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234 THIRD PERIOD—MODERN TIMES
therefore, altogether normal. So he did not propose any treatment,
and the lady thenceforth supported her infirmity with resignation.
This most interesting case soon became generally known, and contrib-
uted, without doubt, not a little to attract the attention of medical men
to the anatomical peculiarities which Highmore had pointed out in the
upper maxillary bone, thus causing his name to become inseparably
associated with the maxillary sinus.
It is evident, however, that Highmore never even suspected to what
very important practical applications his description would give rise.
He knew nothing about the diseases of the antrum, and believed that,
even in perfectly normal conditions, this cavity is often filled with liquid;
the idea, therefore, of its being advisable, in certain cases, to extract a
tooth and perforate the alveolus in order to give exit to the liquid con-
tained in the maxillary sinus never occurred to him.
About fifty years went by before a rational treatment for affections of
the antrum was initiated, the merit of which, as we shall see at its time
and place, was due to William Cowper. During that half century
maladies of the maxillary sinus continued to be badly diagnosticated and
badly treated.
Bernardo Valentini. In the year 1686, that is, thirty-five years
after the publication of Highmore's book, Bernardo Valentini, professor
at the University of Giessen, described a case of tumefaction and abscess
in the cheek, treated by him with emollient remedies, and in which,
although according to him caries of the underlying bone did not exist,
the separation of a sufficiently large osseous fragment took place. With-
out doubt the affection of the cheek was derived in this case from some
disease of the antrum; however, it would appear that Valentini did not
in the least perceive any such casual relation, as he makes no allusion
whatever to it.^
Antonio Molinetti, professor at the University of Padua, had, how-
ever, ten years previously, diagnosticated and cured an affection of the
antrum by means of an operation. In his book Dissertationes ana-
tomico-pathologiccE, published at Venice in 1675, Molinetti relates that
in a case of abscess of the maxillary sinus, which caused the patient great
suffering, he performed the operation of trepanning the upper maxillary
bone anteriorly, after incision of the soft parts overlying it. In a certain
way we may, therefore, consider Molinetti as a precursor of William
Cowper.
Having spoken of the very important anatomical fact illustrated by
Highmore, we will now also speak briefly of those authors who, in the
seventeenth century, occupied themselves with the anatomy of the teeth.

' Sprengel, op. cit., p. 297.