764 THE EXTERIOR OF THE HORSE. 



" If, in extracting the milk-tooth, we do not wait until the perma- 

 nent tooth has atrophied its root and prepared it to fall out, the gum 

 will contract, and it will then be more difficult for its successor to 

 penetrate naturally." 



Mayhew, 1 on the other hand, has devoted a long chapter to the diverse 

 fraudulent means which are employed in England to hasten the eruption 

 of the permanent incisors. He speaks of cauterization of the gums 

 with the hot iron, of scarifications of the gums, and, finally, of the 

 extraction of the milk-teeth. But he considers all these means bar- 

 barous, and claims that the extraction of the milk incisors at times 

 hinders the eruption of the adult incisors. 



In the face of such contradictory opinions, we have applied directly 

 to several of our honorable colleagues living in districts where extrac- 

 tion of the deciduous teeth is practised. Here are the answers given 

 to our questions : 



1st. Who are the persons that practise extraction of the incisors of 

 the first dentition f 



They are breeders, empirics, and dealers in horses. Veterinarians 

 consider it, with good reason, as a fraudulent procedure with which 

 they are unwilling to be associated. 



2d. Method of the operation. Immediate results. 



The animal is held in a standing position, with a twitch placed on 

 his upper lip. 



Special instruments are employed : pliers, forceps, or even the key 

 of Garengeot. It appears that the latter instrument is preferable, 

 because it permits the extraction of a single tooth without disturbing 

 or breaking the adjacent ones. 



The difficulty of the operation augments in proportion as the time 

 is more in advance of the period when the tooth should have fallen out 

 of itself. In the latter case, it is very simple. It is necessary, never- 

 theless, to operate with caution, because the incisor may happen to 

 break immediately below its neck. 



The pain which is a consequence of the operation is often rather 

 severe, and sometimes hinders the animal from continuing to feed in 

 pasture. It is then advisable to feed him in the stable, at least during 

 a certain length of time, on a particular diet, such as oats, rye, or 

 barley which have been previously boiled. 



The animal sometimes, as a consequence, becomes vicious or difficult 

 to bridle. 



4 Edward Mayhew, The Horse's Mouth, showing the Age by the Teeth, 3d ed., London, p. 123. 



