ROYAL MEDICAL & CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 1855.

125 that, out of more than a thousand permanent first molar teeth extracted, one only was for the purpose of regulation, and had entirely overlooked the fact, that those persons who apply at such an institution as that mentioned by Mr. Tomes belong to that class who care nothing whatever for the regular arrangement of the teeth-in fact, they apply with the teeth utterly decayed, and requiring immediate extraction. The profession, he believed, well understood those statistics, which admirably showed, as far as they went, the relative liability of the different teeth to decay. It was a general rule that when we required to extract a tooth for the purpose of regulating overinvariably extracted the first permanent molar if ROYAL MEDICAL & CHIRURGICAL SOCIETY. crowding, we We had to consider each case by itself, how the decayed. TUESDAY, JANUARY 23RD, 1855. teeth closed upon each other, &c. ; and when the teeth were all sound it was sometimes better to extract the posterior bicuspid JAMES COPLAND, M.D., F.R.S., PRESIDENT. next to the anterior one. With respect to the forceps exON THE SYSTEMATIC REMOVAL OF THE FOUR PERMANENT hibited, they evidently were of little use, except to crush the The simple principle on which forceps should be conFIRST MOLARS AT AN EARLY PERIOD, IN A LARGE MAJORITY teeth. OF CASES, WHEN INCIPIENT CARIES IS PRESENT. structed, and which he thought was well understood by every dentist, seemed to be entirely lost sight of in the present inBY SAMUEL MACLEAN, ESQ. strument. A tooth that was much decayed might be considered ’THIS mode of treatment is not new. It was recommended bv like a short hollow cylinder or tube, and if grasped by four Mr. Fox in 1803, and is supported by the author, although it points, as it would be by these forceps, it must inevitably be has not received general support. The advantages are :crushed to pieces. The principle of one tube fitting on to another 1. The prevention and correction of the simpler forms of seemed to be overlooked. A mere shell of a tooth, when irregularities in the easiest and most desirable way, in a great grasped by forceps fitted on such a principle, would bear an majority of cases, without the aid ofmechanical means ; in all, enormous amount of pressure. The author surely could not

now carefully run up from below all over the splints, thigh three other splints are used, and the same mode

In the of proceeding observable ; the posterior one wide to cover the buttock ; the padding of the trochanter, &c., the same. AlJ the cases are doing well; want of space prevents us giving them in full detail.

Medical Societies.

in such a manner as least to disfigure the appearance of the be aware of what could be done with proper forceps, such mouth. He (Mr. Vasey) as those so admirably adapted by Mr. Errard. 2. The promotion of a healthier state amongst the remaining had teeth in his collection, completely hollowed out nearly to teeth; the prevention (probably) of caries, certainly an increase the division of the fangs, that he had easily extracted with in the facility of treating it. Errard’s forceps. 3. The prevention of the distressing, in some cases even very A paper was read by Mr. HoLMES COOTE, describing a preserious, symptoms which frequently accompany the develop- paration laid before the Society of ment of the wisdom teeth in corroded arches, and a material OSSEOUS S ANCHYLOSIS BETWEEN THE HUMERUS AND THE diminution in the chance of the formation of sinuses in after-life. SCAPULA. These statements were supported by cases, illustrated by The author remarked that osseous anchylosis in this situation numerous accurately-executed casts. The author also exhibited had met with accounts of two similar forceps of a novel construction, by which he was enabled to was very rare. HeMr. F. W. Smith, of Dublin, the other in Each instrument consisted of a pair of specimens-one by remove carious teeth. the Musee Dupuytren. The preparations were interesting in narrow forceps sliding over one another, so as to be able to relation to the operation of resection, as showing the possibility grasp the tooth in two different levels. Dr. COPLAND remarked that the plan proposed by Mr. of cure after disease by this process. Mr. FERGUSSON remarked, that from the small size of the Maclean was one followed in agriculture. When plants were too crowded they were thinned. scapula, and the portion of the humerus preserved, he should Air. JOHN THOMSON inquired whether the author of the paper have thought the person from whom the specimen had been recommended the removal of the deciduous teeth one or two taken was not so much as thirty-three years of age, as stated The preparation was an evidence of the .years before the appearance of the permanent set ? The author in the paper. had prefixed an a* to the name of Mr. Robinson in his paper- astonishing extent of movements which the shoulder-joint a gentleman surely well enough known not to require to be might ultimately obtain when the natural movementhad been so styled. He (Mr. Thomson) would refer to a case similar to interfered with, either by arrest of development or disease. the one recorded by llr. Robinson. In that instance the de- With respect to the disease under which the patient had considered that it was ulceration, ciduous teeth had been removed two years before the permanent laboured, he (Mr. Fergu&son) and not caries, as supposed by Mr. Coote. It was one of those ones appeared, and the result had been that these were all in which au operation should not be performed. Such zigzag. He mentioned another case also, of a young lady now cases thirteen years of age, who was born with twoincisor teeth of cases would get -well-the ulceration not leading to death of the lower jaw. The family surgeon removed them soon after, the cartilage-either by the means employed, or by time. and this young lady has now every one of her permanent teeth Conservative surgery, in such a case, then, would consist in with the exception of these two and the dentes sapientæ. waiting the efforts of nature—with some certain exceptions. Had the removal of the teeth, as stated, the effect of keeping In some of these instances the cure was rapid; but, in others, it would take years to effect it. Some persons could not afford up the deticiency ? Mr. MACLEAN called attention to the casts of Mr. Nasmyth, to wait for so long a time. It might then be desirable to which represented the mouth of a lady who never had more operate at an early period of the disease, and givethe patient than sixteen permanent teeth, yet the circle of the arch remained a useful limb. The progress of surgery now was such that perfect, and did not adapt itself to the number of teeth in it. the surgeon would not be satisfied inall cases with simple He considered that Mr. Robinson could not support his censure anchylosis in cases of diseased or resected joints, but would of the dentist referred to in his work, on the memory of the expect in some cases the formation of a false joint, not only might be effected, in parent after a lapse of seven vears. In his (Mr. Maclean’s) in the elbow, but other joints. This the were in good health, by taking when he mentioned that arch was a rabbit malformed one. the cases, patients many paper In answer to Mr. Thomson, he said that he never removed the proper means. Mr. HOLMES COOTE had regarded the disease as ulceration, .primary teeth except in cases where an irregularity was establlsh&d by them, and that the fangs of the primary were not and not caries; and agreed in this, as in the other points, mooted by Mr. Fergusson. always removed by anticipative absorption. Dr. SNOW said thatthe operation of removing four molar teeth in a child was one requiring the use of chloroform, and there was hardly any operation in which the benefits of this MEDICAL SOCIETY OF LONDON. agent were better shown. He had exhibited it in a great number of such cases, and the results had always been very SATURDAY, JANUARY 27TH, 1855. satisfactory. MR. HEADLAND, PRESIDENT. Mr. VASEY said that the author, in referring to the admirable statistics of Mr. Tomes, had expressed his surprise COD-LIVER. OIL WITH QUINA. * This referred to the manner in which the author of the paper, when comat the request of the President, gave the folMR. BASTICK, batina’ certain views advanced by Mr. Robinson, spoke of that gentleman.BEr. L. ! lowingaccount of his mode of preparing the above medicine :-