860 ON THE SO-CALLED <f NERVE 55 OF THE TOOTH. 
granted to us over the animal world is not conceded to us 
absolutely. It is a dominion in trust; and we should never 
forget that the animal over which we exercise our power has 
all the organs which render it susceptible of pleasure and 
pain. It sees, it hears, it smells, it tastes. It feels with 
acuteness. How mercifully, then, ought we to exercise the 
dominion entrusted to our care ! 55 
G. Fleming, Royal Engineers. 
—The Animal World. 
ON THE SO-CALLED “NERVE” OE THE TOOTIL 
By T. C. White, Hon. Sec. to the Quekett Microscopical Club. 
There is no field of microscopical investigation more 
pregnant with interest than that which comprises the study 
of the histological characters of the various elements that 
help to make up the sum of the animal frame. I would not 
in saying this seem to deprecate those other subjects in which 
lovers of microscopy find such delight. Micro-zoology, the 
physiology and structural elements of the vegetable world, 
and those studies having for their object the development 
and correction of the higher powers of our microscopes, pos¬ 
sess their several interests, and are very important as fields 
of research; but I believe they will be found to pale before 
that study which enables us to arrive at a knowledge of those 
structures which build up and bind together the various 
organs of the human frame. A vast amount of work has yet 
to be done in comparing these several tissues with those of 
the lower animals, both as regards their embryonic condition 
as well as that of adult life; but it is not of comparative his¬ 
tology, nor of histology in its general aspect, that I would 
speak to-night, so much as of one particular tissue for which 
all present have, doubtless, at one time or another, felt a 
peculiar interest—I mean what is called the “nerve” of a 
tooth. Great uncertainty exists in the popular mind relative 
to its exact locality and nature; all know it to be a very 
painful subject, not to be touched upon except very lightly, 
and many desire to see what it is like. Now it occurred to 
me that it might not be altogether an uninteresting subject 
to bring under your notice, and while we were enabled to see 
what structural elements even so small a portion as this 
might afford for our powers of observation, it might at the 
same time stimulate the members of our Club generally to 
work out systematically the histology of the other structures 
