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EXPOSED PULPS. 267

caped detection; and it is certain that if a compound

is formed, it is not fixed or permanent in its char-
acter, since the arsenic will be carried to different
parts of the system, and its specific influence mani-
fested wherever it goes ; which could not be the case
if it formed a fixed compound. The more probable
theory is, that it destroys vitality by its influence on
nerve tissue producing such a change in its structure
;
as to arrest its function at once; in reference to the

action of this agent upon living tissue, much investi-
gation remains to be made. Animal tissue takes it
up by imbibition; and it is also absorbed by the cir-
culation, and conveyed by it, as already suggested,
throughout the system. Frequently, however, it is
applied to living tissue under conditions that prevent
such absorption. It is often employed in the treat-
ment of carcinoma. In the application of arsenious

acid to the pulps of teeth, for their destruction, seve-
ral circumstances are to be considered; such as the
age of the patient, the constitutional tendency, the
vascularity of the dentine. Where the vascularity is
great, the utmost caution is required. The indiscrimi-
nate use of this agent in the teeth of the young, is
attended with great risk. Some constitutions are
peculiarly susceptible of its influence, experiencing
its effects even in remote parts of the system, after

its application only to the pulp of a tooth. It is