CHAP. X. Of restoring the Jaw dislocated forwards but on one side.
THe Patient must be placed on a lowe seate, so that hee may be under the * 1.1 Surgeon, then your servant, standing at his back, shall hold his head firme and steddie, that it may not follow the Surgeon drawing, exten∣ding, and doing other things necessarie for restoring it. Then the Sur∣geon, putting his thumb between the grinders, shall presse down the Jaw, and gent∣ly drawing it aside, force it into its cavitie: in the meane while, also the Patient, * 1.2 as much as in him lyes, shall helpe forwards the Surgeons endevour, in opening his mouth as little as he can; lest the muscles should bee extended; and hee shall only gape so wide as to admit the Surgeons thumbe, for so the temporall muscles shall be restored to their place, and favour the restitution. If hee open his mouth as wide as hee can, they will be extended after a convulsive manner; if on the contrarie he shut his teeth too close, there will be no passage for the Surgeons Thumbe unto his grinding teeth. Some there bee which affirme, that the Jaw-bone may sometimes * 1.3 be dislocated towards the hinde part, and that then the mouth is so close shut, that the Patient cannot open it nor gape, and that the lower ranke of teeth stands fur∣ther in, and nearer the throat than the upper. Now for restoring it, the Patients * 1.4 head must be straitly holden behinde, whilst the Surgeon, the meane while putting both his thumbs into the Patients mouth, holding his other fingers without under the parties chin, hee shall, by shaking it, draw it to him, or forwards, and so restore it to its place. For my own part, I confesse I never saw this kinde of Luxation, and I easily perswade my selfe, that it can scarce ever happen, for the reason I gave in the former Chapter. But neverthelesse, if it by any meanes chance to happen, yet can it not be a perfect Luxation, but an imperfect one; the Jaw being onely but a little thrust backe to the throat to those mammillarie additaments. And then it may easily be restored by lifting or drawing forth the Jaw, and suddenly forcing it from below upwards.