The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1908-07-19
BUCK TEETH FOR BEAUTY
AFACIAL DECORATION ESTEEMED
BY BETEL CHEWER8.

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Very Hard to Acquire, Needing Constant
Care to Keep, Always I'm the way and
Black as Coal. This Artificial Deformity
Suits Savage Ideas of Ornamenes
For several years workers having to deaf
with an~thropological material presented
In various European museums. particularly
IN Germany, have been puzzled by q peoas
liar deformity observed in a few skulls OF
which some were without definite identi6ca~
ton and others bore the simple label Of the
Admiralty Islands. These islands are o.
small group Of tiny islets. merely discovered
and scarcely more known at all about thems;
for they are 90 poor as to offer scant pickingfs
to the adventurous trader of the South Sea
and they are wide from the ordinary channels
Of trade. They lie north Of German New
Guinea. and for purposes Of ownership arc
attached to the German colony Of the Bis
marck Archipelago. the moro important
part OF which colony consists Of those large
islands to which Dampier, their ~discoverer,l
gave the name OF New Britain, and later dis
o~overies making 1t clear that his New Britain
was really three large islands instead Of ones
the anne Of New Ireland and New Hanover
were added. When the archipelago passed
into German ownership these original
names. which had been on the. charts for
nearly two centuries. were promptly altered
to the names Of German provinces and to-
the whole group was applied the name OF
the Iron Chancellor. 4
The few musefm skulls which had come
from the outlying Admiralty Islands Of
this group we're uniformly characterized
by o mystifyfng reformation which set
before the students O problem that was by
no means easy Of solution. The front
teeth Of the upper Jaw were Of about the
size Of the upper Joint Of q mans thumb,
they protruded strongly outward. and
though the lines Of separation we're marked
IL seemed that all these teeth had grown
together into q single body. ~
Az first 1t was decided that this tooth
reformation was natural. hypertrophy
or hyperplasia Of the dentine such az had
nowhere else been observed among mem
or animals. therefore all the moro interest,"
ing to all students of morphology. But
by any means a deformity Of the teeth
themselves, but rather an enormous growth
Of tartar. The evidences of care In the
polish which bad been put upon the sur
particular the attempt to mark upon the,
tartar the dividing lines between. each
tooth and It's fellow, these showed that,
the deformity was really intended as an
ornament. But hoy such a deposit oould!
be produced, o Rny man carrying such
q slab Of friable material on his incisors
could eat. was q matter quite impossible
to comprehend.
All this dih1oulty has lately been cleared
up by DR.. Thilenius Of Breslau. He is the
first scientific observer who has visited
the Admiralty Islands, and quite naturally
he devoted particular attention to this
puzzling macrodontia.
His observations 60 to show that this deco
~aNt.n 1u,.X4-o g.. ~natrtntAl 20 Tho saIanIA
Of Taui, Agomes or the Hermit Islands, and
Kaniet or the Anchored Islands, all being
readily described as part OF the AdIpiiralty
group. The people Of all these islatds are
fnveterate betel ohewers. b
Much Misrepresentation exists In the
popular mind as to this remarkably filthy
but highly stimulating practice, 30 much so.
that 1t La commonly referred to az the chew
ing Of the betel nut, while as q matter OF
The nut which Is ohewed Is tina Of the areca
or cateohu palm out into thin slices. To
make this .palatable 1t 10 lwrapped in the
leaf Of tho betel pepper and to bring out the
flavor Of the nut and the warm pungenoy
lime are shovelled into the mouth lille
the chewing Is in progress. This is prac-
tically all day long, for. the betel chewers
from morning until night are never with
eating, and at intervals during their sleep
when the need for the stlmulant comes upon
them the islanders awaken to- prepare the'
chew. -t - Z
and the right to chew betelis looked forward
to by all the boys az the sign hat they have
been admitted to manhood. II is not a.
clean practice, 1t stains the lips a dark
MAHOGANY. q color which ss. Y s; deposited pos ed, In
where the chewer has drooled, and that iai
a thing not to be helped when the mouth Is
full OF lime and pungency.. The oom-
bination Of the lime shaking In the saliva
in the presence Of tho essential acids or
alkalies Of the plant substances causes @
great formation Of tartar upon the teeth. 4
Other races who chew the betel. and
the practice 10 widely spread t~hroughout
the estreme East. spend the time between
the use Of orange thorns. Of which every one
carries @ supply tucked away over the ear.
But in the islands which DR.. Thilenius
visited for the study Of this strange tooth
between ohews and the tartar not only Ia
allowed to accumulate but is sedulouslyi
cultivated. s
Sometimes this enlargement OF the teeth
II confined to the middle i~ncisors, OF the
upper jaw, sometimes IL is permitted to
extend to the bicuspids n premolars.
When the mouth Ia shut the big teeth pro-
trude obliquely forward and extend down..
ward past the red Of the lower lip with their
o oaSsM q rsnf. who sas alone t pess es.s's sh ass
SthSiD "a AohAy "Ne SO
p~rotriding teeth, are extraordinarily proud
Of this painfully acquired mark OF beauty
and take care Of the establishment with
unremitting attention -
To bring 1t to savage ideas Of perfection
calls for much patient endeavor. First Of
all IL entails q cessation Of the cleaning Of
the teeth. AZ the same time the man who
IL culdvating this decoration must accustom
himself to forego the use OF his. front teeth
in eating. but as most Of the food is soft
and mushy this is not quite 80 difficult as 10
might seem. This makes possible the un-.
interrupted deposit OF tartar. which fur
thermore 10 stimulated by the assiduous
chewing OF betel.
Gradually there Ii deposited upon the
surfaces Of the teeth next the lips q stratum
Of tartar largely intermixed with lime.
and its dense black hue for the most part =
though IL is not Impossible that other plant
juices are used to heighten the production
Of the color. When the deposit has reached
any considerable thickness it Ia rubbed
smooth and then polished The mass iE
allowed to grow around over, the. edges Of
the teeth by aimplo process or deposition and
then 10 brought 70 the desired shape and