The daily morning journal and courier., 1898-08-16
WHEN DENTIST MEETS MULE.

 Grit and Determination Necessary To
 Overcome Stubbornness and Vicious
 ness.
 Perhaps few are acquainted with the amount of veterinary surgery which is practised upon some of the mules abroad, some hundreds of pounds be- ing expended annually in having veter- mary dentists examine and treat the teeth Of the pithorse, and especially of the much maligned mine mule. Such is the case, however, and it is safe to say that the molars of these beasts of burden receive far more attention than do the teeth of many of the men and boys who are their daily co-workers in the underground caverns. A we'll known veterinary dentist out here, who makes speciality of treating mules teeth, has more patients awaiting their turn for his services than perhaps any dentist in the ''old country" At present he is engaged in treating the teeth of 290 mules used in working the mines upon which I am engaged, which by the bye, is only one of a dozen
 
 his services.
 A vicious, stubborn mule that snaps at it's driver and kicks at tantalizing doorboys, several hundred feet beneath the earth's surface is neither an at- tractive nor a docile patient, so that the occupation of the veterinary den- list is not pleasant; but he has studied the peculiarities and wickedness of his long cared patients, and goes about his work showing neither fear nor favor, no matter how vicious his patient may be. It frequently happens that just as he has finished doctoring the mules teeth at a colliery his patients are so regretful over his near departure that they make frantic efforts to keep a mouthful of his person with them, or, failing in this, they try to leave the imprint of one of their sharp shoes on his anatomy as an everlasting souvenir of their appreciation. 1.-The mules stub borness, however, is more than offset by the dentists grit and determination, and he never passes a patient until he has closely examined it's mouth and treated an teeth that are in need of his attention.
 A few days ago, as my friend the veterinary dentist was completing his work at one of the mines, he turned his attention to a big mule that is exceed ingly vicious and sly, and had just grasped the mules tongue, in order to have better view of the teeth, when the animal suddenly brought his teeth together with snap over the doctor s right hand, cutting the thumb to the bone. The beast was emphatically' re- buked for this ungratefulness, the wounded thumb was dressed, and be- fore the mule was set free it had lost one of its offending molars and several others were filed down considerably My informant asserts that in his entire experience that was the first time he had ever been bitten badly, although his patients frequently have the satis- faction of sinking their teeth into the folds of his heavy clothing.
 l The teeth of most mules, he tells me, like those of human beings, require | some attention although the former dc not often decay, as the food they mas ticate is neither rich nor destructive Beside, nature has endowed mules with a rough tongue that is an excel lent substitute for a toothbrush, and which the beast whisks over and about his teeth after he eats.
 One of Mir. Mules amiable weak nesses is the habit of bolting his food which frequently causes dyspepsia oI other diseases. This bolting of his food IS not caused by a desire to hasten his meal so that he can hurry back to his