A DENTAL DILEMMA,

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21734, 27 August 1932, Page 10

A DENTAL DILEMMA,

If medical science cannot yet capture the .vitamin and transfix it like a butterfly upon a board, it has tracked that elusive factor to its lairs, cab recognise its—so to speak—dietitiary spoor, and can enumerate five different members of the family. ' Since the vitamin is so definitely associated with the process of mastication and that necessary function is dependent for its success upon the teeth, it was inevitable that those explorers who make the human frame the field of their adventures should strive to find a connection between the two. In their researches they have arrived, it appears, at certain significant conclusions. Professor Howe, of Harvard University, having for fifteen years acted as chef extraordinary to the higher apes, has proved that decaying teeth are merely a sign of decaying health, and that a rational ■diet is the best preventive of both. Earlier, Mrs Mellanby, subjecting puppies to such a sickly regime of sugary foodstuffs as is generally more favoured by the human than the canine species, showed that dental ■caries regularly appeared in those animals the diet of which excluded vitamins A and D. Aristotle, one of the earliest diagnosticians, suspected that teeth decayed because of sweet particles remaining between them. Happily for the indulgences of the majority of sweet-toothed mankind, many authorities are not so sure to-day that the health of the teeth need be affected simply because a .person has a partiality for chewing lollies. Dental disease is attributed to a more fundamental cause than sweetmeats, namely , to a diet deficient in vitamins, mineral-j salts and roughage. This may be I described as the majority-verdict of I the researchers. It is a conclusion that ! can be welcomed by ordinary persons.

They may conceive that the dentist of the future, instead of subjecting them to the rude attack of gas-mask, forceps and drill will merely write out a plain but wholesome corrective menu containing plenty of vitamins A and D, But, alas, the river of knowledge, as Sir James Jeans has so wisely remarked, is forever turning back on itself. A short time after a definite relation between caries and an insufficiency of vitamins had been experimentally established, science examined the teeth of the islanders of Tristan da Cunha. These isolated people, The Times informs us, have almost perfect teeth, yet their diet is not remarkable —consisting of potatoes, penguin eggs, fish and some vegetables—and they cannot boast a tooth brush among them. Discounting the unlikely possibility that the islanders possess a secret hoard of vitamin A, investigators were forced to • seek elsewhere for an explanation. They discovered that i Tristan da Cunha is a! domain in ; which bread, oats and rice are uni known. The serious question then ! arose: “Was it possible that the i islanders owed their immunity from | dental troubles to their lack .of bread or porridge?” The higher apes and i puppies, having been recruited to ; solve the problem, supported this pre- ; sumption—those animals which are fed | a full ration of vitamins -but no oats or breadstuffs have better teeth than those that are fed cereals even in small quantities. More disturbing still is | the declaration that Britons in the I “ porridge area ” north of Yorkshire I have inferior teeth to > those of the south. Whether these discoveries are to sound the death knell of the Scottish national food is a question which science has yet to answer. The stream of knowledge has, it may be presumed, many miles to flow still, and many convolutions to perform, before it broadens into the sea of omniscience, and many premises, assumptions and theories of science will, in its progress* be deposited and forgotten along its bed. Meanwhile the dentist’s chair must remain a medium of refined and civilised torture and the Caledonians will, doubtless, continue to ignore the great lexicographer’s derisive definition of their favourite dish.

