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OF THE SCION TOOTH. 233
in most cases be sufficient ; for the two neighbouring Teetli
may be brought together, so as to fill up the space, the others
following in a less degree, as has been already observed upon
irregularities of the Teeth.

OF THE SCION TOOTH.
The Scion Tooth, or that which is to be transplanted
should be a full grown young Tooth ; young because the
principle of life and union is much stronger in such than in
old ones.
It will be scarcely necessary to observe, that the new Teeth
should always be perfectly sound, and taken from a mouth
which has the appearance of that of a person sound and
healthy; not that I believe it possible to transplant an
infection of any kind from the circulating juices ; al-
though we know from experience that it may be done by a
matter secreted from them. The Scion Tooth should be less
than what the Tooth was, the place of which it is to supply.
This cannot at first be known with certainty, but it may in
most cases be nearly ascertained ; and that is by judging
from the sizes of the bodies of the two Teeth ; but as the
fangs do not always bear an exact proportion to the body, it
sometimes happens that this method fails. Also it is not
always in our power to judge after this manner ; for in some
cases the body of the Tooth of the person who is to have one
transplanted, shall be quite destroyed, the fang only remain-
ing : in these cases we must judge from its correspondent
on the opposite side ; but even that tooth is sometimes
destroyed.
It has been supposed, that we run no risk by taking the
Scion Tooth from a young subject ; but this is no security, for
a complete Tooth is of the same size in the young as the old.*

* Vide Natural History, page 146, on the Growth of Teeth.