390 O F I N F A N G Y. 



their growth, piifli out the firft fet. But there 

 is no fecond fet below the other grinders ; and, 

 therefore, they never llied but by accident, and 

 their lofs is feldom repaired. 



There are Rill other four teeth fituated at the 

 extremity of each jaw. In fome perfons, thefe 

 teeth are entirely wanting: They feldom appear 

 before the age of puberty, and fometimes noc 

 till a niore advanced period. They are diftin- 

 guiflied by the name of Wifdoni-teeth, and either 

 appear fucceffively, or two at a time. It is ow- 

 ing to this irregularity in the wifdom-teeth, that 

 the number of teeth is not uniformly the fame, 

 which varies from 28 to 32. Women, it has 

 been alledged, have generally fewer teeth tlian 

 men. 



Some autliors maintain, that the human teeth, 

 like thofe of certain animals, would continue to 

 grow during life, if they were not conftantly 

 worn down by grinding the food. But this 

 noti®n fcems to be contradided by experience ; 

 for people who live upon liquid food have'^not 

 longer teeth than thofe who eat the hardeft 

 kinds of aliment. Befules, thofe who hold this 

 opinion probably miftake the tufks of certain 

 animals for their teeth. The tufks of the wild 

 boar, and of i\\t elephant, for example, conti- 

 nue to grow during life ; but their increafe, af- 

 ter they arrive at their natural fize, is extreme- 

 ly doubtful. Tufl^s have a greater analogy to 

 horns than to teeth ; But this is not a proper 



place 



