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however, the first grinder is often more advanced within the
socket than the cuspidatus, and most commonly appears be-
fore it." Chirurgical writers in general, give us a most curi-
ous jumble, respecting the appearance during dentition ; and
most of the strenuous advocates for cutting and hacking the
gums of children, seem perfectly ignorant of the order in
which the teeth appear. Dr. Underwood says, " The two
front teeth in the lower jaw are usually cut the first, and it
is commonly a few weeks longer, before the corresponding
ones in the upper jaw make their appearance. After which
it is frequently a considerable time before the next under
teeth come out ; but sometimes, though not often, six or
eight are cut in a hasty succession. Children sometimes cut
their teeth irregularly, or cross, as it is called, both by the
teeth appearing first in the upper jaw, and also at a distance,
this is accounted,
instead of being contiguous to each other :
and with some reason, an indication of painful or difficult
dentition." It is unnecessary at present, to enter more fully
into the inaccuracies of these authors, or to say any thing re-
specting their operations, (which are blindly, and I may say,
very often rashly performed, for want of anatomical know-
ledge of these parts,) as I intend to enlarge considerably on
this subject, when I come to treat on dentition.
As ossification does not commence on all the pulps at the
same time, in general those on which it first commenced are
soonest perfect, and of course they appear through the gum
first. I have observed on examining the teeth of a number
of children, that the bodies of the middle incisores of both
jaws were most perfect ; the lateral incisores and the small
grinders next, and the cuspidati and small grinders least per-
fect. In general the teeth begin to appear about the sixth,
seventh, or eight month after birth ; but there are some ex-
ceptions to this rule, owing to the rapid progress of ossifica-