as  tlie  passage  over  it  of  food  a  little  too  hot,  or  rather
more  rubbing  than  natural)  suffices  to  produce  an  ex-
coriation, and  the  excoriation  is  more  troublesome
and  much  more  difficult  to  heal  than  if  the  tongue
were  healthy.  On  these  inflamed  tongues  it  is  al-
most rare  not  to  find  a  raw  place  here  and  there,  and
even  when  the  stage  of  actual  inflammation  is  passed,
it  is  easily  lighted  up  afresh,  and  fresh  excoriations
form.
The  treatment  of  excoriations,  when  they  are
merely  due  to  the  usage  of  too  hot  food  over  the
tongue,  and  are,  in  fact,  slight  burns  or  scalds,  is  to
order  a  chlorate  of  potash  wash  or  lozenge  ;  the  raw
place  rapidly  skins  over  and  the  tenderness  vanishes.
When  a  large  area  of  the  tongue  is  the  seat  of  such
excoriations,  and  is,  in  consequence,  very  tender,  it  is
necessary  to  use  chlorate  of  potash  wash  more  fre-
quently, or  to  paint  the  raw  places  frequently  with
borax  and  honey  ;  and  when  these  do  not  relieve,  to
paint  with  a  weak  solution  of  chromic  acid.  By
these  and  similar  soothing  applications  the  soreness
is  speedily  relieved,  and  the  patient  may  be  cured
by  attention  to  diet,  by  refraining  from  strong  drinks
and  tobacco,  and  by  taking  care  not  to  eat  or  drink
very  hot  and  scalding  foods.
The  excoriations  which  occur  on  the  chronically
inflamed  tongues  are  much  more  difficult  to  treat
successfully.  The  same  measures  must  be  adopted,
and,  in  addition,  careful  attention  must  be  paid  to
rough  and  carious  teeth,  and  ill-fitting  plates  of  teeth
must  be  improved.  Even  after  every  care  has  been
bestowed,  it  is  often  extremely  difficult  to  keep  the
surface  of  the  tongue  from  constantly  giving  way.
