A short essay on the teeth : showing the value and importance of these organs, and their effects upon the constitution, when diseased : with directions for their proper management, in order to secure sound and healthy teeth, or restore them to health and usefulness when decayed / by C.S. Knapp.

  • Knapp, C. S.
Date:
1851
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: A short essay on the teeth : showing the value and importance of these organs, and their effects upon the constitution, when diseased : with directions for their proper management, in order to secure sound and healthy teeth, or restore them to health and usefulness when decayed / by C.S. Knapp. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the National Library of Medicine (U.S.), through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the National Library of Medicine (U.S.)

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    stomach in particular. An eminent medical author says : It seems to be an indispensible requisite that, in order to the accomplishment of healthy and speedy digestion, the food should be thoroughly masticated. The practice of swallowing food in large pieces, in almost all cases, sooner or later, produces dyspepsia, and greatly weakens the power of the stomach. We infer, from this fact, that if the teeth and gums are in such a state of disease as to prevent mastication of food, dyspep- sia must and will be occasioned, and continue, until the teeth and gums are restored to health, and perform the functions which nature lias assigned them.. The putrid and ulcerated matter from diseased teeth and gums. mixing with the food and passing into the stomach, will most certainly cause dyspepsia, if continued for a few years, and, in many instances, for a few months. Dr. Rash says : It. must be self-evident to every reflecting mind, that matter received into the stomach, which is the result of mortification and diseased animal secretion, must impair the tone of that organ, and vitiate, more or less, all the fluids of the system. It is a well known fact that excessive pain, occurring in any part of the system, will derange all its health} functions ; and the stomach (as it is the centre of sympathetic action) is the first organ to suffer. We often see persons who are ob- liged to fast while suffering with a spell of the toothache, as a full meal would almost immediately be ejected from the stomach. If the spells of toothache occur fre- quently, the stomach does not recover its tone and vigor before a fresh attack increases the disease which is al- ready commenced. Ear-ache.—This distressing complaint is often caused by decayed wisdom teeth. When the decayed tooth is extracted, the ear-ache ceases immediately. A piece of cotton wet with laudanum, and placed in the ear. will often relieve the toothache. Inflammation, and painful affections of the eyes, are sometimes occasioned by diseased teeth; This we have often met with, and cured by extracting decayed teeth. Medical and dental authors have recorded several cases of blindness, caused by diseased teeth. Nervous affections are frequently caused by diseased teeth. Tic-Douloureux, Nervous* Headache, Bhuma- tism, Epilepsy. Hysteria, etc., all come under this head, and are often cured bv directing the treatment entirely