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109
appearance of the uncut tongues to attract attention. The blades
had the ordinary appearance, there were no superficial erosions
or swelling's either in the deep or superficial parts. The obviously
diseased tongues had probably been rejected before export. The
salivary glands were free from the signs of disease. The salivary
lymphatic glands showed evidence of the presence of actinomycosis.
The tongues were entire organs with large roots, and were
such as are ordinarily sold in open market and known as full cut
tongues. They had not been maimed or mutilated—none of the
usual parts were missing.
Some Argentine tongues received from another borough had
been cut short at the roots, so as to remove the lymphatic glands
and thus, presumably, prevent their examination. These maimed
tongues were excluded from the market.
There was no difference in consistency, colour, or size between
the lymphatic glands affected and those unaffected. Many
lymphatic glands had been cut open before exportation for
purposes of examination, and were found to be healthy.
In the diseased lymphatic glands there was no external indication
of the presence of the disease within. This fact made these
diseased tongues a real danger to the public-—they were very
meaty and juicy, yet withal diseased and affected in such a way
as only to be recognised by experts. The disease was confined
to the lymphatic glands: it had not spread into the surrounding
tissues.
The local incidence of the affection suggests that it was in an
early stage, and it is very possible that there might have been
some point of entry such as a carious tooth, which had been overlooked
in the Argentine. In previous years it was not uncommon
to find the disease in the blades. Latterly, the tongues whose
blades are diseased are rarely seen in Argentine consignments.
The oversea sections and examinations of lymphatic glands in
exported tongues are an innovation, and began towards the end of
1913. The appearance of the lymphatic glands on section varied
—in some the nodules were very few, and ranged in size from a
pin's head to a grain of barley. In others, the nodules were
many, and were arranged in the form of a rosette. Some of the
lymphatic glands were gritty.