St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1888-08-25
DECAY OF THE TEETH,
An Interesting Paper on the Germ Theory
of Dental Carries.

dental carries has been veXed cues
ton, and has attracted much attention
!. and study, but till late years with few
valuable results. To DR.. W. D. Miller
of Berlin, Germany, an American, be
longs the credit of solving the problem
and OF giving to the profession theory
OF dental carries, so well founded OF
carefully-devised experiments and
study that it is hardly questioned a
the present day. In brief, it is that i
is the work of bacteria and their fer
ment powers.
10 understand the germ theory {
few general remarks on bacteria
(fungi) seems necessary, and we com.
mence with them. Bacteria are the
smallest of known organized beings
and throughout the borderland divid
ing animals from plants, they are now
generally recognized as vegetables
They vary in size from 100000 tc
1-125 of an inch. The smallest car
not be measured. They are unicel.
lular plants-that is to say, plants
composed of one cell. They multiply
in both ways-by division and by the
: formation of germs. In the former
case the cell first elongates. Then,
when it has doubled its length, it sep
arates into two parts, each being in
all respects like the parent cell, and
this method of growth goes on con-
tinually.' In the formation of spores,
the contents of cell, instead of divid-
ing, contracts on itself, forming a
spor or seed. Generally but one spor
is thus formed, but at times from four
to six may be thus developed. The
spors are analogous to seeds in the
higher plants. Their most pronounced
characteristic being their great vital
ity, they resist greater extremes OF
temperature and stronger acids and
alkalis than the bacteria themselves,
and in all ways are more difficult to
destroy. AS animals have waste prod
ucts so have plants and they are no
more peculiarly of the one than of
the other. Among the waste products
of plant life ;may be named the woody
fiber, the leaves that drop in the fall,
the alkaloids, like strychnia, gummy
exudations, resins, etc. 1t is mooted
question if the waste products of
pathogenic bacteria are not the prime
causes of the diseases they create.
Koch, the distinguished pathologist
and bacteriologist of Berlin, lays down
four postulates to be observed in de-
termining whether given micro
organism is the cause Cd a given dis
ease:
1. The fungi must be found in the
blood, lymph, or in the dead body OF
the animal affected.
2. The fungi SO found must be iso-
lated and cultivated outside the animal
body and through successive genera
tions.
8. A pure cultivation thus obtained
must, when introduced into the body
of healthy animal, produce the dis
ease in question.
4. In the inoculated animal, the
same micro-organism must again be
found.
These laws were intended by Koch
to apply to pathogenic bacteria, which
are parasitic in their nature-that is,
live on, or in, living animals; but they
are just as valuable in referring to
saprogenic bacteria-those that live on
dead animal or plant material-to
which latter class the bacteria of dental
carries decay belong. DR.. Miller asks
no favors, and wants the same rigid
laws to apply to his theory. /
Before taking up his study, DR.. Mil
Ter was well aware of the fermenting
powers of the pytaline of the saliva,
an unorganized ferment, and also that
,he mouth was a rare garden for the
growth and propagation of bacteria;
out as a temperature of 81 deg. Cent.
destroys pytaline and did not bacteria,
ind as weak solution of carbolic
lcid or stronger one of ether de-
troys bacteria, he soon found that the
lcid producing ferment in the mouth
vas capable of reproducing itself
vas an organized ferment-a species
II bacteria 1t was also known that the
ubules in carious teeth were filled with
cro-organisms. DR. Miller obtained
'ure cultures of the bacteria from the
nouth and from the deeper portions of
ecayed teeth, and in tubes containing
hese cultures, mixed with ferment-
BILE material (sugar) placed several
ieces of sound teeth. These, after
rom two to three or four weeks, were
ound to be softened, and microscopic
Examination showed the same physical
as natural caries-the ,
istended tubules filled with micro
rganisns. Artificial carries had thus
cen produced, and Koch's demands
ere satisfied. {
Carries decay of teeth) means that
lie teeth are destroyed by an acid pro- ,
aced in the mouth by the ferment s
overs of bacteria, sugar and starch
eing Indirect, but powerful factors in I
le work of destruction. To dentist I
i'd patient the theory emphasizes
10 necessity of cleanliness. The 3
'ush, the pick and the floss silk must |
} constantly used, especially on retir-
e at night. 'Antiseptics are valuable T
but that is all.-George S.