The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-11-13
MEXICAN INDIAN DENTISTRY.
Teeth Cut Bear-Trap Fashion and Plugged
Literally with Iron.

From he Mexican Herald.
Mr.. Leopoldo Bstres. National Curator OF
Antiquities. has made an interesting present
to his friend. DR.. Howe. the dentist.
1t consists Of some articles discovered in
one OF the tombs of Militia. The articles In
question are q portion OF q skull. a glass bead.
q little copper bell. Just like those which are
at this day tied around the necks OF kittens.
and an upper left bicuspid tooth with q cir
cular incrustation Of pyrites Of iron In front.
all from the same skeleton.
1t is no now fact that some OF the aboriginal
peoples Of Mexico wore ornaments or inorus-
20 ssossed q front tooth, taken from a tomb az
stone is set. Sometimes the incrustatlons
were OF gold, and the in.rustations OF Iron py-
them w was fr tafy S Msio asS hpe sh Sns 'aa IKE Sol n
eight front upper teeth were incrusted, at any
Mr.. B9tres to pr. Jose, j. Rojo. the young Mex
t tsIa dentist eTaS thu h pGTi ,la h0 tSSb Gii "a Mjjtb Snd also also
such incrustation. On the other hand. a ca
pine. given by Mr.. Batres to DR.. Roio. has the
ipcrustation. and also affords EVIDENCE that
these were made during life and
not after death. The present condition Of the
tooth shows that the incrustation had reached
tooth. q process that argues life in the subject,
as decay 9OH 81 the seetn does not occur alter death:
dying with the individual.
As to the object and Significance Of these
organisations. they are q matter Of conjecture;
They may have been affected by all who could
tive mark of some rank or caste. What Is
evident from the specimen possessed by DR..
Rojo Is that they must have caused suffering
to those who used them. and. therefore. 1t is
to be inferred that tho fashion or custom
which prescribed them must have had a strong
Another custom revealed by the teeth found
In these prehistoric tombs Is that Of notching
the teeth so as to form dove-taiing indenta-
tons. Each contiguous pair of upper front
teeth were notched for a certain distance up
ward and sideways. SO az to bear a resemblance
to battlements turned upside down, The lower
natural size. SO as to fit In with the notches
above. In other words, \ lower tooth situated
size. and the adjoining tooth was cut of for
some distance. OF course, the upper and lower
teeth thus treated would not meet at once. but
upper tooth ia cut off. the corresponding lower
tooth will, gradually grow UP to II. and. vice
versa; II & lower tooth is wv of, the CORE
Therefore. in course of time. the notched teeth
OF these prehistoric Indians fitted into one an
enliarly, firm grip upon anything they got be-
tween their teeth.
The fragment OF skull which DR.. Howe has,
as we'll as the tooth. IL colored red. which must
have resulted from their being dipped In mer-
curry. This was naturally q post-mortem OPP
The cavity in the tooth In which the incrus-
alton OF Iron pyrites is inserted III is loose now
skfffai T61hml II 1bFEues1 FSod ib iast5a%epts n sad
were OF tempered copper. the art Of producing
which has been lost.
This little bel! taken from the tomb. and
sions, 10 green. of course, but 1t is otherwise in
perfect preservation. and 1t tinkles Just as au-
thousands Of years ago. by a race Of people that
has perlshed.