538 
DENTIFRICES. 
powder  "in  very  antiquated  works.  Like  most  of  the  old  order 
of  prescriptions,  these  at  the  present  time  look  somewhat  absurd. 
Many  of  you  probably  have  noticed  an  old  formula  quoted  by 
Goddard  in  his  "  History  of  the  Teeth."  For  the  benefit  of  those 
who  have  not  seen  it,  I  will  repeat  it ;  so  if  anybody  present  de- 
sires to  copy  for  future  use,  he  can  now  have  the  opportunity  of 
doing  so.    It  reads  thus  : 
"  Take  the  head  of  a  hare  and  three  mice ;  burn  and  reduce 
them  to  powder,  and  mix  with  an  equal  weight  of  powdered 
marble."  Here,  says  Goddard,  you  have  animal  charcoal  and 
prepared  chalk  with  a  vengeance.  This  prescription  is  said  to 
be  over  two  thousand  years  old,  and  is  claimed  as  having  origi- 
nated in  the  fertile  brain  of  old  father  Hippocrates.  There  are 
many  prescriptions  of  more  modern  date  which  seem  equally 
ridiculous.  Even  in  Harris'  works  we  find  a  curious  compound 
known  as  "  Beaumer's  Dentifrice."  It  is  this  :  Take  of  pow- 
dered pumice-stone,  red  earth,  and  prepared  coral,  aa  %i ;  dra- 
gon's blood  and  cream  of  tartar,  aa  gss ;  powdered  cinnamon,  gij ; 
cloves,  grs.  xxv.  M.  The  same  author  also  gives  us  a  formula 
for  what  he  terms  an  aromatic  powder,  composed  of  Peruvian 
bark,  powdered  galls,  chalk,  and  orris  root,  in  nearly  equal  pro- 
portions. I  imagine  the  galls  and  Peruvian  bark  a  decidedly 
aromatic  preparation,  well  calculated  to  tempt  children  to  use 
freely.  I  will  quote  one  other  from  Harris,  called  "  Lelande's 
Electuary  Dentifrice."  Take  of  pumice-stone,  dried  bones,  and 
red  coral,  aa  gij  ;  calcined  alum,  orris  root,  and  powdered  cinna- 
mon, aa  Bij ;  rock  alum  and  cochineal,  aa  3L  Add  to  this 
abomination  a  sufficient  quantity  of  Narbonne  honey  to  make  a 
thin  paste.  Allow  it  to  ferment  forty-eight  hours,  and  flavor 
with  tincture  of  musk  and  cloves.  Goddard  gives  a  formula  from 
Prof.  Hufeland  :  Peruvian  bark,  ^i ;  red  sanders,  §iv;  and  alum, 
5i.    Flavor  with  oil  of  lemon. 
A  detersive  powder  from  the  celebrated  Maury  reads  thus  : 
Magnesia  carb.,  lbi ;  cream  tartar,  lbi;  sulph.  quinia,  £v ; 
cochineal,  ^iss ;  ol.  pip.  m.,  3iv ;  oil  cinnamon,  3iij ;  neroli, 
#    M.  _  _ 
A  "  Polish  Dentifrice "  contains  ammon.  mur.,  powdered 
catechu,  myrrh,  Peruvian  bark,  and  orris  root.    This  would  be 
