The central record. (Lancaster, Ky.) 18??-current, 1919-04-24

these maladies at that time. One
great difference between our wild
animals and ourselves is in the matter
of diet. They live on simple. nat
ural. raw food. while we live for the
most part on complicated cooked
food in combinations that are some
times appalling.
The greatest crisis in mans devel-
opment evidently came when he dis
covered fire. and began to cook his
food. Had he continued to live on
the simple raw diet. he may never
have had these dental disturbances ;
but perhaps he never would have at
tanned the mental development enjoy
ed at the present time. 1t is impos-
sible to prove that this change from
raw to cooked food is responsible for
these troubles; but is it not reason
able that such radical change in
diet would force a multitude of diges-
tive adjustments which would finally
result in changed tissues and secre-
tons? The fact that wild animals
brought into domestic relations with
man, and fed upon a different diet,
often develop dental carries, pyorrhea
and other mouth diseases. seems to
substantiate this theory. II it be
true that the working of the law of
compensation in the matter of food
has deprived man Of his ability to re-
sist the diseases, then in order to re-
gain that lost immunity man must re-
turn to a raw natural diet, or find
just where his present diet is respon-
sible for his weakened resistance.
Exercise is vital to some tissues, and
perhaps the lack Of it is somewhat
responsible in this case.
Soft cooked food does not demand
the same grinding machine that hard,
raw, fibrous food does, and so nature
automatically reduces the machine to
fit the food. and thus lowers the vital
ity of the tissues involved.
1t is OBVIOUS that man will not re-
turn to raw diet, at least in time 20
render any benefit to many genera
tons. We must content ourselves.
for the present at least, with the
treatment of symptoms, instead of
initial causes. The results obtained
by these treatments are sufficiently
good to warrant their general use.
Cleaning the teeth and other tissues
of the mouth is simply the treatment
of a symptom Of the primary disease.
Animals use no such methods, and yet
are free from the very things we try
to prevent by these means in our own
mouths. 1t is therefore plain that
artifcially cleaning the mouth would
be entirely unnecessary if the general
system were properly functionating
lfa man is to be free from trouble
with his teeth he must do one of two
hings. He must know it is necessary
to either find the initial cause, and
eradicate it, or care for the mouth in
such a manner as will prevent or cure
these troubles.
But since we will not return to the
primitive state of life, we must there
fore make frequent use of the tooth
brush. Adults as well as children
should be taught by their dentist
HOW to use the tooth brush to pre-.
vent tooth troubles. Ask your den
fist to demonstrate on his own teeth
how this should be done.
The brush should be placed around
each tooth and rotated. The bris-
ties should be placed between the
teeth. crowded down on the gums and
then worked up or down, as the case
may be, from the gums to clean the
interprOximal spaces and the gingvai
margins. The brush should then be
placed on the grinding surfaces of
the teeth and moved backward and
forward to clean the pits and assures.
The brush removes the film deposit
from the teeth but not out Of the
mouth. Wash the bacteria out of
the mouth rather than attempt to
destroy them incidentally. The tooth
brush is but large collection Of min
ute toothpicks and should be used as
such, as purely brush with which to
remove particles from all surfaces Of
the human teeth, the bristles are a
failure but as toothpick they are
each and every one Of them q huge
success.