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162 FILLING TEETH. —

finger; upon which it is well to have a fine silk or
India-rubber covering to protect the gold from the
perspiration of the hand. There -are other methods
of forming blocks. They may be made square, by
making a great number of folds—fifteen to thirty
and from this, cutting strips as before directed, and
then from these heavy strips cutting off the blocks of
the desired size, which will then be flat or nearly
square. In one respect these blocks are objection-
able : the edges, when they have been cut off, are
rendered dense by the action of the shears, so that
they clo not possess the uniform density or consistence

of the rolled blocks, and it is impossible to adapt
them as perfectly to the walls of the cavity, or to one
another. This objection, however, may be obviated
by cutting off the blocks with a very fine saw.
Another method of forming blocks, first employed
by Dr. Blakesley, is to roll a sheet of No. 5 foil into a
rope, and cut off from it blocks corresponding with
the size of the cavity to be filled. These are liable
to the same objection as those last mentioned, the

shears hardening them, when they are cut off. They
are subject to the additional objection, that the folds
of foil are not as regular as by either of the other
methods. But by proper manipulation, with the gold
prepared in this manner, superior fillings may be
made. Another method of preparing blocks is by