On hemiglossitis / by Dyce Duckworth.

Date:
[1883]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: On hemiglossitis / by Dyce Duckworth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

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    the liugual and chorda tympani. The former is the efferent nerve for the irritative imx^^ulse, and the latter the efferent branch, the centre oE the reflex action lying in the brain. I am of opinion that the evidence points to involvement of the fifth and chorda tympani branches, or of the glosso-pharyngeal, rather than to that of the hypoglossal nerve, but the evidence is not clear which would limit the morbid process solely to any one branch. The nervous physiology of the tongue is very complex and difficult. I have availed myself of assistance in unravelling the matter from my friend Professor M'^Kendrick of Glasgow, and a consideration of the following statement, which he has kindly drawn up for me, will show that congestive conditions of one side of the tongue may be set up by influences acting through various channels. 1. In the lingual nerve there are both vaso-constrictor and vaso- dilator fibres. If the nerve be divided, after the junction of the chorda tympani, and irritation be applied, dilatation of vessels will ensue, proving existence of vaso-dilators. Such fibres come horn the chorda; but if the liugual be divided before junction with chorda, and irritated, contraction ensues, showing that there are vaso-constrictor filaments in the lingual itself. 2. There are also vaso-dilators in the glosso-pharyngeal nerve. This is proved by the congestion of the vessels of the posterior third of the tongue, which follows upon irritation of this nerve. 3. Vaso-constrictor filaments exist in the hypoglossal nerve. This is p]'oved by the dilatation of the vessels which follows division of it. Thus it appears that dilatation of vessels may be induced by (a) irritation of chorda tympani branch, (h) of the lingual after junction with the chorda, and (c) of the glosso-pharyngeal nerve. Contraction of the vessels may be induced by irritation of fibres in the hypoglossal nerve. In this case paralysis of vaso- dilator filaments would leave vessels in a state of normal tonus, at all events, not dilated.^ ' Vide Beiiuuiu, A^'ouveaux IsHemcnis do Physiologic Humainc, Paris ] 876, p. 928.