OKE TOOTH LOST AXD FOUR DISEASED. 183 



pressed a wish to be present at the examination of the 

 head, and I was glad to avail myself of his assistance. 



"A lono-itvidinal cut was made on each side of the 

 septnm nasi, and a transverse one at a line between 

 the center of the orbits. Another longitudinal cut, 

 dividing the maxillary sinuses, was made just above 

 the roots of the grinder teeth on each side. By this 

 means we had an opportunity of examining the sep- 

 tum nasi on each side ; also the turbinated bones, and 

 the frontal and maxillary sinuses. 



" On the left side we found an accumulation of pul- 

 taceous food, covered with tliick pus, completely filling 

 the maxillary sinus, and extending to the turbinated 

 bones. The frontal sinus contained an accumulation 

 of inspissated (thickened) pus, the septum nasi was of 

 a leaden hue, as also the membrane covering the tur- 

 binated bones, which was much inflamed and thick- 

 ened, but there was no appearance of ulceration. 



" The difficulty was to ascertain how the food got 

 there. After careful search, it was very evident that 

 it could not have passed through the nostril. We 

 therefore gradually dislodged the food and matter, 

 searching for the former's entrance, and at last found 

 a hole in the alveolar space belonging to the last 

 grinder, the root of which was completely gone, only 

 a small portion of the crown itself remaining. The 

 hole was sufficiently large to admit the little finger. 

 The mystery was solved— the process of mastication 

 had deposited the food in the sinus. The fourth 

 grinder was absent, having been lost evidently from 

 previous disease. 



" On examining the right side of the bend we found 

 the turbinated bones and membranes covering the 

 septum nasi comparatively healthy, but we discovered 



