Abstract
THE connection between dentistry and chemistry is a two-fold one. The practical dental surgeon is a worker in metals; he has to prepare amalgams for stoppings and carry out a multitude of similar operations; hence his need for a knowledge of inorganic chemistry. No less important is the second link; he must know the composition of the teeth, the action upon them of the reagents and drugs he employs; he must understand the action of ferments, whether they are contained within the micro-organisms of the mouth or in the secretions, like saliva, which come in contact with the teeth; hence his need for a knowledge of organic, and especially of physiological, chemistry. Dr. Smith has produced a work which supplies such needs, and one is glad to see he has provided an over-supply; for instance, the sections on physiological chemistry do not deal exclusively with saliva, though naturally this subject is treated with special fulness. This is as it should be; the less specialised and narrow a dentist's education, the more is he likely to benefit those under his care.
Lecture Notes on Chemistry for Dental Students.
By Dr. H. Carlton Smith. Pp. viii + 273. (New York: John Wiley and Sons; London: Chapman and Hall, Ltd., 1906.) Price 10s. 6d. net.
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Lecture Notes on Chemistry for Dental Students . Nature 74, 315 (1906). https://doi.org/10.1038/074315b0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/074315b0