Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-11-10
Not a New Disease.

To the Editor OF The Evening Star:
DR.. b. w. Richardson, in his book enti-
tied Diseases of Modern Life" starts out
with the statement that there are no new
dis eases. that those that are SO called have
in fact been known since the earliest days
Of medicine, or at all events have always
existed.
L am led to this quotation on seeing In
The Star, and possibly elsewhere, the state
ment that a new and terrible disease of
the teeth had made its appearance and that
people were losing their grinders in a new
and fatal fashion. etc. Now as a matter
of fact what 1 quote from Richardson as
to the non-existence of the new diseases
is just as true Of this so-called new disease
of the teeth. There is nothing new what
ever about it, for it has not only existed
since the establishmen of dentistry as a
profession but the consequences OF IL are
seen in the skeleton mouths of exceedingly
ancient corpses.
The Oldest writer's on dentistry speak of
instances where whole sets of teeth, of
which the greater number were perfectly
sound. dropped out, one after another '''"
by this morbid incrustation OF tartar. One
writer goes on to say that ''cats and dogs.
as we'll as horses and COWS, are more or
less subject to its formation"
John Hunter, the celebrated surgeon, writ
ing about A. d. It's. says: Wasting of
the alveolhr processes begins at
on TO the end OF the root The tooth OF
course becomes extremely loose and at last
drops out"
That the disease is the dread of the den
fist is well known. Much dispute is had as
to its exact cause and it is probable that
none OF us know the cause. The ancient
writers who ascribed II to an incrustation
Of tartar around the teeth have their fol-
laxx haae a..
which this agent is absent to lead to the
conclusion that there must be some other
cause. The trouble has been ascribed to
mercury taken in infancy. to a scrofulous
condition, to half a dozen other causes. But
fear ali these are but vague guesses at
the truth. Meanwhile IL is a fact that at
least among those who have their teeth
regularly cared for by a dentist more teetE
are lost from this cause than from any
other. In the absence of any other clue
II Is well to suspect tartar as the cause
and keep the teeth free from this. How
our ancient makers OF our nomenclature
ever came to call this substance tartar is
hard to say. 1t is thought that they did so
because II resembled somewhat the tar
tar''-cream Of tartar-which is found as an
accretion In old wine barrels. OF course
everybody nowadays knows that il is
precipitation from the saliva, which fluid,
when secreted in the salivary glands, con-
tains lime salts in solution. which salts
when in contact with the air In the mouth
are precipitated. somewhat after the man.
ner that alum is crystallized in the alum
work that ladies are familiar with. This Is
true at least OF the ordinary salivary cal
culus. But dentists recognize another va
rety-sangunary, or serumal calculus
which is found in the space between the
tooth and the gum. In cases where the
gum becomes diseased IL discharges blood
or serum into the slight natural pocket
which is found between the tooth and gum,
and this blood or serum contains lime
salts a slight precipitate is made, which.
hal de Is he Of her
lions. This collection undoubtedly Injuries
the gum and IT is possible may be the cause
of the breaking down of the dental liga-
ment-the ligament that ties the gum 10
the tooth-and that once broken down il
Is not likely to be restored. The thin edge
Of bone surrounding the neck OF the tooth,
known as the alveolar process. becomes ex-
posed. and as ii is the nature of bone every
where when exposed to die. this process
perishes, and the mischief goes on to its
termination--the loss of the tooth. Could
We discover some way by which We could
induce the gum to grow back on to and