Page:Philosophical Transactions - Volume 014.djvu/176

Rh The Spittle of another old man and a good fellow was like the former, but the Animals in the scurf upon the teeth, were not all killed by the parties continual drinking Brandy, Wine, and Tobacco, for I found a few living Animals of the 3d. sort, and in the scurf between the Teeth I found, many more small Animals of the 2 smallest sorts.

I took in my mouth some very strong wine-Vinegar, and closing my Teeth, I gargled and rinsed them very well with the Vinegar, afterwards I washt them very well with fair water, but there were an innumerable quantity of Animals yet remaining in the scurf upon the Teeth, yet most in that between the teeth, and very few Animals of the first sort A.

I took a very little wine-Vinegar and mixt it with the water in which the scurf was dissolved, whereupon the Animals dyed presently. From, hence I conclude, that the Vinegar with which I washt my Teeth; kill'd only those Animals which were on the outside of the scurf, but did not pass thro the whole substance of it.

In many of my foregoing Observations, I saw some clear shining Particles, whereof some were round, others somewhat irregular, of several bignesses, and the largest about 25 times the bulk of a blood-Globule, these if they had not sunk in water, I should have taken for Particles of fat.

The number of these Animals in the scurf of a mans Teeth, are so many that I believe they exceed the number of Men. in a kingdom. For upon the examination of a small parcel of it, no thicker thana Horse-hair, I found too many living Anima's therein, that I guess there might have been 1000 in a quantity of matter no bigger then the 1/100 part of a sand.

A certain man being said to have worms taken out of his face. I took a quantity of these imagined worms, which I laid upon a clean Glass, that I might view them at