Prescott journal. [volume] (Prescott, Wis.) 1861-1871, 1870-03-24

ana had you seen tue young "oW-
an?' .,.. IN
Not yet; no. I made general in
quiries rs to the health of the rest Of the
family, and found there was in this case
no apparent hereditary difficulty. And
finally was shown into the young la
dy's private apartment. By Jove, my
friend, she was beautiful. You shall
see her, by the way, anon. l will intro
duce you. 'a siee
Thank you,' I said. Then she still
lives9' 8
You shall see. Don't anticipate me-
said the doctor, briskly. Ya'
= say, immediately on entering her
beautiful boudoir, 1 saw that she was q
splendid creature, though she occupied
an invalid's chair, and was pale and re-
duced in flesh. There was, however,
an ivory clearness in her complexion, n
ravishing fire in her rich, dark eyes, and
classic beauty in her handsome features
which at sight greatly interested me;
and L said to myself | will earnestly
try to save this poor creature from pre-
mature death.
And as sat down beside her really
my heart beat audibly. confess it,
l took her small, delicately rounded wrist
in my hand, and consulted her pulse
with more than ordinary interest, and
some trepidation, as she looked languid-
ly but pleasantly in nv face, and said.
Doctor, do you think you can aid meg
I've were alone. Sho propounded
this question ms if she would intimate in
tho expression that my predecessor had
tried and failed. And while she thus
smiled | observed that she exhibited two
brilliant rows of pearly teeth. that were
by no means the least attractive feature
in her beautiful and intelligent face. /
found the young lady's pulse was fitful
and feYerish, and questioned her rs to
her symptoms. She informed me that
her trouble, whatever 1t was, seemed to
be q nervous affection. She frequently
experienced spasmodic and acute pains
in the,face and head, and would faint
and fail like an epiIeptic. Then extreme
dullness would succeed. physically and
mentally; she was really discouraged
she said. - se~ 80 E 8 -
with my practice as a physician, I
bad long before united that of dentist;
and | knew well how sensitive and deli
cate were the nervous combinations of
the face, and especially those of the teeth.
l asked the patient many questions, and
finally Intercepted her closely as to the
apparent neuralgia affections she had so
frequently experienced in her head and
jaw. She had no reason to complain of
her teeth; she said they were perfectly
sound.
i examined them, however, with pro-
fessional care, finally. taking from my
coat pocketa small operating dental in
strument I scanned each tooth, and
raped it slightly rs l passed along
As did this, the youthful sonora did
not finch until struck the molar be
yond one of the eye teeth, when to my
CONSERVATION and surprise, she suddenly
sprang up, and, with sharp sigh, fell
over senseless at my feet.
AS you may well conceive. | was al
armed for an instant, but quickly raising
her form upon the divan at the side of
the room, l repeated the rap upon this
tooth, which like the rest, to all outward
appearance perfect; and l found though
respiration lad temporarily ceased, the
effect of this simple jar, upon the tooth
produced result upon the patient like
that Of a galvanic shock alrnost-the
girl starting violently and struggling in
my hands with fearful spasms at each
repeated stroke against the jaw.
Assuming the responsibility of my
profession and position, therefore, and
BELIEVING that the mystery of her illress
was in some way connected with the ia
cial nerves. l quickly resolved to try
an experiment to relieve her at least tenn.
porarily. And taking my forceps from
my dental pocketcase. I applied them to
what 1 deemed the offending tooth, and
instantly removed it from the jaw while
she lay apparently insensible upon the
COUCH
And what was the resultT I asked.
sln a moment she came to conscious
ness, and placing her hand on her FORE
head, she inquired. 'Where am II All
doctor, what have you doneF And then
missing one other teeth, she said,-
What have you, have you donel' And
l briefly replied that 1 thought 1 had
solved the mystery of her Illness
Upon the side of this tooth, which
was perfect there adhered bit Of straw
or what seemed to be diminutive sharp
splinter of hard grained wood perhaps
three. eights Of an inch in length, and
not larger than cambiie needle in CIR
conference, which had been plainly
forced up accidentally, and to her uncon-
sciously months previously, through the
gum, and which penetrated to. the foot
of the tooth, near the connection where
it enters the jaw. And there it had re-
manned to fret and chafe one of the most
delicately sensitive points in the head,
until further forbearance with it was too
much for the sufferers physical strength
Well, did this operation cure herg
Not instantly. But this trivial mat
ter was the really mysterious cause of
her pining illness, evidently; for in ten
days after my first visit she was as calm
as you and l are now, and very soon she
entirely recovered, as her spirits revived