32© DISEASES Class I. 2. 4. 13. 



great caution left any of the folution fiYould touch the tongue or 

 gums. 



Much cold and much heat are equally injurious to the teeth, 

 which are endued with a fine ferrfation of this univerfal fluid. 

 The bed method of preferving them is by the daily ufe of a brufh, 

 which is not very hard, with warm water and fine charcoal dufb. 

 A lump of charcoal fhould be put a fecond time into the fire till 

 it is red hot, as foon as it becomes cool the external afhes Ihould 

 be blown off, and it ihould be immediately reduced to fine pow- 

 der in a mortar, and kept clofe flopped in a phial. It takes away 

 the bad fmell from decayed teeth, by warning the mouth with 

 this powder diffuied in water, immediately. The putrid fmeli 

 of decaying flumps of teeth may be deftroyed for a time by wafh- 

 ing the mouth with a weak folution of alum in water. If the 

 calcareous cruft upon the teeth adheres very firmly, a fine pow- 

 der of pumrce-ftone may be ufed occasionally, or a tooth-inflru- 

 Brent. 



Acid of fea-falt, much diluted, may be ufed ; but this very 

 rarely, and with the greatefl caution, as in cleaning fea-fhells. 

 When the gums are fpongy, they fhould be frequently pricked 

 with a lancet. Should black fpots in teeth be cut out ? Does 

 the enamel grow again when it has been perforated or abraded ? 



Otalgia. Ear-ach fometimes continues many days without ap- 

 parent inflammation, and is then frequently removed by filling 

 the ear with laudanum, or with ether ; or even with warm oil, 

 or warm water. See Clafs II. 1. 4. 8. This pain of the ear, 

 like hemicrania, is frequently the confequence of aflociation with 

 a difeafed tooth ; in that cafe the ether fhould be applied to the 

 cheek over the fufpedted tooth, or a gram of opium and as much 

 camphor mixed together, and applied to the fufpetled tooth. In 

 this cafe the otalgia belongs to the fourth clafs of difeafes. 



14. Pleurodyne chronica. Chronical pain of the fide. Pains 

 of the membranous parts, which are not attended with fever, 

 have acquired the general name of rheumatic •, which fhould, 

 neverthelefs, be reftricteia 1 to thofe pains which exifl only when 

 the parts arc in motion, and which have been left after inflam- 

 mation of them ; as defcribed in Clafs I. 1 . 3. 12. The pain of 

 the fide here mentioned affects many ladies, and may poilibly 

 have been owing to the preflure of tight flays, which has weak- 

 ened the aclion of the veffels compofing fome membranous part, 

 as, like the cold head-ach, it is attended with prefent debility ; 

 in one patient, a boy about ten years old, it was attended with 

 daily convulfions, and was fuppofed to have originated from 

 worms. The difeafe is very frequent, and generally withilands 

 the ufe of biiitcrs on the part \ but in feme cafes I have known 



it 



