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Diseases of the Teeth. — — 69
derive their origin from constitutional diseases acting upon the
system at various periods of life, but whatever internal defect
of structure a tooth may derive from original organization,
how much soever it may be predisposed to take a diseased ac-
tion under favorable conditions, still, the tooth never decays till
exteranlly affected by putrescent, or corrosive, or disorganizing
matter, which breaks up its structure." Notes on Broivn a
f
Dentologia. Page 135.
Dr. Fitch, of Philadelphia, who published a large work upon
the teeth, a few years ago, is of opinion, that caries commences
on the outside of the teeth. He observes:
" I can easily conceive of causes acting upon the teeth ex-
ternally, to produce their decay—of constitutional and local
causes, which affect their living powers and organization inter-
nally. But to conceive of a latent cause which acts upon the
substance of the bone of the tooth, without relation eiihcr to
its nerve or blood-vessels, or its lining membrane on the inside,
or to any deleterious influence on the outside, is a stretch of
conception which I can hardly form ; still I will not deny but
that it may be. If so, why are not the fangs as often affected
as the crowns of the teeth 1 The only answer I can make is,
that those who advocate the first idea as a common principle,
have either mistaken themselves in their statements, or they
have mistaken this subject in its true pathology." Fitch on
the Teeth. Page 148.
By all this ambiguity, Dr. Fitch evidently means that he
cannot conceive, how caries can originate internally, from in-
flammation of the bone of the teeth, although he is a stren-
uous advocate for the vascularity and sensibility of the teeth,
and contends that the proximate cause of caries, is inflamma-
tion of their bony strueture, and avers the predisposing causes
of caries.—See Fitch on the Teeth. Page 143 to 160.'
That the fangs are not liable to decay is explained by the
the circumstance of their being protected in their situation, by
their structure and periosteum.
"Numerous causes have been assigned, as the origin of