TEE
TEASEL, Dipfacus, in botany. See the article Dipsacus. Bcfide the common wild (pedes of this plant, there is a large kind of it, the heads of which are of Angular ufe in raifing the nap upon woollen cloth, for which it is propagated in great quan- tities in many parts in the Weft of England. It is to be fown Jn March, on a dry foil ; a peck of the feeds are fufficient to fow an acre : The plants being come up, muft be houghed up firft to fix inches, and fume time after to a foot afunder every way ; and for the firft fummcr the ground muft be kept carefully cleared from weeds. The fecond year after fowing, the plants moot up to heads, which are fit to cut in Auguft, and tied up in bundles, and dried. The common produce of an acre of land is about a hundred and fixty bundles, which are fold at about a milling a bundle. Some people fow carra- way among their Tea/els, but it only damages both. Miller's Gardener's Diet.
TEBET, or The vet, the fourth month of the civil year of the Hebrews, and the tenth of their ecclefiaftical year. It an- fwcred to our moon of December, and has but 29 days. The fecond day of this Month is the laft of the octave of the dedi- cation of the temple, after it was purified by Judas Macca- beus. _ V. 1 Mace. iv. 59. John x. 22. Calmet, Diction. fiibl. in voc.
TECHNICAL Chemijlry. See Chemistry.
TECOLITTROS, in natural hiftory, the name of a gem, otherwife called Syr'tacus lapis, and fudmcus lapis, good for diflblving the human calculus. See the articles Syriacus and Judaicus.
It has this name from w», IdifTolve, and Xi9«, aftonej be- caufe it diffolves ftones. Hefm, Lex. univ. in voc.
TEE, in the manege. See the article Rkzast -Plate.
TEETH {Cyd.) — When the Teeth are fubject to be overfpread with a black or yellow cruft, it is a very good method to rub them well every day with a mixture of tincture of gum lac, honey of rofes, and fpirit of vitriol, which will not only whiten the Teeth, but render the gums more firm. The world is fond of tooth powders, and a moderate ufe of them may do fervice ; but the daily rubbing with them does more harm to the Teeth than wholly neglecting them. Pow- ders of this kind may be prudently ufed once in fix or feven days, and will render the Teeth white and fplendid. The common powders, prepared for this purpofe, are too hard, and wear away the gums ; fofter fubftances mould be employed, and when the gums are f d, a few drops of fome acid fpirit be added to the powder. The following is a very efficacious and fafe powder : Take chalk in powder, myrrh, burnt hartfhorn levigated, and Florentine rice root, of each two drams. Spirit of fait, fix drops 5 mix all into a powder. Heijler's Surgery, p. 457.
The common trick of mountebanks, and other fuch pradtifers, is to ufe various wafhes for the Teeth, the fudden effects of which, in cleaning and whitening the Teeth, furprize and pleafe people \ but the effects are very pernicious. All the ftrong acid fpirits will do this. As good a mixture as any thing can be, on this occafion, is the following: Take plan- tane water an ounce, honey of rofes two drams, fpirit of fait ten drops ; mix the whole together, and rub the Teeth with a piece of linnen rag dipped in this, every day, till they are whitened. The mouth ought to be well wafhed with cold water, after the ufe of this or any other acid liquor j and in- deed the beft of all 7W/Z>-wafhes is cold water, with or with- out a little fait ; the conftant ufe of this will keep them clean and white, and prevent them from aching. Hei/ter's Surg. P- 457-
Animalcules in the Teeth. No animalcules are to be found in any of the juices of the body, except the femen of male animals ; and consequently the faliva affords none : yet great numbers, and thofe of different kinds, may be difcovered in the white matter flicking between the Teeth, if it be picked out with a pin or needle, and mixed with a little rain water, or fpittle, without bubbles, and applied before the microfcope j and fometimes they are fo incre- dibly numerous, and full of motion, that the whole mafs feems alive. The largeft fort are of an oblong oval figure, and pointed at one end ; thefe move along very fwiftly ; but of thefe there are but few. There is another fort like thefe, in figure, but much fhorter and fmaller ; thefe have a pecu- liar motion, being always running in an undulated or fpiral line. A third fort are roundifh, and fo minute, that a grain of coarfe fand is equal to a million of them in bignefs : Thefe move fo very nimbly, that their fhape is not eafily diftin- guifhed ; yet they appear like large fwarms of gnats. Some, or all of thefe three kinds, may be found between the Teeth of perfons of all ages and fexes, efpecially between the grinders, and that though the mouth be wafhed ever fo con- stantly. But from the Teeth of people who are more carelefs, there may ufually be taken another fort of animal, in the fhape of an eel or worm ; thefe move backwards and forwards with great agility, and force their way through the clufters of fmal- ler animalcules with great impetuofity ; they move their bo- dies alfo into feveral headings in their progreffions. Befide thefe, there are alfo feveral other fpecies of animalcules, whofe motion is fo flow and languid, that it requires great attention to be fure that they have life. They all die if a little vinegar
TEE
be put to them ; whence it feems a very proper method* to wafh the mouth with vinegar, in order todeftroy them. Ba- ker's Microfcope, p. 167.
