MEDICAL EXPERIENCES. 
239 
Malagasy has already been referred to. A 
dentist would scarcely find remunerative employ¬ 
ment amongst the natives, as they seem to have 
a secret of preserving their teeth white and sound 
even to a very advanced age. They carefully 
wash their mouths after every meal. They 
scarcely ever smoke, and the only deleterious 
habit they have is one of sucking powdered 
tobacco or snuff, which does not, however, appear 
to damage the whiteness of the enamel to any 
appreciable extent. The women, and even young 
ladies of the court, so elegant in other respects, 
indulge in this very unpleasant usage, and it 
does not add by any means to their attractiveness. 
The poorer slaves, in default of any other den¬ 
tifrice, use the common sand, with which they 
rub and scour their mouths. A strip of sugar¬ 
cane is also used, and common salt, and generally 
with the best results as far as appearances go. 
So novel is the idea to them of failing teeth or 
empty gums, that they still regard the latest 
achievements of European dentists in the way of 
false sets as in some way “ uncanny,” and allied 
with the powers of evil. 
A friend of mine, who was always remarkable 
for his readiness of resource in emergencies, was 
once on a journey from the coast to the interior. 
He had to pass the night at a village on the road 
that is famed for the rough boisterousness of its 
