AFRICAN TOOTH BRUSHES
The general idea is that the diet and climatic conditions of tho are the causes of their beautiful but Bomo authorities dispute this. Thus in gome parts of Africa,- when an infant has gone through his "teething period, his mouth is rinsed out with an infusion, of tho leaves of a native-tree possessing a constituent which causes the gums t> shrink, eo tightemdrig the teeth. The natives living near the source of the Nile employ tho roots of a pod-boaring plfcnt to relieve toothache, while another tribe further west use an infusion of fousso seeds for the same purpose. The tooth-brush, as ufiod in this country, is, of course, unknown to savages, but many of them have a most effective substiThey use a piece of wood from certain trees which contain beueficaul qualities. Further, says the “Family Doctor,” this,stick is free from the great objection to brushes. Tt can be renewed at frequent intervals, and is thus always fresh and wholesome—a great advantage over the. toothbrush of the civilised races.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7871, 5 August 1911, Page 9
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173AFRICAN TOOTH BRUSHES New Zealand Times, Volume XXXIII, Issue 7871, 5 August 1911, Page 9
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