USED IN DENTAL SURGERY. 119 



of antimony I have used with this view on many 

 occasions, and after waiting a few days for the 

 eschar to come away, I have capped the pulp and 

 filled the tooth. I am indebted to my friend Mr. 

 Woodhouse for several valuable hints on this 

 point. 



Of the actual cautery for this purpose I cannot 

 speak from my own experience ; but the writings 

 of many dentists bear testimony to its utility in 

 this class of cases. For the complete destruction 

 of the pulp, the actual cautery, nitric and arse- 

 nious acids, are commonly employed. Previous 

 to the application of electricity to dental purposes, 

 the difl&culty of carrying a very fine wire, at a 

 sufficient temperature to act efficiently, up the 

 canal of the fang, was so great that the so-called 

 actual cautery had almost become obsolete in 

 dental surgery. Now, however, that electricity 

 is being brought more under control, I entertain 

 sanguine expectations of the results to be ob- 

 tained by its employment in this class of cases. 

 The advantages conferred by it would appear to 

 be that the operation of destroying the pulp is 

 rendered much less painful, is more speedily and 

 thoroughly accomplished, and with less chance 

 of the after-occurrence of mischief than by any 

 other method. 



We have all heard of — and perhaps some of 

 us may have practised — the operation of the 

 destruction of the nerve by nitric acid. It causes 



