South-eastern Independent. (McConnelsville, Ohio) 1871-1871, 1871-09-15
Our Teeth.

THE charms, omens, signs, panaceas, re-
lating to the teeth, constitute quite q form
liable item in folk lore. In some parts of
Sussex there is a superstition that if you
put on your right stocking right shoe, and
right trowser leg before The left, you will
never have a toothache. To drink out OF
q skull taken from a graveyard; to AXE a
tooth from such q skull, and wear 1t round
the neck; to apply the tooth to your own
living but aching tooth; to put a double
nut into your pocket; to pare your finger
nails and toe nails, and wrap up the par
ings il paper-all are charms against the
toothache. If you catch a mole in a trap,
cut off one of his paws and wear it as a
charm, you will soon see the effect" pro-
vided a right paw be used for a left tooth,
and rice Oersg. When an aching tooth is
extracted, mix it with salt and burn it.
There is at Norfolk a custom of calling
the tootsche the "love pain" for which
the sufferer is not entitled 70 any commits
Grafton; whether he Tor she) fully assents
to this may perhaps be doubted. Many
other items of tooth-lore have no connec-
ton with toothache. For instance: if the
teeth are set wide apart, there will be good
luck and plenty of travelling for the fortu-
nate possessor. When a tooth is drawn,
if you refrain from thrusting your tongue
into the cavity, the new tooth to grow in
its place will be a lucky one. Lady Went
worth, in a letter written in 1713, to her
SOP, Lord STAFFORD, spoke of the efficacy
of wolves teeth set in gold to assist chill
dren in cutting their teeth: "They are
very lucky things: for my twoe first one
did dye, the other bred his very i'll, snd
non of ye rest did for l had one for al
the rest" Bless the good ladyi her gram
mar and her logic are about on a par.
Why do some peoples teeth come out
more rapidly than others? The reasons
for this are probably many. About the
middle of the last century Peter Kahn, a
Swede, visited America and wrote sensibly
about what he saw. He observed a fire.
Quent loss of teeth among settlers from
Europe, especially women. After discuss
ing and rejecting many modes OF explana-
ton, he attributed it to hot tea and other
hot beverages, and came to a general con-
clusion that shot feeders lose their teeth
more readily han cold feeders" MIR. Cat
lin, who some years ago had an interesting
exhibition of Indian scenery, dresses,
weapons, etc, noticed that North Amer
lean Indians have better teeth than the
whites He accounts for the difference in
Ills StIduBC way, ludb TIC ICOS hCCP IuC
mouth shut, whereas the whites keep it
open. The teeth, he says, require mois'
ture to keep their surfaces in good work
ing order; when the mouth is open, the
mucous membrane has a tendency to dry
up, the teeth lose their needed supply of
moisture, and thence comes discoloration,
toothache, tcdoloreuX, decay, 1ooseness
and eventual loss of teeth.
During the days of the resurrectionists
or body-snatchers, when grave yards were
subjected TO pillage for supplying anato-
mists with subjects for dis ection, the teeth
from the dead bodies formed a frequent
article of sale to dentists. Sometimes
graves were opened for the teeth alone, as
being small and easily concealed articles.
Mr.. Cooper, the surgeon, relates an in
stance of q man feigning to look out for a
burial-place for his wife, and thus obtain
ing access to the vault of a meeting house,
the trap-door Of which he unbolted; at
night he let himself down into the vault
and pocketed the front teeth of the whole
of tine buried congregation, by which he
cleared fifty pounds. Mention is made of
a licensed sutler or cantineer during the
Peninsular war, who "drew the teeth Of
those who had fallen in battle, and plum
dered their persons. With the produce of
these adventures he built a hotel at Mar
gate. But his previous occupation being
discovered, his house was avoided, and
disposed of at heavy loss" He afterward
became a dealer in dead mems teeth
Chambers JoUrndL.