A systeme of anatomy, treating of the body of man, beasts, birds, fish, insects, and plants illustrated with many schemes, consisting of variety of elegant figures, drawn from the life, and engraven in seventy four folio copper-plates. And after every part of man's body hath been anatomically described, its diseases, cases, and cures are concisely exhibited. The first volume containing the parts of the lowest apartiments of the body of man and other animals, etc. / by Samuel Collins ...

CHAP. III. The Pathologie of the Teeth.

THe Teeth are subject to divers Disaffections of Colour, undue Dimen∣sions, Figure, Order, Laxity, and Shedding, Pains, and Gnash∣ing of Teeth.

As to the alteration of Colour, * 1.1 they are frequently dispoiled of their Ivory Whiteness, and degenerate into an unnatural Yellow, Livid, and Black Colours, which proceed from nasty Humours, adhering to the sur∣face of the Teeth, disrobing them of their fine native hue, which is pro∣duced also by foul Vapours arising out of the Stomach, and from Humours destilling out of the Termination of the Arteries, relating to the Gooms, and from the common use of Sugar, and other Sweets; and from frequent eating of Black Cherries, Mulberries, and other black Fruits, as also from Meat, and Broth boiled, and kept in Copper, and Brass Vessels, and from Mercurial Ointments, used in order to Salivation in Venereal Distempers, and from Washes prepared with Mercury, which Women use to Beautifie their Faces, thereby rendring their Teeth disfigured with Blackness, which is also derived from Scorbutick, and Venereal Distempers tainting the Blood, which is transmitted by small Capillary Arteries, insinuating themselves into the cranies of the Teeth.

These Instruments of Mastication loose their due Dimensions, * 1.2 both out∣wardly and inwardly, when their Exterior and Interior parts, are Corro∣ded by sharp Humours, in Venereal and Scorbutick Diseases, which perfo∣rate the Teeth; and by depraving their proper Nutriment, do corrupt their substance, and render them Carious and Rotten, whence they are scabed piece by piece, and are lessened in their Dimensions; which is caused also fre∣quently by Mercurial Medicines, by way of Unction, and Fucus made with Mercury.

Curious Artists have discovered Fistula's in Teeth, * 1.3 out of which being perforated, doth destil a thin Gleet, and sometimes corrupt sanious Hu∣mours, which give a faetide taste to the Tongue and Palate; this noisome Matter passeth sometime through the Roots of the Teeth (into which the Arteries and Nerves do creep) and afterward dischargeth it self through the Cavities of the Jaws, the Allodgments of the Teeth, and at last ma∣keth its way between the Gooms and Teeth, into the Cavity of the Mouth: And this corrupt Matter destilling through the Roots of the Teeth, some∣times falleth down to the bottom of the Chin, making Apostemes, full of purulent Matter, * 1.4 disburdened by an Ulcer (and is hardly Cured, except the Tooth be drawn out) which else will constantly supply it with a source of new Matter. And there is another way proper to the upper Mandible (by which salt and sharp Humours are transmitted) which is a large Cavity, seated under the lower region of the Eye, in a Bone of the upper Jaw, which hath a Protuberance wisely framed by Nature, for the preservation of the Eye: This Cavern is very large, and somewhat of a Sphaerical Figure; in the lower region of this hollowed Bone, may be dis∣cerned many Minute Prominencies, in which the Roots of the Teeth are reposed, and the Cells, in which the Teeth are fastned, are engraven in the lower margent of this Bone.

This Cavity is often found empty (and sometimes full of a Mucous Mat∣ter) into which Humours destil out of the Os Ethmoides.

A Gentlewoman of Quality was severely treated for many Years, with a Destillation of Salt Humours, rendring divers Teeth carious or rotten; whereupon she ordered them to be pulled out, to free her self from a far∣ther discomposure, which did not answer her expectation, because she was still afflicted with Pain, which she endeavoured to discharge, by pulling out her Eye-Tooth; and thereupon was broken a thin Bony Intersepiment, par∣ting the greater Cavern of the upper Mandible, from the lesser Cavity, the Repository of the Tooth, through which Nature discharged a quantity of Salt Humours flowing from the greater Cavity of the Jaw, reaching to the lower region of the Eye.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The causes of the discolour∣ing the Teeth.
• * 1.2

  The causes why the Teeth loose their due propor∣tion.
• * 1.3

  Fistula's in the Teeth produ∣ced by cor∣rupt matter.
• * 1.4

  An Ulcer of the Chin from putrid matter, destilling out of the Roots of the Teeth