678 
DEPARTMENT OF SURGERY. 
case dental attention should be given them. In the canine and 
feline species the anatomical constitution of the dental organs 
precludes projecting deformities and the short life prevents 
caries, so here again the veterinarian meets only an occasional 
condition demanding attention. It is therefore evident that do¬ 
mestic animal dentistry naturally centres upon the horse, whose 
commercial value depends almost entirely upon his general 
health and utility, which is impossible without a normal mech¬ 
anism of mastication. That mastication and insalivation are 
two of the most essential digestive processes in herbivora, and 
of more relative importance than in man, is apparent to all stu¬ 
dents of physiology and pathology. Coarse amylaceous food of 
herbivora requires perfect comminution and incorporation with 
the salivary secretions in order to assure perfect gastric digestion, 
while the artificially prepared, cooked and seasoned food of man 
may without serious detriment be passed directly to the stomach 
with but little mastication. The same may be said of the canine, 
feline and porcine genera, all of which consume their food without 
even a semblance of persistent mastication. Then, again, the 
mouths of these animals are used only for mastication, while in 
the horse it is utilized for driving. The manner in which a 
horse accepts the bit is a prime factor in his value. That den¬ 
tal irregularities that wound or even irritate the buccal surface 
is frequently the cause of making a miserable driver out of an 
otherwise complacent one is a matter of common observation. 
A horse that has a “poor mouth,” as it is generally expressed, 
one that will not “go against ” the bit, a “ side-reiner,” or one 
that protrudes the tongue or slobbers persistently, is frequently 
improved if not entirely cured by removing the defects which 
produce these conditions. The human dentist has three objects 
in view, namely : (i) To relieve pain ; (2) to improve mastica¬ 
tion and general health; and (3) to preserve the features of the 
face. The aims of veterinary dentistry are:-(i) To improve 
mastication , especially of the horse, and by removing either con¬ 
genital or acquired abnormalities which wound the buccal sur¬ 
face, produce pain or prevent perfect apposition of the dental ar¬ 
cades ; (2) to treat the secondary conditions emanating from den¬ 
tal diseases and abnormalities ; (3) to correct driving defects of 
horses produced by irregularities which wound or irritate the 
buccal surfaces ; (4) to improve the appearance of the incisor 
teeth so as to make an apparent difference in the age of horses ; 
(5) to relieve pain by extracting diseased teeth of all domestic 
animals ; (6) to remove tumors of the jaws, teeth or nasal fossa?, 
