Page 282 - My FlipBook

254 THE MICRO-ORGANISMS OF THE HUMAN MOUTH.

infectious diseases of the oral cavity itself, and with those that are
called forth by a migration of pathogenic micro-organisms from
the mouth to more remote parts of the body.

TOXIC PROPERTIES OF MIXED HUMAN SALIVA.
The belief that the human saliva may under certain circum-
stances have a poisonous effect upon the animal body is by no
means of recent origin. Habdarrhamus, ^gyptus, Aetius (De
re med. 2. 107), ^lianus, and many others were aware that the
saliva of a person with an empty stomach is fatal to scorpions,
and the celebrated Galen himself saw a scorpion killed by saliva
without the use of magic. Aristotle observed a girl whose
bite was as poisonous as the most fatal snake-bite ; an arrow
dipped in the saliva invariably killed anyone wounded by it
(Strieker). Various other celebrated authorities of olden times
who bear evidence to the poisonous character of the human saliva
will be found in the work of Stricker,^**^ from wiiom the above
notes are taken. In modern and in very recent times the saliva
has been the subject of repeated experiment on the part of both
physiologists and pathologists.
Eberle ^*^ maintained that the saliva of persons excited or en-
raged or suffering pain acquired poisonous properties, which he
accounted for by an increased formation of sulphocyanide of
potassium. Eberle was actually able, as he thought, to detect
an increase in the amount of this salt in his own saliva during
rage or auger.
Senator ^*^ made subcutaneous injections of purulent sputum
in dogs, and saw the animals soon sicken ; they manifested high
temperatures, chills, diarrhoea, etc., and perished without excep-
tion.
"Wright observed that the injection of his own saliva into the
stomach of dogs was invariably followed by sickness and vomit-
ing. Since, however, Wright and others who followed him
smoked tobacco in order to excite the flow of saliva, the toxic
action is in this case to be attributed to the tobacco alone.
When the experiments were repeated without the use of tobacco,
no vomiting occurred.