New-York daily tribune., 1858-07-09
ceivs Euployers OF Nsw-York, viii you ~. yield
them th.s jest.-e People OF New York, vii you ros
/ .sk ~ f.. ". Powell.
"How TIE TEETH ARE DESTROYED.


TIE Portsmouth N. H. Journal.
Ire author Mr.. Baker whether doctor dentist, or
divine does not appear, thus commences his essay
"As subject gereraly interesting and imporan. to
" the public, venture 70 offer come views Of my own
"a1d o,hers in recar3 10 the articles that head tL.
" communication.
This subject is indeed important one, in any point
Of view interesting every individual ia every commu-
nifty, when considered simply with reference to the
teeth but if the views entertained by Mr. Baker, as
ret forth in his article are correct is preeminenty So
for he OF Only COL tendstha. hese substances which are
in general use in cookery are mvertal tooth destroy
ers but that they are also equally active IN under
mining the general health nay, that they are both
ac'd p0isCns."
Rut as the ercle in question was evidently written
10 show hOw the teeth destroyed" shall con-
fine my review to the dental branch OF the s1bJsct
leaving the ret TO be settled by the various interested
parties along the liue--cm the baker 10 the under
tsker In reference tier to the "bsIeful effects Of
"ealeratus and Of tartar upon the teeth, and
10 which M. Baker uCbesitaingy ascrlbes their pre-
mature destruction in this country will say thst az
ter having carefully read hls article and examined his
alleoged fscts, have yet 70 see In them the hist
shsdo, of proof in support Of his remarkable theory
Before entering, however, upon any direct eIamins
tion Of this subject it Will appear IN the light OF
focts and science, beg lesve to enter my protest
az ainst the authors mode Of reasoning upon auy SCI
Y
fers to sustain Lis position is the following quotation
from tie popular work Of Mrs. Stowe:
" How comes il that our married lsdies dwindle,
fade ard grow thir-ther roses incineto sharpness
and their elbows TO aDe usriy," &c at certain Pc
rod Of their lives As matter Of merest copJ =cture
che edds, "Hsve not our cloee-hested stove rooms
amount OF hot biscuits hot corr cakes, and other
compounds got up with the aeIid poisons oi ssle-
"rstus, something to do with !"
Now, what assistance this quotation csn afford Mr..
1s-k Hanta
al loss TO determine, and think it will puzzle him
TO ront out any special connection bet Veen angular
elbows "sheIp noees" and decayed teeth unless ne
reverse bis reasoning and make the met t~o conse-
duept upon the last But had this conjecture of Mrs.
Stoves ponted directly to the teeth instead of the
nose it would stll have been con lecture and nothing
else ard entitled to no more weight than any other
conjecture from lady Of though great general intei
gence, yet OF even prCessng to nave 6ny kDOWeuge
of this specific topic.
Questions 20 purely scientific not to be ettled by
hedlcum the opinion, much less by the oopjeeture,
of peTFODe however talented Learned in other mat
tere but who msy be profoundly ignorant Of this spe-
cis department Of scence; and TIE practice, which
quite too common of quOti the opinions of eminent
persons merely because Of their eminence cannot be
too strongly deprecated The world ls ul and running
over with senseess dogmae aud preludlces which o0-
ta ed their footing in this way, and which depend for
the influence which they exert wholly upon their emf
rent origin. The next witness introduced BY MI Bs-
ker spesks directly 70 the point, and is no lsss
gives il as bs positive opnaon that Is cream OF
carbonate of soda and sseIatus which is the csasS
" our young men and women ha'ipg oeTa!ou ' v'otu
VIII this yentemen who s ready with an 0otnton,
inform us hOp these articles ruin teeth-whether by
direct effect upon these organs, acting upon teem
while in the month on their way to the Ss sSsGn sna s OF
upon the teeth through the general system VIII ne
inform us why these two substances, an acid aud an
alka are always used in connection IN COOKING, ana
what ia the result OF this combination
Ii cur friend sas expert in the chemical laboratory
as in the editorial chair, he Will find by mixing IN
proper quantities cream of tartar with either car
Donate of sOda or saeratus, that the result VIII pe
neutral compound, which is as inert, 80 1ar a. the
teeth are concerned as so much chalk. lie will lind
that because the component parts OF compound are
acrd in their nature it by means follows that the
compound is 30 or hst 1t partakes IN the east degree
of the character of either constituent Plaster OF PARIS
for example, is composed Of lime and sulphurc acid
oi of vitroD, and while niether OF ITS elements can De
taken into the mouth or stomach without the most Sc
rOus come oneness the compound 10 wholly inert ana
harmless Ii he extend his examination to the conpo,
son and structure of the teeth Themselves, he VIII
conclude that if these articles iDure the teeth at a,
their bsDeful effects" must be exered directly; f0r
finding as he will that the enamel is made up for all
practical purposes, solely of mineral matter, and has
not the slightest circulation, he will conclude inst ths
portion OF the tooth (which is the surrounding and
shield to all the rest is neither capable of beneht nor
injury through the medium Of the circulation. When
his examination is directed to the bone OF the tooth,
underneath the enamel he will lind that the chances
for reaching ts substance through any vessels with
which q ia structure is endowed not to be materially
enhanced for the circulation of the blood in the bone
tf tooth is slight TO require extraordinary CIR
cumttaIces to prove its exstance. But even cup
posing il possible 10 communicate INTO the suOst 1nce
Of the bone of tooth this baneu elect oi saera
the" &C. go as 70 produce decay, what follows
Where would tie decay be found EvlaeLty on re
inside of the tooth, under the enamel In other "oras,
it would be example Of internal decay thus invov-
ing theory long since discarded by every Intelligent
dentist II he extend his Investigations stu iuIther,
he will find the universal law OF The system to he that
those parts which are the most vascular are the most
liable 20 be effected through the sgency OF the creu
aton end as the bones of the general system are
thousand times more vascular than tooth-bone, the
former CupOn the above theory We would naturally
excect 10 find in the ratio more suhlec, TO dis
esse; whereas for every case OF carous Done e tae
general system we find ten thousand cases OF ca!ous
teeth In short, after ne had investigated the entire
subject SO thoroughly as TO be qdshed to give an
opinion which might be ssfely adopted By the pnohc
generally ne doubtless could and would give sone bet
ter grounds for ii than the orly offered by him,
viz. that the Frerch eat less saeratus than We do,
az the French have better tech ergo, saleratus de-
stroys teeth. Would il not b. equally good logic
to say the French driIk less bad whisky than We do,
and the FeDch have sOunder teeth; ergo bsd whisky
is what destroys our teeth
Mr. Baker also quotes the opinion of several do'tors,
10 the effect that number of s:udents OF Wiihsns.
town were made sick by eatiDg warm biscuits and
puddings 90 filed with saeIatus not only 10 give
"them yellow burnt appearance bu; els TO rem
der them brittle and nsuseous TO the taste. This
wtuess further ssss that after thus living for few
" months q disease broke out, which severe
that many believed il to be ontsgious." Upon this
case 10 commsnt ID necessary, ard why il s lugged
into an article whose aim Is 10 show thst sslera,us ds
stroys teeth shall leave the resder 70 c)p scture.
But Mr.. Baker himself does rot quite satisfied
with the testimony above referred 10, and hence he,
es he informs US, hiss resorted 10 experiment. Now,
this is doing something in the right drecton-far bet
ter than to quote the opinion conjecture o. those
who canrot be supposed 10 have any special knowl-
edge upon this dltlcat subject. He SAYS, II sub