A History of Dentistry from the most Ancient Times until the end of the Eighteenth CenturyGuerini, Vincenzo
History
A History of Dentistry from the most Ancient Times until the end of the Eighteenth Century
Guerini, Vincenzo
Dentistry -- History
J. G. PASCH, whose name we have already mentioned, relates the case of
a young maidservant becoming suddenly affected with deafness, and who
recovered her hearing completely on the eruption of one of her wisdom
teeth. From a passage of this author’s we learn that at that time
many had recourse to the crushing of the infra-orbital nerve as a cure
for certain cases of toothache. He, however, decidedly rejects such a
remedy, as it proves for the most part ineffectual and may, besides,
produce very serious consequences. This author carried out many
experiments as to the effects of acids on the teeth.[504]
C. A. GRÄBNER[505] recommends not deceiving children by extracting
their teeth unexpectedly, but rather to persuade them of the necessity
of the operation; for by deceiving them one loses their confidence, and
in many cases inspires them with an invincible aversion to the dentist.
This author invented a so-called “calendar of dentition,” for the
purpose of showing at a glance the period of eruption of each of
the deciduous and permanent teeth, and as well for noting down the
time at which the various teeth are changed, so as to avoid every
possible error in this respect. This calendar consists of a figure or
diagram representing the two dental arches, with transversal lines
that separate the different teeth one from the other, the relative
indications being also given.
The observations of this most sensible and conscientious dentist with
regard to the extraction of teeth are worthy of note: “The haphazard
pulling out of a tooth is an easy enough thing; the only requisites for
doing this are impudence and the audacity natural to the half-starved
charlatan. But to carry out the extraction of a tooth in such a manner
that, whatever be the circumstances of the case, no disgrace may accrue
to the operator or damage to the patient, requires serious knowledge,
ability, and prudence.”
RUEFF relates the case of a man, aged forty years, who, having made
use of fumigations of henbane seeds to relieve himself of violent
toothache, obtained the desired end, but at the same time lost his
virile power. He, however, reacquired his force by the care of the
author.[506]
THOMAS BERDMORE was the dentist of George III of England, and one of
the first and most eminent representatives of the dental art in that
country. Before him, no one had had the appointment of dentist to
the royal family. In the year 1768 he published an excellent work on
dentistry,[507] that was translated into various languages and went
through many editions; the last of these appeared in Baltimore in the
year 1844, that is, seventy-six years after the first English edition—a
splendid proof of the worth and fame of this work.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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