200 MEMOIRS OP THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES. 



closely allied to them in both their 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 us with an excellent example, of the effect of a given 

 kind of food operating for a long period in the production of tooth decay. It should not be for 

 gotten, however, that other influences may have 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 young 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 comparisons. 



Of the ancient Peruvians we have been able to examine a much larger series GO in all 

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

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

 where the skull has been considered in the category of &quot; no caries&quot; if all the teeth were present, 

 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 necessary. 



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 C6 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 50. It is proper to men 

 tion here that in this series at least half of the skulls examined were not accompanied by the lower 

 jaw, which if present would doubtless show caries frequently, where it does not occur, in the upper 

 jaw, and raise the average of dental caries in these people to at least 50 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 dc la Vega, who has described it at considerable length. He says: &quot;The 

 maize was the principal food of the Indians.&quot; They also ate vegetables of various species 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 C ollao where they had plenty), and hence they 

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

 tins guinea pigs they bred in their houses, called Ceo/,. In order to alleviate this general want the Yuca ordered these 

 hunts to take place, and that the flesh should be distributed among all the people. They made dried meat of it, 

 called &quot;charqni,&quot; which kept good until the next hunt; for the, Indians were very abstemious and very careful in lire- 

 serving their dried meat. It would naturally be supposed that as there is so much water there would be 

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

 lish. There are several kinds of wild bees, but the Indians did not raise them in hives. The bees in tem 

 perate and hot climates, enjoying good herbage, make excellent honey, white, clean, and sweet. * * The 

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



V. de Xeres* tells us: 

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



* Quoted from the .Spanish historians in HEKBEKT SPENCER S Descriptive Sociology, Division II, Part 1 B 

 New York (18741). 



