River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1896-10-15
THOUGHT HURTS THE TEETH.
Brain Workers Have More Trouble with
Moiars Than Do Laborers.

Moiars Than DO Laborers.
A prominent New York dentist made
the statement the other day, which he
said was backed by the highest scientific
authority, that intellectual pursuits
play havoc with the teeth, and that the
more a man tolls with his brain the
more likely are his teeth to disappear
or become diseased before he reaches
middle life.
The reason why people in this coun-
try have poorer teeth than those of any
other country in the world Is because
they live at the highest possible pitch
of nervous pressure. Savage races
generally have teeth superior to those
of civilized races.
Their are many unusual occupations,
too, that have bad effect on teeth.
Quicksilver miners, bleachers who use
chloride of lime, people employed in
soda factories are some of those who
suffer. But the most harmful trade of
all. not only in it's effect upon the gen.
eral health, but also upon the teeth.
is that of making matches. The phos-
phorus used in their manufacture af-
fects in some way the health of the
teeth of those who handle it.
Artificial teeth are made of all sorts
of strange substances nowadays, but
probably the most curious of all mate
rails used for this purpose Is COM
pressed paper. A dentist in Germany
has been making them in this way for
many years past. False teeth were
never so cheap as they are to-day and at
the same time never so dear. They can
be purchased as low as three dollars per
set, or they may cost as high as $1,000.
There are expensive dentists as well as
expensive doctors, and IL is not an I'M
common thing for $500 to be paid for
new outfit of molars.
When it comes to expensive teeth
or, rather, an expensive tooth-prob-
ably the costliest and most highly
priced in the world is that of the sacred
monkey. 1t is in one of the temples of
Siam, preserved in a gold box. The
value the natives put upon it may be
judged by the fact that they paid 3d.
100000 to Portugal for its ransom when
the fortunes of war placed it in the
possession of that nation. The Cinga-
lese also venerate as sacred monkeys
molar, while the people of Malabar wor-
ship one of the elephants grinders. In
the Tonga islands tooth from sharks
jaw is regarded with great reverence,
and in India the faithful adore tooth
that is said to have once been in active
service in the mouth of Buddha himself.
The first dentist, in fact, must have
lived long before Buddha. At any rate
there were dentists in plenty in Egypt
and Greece 500 years b. c., who used
gold for filling teeth and golden wire
for fixing artificial ones. Gold has
even been discovered in the teeth of
mummies known to be many thousands
of years old.-N. Y. Times.
Eject of open Air Exercise on Longevity.
NJ. Sargent, OF England, has published
some remarkable facts showing the in
fiuence of outdoor occupations and ex-
ercise in lessening the rate of mortal
ity; and that of all indoor occupa-
tions, if long continued. in raising the
rate of mortality among the classes fol-
lowing them. The greater longevity of
persons living in the country appears
to be almost wholly due to the fact that
the greater portion of time is spent
out of doors. Though occasionally ex-
posed to all sorts of inclement weather,
these ruralists attain much greater
average longevity than any class of pro-
fessionaf men, tradesmen. shopkeepers
or mechanics who spend the greater
portion of their days working or sitting
in confined atmosphere. 1t is even
shown by Mr.. Sargent's splendid array
of statistics that the city scavengers
and sewer men, who are daily exposed
to all kinds OF foul odors, are longer
lived than the tradesmen and profess
sional people, owing, no doubt, to the
vital influence of the open air in which
they spend most of their time.-St.
Louis Globe-Democrat.