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2 26 THE TREATMENT OF TEETH
cleansed thoroughly, or as well as possible ; they
are then flooded with the selected medicament, and
the tooth is temporarily filled. In a few days the
temporary filling is removed, and the canals re-
dressed, until all odour of putrefaction has dis-
appeared. In these cases the use of remedies that
are very persistent in their action is advantageous,
and this property is possessed in a marked degree
by some of the essential oils.
In the Dental Cosmos of April 1889 a very im-
portant table is published, giving the value of various
essential oils, and some other well-known remedies,
as germicides and antiseptics in the treatment of
root canals. These tables, drawn up by Dr.
Black from his own experiments, give great value
to the oils of cassia and cinnamon, 1 in 4000
of the former, and 1 in 2000 of the latter proving
effective. Since that time the writer has made
large use of the oil of cassia in treating septic
roots, with thoroughly satisfactory results. It has
recently been stated that, owing to the increased
demand for oil of cassia, it is not nearly so strong
as it used to be, but it is still the most powerful
germicide amongst the essential oils, being now a
little more powerful than cinnamon.
Dr. Harlan on Essential Oils.—In the Dental
Cosmos, October 1889, a very interesting paper

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