Stomatitis is an inflammation of the mucous membrane of the mouth. All inflammatory conditions which involve the gums, the inner surfaces of the cheeks, the lips and the tongue are usually included under the general term, "stomatitis." The affections which are thus included are, with few exceptions, confined to the period of infancy and childhood. Adults seldom suffer from these affections except as manifestations of some other morbid condition. The forms of inflammation of the mouth which are most common are stomatitis simplex, stomatitis catarrhalis, stomatitis aphthosa, stomatitis parasitica and stomatitis ulcerosa.
A clinical study of the inflammatory affections of the mucous membranes of the mouth will reveal in certain features a close resemblance to the inflammatory affections as they appear in the skin, while in other points they will present features which are common to inflammatory conditions of the mucous membrane in general. It has frequently been noticed, that