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258 THIRD PERIOD-MODERN TIMES
to be preferable to that of the first. To prevent the formation of tartar
on the teeth, he advises assiduous care in keeping the mouth clean, and
recommends, among other things, rubbing the teeth with sage. He dis-
approves having recourse too readily to metal instruments to remove
tartar from the teeth, because, according to him, it favors the production
of dental caries. He holds it dangerous to extract the upper or lower
canines when thev are not loose, as, by reason of the depth of their roots
an iniur\' to the surrounding nerves may be the result, which not only
might cause great pain, but in the case of the upper canines might lead
to inflammation of the eye, and even of the dura mater!
When the caries is incipient, Junker advises rubbing the teeth several
times a day for some time with common salt, in order that this should
penetrate into their structure.'
GuiLLAUME Maquest de LA MoTTE (1655 to 1737), ^ distinguished
French surgeon and the writer of an excellent treatise (Traite complet
de chiriirgie, Paris, 1722), repeats the advice already given by preceding
authors, to which he annexes the highest importance, that is, the opening
in time of abscesses of the gums and ot the palate even before they be
completely matured, in order to prevent the suppurative process from
extending and damaging the bone below. This author relates having
several times arrested serious hemorrhage following on the extraction of
teeth, by applying a little vitriol inside the alveolus, and, on this, graduated
compresses, which the patient pressed on the part with the teeth of the
opposite jaw.-
JoHANN Adolph Goritz, of Regcnsbutg, in one of his writings pub-
lished in 1725, disapproves the too frequent recurrence to extraction ot
the teeth, that is, carrying out the operation when it is not absolutely
necessary. He is also averse to the application of artificial teeth. In
support of his opinion he relates a case in which, a certain time after the
application of an artificial tooth, the natural ones to which it had been
fixed became loose, so that it was necessary to proceed to the fixing of all
three, that is, the artificial tooth and the two neighboring ones, to the firm
teeth be\ond them; these, however, became loosened m their turn, and
it was at last necessary to extract six teeth. The great space thus created
was filled with a prosthetic piece made of hippopotamus tusk; but the
author did not believe much good would come of this either. In fact, he
is of opinion that the natural teeth should be preserved by every possible
means, and that, on the other hand, even in the case of a few being lost,
it is better not to resort to substitutes. In the worst case, should the
dental void cause too great inconvenience by damaging the pronuncia-

' Sprengi-I, op. cir., vol. ii, p. 367; C:ual)t'lli, op. cit. p. 65.
" Sprcnficl, op. cit., vol.
ii, p. :}io.