The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-11

MEXICAN INDIANS DENTISTRY.
Ancient Teeth Discovered with FIJI
ings of Iron and Gold.



From the Mexican Herald.
Mr.. Leopoldo Batres, national curator
OF antiquities, has made an interesting
present to his friend. DR.. Howe, the den
tist
1t consists OF some articles discovered
in one of the tombs of Militia. The artl-
Giles In question are a portion OF skull,
a glass bead. little copper bell just like
those which are at this day tied around
the necks of kittens, and an upper left
bicuspid tooth with a circular inerusta-
ton of pyrftes OF iron in front, all from
the same skeleton.
II is no new fact that some Of the aborig-
inal peoples OF Mexico wore ornaments or
incrustations in their teeth. Lie. Alfredo
Chavoro possesses a front tooth taken
from a tomb at Palenque, in the middle
of which a green stone Is set. Sometimes
the incrustations were of gold and the
incrustations of iron pyrites. when they
were new and the sulphur in them was
fresh, undoubtedly shone like gold.
There Is reason TO suppose that only
the eight front upper teeth were incrust-
ed. at any rate as a rule. for a second
bicuspid given by Mr.. Batres to DR.. Jose
J. Rojo, the young Mexican dentist in
Dr. Howe's office, and also taken from
the Militia tomb Is without any such in
crustations. On the other hand a canine
given by Mr.. Batres to DR.. Rojo has the
incrustation, and also affords evidence
that these adornments were made during
life and not after DEATH The present
condition OF the tooth shows that the in
crustaton had reached the nerve cavity
and destroyed the life Of the tooth, a pro-
cess that argues life in the subject, as
decay of the teeth does not occur after
death, the microbes or organisms which
cause decay dying with the Individual
AS to the object and Significance of
these incrustatons. they are a matter of
conjecture. They may have been affected
by all who could afford them, or they
may have been a distinctive mark of some
rank or caste. What is evident from the
specimen possessed by DR.. Rojo rs that
they must have caused suffering to those
who used them and, therefore. IL il to be
inferred that the fashion or custom which
prescribed them must have had a strong
social or religious sanction.
Another custom revealed by the teeth
found in these prehistoric tombs Is that
of notching the teeth as so to form dove
failing ndentations Each contiguous pair
Of upper front teeth were notched for a
certain distance upward and sideways so
as 10 bear a resemblance to battlements
turned upside down. The lower teeth were
alternately cut off and left of their nat
ural size, so as TO fit in with the notches
above In other words, a lower tooth sit
uated below a cavity above was left Of
its natural size. and the adjoining tooth
was cut off for some distance OF course.
the upper and lower teeth thus treated
would not meet at once, but II Is a fact
well known to dentists that IL an upper
tooth Is cut off the corresponding lower
tooth will gradually grow up 10 II. and
vice versa, If lower tooth Is sawed off
the corresponding upper tooth is sawed
down to 81. Therefore, I'm course OF time
the notched teeth of these prehistoric
Indians fitted into one another exactly
and must have given them a peculiarly
firm grip upon anything they got between
their teeth.
The fragment of skull which DR. Howe
has, as well as the tooth, Is colored red
which must have resulted from their be-
ing dipped in mercury. This was natur-
ally post-mortem operation
The cavity IN the tooth in which the
incrustation Of iron pyrites is inserted Qt
is loose now and easily comes ouD IS per-
fectly circular and symmetrical. 1t ar
CUES good instruments and skillful work
manshlp. The Instruments used were of
tempered copper. the art of producing
which has been lost.
The little bell taken from the tomb and
which Is also one of Or. Howe's valued
possessions. Is green, of course. but n 10
otherwise la perfect preservation. and il
tinkles just as audibly as It did when de-
posted in the tomb thousands of years
ago, by race Of people that has perish
81