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nected, and sometimes in part by the neighbouring tempo-
rary sockets. When the permanent teeth pass into the cavi-
ties which surrounded their membranes, they are always
very irregular and appear as Albinus remarks at the inside
of the temporary teeth, which frequently remain in their sit-
uations. This irregularity however is seldom the case, un-
less where the temporary teeth retain their roots, and resist
the influence of the permanent. In some cases they appear
more internally than the cavities through which the connect-
ing membranes passed. It is worth remarking that when
the temporary teeth fall out, if we examine their bodies, we
find them quite excavated, and the bony part reduced nearly
to its former pulpy state.
Mr. Hunter, in support of his theory, has represented the
wasting of the roots of the temporary teeth, as it were, pro-
ceeding from the point gradually upwards to the neck.*
This, however, is seldom or never the case, for the part first
affected is considerably above the point; how this takes
place will be easily understood by viewing plate ii. fig. 5,
and plate iv. figs. 26, 27, and 28. This circumstance Albi-
nus was fully aware of, and has given drawings to illus-
trate it.f
With respect to the appearance of the permanent teeth,
Dr. H., in a letter he wrote to me at Edinburg, judiciously
remarks, " the time of shedding is very various, happening a
year or two, or three, earlier or later in some than others ;
and in many subjects some of them remaining to adult or
even old age ; and this is so common, that almost every day
I meet with them from one to three or four, or double the
number in the same person. I have seen two instances
where scarcely any of them fell, and such I may affirm must

* Nat. Hist; plate xv. t Acad. Annat. lib. II. Tab 2.