148 Nezvs, Notes and Comment [Sept. 



York Institute of Stomatology) the following allusion, by Presi- 

 dent Howe, to an address by Dr. Gies and to work which he is 

 doing with Dr. Lothrop's Cooperation, on " the possible relation of 

 saHva to decay of teeth " : " We are very much indebted to the 

 Speaker this evening for the interest he has taken in oiir problem 

 of the decay of teeth. Dr. Gies has, from a pure spirit of scien- 

 tific interest in the study of saHva, taken our problem and made it 

 one of his own, giving us his skill and his time without compen- 

 sation." 



J. Morgan Howe, M.D.S., M.D., Chairman of the Research 

 Committee of the New York Institute of Stomatology, is the author 

 of a notable paper on " The degree of prevention of decay of teeth 

 obtainable by oral hygiene" {Journal of the Allied Dental Socie- 

 ties, 191 1, vi, p. 236). On page 239 he makes the following 

 remarks : 



■'' The Suggestion of Prof. Wm. J. Gies of the Department of Biological 

 Chemistry of Columbia University, that the teeth be washed and brushed with a 

 Solution of a vegetable acid, such as vinegar, has had a few favorable reports 

 in cases of great susceptibility to decay and marked inability of patients to keep 

 their own teeth clean, but a sufficient number of trials extending over enough 

 time, have not yet been reported by dentists to give assurance of its results. 

 The reason given by Prof. Gies for the Suggestion was that acids are capable 

 of coagulating and breaking up mucin from its adhesions, and that the degree 

 of acidity required would be so slight that no härm to the teeth's structure 

 could result. This would be a radical departure from former ideas, based 

 apparently on the supposition that dental disintegration is the result of the 

 action of acid diffused through the mouth, and that this should be neutralized 

 by alkaline lotions; whereas the worst cases of susceptibility to decay have been 

 found when mouth fluids were markedly alkaline to litmus." 



The proposed acid treatment was mentioned favorably last 

 March in a report by the Committee of which Dr. Howe is chair- 

 man {Journal of the Allied Dental Societies, 191 1, vi, p. 54.) 



Book Review. Dr. Eddy has lately published a revised edition 

 of his Experimental Physiology and Anatomy. This book is an 

 excellent laboratory manual. It is intended for use in secondary 

 schools only, but it is so füll of practical suggestions and methods 

 that it will be found very serviceable to any beginner in experimental 

 work in physiology. In his preface Dr. Eddy says that although 

 "the importance of physiology in secondary schools is everywhere 



