The anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the teeth / by Thomas Bell.

  • Bell, Thomas, 1792-1880.
Date:
1835
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: The anatomy, physiology, and diseases of the teeth / by Thomas Bell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by The University of Glasgow Library. The original may be consulted at The University of Glasgow Library.

    34/408 (page 8)
    CHEMICAL ANALYSIS OF THE TEETH. It appears from this statement, that not only fluate of lime and the salts of magnesia and soda, of which Berzelius had found traces in his analysis, escaped the observation of Mr. Pepys, but also that he failed to detect the small quantity of gelatine, which the former author records as existing in the enamel. From the circumstance however of this substance be- coming blackened, when exposed to considerable heat, it may be concluded, even without a minute analysis, that it contains a small proportion of animal matter. In consequence of a minute portion of fluate of lime having been found in fossil teeth of animals, it appears that Mr. Brande instituted some experiments, to ascertain whether this salt also existed in recent teeth, but did not succeed in detecting its presence. On this point however the testimony of Berzelius, quoted above, must doubtless be considered as con- clusive. The existence of fluate of lime in fossil teeth, would, perhaps, hardly be considered as suffi- cient to warrant an expectation of finding it in the recent structure ; since, in the former case, it might be attributed to accidental deposition rather than to original formation.