150 THE PATHOLOGY 0$ THE TEETH. 



filled with an accumulation of malground food. The 

 mouth should be cleaned with water, in order that the 

 defect may be more plainly seen ; if, however, on ac- 

 count of its being situated far back in the mouth and 

 the motions of the base of the tongue from side to side 

 intercepting the view, its nature cannot be discov- 

 ered with the eye, it will be necessary to resort to the 

 sense of touch. The mouth being held open by the 

 speculum oris, or some other firmly-fixed apparatus, 

 the fingers should be passed rapidly within and without 

 the arcades, but never on them, because of the danger 

 of having them crushed : whatever may be the degree 

 of forced dilatation of the mouth, there can never be 

 much separation of the jaws in the region of the last 

 grinders ; besides the animal can lessen it by pressure. 



"When the buccal membrane has been excoriated 

 by the contact of irregularly- worn teeth, the gums in- 

 flamed, the jawbones contused, and the latter sphace- 

 late or suppurate, there are some modifications of the 

 general symptoms. The animal loses its appetite, 

 becomes dull, ' crest-fallen/ and agitated with febrile 

 disturbance, however little the heart of the inflamma- 

 tion may be extended. The saliva, which dribbles 

 from the mouth, is stringy, and, when mixed with 

 pus, fetid; the mouth is hot and its membrane in- 

 jected ; there is a turgescence of the gum at the point 

 of inflammation; a tumefaction of the bone, with a 

 grayish tint at the point where it is denuded and about 

 to exfoliate, or else fistulse abut into the heart of the 

 suppuration in the spongy tissue of the jaw. 



"Particular Symptoms of Caries. Caries of the 

 grinder teeth is characterized by peculiar symptoms, 

 some of which are common to the teeth in general, 

 while others belong to some grinders in particular. 



