CHAPTER XXXVIII. 



DENTITION AND AGE AS SHOWN BY THE TEETH, ETC. 



Description of teeth at different ages — Number of a full set — Classes — 

 Bishoping — Explanatory cuts — Shedding — Full mouth — General 

 signs of old age — Comparative age of man and horse — Great age 

 of horses — Zoologists' claim. 



THE teeth of the horse are developed within their appro- 

 priate cavities or sockets, which are found exactly 

 corresponding with their number in the upper and lower jaws, 

 being narrower in the lower than in the upper. 



At birth they are in a state of incomplete growth, covered 

 and concealed by the gums, but soon afterwards they cut their 

 way through the gums in pairs, the first set, or milk teeth, be- 

 ing in course of time superseded by the permanent teeth, as in 

 all the mammalia. 



The complete dentition of the horse comprise forty teeth, 

 divided into three classes, viz. : Incisors, Canine, and Molar. 

 The incisors, or front teeth, comprise twelve, six upper and six 

 under ; the canine, or bridle teeth, four, two each upper and 

 lower; while the molars, or jaw teeth, consist of twenty- 

 four, twelve on each upper and lower jaw. Each tooth is de- 

 veloped within its corresponding cavity in the jaw, and is com- 

 posed of three distinct substances — cement, enamel, and 

 dentine. 



The cement of the horse's teeth closely corresponds in text- 

 ure with his bone, and, like it, is traversed by vascular canals. 

 The enamel is the hardest constituent of the tooth, and consists 

 of earthy matter. Dentine also contains earthly particles, 

 which are partially blended with animal matter and partially 

 contained in a granular state within its cells. 



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