Page 51 - My FlipBook

FOURTH LECTURE.

Bacteriology.
December 5, 1900.
This morning I want to begin my regular series of lec-
tures. You understand that what I have done before this has
been of subjects not sufficiently dwelt upon in the book on
technical procedures.
This course will include Bacteriology, the pathology of
caries and an advanced course in operative dentistry.
Bacteriology, when taken in its broadest sense, is a de-
partment of Biology, or a study of the lowest forms of
plants. As a preparation for the study of bacteriology one
should have taken a more -or less extended course in biology.
We cannot take this full course in any ^Hh?ssional school for
lack of time.
^'^^I
Biology includes the^tudy of atU forms of life, or has to
do with the origin, develfc ment, 'Structure, functions and dis-
tribution of animals and plants. Now, it is clear that we can-
not undertake to study all of these in any professional school.
We will eliminate at once all forms of animal life, except as
we may draw upon them for illustration. We must also elim-
inate all of the higher forms of plants, except as we may
draw upon these for illustration. We must also eliminate
most of the forms of the lower orders of plant life for the
reason that we cannot have time to go over all of them, and
confine our study to a few of those lowest orders that par-
ticularly interest us in dentistry—to the pathogenic forms,
or those which produce evil results in the human mouth.
However, in gaining an understanding of these, we must
gain an understanding of the principles of bacteriology
throughout we must understand bacteria in general in order
;
to understand special forms of bacteria. Therefore, in the
theoretical sense, we must go over the whole subject of
bacteriology. In the practical study of species it will not be
so necessary that we go over this entire field ; indeed, I would

37