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being their principal and almost only employment, whilst
their diet, beside a few vegetables and maize, consisted of
the precarious articles afforded by the chase. This state of
society is, and ever has been highly conducive to health, or
at least to the absence of febrile and dispeptic affections.
The succeeding generations of these indians have become
much less active, living upon a much more luxurious diet.
They spend a great deal of their time in perfect indolence,
and more especially indulging in the use of ardent spirits,
which tend to produce disease in their tribes. I have
been more particular in mentioning this instance, as its par-
allel is found with all the American people. Our ancestors
enjoyed far better health than we do. Their diet, as a gen-
eral rule, was much more simple, and with them there was
an absence of nearly all the predisposing and exciting causes
of caries. It is at this time a common observation that
among the mass of the people in this country the teeth were
much better 50 years ago than at present. This was not
the case in Europe, as luxurious habits were formed there
long before the settlement of this country. Fauchard says,
that in his time it was rare to meet those who preserved
their teeth to an advanced age.* On these principles we
understand why, as persons advance in life, and the irrita-
bility of all the organs diminishes, that the teeth likewise
feel the salutary change and are much less liable to become
affected by caries. Mr. Hunter clearly expresses this fact
in his remarkf that " this disease," (caries) " and its conse-
quences seem to be peculiar to youth and middle age ; the
shedding teeth are as subject to it, if not more so, than those
intended to last through life : and we seldom or ever see

*Fauchard's preface, page 7. tSee Hunter, Part II. page 141.