188 THE DEXTISTRY OF THE TEETH. 



days he had eaten with more difficulty and .pain than 

 before, and dropped almost the whole of the hay and 

 corn from his mouth before it was perfectly masticated. 

 He had also observed that during the mastication of 

 his food the horse always inclined his head to the left 

 side. 



" On examining the mouth, I easily recognized the 

 cause of this difficulty of mastication. The gum, at 

 the second grinder of the right lower jaw, was swollen 

 and ulcerated, both within and without. The least 

 pressure on the gum at this spot inflicted great pain, 

 and the animal also suffered when the crown of the 

 tooth was touched. On that portion of the jawbone 

 contiguous to the diseased tooth, was a considerable 

 swelling, hot and painful, which the postilion told me 

 had existed for about twelve days. It was increasing in 

 size every day. The breath was only slightly fetid, 

 and there was nothing to indicate caries of the tooth. 

 I expressed the opinion that the caries, if it existed, was 

 confined chiefly to the root of the tooth, and that the 

 ulceration of the alveolar septa beneath, of which there 

 was no doubt, rendered its extraction necessary. 



" On the following day the horse was cast, and his 

 mouth being kept open by the proper instrument, the 

 key was applied to the tooth. It resisted my first 

 effort to draw it, but, on the second trial, gave way 

 with a peculiar sound, which made me suspect that it 

 was broken. The instrument (gag) was then taken 

 out of the mouth, in order that the tooth might 

 escape, but, to my great surprise, no tooth could be 

 seen, notwithstanding I carefully searched for it. It 

 was now plain that the tooth had been swallowed. I 

 then assured myself that the tooth had been entirely 

 extracted, and as, during the operation, the fraBnulum 



