146 THE PATHOLOGY OF THE TEETH. 



secretion is suspended, and pus collects in the alveolar 

 cavity, around the root, which then ceases to augment 

 in volume. In the former case, however, the root, 

 augmented in volume, can no longer be contained in 

 the cavity, the walls of which are expanded by its 

 wedge-like action, which accounts for the extreme 

 pain in the adjacent parts, and the particular altera- 

 tions in the osseous tissues. The osseous tissue tume- 

 fies, and suppuration is established in the interior of 

 the socket; the membrane is partly destroyed, which 

 leaves the bone bare and exposed to the maceration 

 of pus and the irritating contact of the morbid matter 

 that continually penetrates into the socket by the 

 dental fistula; the bony tissue sphacelates upon the 

 borders, where its substance is the most compact, and 

 its spongy tissue, which forms the bottom of the cavity, 

 soon becomes the seat of an interstitial suppuration 

 that is to say, in fact, of veritable caries. The swell- 

 ing may now extend throughout the entire extent of 

 the maxillary bone, and thus render mastication im- 

 possible. 



" It may now be seen, an alteration of this nature 

 being set in action, how the phenomena of the nutri- 

 tion of bone may be modified in their direction to the 

 point of producing osteo-sarcoma. 



" Caries of the roots of any of the lower grinders may 

 be complicated with lesions of the jaw, for the lower 

 jaw is continuous in its entire extent. In the upper 

 jaw the phenomena are in principle the same, but the 

 contiguous nasal cavities and sinuses induce complica- 

 tions the study of which is important. It is also im- 

 portant to take into consideration the position of the 

 diseased tooth, in order to appreciate the extent of the 

 lesions which a simple caries may produce. 



