138 ON CAPPING THE EXPOSED PULP. 



ing points. The cavity was extremely shallow, 

 situated on the posterior surface of a lower bicuspid, 

 which had previously been the subject of con- 

 siderable filing, so that there was but little room for 

 the filling, which came out in about a month. The 

 spot where the pulp had been exposed appeared 

 covered by a coagulum of blood, but I forbore to 

 touch it, except in drying out the cavity with wool. 

 This caused no pain, and I refilled without a cap, 

 hoping thus to gain more room. Lately, however, 

 the second stopping came out, and I have directed 

 the patient to keep the cavity always filled with 

 wool, trusting that after a while I shall be able to 

 excavate more deeply. There is slight sensitiveness 

 to cold fluids. 



Tor the successful performance of this operation 

 I conceive it to be necessary that the patient should 

 be in good health, and not an inflammatory subject ; 

 that the tooth itself should not have been the seat 

 of much pain, and that the neighbouring teeth and 

 tissues should be free from disease. When caustic 

 agents have been used to the tooth during any part 

 of the operation, after-inflammation seems more 

 likely to arise than when the pulp is laid bare and 

 capped without any previous treatment ; thus, of the 

 six above-mentioned failures, four had had arsenical 

 applications, whilst only seven of the forty-two 

 successful cases had been so treated. In three of 

 the latter, however, nitrate of silver and chloride of 

 antimony were used. I think also that success 



