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mond with whom he was very intimate, and who died at
the age of 140 years thrice changed her teeth. It is also
said by Alexander Benedictus that there was a lady of his
acquaintance, who at the age of fourscore years, had a com-
plete new set of teeth.*
Mentzelius a German Physician assures us that he saw
at Cleves an old man, aged 120 years who two years before
had renewed his double teeth.f He likewise saw, at the
Hague, an Englishman, who renewed a complete row of
teeth at the age of 118 years.
I subjoin a case of this kind from the Dentiste Observa-
teur by Coustois, and which bears every mark of authen-
ticity.
" A Lady aged from 50 to 52 years, had three artificial
J
teeth in the upper jaw for the space of twelve years, and
which I renewed from time to time. Some months after I
had put in the last, she sent for me to show me that these
teeth were neither so good, nor solid as they were accustom-
ed to be. Not being able at once to comprehend why these
teeth were so bad, I cut the wires by which they were at-
tached to the neighbouring teeth. I searched to no purpose
to discover the defects of the artificial piece. I at length
turned my attention to the side of the jaw of this lady : In
examining her gums, I perceived some slight eminences that
inclined me to judge that they were the only obstacles which
opposed the solidity of the artificial teeth. These eminences
which I saw for the first time, made me examine it with
much more attention. I found that two large incisors had
nearly divided the gum my surprise was still greater since
:
" Retrospective Review,
t Traite d'orotalgie par Pierre Auzebi Chirurgioti Dentiste a Lyon, 1771
page 81.
t Le Dentiste Observaleure, pages 198 to 200. Paris, 1775.