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HIST0I7Y OF DENTAL SURGERY 69
,.1'j
Th'^ condition, knowledge and education then possessed by the men
who were practicing dentistry as a specialty, is somewhat illustrated in these
words in the introduction \
"Diseases which may arise in consequence of those of the teeth are va-
1
rious, such as abscessed carious bones, etc., many of which, although pro-
ceeding originally from the teeth, are more the part of the surgeon than of
,.the dentist, who will find himself as much at a loss to understand cases as if
the abscess or carious bone were in the leg or any other distant point. All of
the diseases of the teeth which are common to them with the other parts of
the body should be put under the management of the physician or surgeon,
but those which are peculiar to the teeth and their connection, belong prop-
erly to the dentist."
He continues further:
"In order that tiie reader may perfectly understand what follows, it will
be necessary for him previously to consider and comprehend the anatomy
and uses of every part of a tooth. * * * 'Without such previous study
the dentist will often be at a loss to account for many of the diseases and
symptoms mentioned here, and will retain many vulgar errors imbibed by
conversing with ignorant people, or by reading books in which the anatomy
and physiology of the teeth are treated without a sufficient knowledge of
the subject."
In this bonk are chapters devoted to the decay of the teeth arising from
rottenness, the symptoms of inflammation, and the stopping of the teeth.
In the last mentioned chapter Hunter observes that gold and lead were
generally the materials made use of in stopping the teeth— gold lieing less
pliable must be used in leaf: lead being soft in any form as to take on any
shape by a very small force. "Stuffing the hollow teeth witli wax, galbanum,
etc., can be of little service, as these substances cannot be confined, being
soon worn away," he writes. The chapter further considers the decay of the
teeth by denudation: the swelling of the fang: gum boils deeply seated;
abscesses in the jaw and abscesses of the antrum. Hunter recommends the
opening of the antrum l)y perforating the partition between it and the nose,
or by drawing the first or second "grinder" of that side and perforating the
partition between the root of the alveolar process and the antrum. In some
cases, when part of the bone has been destroyed, he suggests that an opening
be made from the inside of the lip where the abscess most probably will be
felt. The drawing of the tooth is to be preferred, he says, because it is most
apt to keep the opening from healing rapidly.
HIST0I7Y OF DENTAL SURGERY 69
,.1'j
Th'^ condition, knowledge and education then possessed by the men
who were practicing dentistry as a specialty, is somewhat illustrated in these
words in the introduction \
"Diseases which may arise in consequence of those of the teeth are va-
1
rious, such as abscessed carious bones, etc., many of which, although pro-
ceeding originally from the teeth, are more the part of the surgeon than of
,.the dentist, who will find himself as much at a loss to understand cases as if
the abscess or carious bone were in the leg or any other distant point. All of
the diseases of the teeth which are common to them with the other parts of
the body should be put under the management of the physician or surgeon,
but those which are peculiar to the teeth and their connection, belong prop-
erly to the dentist."
He continues further:
"In order that tiie reader may perfectly understand what follows, it will
be necessary for him previously to consider and comprehend the anatomy
and uses of every part of a tooth. * * * 'Without such previous study
the dentist will often be at a loss to account for many of the diseases and
symptoms mentioned here, and will retain many vulgar errors imbibed by
conversing with ignorant people, or by reading books in which the anatomy
and physiology of the teeth are treated without a sufficient knowledge of
the subject."
In this bonk are chapters devoted to the decay of the teeth arising from
rottenness, the symptoms of inflammation, and the stopping of the teeth.
In the last mentioned chapter Hunter observes that gold and lead were
generally the materials made use of in stopping the teeth— gold lieing less
pliable must be used in leaf: lead being soft in any form as to take on any
shape by a very small force. "Stuffing the hollow teeth witli wax, galbanum,
etc., can be of little service, as these substances cannot be confined, being
soon worn away," he writes. The chapter further considers the decay of the
teeth by denudation: the swelling of the fang: gum boils deeply seated;
abscesses in the jaw and abscesses of the antrum. Hunter recommends the
opening of the antrum l)y perforating the partition between it and the nose,
or by drawing the first or second "grinder" of that side and perforating the
partition between the root of the alveolar process and the antrum. In some
cases, when part of the bone has been destroyed, he suggests that an opening
be made from the inside of the lip where the abscess most probably will be
felt. The drawing of the tooth is to be preferred, he says, because it is most
apt to keep the opening from healing rapidly.
