The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1911-03-17
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nose."
Is insanity in many cases due to defective
teeth? That is a question that has aroused
much interest in the profession due to an
interesting series of experiments made by
DR.. Henry S. Epson, professor Of neurology in
the Western Reserve Medical school, Cleve-
land, Ohio. He found among the insane in the
asylums of Cleveland and Columbus many
cases Of dementia precox and melancholia,
these patients all showing dental impaction
of the teeth Taking nine of these unfortunate
creatures, DR.. Epson had them operated on
dentally and the results obtained were sensa-
tional in the extreme. Six of these have fully
recovered, two much improved and one showed
no mental change at all.
The common cause OF all our dental
troubles is decay of the teeth, known techni
cally as dental carries. Is a disease known
to havo existed for centuries. In the British
museum is a skull Of mummy dated $500
B. c., showing evidences of well-marked carries
Dr. L. M. Waugh of Buffalo, quoting from Guer.
mis- "History of Dentistry calls attention to
a collection Of Egyptian writings dating back
to 1850 B. c., in which are mentioned a num-
Der of remedies for this disease. Decay or
carries Of the teeth is largely due to neglect or
failure to keep the mouth and particularly the
teeth properly cleaned. II food particles lodge
between the teeth and are not removed they
eventually ferment. During this fermentation
process the mouth bacteria acting on the car
bohydrate fo0dstuffs produce acid fermenta
ton. These acids dissolve the lime salts OF
the teeth, exposing the dentine to the action
of microbes which rapidly destroy the tooth
structure. 1t is the general supposition that
teeth always decay from the outside; as a
matter Of fact the change takes place from
within outward and goes rapidly until there
is quite large cavity. Frequently toothache
or extreme sensitiveness to hot or cold food
or drink are the first intimations that decay
has taken place. Sometimes there Is no pain
at all and chance examination discloses the
cavity in the tooth.
These tooth cavities are ideal incubators
for all kinds of bacteria. Many of the patho
genie bacteria require heat and moisture for
their development and the unclean mouth and
teeth offer all these conditions. It is not un.
common to find the pus-producng organisms,
the bacillus of diphtheria and tuberculosis, in
these tooth cavities
The cases Of unclean mouths are legion;
not only among children, but among adults
1t is estimated that only eight per cent of the
people in this country take care Of their teeth
In recent paper read before the Society
OF Medical Inspectors of New York and com
menting on the condition of childrens teeth,
DR.. Merritt said 1T may be said without fear
Oh contradiction That II the teeth of the com.
ing generation are to be saved it must be done
during their school life. In the city Of New
York there are in this year Of 1910 over 600 900
school children, very large percentage Of
whom are in need of dental treatment. Few
of them ever make use of tooth brush; their
mouths are filthy beyond belief, and most of
them have one or more decayed teeth"
DR.. William H. Potter Of Boston, at the So
lictation of the school board Of Brookline,
Mass. recently examined the mouths of the
school children In that exclusive suburb of
Boston and found that So per cent. of the chill.
dren had diseased and defective mouths and
teeth.
The school inspectors of Cleveland, Ohio,
examined $4,000 children last year and dis
covered II per cent. of them to have defective
teeth. 1t has been estimated that there are
over 100000 children in the United States
who have defective and diseased teeth and
100000 with enlarged glands and 7,000,oo
with defective breathing, due to adenoid
growths in the nose.
Dental carries frequently originates during
pregnancy and should receive immediate at
tention. There is an old and true saying,
"a tooth for every child" but this can be
avoided If the prospective mother will follow
the instructions Of her physician and her den
tist