Conciliation Council ■ At the close of sitting of the Conciliation Council, the commissioner (Mr S. Ritchie) expressed pleasure at the fact that he had been able to bring about two industrial agreements -in one day—the warehousemen’s and the canister workers —and complimented the, assessors and representatives on the excellent spirit in which they had carried out the negotiations. ' Probate Granted Mr Justice Kennedy has granted'probate in the under-mentioned estates: — Margaret Stuppart Shiels, of Dunedin.; Jameg Gray Cockburn, of Te Houka, farmer; Emily Louisa Morris, of Dunedin; William Robertson, of Incholme, farmer; Margaret Cre#, of Otekaike. widow; Alice May Manson, of Bannockburn; Elizabeth Jane Edwards, of Cromwell; Julia Anderson, of Mornirigton; Lawton Spencer Dyer, of Mosgiel, company manager; and John Finlayson,- of Herbert,.Retired farmer. Letters of administration were granted in the" estates of, Wilfred Douglas Millar, of Palmerston, clerk, and Alfred Morris, of Dunedin, manufacturer. Mortgagors’ Liabilities Adjustment The Mortgagors’ Liabilities Adjustment Commission will visit ' Cromwell and Alexandra on August 30; Naseby, August 31 and September 1; and Oamaru, September 4,5, 6, and 7. Fire at Mosgiel The premises of A. F. Cheyne and Go., drapers, and those occupied by Mr Borrow, jeweller, were almost completely destroyed by a fire which , broke out early yesterday morning. The fire, which is thought to have been caused by a defect in the electric insulation, spread rapidly, completely destroying the stocks in both premises. The building was a substantial brick one, and the loss will be considerable. The building was insured'for £2OOO in the Phoenix Office, and the, stock; and fittings in Messrs Cheyne and Co.’s for, £3200. Mr Sorrow’s stock was insured for £650 in the Northern Office.

Theft of Diamond Ring . A Press Association telegram states that Herbert Leah Patersbn, for theft of a diamond ring, valued at £27,' from the house of a friend at,, Dunedin, was sentenced in the Wellington Magistrate’s Court to sis months in gaol, the sentence to commence at the conclusion of a term he is at present serving. Quaint Native Custom

On the island of San Cristoval, in the Solomon Group, is a grave with a headstone bearing • the inscription, “C. E. Fox, died —, 1922.” Buried there is a young native who, in compliance with an old Melanesian custom, lived some years ago as the Rev. Dr C. E. Fox, of the Melanesian Mission, while Dr Fox acted the part of the. native, Martin Takibaina. Now Dr Fox has the privilege of being able to contemplate his own gravestone—a gruesome privilege in the opinion of his friends. The circumstances of this strange pi'ocedure were recounted on Tuesday by Dr Fox, who is at present in Auckland on furlough. "In 1918 it was arranged that I should change names with the native, the son of a chief, as a sign of friendship/’ said Dr Fox. “The custom is an extremely old one in Melanesia, where it has been frequently carried out between chiefs in order to cement friendship. I went into the hut of the chief’s son and lived as a member of his family while the native went to live in. my' hut. We exchanged our personal possessions, and we almost, but not entirely, exchanged our identities,” said Dr Fox. “ I continued with my mission work and the native lived as before. The usual custom is to exchange wives, but this was not part of the arrangement. However, he was Dr Fox in the eyes of the other natives and I was Martin Takibaina. a young chief, in whose name I paid ■the native tax. I am still regarded as this by • the tribe, and I am considered to i>c the chief, owing to the death of the father.” Dr Fox said the native died four years later and was buried under his adopted name.

Modesty of Wellington “Wellington suffers from an inferiority complex,” said the president of the Wellington Competitions Society, Mr Byron Brown, at the opening of this year’s festival. Wellington, he said, allowed itself to suffer in this way Just as Great Britain did before the rest of the nations. For some 60 years, to his knowledge. Mr Brown continued, it had been said tliati there was more sunshine in Auckland than in Wellington, which was not the case. The lowest year’s sunshine in Wellington more than equalled Auckland’s best. It rained more in Auckland than it did in Wellington, and when the wind blew it blew 20 miles an hour faster in Auckland than it did here. “I put that over the air not long ago,” said Mr Brown, “and the very next day a friend said, jokingly: ‘What are those lies you’ve been saying about Wellington and Auckland?’ They are not lies. If anyone went to Dr- Kidson, the Government meteorologist, he would find out the truth. They are statistics —facts.”

