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THE SE TENTKEN TH CENTURT 243

manner: " 1 his hook, the offspring of Master Cintio d'Aniato, excellent
in the Barber's Art, ought to hiul a place \n the hosoni of l^ternit\'; because
by reason of its having been twice given to the light, it has proved its
worthiness to live forever in the memory of men, gaining for itself, by
its excellence, immortal glory before all such as are practised in the
Art."
The book—which consists of about one hundred and eight\ pages,
and is illustrated by several admirable engravings—contains, among
other things, two pages of verses, written by various authors, viz., by
Cintio d'Amato himself, by Giovan Battista Bergazzano, also a barber,
and by others. The greater part of these verses are in praise of the
two doctors and Martyrs ni Christ, Cosmos and Damianus, special pro-
tectors of the Art and of the author.
The verses of Cintio d'Amato reveal the possession of a literarv and
poetic culture above the ordinary, in spite of his being only a master
barber. As to his book, it may be considered, for the time in which it
was written, as an excellent treatise on so-called minor surgery. The
author expounds, in a few chapters, the anatomical notions relating to
bleeding; speaks at great length of this operation and of ever\thing
concerning it; refers with much detail to all pertaining to the use of leeches,
cupping, scarification, cauteries, issues, blistering, primary treatment of
the wounded, nursing of the sick, etc.; at the end ot the book there is
also a long chapter on the embalming of corpses.
As regards the treatment of the teeth and gums the author dedicates
six chapters thereto, entitled, respectively: "On the relaxation of the
gums" (Chapter XXXVII); "Preparation for strengthening the gums
and making the teeth firm" (Chapter XXXVIII); "On tartar and
spots on the teeth" (Chapter XXXIX); "Another preparation for
whitening and preserving the teeth" (Chapter XL); "Mode of burn-
ing hart's horn, very necessary in preparations for the teeth" (Chapter
XLVII). " 'Water of salt,' which makes the teeth white and is also
good for ulcers of the gums" (Chapter XLIX).
Evidently Cintio d'Amato treats of dental matters only within extremely
restricted limits. He tells us nothing with regard to the treatment of
toothache, nothing about caries, about prosthesis, and, w-hat is still more
remarkable, he does not allude even in passing to the extraction of teeth.
Now, if in a book treating o/^// that which appertains to the diligent barber,
the most important dental subjects are passed over in silence, this shows
that, contrary to the generally diffused opinion of today, the dental art
was not at that time (at least not in Italy) exclusively, or even in great
part, in the hands of the barber. Even at that time there must have
been dental specialists, and the proof of this may be found in d'Amato's
book itself, in the chapter entitled "Necessity and Origin of the Barber's