Ludwig's angina is a serious and potentially life-threatening infection that affects the tissues of the floor of the mouth. It is a type of cellulitis, which is a spreading infection of the skin and subcutaneous tissues. The condition is named after Carl Friedrich Wilhelm Ludwig, a German physician who described the condition in 1836. The infection usually starts with inflammation and infection of the submandibular salivary glands, which are located just below the jawbone but can quickly spread to the surrounding tissues, including the tongue, the floor of the mouth, and the neck. Symptoms of Ludwig's angina can include: severe pain and swelling in the jaw, tongue, and neck difficulty swallowing and speaking drooling fever and chills swollen lymph nodes in the neck difficulty breathing (due to the swelling in the neck) Ludwig's angina is considered a medical emergency, and prompt treatment is essential to prevent potentially life-threatening complications, such as airway ...