Abstract
IT has been known for many years that dental enamel is birefringent; and its optical properties have been studied intensively by W. J. Schmidt and his pupils1. In a recent paper2, I have shown by X-ray examination that an enamel prism contains a multitude of regularly arranged crystallites of apatite, and have worked out in detail the orientation of these crystallites for human deciduous enamel. It was therefore felt to be of interest to determine whether the optical and X-ray results could be correlated.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
For a survey of this work, see Harders-Steinhäuser, M., Kolloid Z. 83, 86 (1938).
Thewlis, J., Proc. Roy. Soc., B, in the Press.
Fresnel, A., Ann. Chim. Phys., A (2), 17, 167 (1821).
Schulz, H., "Wien-Harms Handb. exp. Physik", Leipzig, 18, 540 (1928).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
THEWLIS, J. Optical Properties of Dental Enamel. Nature 143, 682–683 (1939). https://doi.org/10.1038/143682b0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/143682b0
This article is cited by
-
Neuere polarisationsoptische Arbeiten auf dem Gebiete der Biologie
Protoplasma (1940)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.