ON THE DISEASES OF THE TEETH OF THE HORSE. 631 
sional friends, that they, too, have had the same difficulties to 
contend with. These circumstances have led me to invent a 
set of instruments, which, 1 flatter myself, will be found useful. 
I have tested them in practice, and found them bear out my 
most sanguine expectations ; and all the accounts I have re- 
ceived from those members of the profession to whom I have 
lent them have been highly satisfactory ; and therefore I think 
I may venture to recommend them to you with confidence. 
It is not to be expected that we shall find in the shop of the 
instrument-maker the many articles we require in practice; for 
although the cutler may possess mechanical genius, most com- 
monly he is deficient in anatomical knowledge, and that know- 
ledge, to a certain extent, must necessarily be coupled with the 
first named, to produce such instruments as are adapted to our 
purposes. We alone are able to judge of the length and propor- 
tionate bulk, as well as the peculiarities of construction, which 
the tools we are to use should possess. As illustrative of the 
foregoing remarks, I will just allude to the tooth-key which is in 
general use. It is copied from the human instrument, and, on 
account of its enlarged size and increased strength, at first sight 
appears to be all that we could desire. When, however, it is 
practically tested, its deficiencies become at once apparent; for 
there is so much greater distance to the posterior teeth of our 
patients than exists in the human subject, that the claw and 
bolster of the old instrument cannot be adjusted and retained in 
their situations. 
Finding this to be the case, I have caused a pair of forceps to be 
made, of considerable magnitude, and on this account called by me 
the LARGER Forceps. These I now exhibit to you ( see plate* 
fig. I ). The two beaks of the instrument are serrated or notched 
for the purpose of giving them a firmer hold of the tooth ; the 
handles are 21 J inches in length, with an eye at the extreme 
end of one of them ; and a female screw, as you see, con- 
tained within the other. Through the eye is passed a shaft or 
lever, which, in its centre, has a male screw that fits the female 
one just alluded to, and which also, near to one end, has a 
shoulder that prevents the shaft passing through the eye. 
There is likewise attached to one end of the shaft or lever a 
smaller handle, to give additional power when screwing up the 
instrument; thereby enabling us to obtain a secure and firm hold 
of the tooth we are desirous of extracting. It will be seen that, 
when we have such an additional leverage at command, caution 
will be necessary in the use of the screw, lest, from the tooth 
not being in a normal state, we should merely fracture that 
Forming the frontispiece to the present Number. 
