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96 THE MICRO-ORQANISMS OF THE HUMAN MOUTJf.

The Bacteria of Diseased Pulps.
In iIr' mouth wo find certain conditions which are jiresented
by no other })art of the human body, in that a (Hreet way is fur-
nished for parasites through the medium of root-eanals and
diseased tooth-pul}»s into the deejier parts (Fig. 51).
The question arises, Is this way equally passable for all bac-
teria and under all circumstances, or are there only certain kinds
which find a suitable culture-medium
in difi:erent conditions of the pulp, and
Fig. 51.
are thereby enal)led to efi:ect the pas-
sage through it to the apex of the root
or to the periapical tissue ?
As far as I know, nothing has as yet
been ascertained in regard to this point,
and I can here only communicate the
results of my own investigations, which
have, in fact, as yet but begun.
We have reason to suppose that in
the living pulp, for instance in the case
of chronic pulpitis, as w^ell as in all
Cross-section through
THE Lower Jaw with half suppurative inflammations of the pulp,
OF A DECAYED PREMOLAR IN
chiefly bacteria of a pathogenic nature
SITU, showing how germs of in-
fection may pixss from the mouth
m^y obtain a footing, since in such cases
directly into the spongy portion
these find the most suitable nutrient
of the bone.
medium, and that the more harmless
i:)arasites of the human mouth, on the other hand, would prefer
the dead organic matter of the oral caA^ty. It has, moreover,
appeared to me that in cultures from such i)ulps I have not,
as a rule, found the large number of dilferent kinds of l)acteria
which may usually be found in the mouth.
Again, since the access of air, particularly in case of closed
pulp-chambers, is very limited, we w'ould expect to find a pre-
ponderance of anaerobic or of facultative anaerobic bacteria.
In regard to this point, also, experimental evidence is wanting.
In the third place, in case the pulp-chamber has not been
opened, the entire store of nutrient material being soon consumed,
the bacteria may perish from want of nourishment, or even be