, especially (the patient said) when he sat up ; he also described the saliva as tasting sweet. The breath was fcetid. On the 8th of March, 1880, I excised, with scissors, the whole of the tongue through the mouth. The arteries were twisted, and a silk ligature was left attached to the mucous membrane in front of the epiglottis. For seven days after the operation the patient was fed entirely by nutritive enematas. The temperature never exceeded ] 00°, and no pain was complained of by the patient.