“If the caries penetrates as far as the cavity of the tooth, it may give rise to an abscess; and this I have often observed in persons to whom the caries of the incisors or of the canines occasioned great pain. In such cases I introduce the extremity of the sound into the cavity of the tooth in order to facilitate the evacuation of matter. As soon as the pus is evacuated the pain ceases. I then leave these patients in repose for two or three months; after this time, I stop the decayed tooth or teeth to avoid their getting worse.” As anyone may perceive, the methods used by Fauchard against caries left much to be desired, when compared with those now in use. With such imperfect methods it is but natural that one did not always succeed in obtaining the immediate cessation of the pain resulting from caries. The want of additional remedies was, therefore, felt; and, in fact, Fauchard tells us[422] of two with which he had experimented and found most efficacious against toothache. The first is a resinous plaster to be applied to the temples; the other is a paste to be applied, in quantity equal to the size of a small bean, between the gums and the cheek, and which was composed of various ingredients, among others, pyrethrum, black pepper, ginger, stavesacre, mace, cloves, cinnamon, sea salt, and vinegar. After having given the mode of preparation and application of the two above-mentioned remedies, Fauchard adds: “These remedies prove especially efficacious if one takes care to introduce a little cotton-wool or lint into the decayed cavity, soaked in oil of cloves, or cinnamon, mixed with an equal quantity of extract of opium, and if one resorts opportunely to bleeding and purging; which ought never to be neglected in the case of plethoric persons.” Finally, the author speaks of another remedy,[423] and one which we never should have expected to find in his book; but he assures us that by it many persons who had almost all the teeth decayed and suffered very often from toothache found great relief. “It consists in rinsing the mouth every morning and also in the evening before going to bed with a few spoonfuls of one’s own urine immediately after it has been emitted, always provided the individual be not ill. One is to hold it in the mouth for some time, and the practice ought to be continued. This remedy is good but undoubtedly not pleasant, except in so far as that it procures great relief. Some of those to whom I have recommended it, and who have used it, have assured me that in this manner they were relieved of pain to which, up to then, they had continually been subject. It is rather difficult in the beginning to accustom one’s self to it; but what would one not do to secure one’s self health and repose.” In order to explain the virtue of the urine as a remedy, the author pauses to speak of its chemical composition, and then adds: