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E. H. SHEPARD. 
tion, and we find that the finishing touches are the most par¬ 
ticular if not the larger part of the work. 
To ensure the most confidence and quietness of the patient 
every precaution should be taken to prevent injury to the 
tongue or cheeks, by protecting the rasp as much as possible 
with the hand. And one thing, in this connection, which I 
oppose entirely, is doing any work on what may be termed 
the push stroke. All cutting should be done on the draw 
stroke; then no injury or annoyance can occur from the rasp 
suddenly catching on any irregularity and jumping with more 
or less force into the cheeks or throat, as it is likely to do in 
the old way. 
My experience has been that the fifth and sixth molars in 
a middle-aged or old horse, as a rule, are in worse condition 
than the anterior ones, for the reason that the lateral motion 
of the jaws at that point is much less, consequently the pro¬ 
jections become long and often exceedingly ragged and sharp, \ 
And it is here, where the greatest care is needed, that so many 
operators partially or completely fail to do the work properly. 
I have examined work where the rasp had failed entirely to 
reach beyond the fourth molar. Slight peculiarities will often 
be found which the file will easily temporarily rectifv. If the 
first superior molar projects with a point anterior to the first 
inferior molar and needs dressing then, in nine cases out of 
ten, you will find a similar projection on the sixth inferior 
molar projecting into the mouth behind the sixth superior 
molar, and vice versa if the inferior molars should be the most 
anterior. These projections sometimes become so long as to 
necessitate the use of the cutters, but unless of unusual size, : 
“ discretion is better than valor,” for the work of the rasp is 
the safer and more satisfactory. 
Again we quite often find that, from the excessive width 
of the superior molars, the outside of a portion of the inferior 
molars, generally the three posterior, has become worn down 
nearly or quite to the border of the alveoli of the tooth, and 
the inside extends upward to the upper jaw ; thus these por- , 
tions of both upper and lower molars shut by, so to speak, and 
often are imbedded in the soft structure surrounding the 
