"So the tongue also is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how much wood is kindled by how small a fire!"
—James 3:5
Diseases of the tongue are of interest to a wide variety of medical specialists, and of these the otolaryngologist is particularly concerned. The tongue, being a large, mobile, muscular organ covered with stratified squamous epithelium and having both an oral and a pharyngeal surface, is often inadequately examined. Recognized diseases of the tongue not infrequently are assigned to contiguous organs, such as the larynx, the palatine tonsil, and the mouth. With the exception of malignant lingual disease, there is relatively little attention paid to the tongue, and the paucity of information is particularly evident in regard to diseases of the lingual tonsil. After having encountered a number of cases of chronic, simple hypertrophy of the lingual tonsil, I hope that this report will help to