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THE EIGHTEENTH CENTIR)' ;j;«

the cocciuclla hi piDutdtd, the cnvdhits frrnigiiirns, the rlirysonirln snngiiino-
lenta, the chrvsoniela popiih, the cantliaris or Sjianish H\ , and others.
Later on, Hirsch also extolled the healing power of another insect, the
cynips rosnnifn. With regard to the mode ot application, Gerbi sa)s
that instead of criishino- and rubbing these insects or their larvae between
the fingers, one can use a piece of wash leather in a similar manner.
It is to be observed, however, that the insects that are found generally
in the ripe wild teasle—or more precisely their larv.e—had alreadv been
used for a long time as a remedy against toothache; indeed, we even find
these means of cure recommended in the natural history of Pliny. In a
book entitled Hisioire d^un voyage aux "ties Malanines fait en 1763 et
1764, bv a certain Dom Pernetty, this author speaks of some remedies
made known to him h\ the Superior of the Franciscan friars of Monte-
video; and amono- others one finds the followino;: "One draws out the
worm that is generalh' found in the head ot the fuller's teasle when this is
ripe. One rolls this worm between the index finger and the thumb, lightly
pressing it until it dies of languor. The one or the other of the two fingers
applied on the aching tooth will have the virtue, for a ^•ear at least, of
making the toothache cease."'
Heinrich Callisen, in an excellent treatise on surger\ - published at
Copenhagen in 1788, writes at sufficient length and with great accuracy
on dental and maxillary diseases. According to this writer, it rarely
suffices to trepan one alveolus for the treatment of the morbid collections
of Highmore's antrum, as the maxillary sinus is very often divided by
partitions into various cells, so that in order to give exit to the pus
contained in each of them, it is necessary to extract several teeth and
trepan their alveoli.'* One ought not, therefore, to give the preference to
this method, unless in the case of the teeth in question being decayed.
But should they all be in a good state, or should a large opening be
necessary because of the nature of the disease in the cavity, it will be better
to follow Lamorier's method, that is, to incise the gum crosswise under
the malar process and then, after scraping away the periosteum, trepan
the bone. Further, in the case of the disease in the maxillar\- sinus
having given rise to tumefaction, softening of the bone, and fluctuation
in the palatine region, it is precisely there that the perforation ought to
be carried out. To prevent the reclosing of the opening before the
cure is completed, the author advises the use of pledgets, small bougies,
a piece of prepared sponge, or even a small tube. According to Callisen,

' Without comment! ^ Principia systcmatis chirurgix hodiernae.
The anatomical fact alluded
•* to by the author, far from presenting itself very often,
as he savs, is of rare occurrence, and cannot be held in account for establishing a general
operative rule.