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ble injunctions of the judicious physician to his dyspeptic
patient is, to masticate his food with the utmost care, and
never to swallow solid food, that is, not perfectly masticated.
This becomes a sine qua nm, for, without it, there is hardly
a hope of ever curing the dyspeptic.
The influence, in this
case, is direct and positive
; for if the teeth and gums are in
such a state of disease as to prevent proper mastication of
the food, dyspepsia must and will be occasioned and con-
tinued, from the causes I have before mentioned, and all the
evils resulting from this cause, follow as certainly, and are
I will not
shown as clearly, as any possible demonstration.
detain the reader by any more observations upon the influ-
ence of proper mastication upon digestion, but will refer him
to almost every judicious writer upon dyspepsia.
Secondly,—Dyspepsia may be occasioned by the putrid and
ulcerated matter from diseased teeth and gums mixing with
the aliment and passing to the stomach. Upon this head of
the subject I need hardly make a remark, as it must be self-
evident to every reflecting mind, for no person can doubt
that matter received into the stomach, which is the result of
mortification and diseased animal secretion, must impair the
tone of that organ, and vitiate, more or less, all the fluids of
the system. The carious matter from decayed teeth is in a
state of putrefaction, and the matter from ulcerated gums is
the result of diseased animal secretion. I could mention
many cases of this kind, but will mention but one.

Case.

P. S.—A gentleman residing in Front-street, called on me
in April 1827, with a diseased State of his teeth and gums, at