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REVIEW OF DENTISTRY. 341

period, it will be seen that even in that part of the world prog-
ress is made, notwithstanding the fact that the Government
endeavors to raise every possible obstacle against the opening of
the country to the world.
France now claims protectorate over Madagascar, and with-
out doubt that claim can be made valid at any time.
Several years ago the Norwegian Lutheran Mission, the
Friends' Foreign Mission Association, and the London Mission-
ary Society established a medical school for the purpose of edu-
cating native students for physicians. Every year there are
three to five graduates. Until the present day, however, no white
man has been able to practice medicine among the natives, and
so far, it is still absolutely impossible.
In Antananarivo there are three French, two English and two
Norwegian physicians, and four or five physicians in other parts
of the island, but all are in the service of the French Government,
or the Missions.
Seven or eight years ago a druggist attempted to settle in
Antananarivo, but it proved to be a complete failure.
In the city of Tamatave there are located one druggist, who

also carries on some other business "on the side," and two Cre-
ole physicians.
In Antananarivo one dentist, a Norwegian by birth, has
located, and in Tamatave there is a dentist of Japanese extrac-
tion practicing.
Some time ago there were on the island some English physi-
cians, and one Norwegian, who had a little knowledge of how to
make common rubber plate work, and from those a few natives
learned some. They managed to make a plate, in appearance

good enough, but, as our informant says, "this kind of artificial
denture was hardly apt to be used for any masticating purposes.
From the same source we learn that "the natives do not make
much ado about filling teeth, and they are not in the habit of
cleaning the cavity, before filling it."
Teeth carved out of bone are commonly in use, especially in
the country. A prevalent practice, at least among the higher
classes, and more in the country than in the cities, is to file the
teeth. They take away two to three millimeters at the cutting
edge, and this is considered elegant and beautiful, and still more
so in times gone by.
Any institution where dentistry is taught is, as a matter of
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