278 
EXTRACTION OF THREE MOLAR TEETH. 
of the tooth ; its inside edges were also serrated, so as to take 
more firm hold. I placed it on without difficulty, and, by pulling 
steadily at it, the tooth came out of its socket, and fell into the 
horse’s throat, and which he must have swallowed, as I could not 
find it anywhere. 
Another mishap was, that, after I extracted the tooth, one of the 
claws forcibly caught hold in the upper surface of the tongue, 
and tore it a little open. I also rasped off the sharp edge of the 
sixth molar on the off side of the lower jaw; but I feared it would 
soon project against the upper jaw. 
June 24 th , — This day the mare was again brought to me, and 
it was stated that she was a little better from what I had done to 
her, but that she still quidded her meat ; I therefore determined to 
endeavour to extract the sixth molar tooth on the off side of the 
lower jaw, the point of which I had only rasped. I again 
cast the mare, and, having put a balling-iron in her mouth, I ex- 
amined the alveolar processes, where the two other teeth had been 
extracted, and found that the cavities were nearly filled up level, 
and covered with gum. I then, to prevent the tooth from falling 
into the throat, tried to fasten a piece of cord around the crown of 
the tooth, and after a great deal of trouble and inconvenience, 
caused by the action of the tongue and the pressure of the teeth 
against my hand and arm, succeeded in doing so ; but it slipped 
off several times, on account of the crown of the tooth being worn 
uneven on its masticating surface ; I at last, however, got it to 
stick on pretty well, and had it held by one of my assistants. 
I then fastened my newly invented claws on, and with little force 
was enabled to draw it nearly out of its socket, after which I 
readily removed it with my fingers. The tooth extracted averaged 
only an inch long in its crown, and two inches in its fangs. The 
mare in a few weeks improved in condition, after which she was 
sold, and I have never seen her since. 
On finding that my new instrument answered its purpose, and 
that the teeth came out tolerably easy, I was led to make an ex- 
amination into the shape and position of the molar teeth. 
In my surgery I had hanging up the off side lower jaw of a 
seven or eight-year horse, where the whole surface on their inner 
side, was entirely laid bare. In this specimen the whole of the 
teeth were in a healthy state, and fully developed : many of them 
were three and a-half inches long. The second and third reached 
quite down to the edge of the lower jaw. They lay in close 
approximation on their upper surfaces, but their roots diverged 
from each other very much, leaving a cancellated space between 
some of upwards of an inch. With the exception of the first, 
which was but trifling, their roots were not divided into fangs. 
