282 INFLAMMATION IN THE TISSUES OF 



servant, consulted me at the hospital in conse- 

 quence of suffering much pain in her teeth and 

 gums, especially at night, with, on rising in the 

 morning, a " a sense of heat in her teeth." The 

 appearance of the woman was extremely charac- 

 teristic — a heavy, languid look, large and flabby 

 limbs, a full face, with a good deal of very fugitive 

 colour, hair thin, pulse feeble, and expressive of 

 little physical power. The appearances of the 

 mouth were also characteristic — the gums hard, 

 the mucous membrane dry and shining, generally 

 red, but with a band about two lines broad, ex- 

 tending from the necks of the teeth of a much 

 deeper colour ; the upper front teeth had de- 

 scended, and the centrals had separated to the 

 extent of nearly a line, not equally from the 

 mesial line, but by the departure of one (in this 

 case the right central) from it, which tooth had 

 also become the most elongated. This change of 

 position had, according to the woman's testimony, 

 taken place within the year. The teeth were 

 somewhat loose, and upon squeezing them with 

 the finger pus oozed out between the gums and the 

 teeth. I prescribed iodine in this case ; but find- 

 ing on my next visit, after an interval of two days 

 (a period I should say I have found generally 

 sufficiently long to enable me to see whether it 

 is likely to be of service), that no relief whatever 

 had been experienced, my attention became more 

 drawn to the asthenic condition of the patient,' 