Clenched Teeth. The Teeth are in fome cafes found fo clofely and firmly fhut, that they cannot be opened fufficiently to give the perfon liberty to eat or fpeak. This generally arifes from a fpafm or cramp of the elevating mufcles of the lower jaw. The caufe of this fpafm is various ; fometimes it arifes from a wound or blow, even from injuries of the nerves and tendons in different parts of the body; as after an amputation of an arm or a leg. Sometimes alfo, it is owing to an in- flammation of the fauces themfelves.
When this diforder arifes from a wound, the firft thing to be done is to fearch whether there be not fome extraneous body left in it, which excites thefe fpafms ; if this be found to be the cafe, they always ceafe immediately, upon the pulling out fuch offending matters. If there be no fuch bodies in the wound, and medicines give no relief to the convulfions, you may be fure that fome nerve is wounded ; and the method then is to cut the nerve in two, if that may be done, and im- mediately the fpafms will ceafe. Sometimes however, the nerve lies inacceifible, or cannot be divided without danger of the patient's life ; which is a very deplorable cafe, and general- ly brings on a neceffity of amputating the limb. Thefe fpafms when from amputations are lefs to be dreaded, fiiice they generally go off on untying the ligatures about the vef- fels, and taking away the vitriol or other cauftic applied to reftrain the haemorrhage.
When an inflammation of the tonfils or jaw excites this fpafm, thefe are to be treated in the common method ; and the caufe being removed, as in the other cafes, the effect will ceafe. But if this diforder be of fo long continuance as to threaten the patient with ftarving, he is to be fupplied with broths and other liquid food, which may be fueked through the Teeth.
The furgeons have an inflrument, which they call fpeculum oris, made to force open the mouth on thefe occafions, and fome advife the breaking out a Tooth, to give room for food and medicines ; but both thefe practices are wholly to be re- jected, as making the fpafms more violent and obftinate. Heijler's Surg, p, 455.
Hollow Teeth. ThcTeeth which are hollow and decayed are ufually carious, and admit fome parts of the food into their cavities, which by degrees putrifies, becomes acrimoni- ous, and not only farther deftroys the Teeth themfelves, but irritates the internal periofteum and nerves of the Teeth, fo as often to caufe intolerable pain. Many methods have been contrived for relief in thefe cafes : One is to clean the cavity, and then fill it up with maftick as often as there is occafion ; and another is the filling up the cavity with a piece of lead or gold. The cavity may alfo be filled at times with oil of cloves, and the like, or cauterized with a red hot iron $ this generally proves a lafting remedy, and is attended with very little additional pain, if carefully performed, and no part of the mouth burnt. If all thefe methods fail, the laft relief is the taking out the Tooth, and afterwards replacing it again. Heijler's Surg. p. 458. See the article Toot H-Drawing.
Supernumerary Teeth. Thefe are fometimes the caufe of great diforders, and may, without careful examination, be miftaken for exoftofes or fchirrufes of the palate. See Med. Eff. Edinb. Vols. art - l6 -
Mark of Teeth, in the manege. See the articles Mark and Eye of a Bean.
Teeth of Fijh, Dentes Pifctum. The Teeth in the fifh kind are fo very various in their Ihape, and alfo fo varioufly dif- pofed, that they make a very notable mark of diftinction a- mong the feveral genera.
As to fituation, they are, 1. fometimes placed only in the fauces and orifice of the ftomach, the reft of the mouth be- ing entirely fmooth : We have examples of this in the cypri- ni, and the ammodytse or fand-eels, and many other fifh.
2. In fome the Teeth are placed only in the jaws ; the tongue, the palate, and the inner part of the mouth being fmooth.
3. In fome they are placed in the jaws, and on the tongue, the reft of the mouth being fmooth. 4. In fome the tongue, the palate, and the jaws have Teeth, but the back part of the mouth is fmooth j the herring has them difpofed in this manner. 5. Some have the fauces, tongue, palate, and jaws all befet with Teeth, as the falmons, erV, 6. Some have them in the fauces and jaws only, the tongue and the palate being fmooth: This we have inftances of in thepleuronecli. And finally, 7. Some fifh.es have Teeth in the jaws, fauces and palate, and the tongue only remains fmooth : This we fee in the mackrel, &c. And all thefe are very effential marks and diftinftions never varying in the fame fifh, and may ferve as characters much better than the colours and other fuch more obvious, but lefs effential things, remarked by the old authors.
The differences in the fhape of the Teeth, are as many as thofe in their fituation, and may ferve to as much purpofe in their diftinctions. 1. They are in fome acute and fharp at the ends ; this is the cafe in moft fifh. 2. In fome they are obtufc, and as it were flatted at the end, as in the cy- prini. 3. In fome fifh they are of a conic fhape, as thofe in 3 the
