104 PRACTICE OF PHYSIC. 



ing at the same time communicated to the neighbouring parts. 

 This, however, is rarely the case ; and, for the most part, to- 

 gether with the pain of the tooth, there is some degree of pain 

 and of inflammatory affection communicated to the neighbour- 

 ing parts, sometimes to the whole of those on the same side of 

 the head with the affected tooth. 



CCCCLXXIX. This inflammatory affection seems to me to 

 be always an affection of muscles, and of the membranous parts 

 connected with these, without any tendency to suppuration ; 

 and such an affection, as is excited by cold in similar parts else- 

 where. It is from these circumstances that I conclude the af- 

 fection to be of the rheumatic kind. 



CCCCLXXX. It is possible that the muscles and mem- 

 branes of the jaw may be affected by the same causes which 

 produce the rheumatism in other parts ; and it is also possible, 

 that a rheumatic diathesis, at first produced by irritation, may 

 subsist in the muscles and membranes of the jaw, so that the 

 inflammatory affection may be renewed by certain causes, with- 

 out any new application of acrid matter : but I am persuad- 

 ed that either of these occurrences are very rare, and I have 

 never been able to ascertain any cases of toothach to be of these 

 kinds. I consider it, therefore, as highly probable, that this 

 rheumatic affection of the jaws, which we name toothach, is al- 

 ways dependent upon some immediate application of acrid mat- 

 ter to the nerves of the teeth. 



CCCCLXXXI. It is, however, to be observed, that this 

 application of acrid matter does not always excite a pain in the 

 tooth itself, or an inflammatory affection of the neighbouring 

 parts, but that it very often operates by producing a diathesis 

 only ; so that cold applied to the neighbouring parts does ex- 

 cite both a pain in the tooth and an inflammatory affection of 

 the neighbouring parts which did not appear before. 



There seem to be also certain states of the body, which 

 operate upon the same diathesis, so as to produce toothach. 

 Such seems to be the case with pregnant women, who are more 

 liable to toothach than other women. There are probably also 

 some cases of increased irritability which render persons more 

 subject to toothach. Thus women are more liable to the disease 

 than men, and particularly women liable to hysteric affections. 





