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THE ROMANS 109

the utmost care and attention (especiall)' in aj>es) the l>ones, nuiscles,
heart, bloodvessels, brain, nerves, and every other part of the organism.
His anatomical researches enabled him to correct man\ errors, but as
he had dissected almost exclusiveh" animals and not human corpses, he
himself fell into several errors, especialU' m attributing to man parts which
he does not possess, for example, the intermaxillar\' bone.
Galen justlv observed that the inferior maxilla (resulting, according
to him, from the union of two bones, which, indeed, is embryologically
true) has in man, proportionally to the other bones of the skeleton, a
lesser length than in animals.
He holds that the teeth must be enumerated among the bones, and does
not admit an\- doubt to be raised on this point, as these parts can be
looked upon neither as cartilages, nor as arteries, nor as veins, nor as
nerves, nor as muscles, nor as glands, nor as viscera, nor as fat, nor as
hair—a method of reasoning by elimination which is very specious but
far too weak!
Galen indicates exactly the number of incisor, canine, and molar teeth
(without, however, making an\' distinction between small and large
molars), and speaks of the different functions of these three kinds of
teeth. Not always, he says, are the molars of each jaw five in number
on each side; in some individuals there appear only four; in others six.
The incisors and canines have but one root; the upper molars have gener-
alh' three, but sometimes, though not often, four; the lowers have for the
most part two, rarely three.
Galen is the first author who speaks of the nerves of the teeth. He
sa\s that these organs are furnished with soft, that is sensitive, nerves'
belonging to the third pair.- The teeth, according to him, are furnished
with nerves, both because, as naked bones, they have need of sensibility,
so that the animal may avoid being injured or destroyed by mechanical
or physical agencies, and because the teeth^; together with the tongue
and the other parts of the mouth, are designed for the perception of the
various flavors.^
In regard to odontalgia, Galen made some very important observa-
tions on his own person:
"Once when I was troubled with toothache, I directed my attention to
the seat of the pain, and thus I perceived very clearly, that not only
was the tooth painful but also pulsating, which is analogous to what

^ ^ Galen admits three kinds of nerves: soft or sensitive nerves, originating from tlie brain;
hard or motor nerves, originating from the spinal marrow; medial nerves, motor-sensitive,
originating from the medulla oblongata.
- Galen distinguishes seven pairs of cerebral nerves; his third pair corresponds to the
trigeminus.
' Galeni de usu partium corporis humani, lib. xvi.