Chimney Fire The City Fire Brigade was called on# at 11.46 a.m. yesterday to attend to a chimney fire in Grange street.No damage was done. Tahuna Tram Service , The Tramway Committee will report that authority has been granted the tramway manager, to alter the Tahuna time , table by substituting a- 20 minutes’ service between Bowen .street and Frederick street, in lieu of the present 15 minutes’ service between Bowen street and the Stock Exchange. The new service would be run only between the hours o*f 9 am. and 11.45 a.m., 2 p.m. and 4.30 p.m., and 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Outside of these hours the.existing service would be run. The' Tramways Committee will report to this effect to the City Council on Wednesday evening. The alteration will give Tahuna residents the benefit of a through service to Frederick street, which will more than compensate passengers for the less frequent service. From the department’s standpoint the change should benefit the revenue, and ; also afford more relief to the Anderson's Bay cars, as the time table would be arranged so that the Tahuna cars, during the altered scryice, could run two minutes ahead of the Bay cars outwards and inwards, in 'place of running in this way. every half hour, as at present. ' Community Singing’ The weekly community sings appear to be going from success to success in an unbroken succession. Yesterday’s function in the Empire Theatre proved to he as effective and as enjoyable as any yet held, and the large crowd, numbering, up-, wards of 2000, could not fail to capture at least a little of the spirit of lightheartedness and optimism that the proceedings were intended to furnish. Mr F. H. Dampen demonstrated once again his energetic desire to make these occasions worth while, and led his-'large-gathering through one of the most singularly pleasant “ sings ” that have yet, been enjoyed in Dunedin. The instrumental support in this instance was particularly good, Miss Rita Holmes spending herself with characteristic unselfishness at the piano, Mr Paul Cullen doing scarcely less at the console of the organ, and Mr V. Aldridge contributing special assistance with his cornet solos and'accompaniments. Mr Dudley Wrathall, of the 4YA station, was another very willing and highly appreciated helper, and special thanks were" also due to the manager of. the Empire Treatre (Mr Stewart Pitt) for the use of the theatre. During the course of the " sing ” intimation was made, with regard to several welcome country contributions and, in addition, not a few articles sent in by sympathisers were sold at auction. Tramway Traffic ■ > According to the tramway manager’s statement of traffic for the 1 past fort-, nightly period, as compared with those for the corresponding period of last year, which will be submitted to the meeting of the City Council on Wednesday evening.- The returns show a decrease in revenue for the period of £312. The total decrease since April 1 last now amounts to £1,791, or .2.8 per cent. Razor With -a History A razor which must be one .of ■ the oldest at present in use is the property of Mr James Davidson, of 25 Waver ley/ street, South Dunedin. The blade ,is of British workmanship, and has seen much service far afield. It formerly belonged to, a British soldier of the 7,9 th Regiment, who fought through the Crimean War, The soldier was James Blomfield, and when he returned to England from the Crimea /he presented the razor to Mr Davidson. That was, in the year .1877, when Mr Davidson was a boy living in the village of Chirnside, in Berwickshire. The razor has been in the. possession of Mr Davidson ever since, ,and has been used by him regularly three times a week for' over 50 years, without .being re-set. Building Industries Week Wonderfully good results have accrued from the efforts of the building and allied trades in Wellington and Christchurch to relieve unemployment and stimulate business generally. It is reported that, since; the introduction of the No. V 9 \ scheme, under which a substantial Government subsidy is obtainable on labour employed, over £IOO,OOO worth of work ha s been put in hand. This includes building, renovating, repairing, painting, and similar work, business firms and the . general public realising that the present extremely low level of prices, added to the subsidy, creates an unprecedented- opportunity to have jobs put in hand. It will interest . large numbers of people, therefore, tb know that a campaign has, been started in Dunedin with a view to making known these facts. An organisation named the Otago Allied Building Industries has been launched, and - at a meeting of the committee held yesterday it was resolved to hold a building industries week from September 12 to September 17, when- special features such as shop window displays, radio talks, trade processions, etc., will he introduced. It is also hoped that factories and workshops • will he thrown open for inspection. The Apprentice! Act An emphatic denial of allegations that legislation to amend the Apprentices Act had already been framed, and that the conference they had called wa a simply for the purpose of “cultivating public opinion ” was given by Mr S. G. Smith, M.P., and Mr A. E. Ansell, .M.P., when speaking ' at a conference. with the employees and employers’ representatives of the Apprenticeship Committees in Christchurch on Thursday. The suggestion that the conference was the forerunner of something that was to be introduced during the next session of Parliament was made by Mr G. T. Thurston, secretary„ of the Engineers and Allied Trades Union, but the assurance was given by. both members there was " nothing cut and dried.”