XXV111 INTRODUCTION. 



This appears to prove that Dr. Hunter was right 

 when he said that teeth " are capable of uniting with 



bulbs, 16. 4. Bulbs with a cap of rudimentary dentine, 7. 5. 

 Isolated caps of dentine, 4. 6. Isolated enamel-organs, with a 

 shred of buccal mucous membrane, 19. 7. Enamel-organs, with 

 a cap of dentine adhering, 1. The results were : Of the first, 7 

 kept alive and grew steadily, except in one instance, in which a 

 disturbed nutrition brought on the formation of globulary den- 

 tine and irregular stacks of enamel prisms. The second gave 3 

 suppurations and 2 resorptions, again corroborating Mons. Bert's 

 experiments. The third gave 3 positive results, in two of which 

 a new cap of dentine was produced, quite regular, but globulous 

 and somewhat altered in its nutrition. The other was without 

 enamel. In the fourth experiment the bulbs could not be found ; 

 they underwent resorption. When compared with the preced- 

 ing experiment, this result is astonishing ; but it should be un- 

 derstood that these grafts were maintained from 43 to 54 days. 

 Of the fifth a single one kept alive, but without showing any 

 growth. It remained stationary 43 days. The sixth invariably 

 ended in resorption, notwithstanding we were careful to graft 

 the shred of mucous membrane, which supplies the organ with 

 nutritive vessels. This result is not surprising when the exces- 

 sive frailty of this tissue and its lack of vascularity are consid- 

 ered. Some of the negative grafts were either reduced in size, 

 being evidently in process of resorption, or underwent the oily 

 transformation. Others caused abscesses, and were eliminated. 

 "Conclusions. 1. The grafts gave favorable results only be- 

 tween animals of the same zoological order. 2. The isolated 

 whole follicles and bulbs may live and develop themselves. 3. 

 The transplanting of more or less voluminous portions of jaws 

 with the follicles failed through suppuration or resorption. 4. 

 The grafts of the enamel-organ, isolated, seem invariably given 

 up to resorption. 5. Under certain circumstances the growth is 

 regular, with no other difference from that in the normal state 

 than a noticeable slowness in the phenomena of evolution. 6. 

 Under other circumstances there is trouble in the formation of 

 the dentine and enamel, the study of which, however, may be ap- 

 plied to the elucidation of the phenomena, still so dark, of tooth 

 development. 7. The experiments are an acquisition to the lit- 

 erature of and may be compared with other surgical grafts."* 



* For the translation of the above interesting article (from the Reports of 

 the French Academy) I am indebted to Monsieur C. Raoux, of New York, 



