200 MEMOIRS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



closely iillicd to tlieiii in hotli tlieir habits and customs. Unfortunately paucity of material for the 

 latter precludes comparison of their dental organs, which there can be little doubt, would furnisih 

 additional evidence of value. 



Caries. — The subject of dental caries among the ancient inhabitants of the Salado Valley forms 

 an interesting study, inasmuch as it furnishes ns with an excellent example of the efl'ect of a given 

 kind of food operating for a long period in tiic judduction of tooth decay. It should not be for- 

 gotten, however, that other influences n:ay liave been in a measure responsible for much of this 

 disease. Their skeletons generally show a remarkable prevalence of osseous disease, and if we 

 are to judge of them by their nearest living allies the lowered vitality of the whole race had at this, 

 early date already begun to manifest itself. 



Out of some 80 or more skulls we have been able to select 35 in which the sutures indicate 

 them to have been at or under the middle period of life. Of this number 18, or about 51 per cent, 

 exhibit caries, which in some instances has resulted in almost complete destruction of the teeth. 

 Among this number there are also 7, or 10 per cent, in which there has been loss of teeth and 

 absorption of the alveoli without any evidence of caries being present. Seeing the remarkable 

 prevalence of this disease it is but fair to presume that the loss of teeth in these 7 cases is also 

 due to decay which would bring the total up to something like 70 per cent. Out of the remaining 

 10, which show no evidence of caries, 2 were of very yoiuig persons, between 9 and 12 years, in 

 whom we could not reasonably expect to find the disease developed. If therefore these should be 

 excluded the percentage would still be further increased. Among those skulls beyond the middle 

 period of life, fully 90 per cent show caries and loss of teeth; but of these we have not attempted 

 accurate comijarisons. 



Of tlic nnrii'iit Peruvians we have been able to examine a much larger series — 6G in all — 

 wherein ilicic was no bony union of either coronal, sagittal, or lambdoid sutures. In many of 

 them, as in all t lie other series, teeth had been lost after death so that doubtless in some instances — 

 where the skull has been considered in the category of "no caries" — if all the teeth were ])reflent, 

 caries would sometimes be found and the percentage would be thus affected. These cases, how- 

 ever, would probably be few and little change would be nece.ssary. 



In this series there are some 8 or 10 examples in which teeth have been lost without any 

 evidence of caries existing. It is fair to presume that some of these at least if not all are the 

 results of dental decay. Out of the 60 there are 29, or about 44 per cent, which show caries, and if 

 8, in which there is loss, be added, we have the percentage brought to 56. It is proper to men- 

 tion here that in this series at least half of the skullsexamined were not nccdinininied liy llif lower 

 jaw, which if present would doubtless show caries frequently, where it ihn's udt oirni-. in tlic upper 

 jaw, and raise the average of dental caries in these people to at least TiO per cent, if not higher. 

 Respecting the food of these people the early chroniclers are very explicit and we can not do better 

 than quote Garcilasso de la Vega, who has described it at considerable length. He says: "The 

 maize was the principal food of the Indians." They .also ate A'egetables of various s])ecies which 

 he enumerates and describes. Of their meat diet he says (Bk. vi) : 



The common people were in general poor in flocks (except in the CoUao where they had plenty), and hence they 

 only ate meat when they received it as a gift from the Cnracas, or when, on some great occasion, they killed one of 

 the guinea pigs they bred in their houses, called Ceoz. In order to alleviate this general want the Ynca ordered these 

 hunts to take place, and that the flesh slimilil l>c (listrilint( d .among all the people. They made dried meat of it, 

 called "charqui," which kept good until tlic m xt limit ; for the Indians were very ahstemions and very «areful in pre- 

 serving their dried meat. * * * jt would ii:iliir:illy lit- .sujiposed that as there is so much water there would he 

 plenty of fish; hut in reality there is very little. ' * * In the great lake of Tlticaca, however, there are many 

 fish. » » » There are several kinds o£ wild bees, hut the Indians did not raise them in hives. The bees in tem- 

 perate and hot climates, enjoying good herliago, mjike excellent honey, white, clean, and sweet. * » * The 

 Indians value it much not only for eating, but also for several medicinal ]iurposes. 



F. de Xeres* tells us: 

 The coast people eat flesh and fish all raw, and maize boiled and toasted.* 



* Quoted from the Spanish historians in Herbert Spencer's Descriptive Sociology, Division ii. Part 1 B — 

 New York (1«74?). 



