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tant journeys, at a great expense of time and money, for the
benefit of pure air, and
at the same time that he carry the
very cloaca of filth in his own mouth?
If this state of the
breath, caused by bad teeth, so affects the olfactory nerves
of a person near an individual having bad teeth, what must
be
its effects upon the delicate and sensible tissues of the
lungs of the person himself?
Nature has formed the lungs
most delicate and sensible, and susceptible to the slightest in-
jurious impression
; she has also finely tempered the atmos-
phere for
its safe and healthy reception in these delicate or-
gans
; but an accident or disease may render it impure,
unfit for respiration, and cause
it, instead of harmoni-
zing with the lungs in the most perfect manner, and give
to them and the whole system health and strength, to be
a baneful influence, armed with pestilence, and scattering
the seeds of disease over the lungs, and pouring the streams
The
of deadly poison through every vein of the system.
matter thrown off from the teeth in a state of disease and
putrefaction, and also some states of diseased gums, is very
acrid in its nature, as is demonstrated by its vitiating the
saliva so much as to cause it to dissolve and oxidate metals,
even silver, and to tarnish gold : and we have noticed its ef-
fect upon the respired air, that it is present in a great degree
in it, and consequently its acrid qualities are blended with it,
and must render it extremely pernicious to the lungs. We
know that many of our organs have the power of resisting,
for a length of time, in a wonderful manner, the effects of
injurious impressions ; but with the lungs I am disposed to
believe, that even slightly injurious impressions, if continued,
will sooner or later prove to them a cause of disease and
disorganization.
The records of medicine are somewhat barren upon this
subject, but there is not a doubt but the reason of this is,