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ing process, and to fill up the cavity occasioned by that ab-
sorption of substance which always attends the formation of
matter.
When unfortunately the patient is so much under the in-
fluence of fear, that neither acute pain nor protracted suffer-
ing is sufficient to induce submission to the extraction of the
tooth, the inflammation of the jaw-bone is often so great as
to terminate in the mortification of a large portion of its
substance.
The process of exfoliation is necessarily a tedious one, the
patient is in a continual state of uneasiness, and the mouth is
constantly filled with an offensive discharge. As the pro-
cess of separating the dead portion of the jaw from the liv-
ing advances, the gums gradually recede from the alveolar
processes ; at length the dead bone begins to separate, it
gradually becomes loose, and when it is completely separated
from the bony attachment, it may be taken away.
In plate 1, are two specimens of the mortification of por-
tions of the jaw-bone, in consequence of carious teeth.
Fig. 8 represents a portion of the superior maxillary bone,
containing a central and lateral incisor, and the cuspidatus of
the left side ; this case occurred to a gentleman whose lateral
incisor was decayed, he had pain for a day or two, when his
gums and lip became swollen ; in this state, instead of taking
proper advice, he poulticed and fomented his face for several
days in succession ; a considerable quantity of matter form-
ed and discharged itself under the lip ; in this state it con-
tinued for some time ; when he applied to me, I found that
not only the diseased tooth was loose, but also the one on
each side. I extracted the carious tooth, but found the
socket quite rough, arising from the destruction of the peri-
osteum. I told him I expected that the socket of this tooth
would exfoliate : a short time afterwards I saw him again,