Page 148 - My FlipBook

Usually as decay progresses and becomes deeper this sensi-
bility diminishes, but as the pulp is nearly approached the
pulp becomes sensitive, becomes sensitive to thermal changes,
and so on.
Now you will note that these are all in consequence of
decay; they do not seem to belong to the pathological process
of caries at all. So that we have in this disease caries of the
teeth, a pathological process that stands alone among the
diseases, is not comparable with anything else whatever.
For this reason some have been wont to say that decay of the
teeth is not a pathological process. Well, that would depend
perhaps somewhat on definitions ; if we would define it as we
would define inflammation, for instance, we could not con-
sider it a pathological process of that order, and if we go on
from pathological process to pathological process we will find
that it does not compare with any other. But, gentlemen, it
is a pathological process after all—and brings about very
grave pathological complications.
Now, I want to take this up point by point as we go on
and try to explain each point, going slowly, repeating a good
deal, and holding your attention for some little time to the
process of caries and its causes.

1T,()