VIII SCIENCE PROGRESS. 



best means of dealing with mischief which has already occurred 

 should such necessity arise, will be valuable in proportion as its 

 explanations are lucid and its directions easily followed. In the 

 book given us by Mr. Denison Pedley we have a perfectly clear ex- 

 planation of the changes mostly to be feared in the teeth of children 

 (and to SL^ great extent in the teeth of adults also), together with 

 instructions as to the best means to be taken in order to avoid sub- 

 sequent mischief to the permanent dentition. 



That such attention to children's teeth is desirable is plainly 

 indicated by the figures given in the chapter on Oral Hygiene, 

 where we learn that of 3800 children examined there were only 828 

 in which neither filling nor extraction was required. Of temporary 

 teeth there were, in 1460 children, 3187 which could have been 

 saved by proper attention, whilst the number requiring extraction 

 was 2491. There were 35 11 permanent teeth which required filling, 

 and 1506 were so carious as to require extraction. 



The children examined belonged to the poorer classes, and the. 

 boys are either taught a trade or enter the army or navy. The girls 

 are trained for domestic service. 



During i8go, 55,673 recruits were examined and 21,712 were 

 considered unfit for service. Of these, 506 were rejected on account 

 of the " loss and decay of many teeth ". 



The troubles of a domestic servant suffering from neglected 

 teeth need little imagination to picture. Besides the pain of the 

 decaying teeth themselves, we have to consider the troubles of the 

 digestive and other systems, consequent upon the presence of 

 carious teeth in the mouth. 



We are glad to notice that Mr. Pedley continually draws atten- 

 tion to the effects of carious teeth on the nervous and other 

 systems, as we have long been of opinion that much of the pain 

 complained of by patients is due to defective teeth. Indeed, the 

 improvement produced in the general health by the removal of the 

 diseased structures is often very great, and this may even be the 

 case when no pain in the mouth has been experienced. 



Of the advantage likely to be gained by the removal of carious 

 teeth in the case of children suffering from chorea, the following is 

 a good example : — 



II. B., aged eight years. Chorea of seven weeks' standing. She did not 

 improve at all during the first two weeks in the hospital. A painful stump was 

 removed. In four days all movements ceased and did not recur. 



This is only one of numerous examples given. 



Mr. Pedley also gives examples showing the good resulting 

 from a similar procedure in cases of diarrhoea caused apparently by 

 the reflex nervous irritation of decayed teeth, and attempts to 

 show that other diseases due to the absorption of septic material 

 may be caused by infection taking place through carious teeth. 



