1886. | Anthropology. 991 
means it is not only possible to restore soft, decalcified teeth of all 
ages, but to prevent their decalcification, and also to forestall de- 
fective calcification of children’s teeth, and even to improve the 
original type; so that we are now able to overcome not only bad 
environment but even bad heredity also. 
Running pasi passu with my study and observations on the in- 
vestigations of the microscopical histologists, the discoveries of 
McQuillen, S. P. Cutler, Carl Heitzman, Bodecker, Frank Ab- 
ott, A. H. Thompson and others, have demonstrated the exist- 
ence of the system of nutrition, which, reasoning æ posteriori, I 
assumed and announced many years ago. 
The living fibrillæ radiating through the dentinal tubuli; the 
Osmotic action between cementum and dentine, and dentine and 
enamel, and vice versa, the circulating currents through the areas 
of living matter between the enamel rods and.prisms are, to-day, 
admitted histological facts, demonstrated by the microscope. 
he tooth is raised to the dignity of a living organ, with a cir- 
culating system, carrying pabulum to all its parts to supply the 
hunger of its needy tissues. 
_ A knowledge of these facts, and of the best methods of supply- 
ing material to maintain the integrity of the dental tissues, or o 
restoring those whose integrity has been impaired, is destined to 
ave a far more important bearing upon human welfare than any 
degree of skill in operative or prosthetic oral surgery—/. œR. 
Walker, D.D.S. 
ANTHROPOLOGY." 
FOoLK-LORE. —The study of folk-lore may now be said to have 
Passed through the collector stage and to have begun to assume 
e shape of a science. It was very much so with stone imple- 
ments. Not many years agoa man who had a large collection of 
atrow-heads and such things was called an archeologist. But 
we now call by that name the men who utilize these things to 
Spell out the history of human industry and invention. Folk- 
lore is to human knowledge, belief, literature, what the stone age 
is to the iron age. At first a folk-lorist was a man who collected 
Songs, tales, legends, sayings, or who recorded the customs of 
agraphic peoples ; he is now one who arranges these in order to 
find their law of being. 
e folk-lorists of England have been wrestling for the last 
ee years with the following questions : 
1. The definition, the inclusions and exclusions of the term fo/é-/ore. 
2. The establishment of classific concepts for the material included. It is very easy 
to say, put things together that are alike; but it is most difficult to settle upon 
that characteristic of likeness which will combine our examples into what m 
be called natural genera, species etc. oe with this idea of classific con- 
nology. 
their organic parts, their dramatis persona, their essential incid 
| & The anatomy of tales, customs, ices, etc., and the invention of a glossary of 
Fa » A ents. 
* Edited by Prof. Oris T. MASON, National Museum, Washington, D. C. 
