The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-03-21
py JULIAN WALTER BR AyDH1s,

r has been well said that death
begins with tho loss Of ne first
tooth. And while Il 10 true that
life finally comes to an end as
the result OF . violent disorder or
Gripping of n Of the more impor-
tant organs, II Ia equally a fact that
from the moment OF the fall Of the
first tooth . process Of general dis
Indignation has begun which ter
inmates IN the stage OF sans every
thing"
But this II not Q meesage Of sorrow,
but rather a pecan OF hope; no Ga
briefs trumpet but q fanfare proclaim
ing that ono moro OF tho Ills that
flesh is heir to has bowed It's head
like the serpent before Cadmus, But
unlike Cadnus with the serpent slain.
our object In not to remove the teeth.
but to set them moro firmly IN the
Jaw Instead.
Pyorrhea aiveolaris IL a diasase in
which there is a formation OF pus
about the gums and the sockets of
the teeth which reSults in loosen
ing Of the teeth and finally In the
loss OF tho teeth affected II has
been estimated that over 30 per
cent. OF all adults are at some time
affected by this disease and that
over so per cent. of all permanent
teeth are lost through It's morbid
action.
M~icroscopical examination ID the
material collected about the diseased
tooth sockets has finally yielded a
clue TO the cause Of the affection. A
-.,-to- - s,,,aas inp tore Hn1tTyvxIny fEa
announcement Of Smith n Barrett
have Isolated from this region the
protozoon which has been christened
"endameba-" The sIneba is . uni
cellular organism about a thousandth
OF an inch in diameter, which OF
course must be studied under the
microscope. The ono under !ndict-
ment at present differs only in minor
particulars from It's well known
cousin whose habitat Is %stagnant
water. Many will remember. from
their study OF goology. tho vesem-
hlauce Of the little organism 20 a
tiny morsel Of dough and will recall
how. under the influence OF heat
the little protozoon projects q sort
of claw from It's homogeneous mass
to seize an infnitesimal particle OF
food. which Il then draws into itself
10 be absorbed. The amelia under
discussion has been labelled by the
student "endameba h~uccalis' FOR pur-
poses OF Identification.
The famous oscteriologist Koch
~enunc!ated the following Jaw, which
must ne satisfied in order 60 prove
that any organism stands IN c~ausative
relation to any particular d seas": the
organism must be isolated from the
sufferer with the disease. L must .Nen
be injected iGto an animal, IN which
Il must produce the same disease. and
finally, Il must he discovered again IN
some lesion produced by the disease II
this animal. Now while the endameba
has not yet been put through these
PAGES, still Smith and Barrett found
IL present IN forty-seven cases OF
pyorrhea examined, and Bass and
Johns report eighty-seven cases OF
pvorrhea with the endameoa present
in eiFhty-hve.
Further proof gems 70 exist that
the endameba - responsible for the
AFT -ction under discussion N the fact
that IN the absence OF pyorrhea tho
J. PEtdll4tlf" are hlN'AAA "a 80" 4 ? wa
about the tooth socket. Finally. w
note that the lesion rapidly clears up
under the use Of tho specific amebs-
eide which Wi, be presently discussed
II Is indeed interesting 20 see how the
gums begin 10 improve even after q
single injection OF the remedy. and e
hear the satisfaction with which the
sufferer reports a greater hrmness oil
the affected molars.
Pyorrhea~ a1veolaris, II riggs freease
attacks the membrane that surrounds
the tooth where Il lies IN It's socke
I'm the tawbone. The sufferer notices
that the gums are sore. that they
bleed easily. particularly y they are
scraped with a thpick-and il
should be emphasized that the aora'
s,ons caused by this civilized ins,ru-
ment OF ~torturing other people may
very wei. bear the responsibility OF
causing a great number OF cases
Next, gum bo'ls form, and fHhlly th'
edges OF the gums recede and lool
dirty and-young lad "a, listen well
the breath becomes disaereeahle-
very. Indeed pyorrhes II responsible
for the majority Of bad hreaths whici
cause their unproud owners 70 starV'
and otherwise maltreat an unoffendinl
stomach
Meantime beyond me Victim,
knowledge the pockets abou tho root
OF the teeth arc enlsrgtn&, morn pui
IL forming, until the TOOTH hav1nt
nothing further TO support It. sorrow
fully, no doubt takes its leava Thu'
tho unfortunate person is left q
length with but ono or perhaps tw'
teeth and lucky ne Is II. k tho oil
lady, he can say, IT have only TIVE
teeth hut. thank heaven, they hit"
But this IL not all; unfortunatei!
not nearly. Recent Investigations b!
tho most ~truthworthy students hav'
pointed out the fact that we must lool
upon purulent infections about tn
|, teeth "a TIA distributing station
which supply the poison for produc
: ton Of ouch malad'as as rheumatism
appendicitis, neuritis, ulcer OF tn
stomach, malignant endocarditis an
gall bladder disease. 10 mention SOM
|, only. IL has been suspected for "A lon
tme mat such diseases have orlgi
mated through infection hat has beel
transmitted from some suppuratinI
process within tho body to tho site O
the disease by means of tho blood, tn
tonsils have come in for their share q
I the blame, which they no doubt merit
and now the teeth must keep Their