saliva (sal-i'vah)

Spittle, spit; an insipid, transparent, somewhat viscid fluid secreted by the salivary glands, and poured into the cavity of the mouth. It contains water, an amylolytic digestive ferment (ptyalin), mucus, and mucous corpuscles, and has a weak alkaline reaction. The s. secreted by the various salivary glands varies in composition, as does also s. from different animals. In man s. begins the conversion of starch into sugar, but its chief use seems to be the aiding of deglutition by moistening the food. chorda s. S. obtained from the submaxillary gland by irritation of the chorda tympani. sympathetic s. S. obtained by stimulation of the sympathetic nerve fibers supplying the glands; it is thicker and more scanty than the chorda saliva. [Lat.]