THE STUMPS OP UPPER MOLARS. 63 



think it right to offer a short description of it. 

 The difficulty I just mentioned was in removing 

 the stumps of upper molar teeth when the palatine 

 surface, and frequently a portion of the palatine 

 fang, had been lost by caries, while the fangs still 

 remained firmly attached to each other. Such a 

 stump may be compared with an inverted cone, 

 the base being represented by the distal extremities 

 of the fangs, and the apex by the neck of the 

 tooth, or remaining portion of the buccal surface. 

 In applying the ordinary form of adjusted forceps 

 to such a stump — the blades of which may be also 

 compared to a cone, but having its apex upwards 

 and base downwards, — ^we shall obviously meet 

 with considerable resistance in attempting to force 

 the blades between the fangs and the alveolar 

 process. To obviate this evil, I placed a model in 

 the hands of Mr. Evrard, who soon supplied me 

 with an instrument, constructed with his usual 

 skill and finish, of the following form: — The 

 buccal, or external blade, is somewhat similar to 

 that of the ordinary adjusted forceps, only about 

 half as broad, rather longer, especially in the 

 hooked portion at the extremity, and sufficiently 

 slight to permit it to be readily passed between 

 the external fangs and the alveolar process; the 

 palatine, or internal blade, instead of converging 

 towards the former, as is usual in I think all 

 forceps, diverges slightly, is a little longer, and 

 about as broad as the blade of an ordinary stump- 



