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liquor of the mouth, and prove thereby indirect causes of
decayed teeth. Every degree of uncleanness with respect
to the mouth, is ready to vitiate its juices. Bits of animal
food, and many articles of diet, sticking between the teeth,
and allowed to remain there for any length of time, become
exceedingly offensive and injurious. All decayed teeth, and
decayed and dead stumps of teeth, not only create an offen-
sive state of the breath, but vitiate the saliva, so as to prove
a most active cause of decay in the teeth. Various kinds of
medicines seem to affect the liquor of the mouth, so as to
prove to the teeth a source of disease. Mercurial medicines
given so as to excite salivation, often vitiate the saliva, so as
greatly to injure the teeth. Certain febrile states of the sys-
tem appear to affect the mouth, producing a furred tongue,
and a nauseous taste, may have a bad effect upon the teeth.
Water-brash, improper artificial teeth, often vitiate the saliva
to a great degree, greatly affecting the teeth, and so much
so, that in this way, two or three bad artificial teeth ruin all
the others in the mouth, And, in fine, whatever vitiates the
saliva, whether of constitutional or local origin, tends to pro-
duce external caries of the teeth.
A diseased state of the gums often vitiates the saliva, and
thereby produces superficial caries.

The Second General Cause of External Caries.

We now go on to notice what we have considered as the
second general cause of external caries, or superficial caries,
which was, extraneous or foreign matter adhering to the teeth.
Upon the bodies of the teeth, generally just where the o- Um
begins to cover them, we often notice a peculiar substance
adhering to them, of a consistence
like hardened mortar.
Many persons, upon scaling off pieces of it, consider that