Page 288 - My FlipBook

266 THIRD PERIOD—MODERN TIMES

teething maladies and their treatment, he nevertheless treats this subject
with much practical good sense, and does not merely make servile repeti-
tion of w^hat preceding authors have written about it.
In the three following chapters the author speaks of the utility of the
teeth, of the rules to be observed for their preservation, of the modes of
keeping them white, and of strengthening the gums.
From a passage in the fifth chapter we learn that tooth brushes were
then already in use. Fauchard, however, advises the use of small sponges
in their stead. He says: " Those who use brushes of horsehair, or pieces
/ of cloth or of linen for cleaning the teeth, do not reflect that all these
materials are too rough, and that the practice of using them frequently
j
and without discretion often exercises a destructive action upon the
I
teeth. ^ Not without good reason, I advise the abandonment of this usage,
it being preferable, after having had the teeth cleaned by the dentist,
to wash the mouth every morning with tepid water, and to rub the teeth
up and down, inside and outside, with a small, very fine sponge wetted in
water; and it is still better to add to this water a fourth part of aqua vitae
the better to fortify the gums and render the teeth firm."
Instead of a small sponge, says Fauchard, the end of a root of marsh-
mallow or lucern, which has first been subjected to a special preparation,
may be used with benefit for rubbing the teeth. The author gives a
long and minute description of this preparation, which we, however,
omit, because devoid of historical interest.
As, however, the above means are not always sufficient for preserving
the teeth and gums in good condition, it is necessary in many cases, says
Fauchard, to make use of some paste, powder, or mouth wash. The
author mentions a great number of compositions of this kind, giving the
formula for each one—almost always most complicated—and indicating
the peculiar advantages of each of them. We will here quote one of the
formuhe as an example.
"y^ Spirituous water, desiccative, halsaiuic, antiscorbutic, efficacious
against many maladies of the mouth:
" good sarsaparilla, four ounces; aristolochia rotunda, dried rinds
I| —
of bitter organes, of lemons, and pomegranates, ana three ounces; pyre-
thrum, two ounces; cloves, one ounce; mustard seeds, one ounce; wild
rocket seeds, two ounces. Pound well in a mortar and put the whole into
a retort with a long neck. Add thereto half a pound of pulverized
candied sugar and the same quantity of clarified rose honey. Pour in
three pints of good spirit of wine. Cork the retort well and leave all to
digest in a cool place for five or six days. Then heat the retort forty-eight
hours in the water bath over a slow fire, without letting the liquid come

> Pages 73, 74.