474 PEOF. B. C. A. WIIfDLE ON" TETEATOLOGHCAL EYIDElfrOE 



molar. Kunigunde and Theresa, as also their children, have the 

 normal dentition; so also has Appolonia, who is unmarried. 

 Mathilde has sis exceedingly large and pointed teeth like canines, 

 with wide gaps between, which represent the incisors, the re- 

 mainder of her dentition being normal. Mathilde married 

 Heinzler, in whose family polydactylism is hereditary. Of their 

 children, Priedrich (get. 11) has the most singular dentition of 

 his generation. The lower incisors are in his case completely 

 absent; in place of the upper incisors are two conical teeth. 

 The remaining teeth are normally formed. The alveolar border 

 of the inferior masilla is thin and defective in the situation of 

 the defective teeth. This is less marked in the superior maxilla. 

 There is no trace of a frssnum linguae, but otherwise the mouth 

 is quite normally formed. It should be noted that these teeth 

 belong to the milk-dentition, no permanent teeth having appeared. 

 The defect is already commencing to exercise a marked effect 

 upon the contour of the face, and undoubtedly influences the 

 speech. The sister Prieda (set. 14) is not quite so deficient as 

 her brother, but the separate teeth are not so well formed as his. 

 Like the brother, she still possesses her milk-dentition. In the 

 upper jaw, in place of the incisors, are two pointed or crescentic 

 teeth with their apices towards the middle line. In the lower 

 jaw the incisors are replaced by three irregularly conical teeth, 

 the central one being somewhat behind the other two. The 

 remaining teeth are fairly normal, but have considerable gaps 

 between them. There is a very small frsenum linguae, but no 

 other oral abnormality. In both children the teeth made their 

 appearance at the proper time. Both of these children inherit 

 also the polydactylism of the father. They are thoroughly 

 healthy, have never suffered from any severe illness, and have no 

 abnormal condition of the hair. The alveolar processes of the 

 youngest child, August, are thin, from which the mother, 

 reasoning from what she saw in the other children, confidently 

 asserts that he also will exhibit similar abnormalities. Dr. 

 Packenheim finally points out that the rudimentary condition of 

 the alveolar processes in these children renders it impossible 

 that the missing teeth are retained in the jaw. 'No one, so far 

 as I am aware, has ever advanced the theory that defect in the 

 number of teeth in a parent, due to the labours of the dentist, 

 can be transmitted to the children. The fact that this experi- 



