Alle de brieven. Deel 14: 1701-1704

[p. 150]

Brief No. 238
8 December 1702

Gericht aan: John Chamberlayne.

Manuscript: Het oorspronkelijke manuscript is verloren gegaan.

Niet gepubliceerd.

Korte inhoud:

Over het reinigen en behouden van de tanden door het poetsen met zout en tabaksas. L. gelooft niet dat het drinken van thee en koffie slecht is voor het gebit. Verzoek om toezending van een boek over mijnen in Peru.

Opmerkingen:

Een eigentijdse, Engelse vertaling van de brief door John Chamberlayne (zie aant. 1) bevindt zich in handschrift te Londen, Royal Society, MS 2011, Early Letters L.3.46; 4 foliobladzijden. De brief werd voorgelezen op de vergadering van de Royal Society van 23 december 1702, O.S. (Royal Society, Journal Book Original, Dl. 11, blz. 8). Zie voor de Oude Stijl (O.S.) de Opmerkingen bij Brief 228 [140] van 2 augustus 1701, in dit deel. De hier afgedrukte tekst is de vertaling van Chamberlayne. Alle door hem gebruikte afkortingen zijn in de afgedrukte tekst opgelost.

[p. 151]

Letter No. 238
8 December 1702

Addressed to: John Chamberlayne.

Manuscript: The original manuscript has been lost.

Not published.

Summary:

On cleaning and preserving one's teeth by polishing them with salt and ash of tobacco. L. does not believe that drinking tea and coffee is bad for the teeth. Asking for a book on mines in Peru to be sent.

Remarks:

A contemporary English translation of the letter in manuscript, made by John Chamberlayne (see n. 1), is to be found in London, Royal Society, MS 2011, Early Letters L.3.46; 4 folios. The letter was read in the meeting of the Royal Society of 23 December 1702, O.S. (Royal Society, Journal Book Original, vol. 11, p. 8). For the Old Style (O.S.) see the Remarks on Letter 228 [140] of 2 August 1701, in this volume. The text printed here is Chamberlayne's translation. In the printed text all abbreviations used by him have been written out in full.

[p. 152]

Delft in Holland.

Mr. John Chamberlayne¹ -

8 Decemb: 1702

Sir.

⁺Your Letter dated from Westminster the 1^st. of Septemb: 1702 did not come to my hands till the 2^d. of this Instant Decemb: You tell me therein that one of your Good Friends is Troubled with the Scurvy in his Mouth & Gums, or some other Distemper no less Prejudiciall to the Teeth then the Scurvy²; that he had severall times intreated you to Consult me about it, which you had consented to do after having perused my 53 Letter about the Structure of Elephants Teeth which I had writt to the Royall Society³. Moreover you tell me that your Friend's Teeth were never very white nor Good, & that he had never taken any care of them till after he was 20 Years old, but that since that time, being sensible of the great Inconveniences attending his Neglect, he has always been very carefull to clean his Teeth with a Tooth-Pick & to Rince his mouth with Water after Eating & c. That this has been his Custom the Last Ten Years, but in Vain, for His Teeth are still very foul, though freed from the Tooth-Ach wherewith he used to be much Tormented formerly. That for severall Years last past he has perceived a Great Decay & Wasting of his Gums, especially of his Upper Teeth in the forepart of his mouth, which are now no longer Red but Pale, & if prickt with a Pin, will yield no Blood, & are quite Flat & Smooth, the Teeth thereabout sticking out Longer than the rest, one of which about a Year ago dropt out whilst he was Washing his Mouth with water. That the same Tooth was a long time very loose, & stuck out near a quarter of an Inch longer than the rest, that 2 others are almost in as bad a Condition, & if care be not taken will soon follow. That he has used severall Medicines to strengthen the Teeth, as Hony & Allom⁴, Tinture of Myrrh, & a Water compos'd of Allom & Sage with which he washed his Mouth every day but in Vain. You Add that you had Almost Forgott to tell me that this Gent: never used his Foreteeth in eating, & that for severall years past he has drunk a great Deal of Tea & Coffee, which some think burns the Teeth, & hinders the Circulation of the Spiritts & the Nourishment which the Teeth receive through their small Pipes⁵.

Your Desire is that I would give you my Thoughts hereupon & give you leave to publish the same not only for the Advantage of your Friend, but also for the Benefit of all Mankind.

1 The letter is addressed to John Chamberlayne (1666-1723), who, with some interruptions, translated L.'s letters for the benefit of the Royal Society from 1700 to 1723. See the Biogr. Reg., Collected Letters, vol. 13, p. 339, and Vermij & Palm, ‘Chamberlayne’.

+ Teeth cleaning.

2 One of the most significant symptoms of the early stages of scurvy is bleeding gums.

3 L. here alludes to Letter 98 [53] of 4 April 1687, Collected Letters, vol. 6, pp. 193-221. In this he describes in great detail the structure of teeth of elephants, humans, cows, and horses. He assumes that a tooth is composed of, among other things, little tubes of bone and supplying vessels. When one of these two is blocked, toothache ensues. For a summary of L.'s investigation of teeth see Schierbeek, Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, vol. 2, pp. 387-392, and Idem, Measuring, pp. 129-131.

4 Allom, alum.

5 For L.'s own theory on the structure of dental enamel and dentine see n. 8 on Letter 98 [53] of 4 April 1687, Collected Letters, vol. 6, p. 195.

[p. 153]

I was at first a little unwilling to communicate my Thought in this matter as reckning that the Solution thereof did rather belong to a Physician or Surgeon than to me who have no skill or Insight in either of those Professions. However because you so earnestly desire it I will do my best to give you Satisfaction upon this Point.

Why one Man's Teeth are much Cleaner & better then anothers though they both equally wash their mouth, & pick them with a Quill, is, I think with Submission as follows:

The Picking of the Teeth, & Washing the mouth with water after Meals cannot preserve the Teeth that are Infested with a Chalky Substance growing about them from Rotteness & Corruption⁶.

That your Friend is quite freed from the Tooth-Ach, with which he was formerly so much Tormented does not seem strange to me, since his Gums (in my Opinion) are almost, if not altogether bereav'd of Sensation, especially the upper Gums in the forepart of his Mouth, for having never us'd those Teeth in Eating, the Meat never touched that part of the Gums, & consequently occasioned no Motion therein although Motion be Necessary for their Preservation⁷.

The reason why His Gums are so Pale, & will not Bleed though prickt with a Pin or Needle is because there is little or no Circulation of the Blood in those Parts, & that they are not far from a total Corruption, for those Gums that are sound must needs be Red, by reason of the great Number of Blood-Vessels therein, which being only covered with exceeding thin Scales⁸, are easily seen through the uppermost Skin which is Compos'd of these thin Scales, insomuch that if you press any one's Gums that are well & sound the Blood in those parts will presently retire & a white Spot appear in the same place, but the said white Spot by the Return of the Blood will be red again in 2 2^ds. of a Minute.

6 L. himself gave much attention to the care of his teeth. In the morning he rubbed his teeth with salt and afterwards rinsed with water. After a meal he cleaned his teeth with a toothpick and afterwards polished the teeth with a cloth. He rubbed the gums with hard salt. For the description of this and for the discovery of bacteria in dental plaque see Letter 76 [39] of 17 September 1683, Collected Letters, vol. 4, pp. 125-137. Furthermore Letter 98 [53] of 4 April 1687, idem, vol. 6, pp. 193-219, in particular p. 203; and Letter 123 [75] of 16 September 1692, idem, vol. 9, pp. 133-145, on micro-organisms in dental plaque.

7 L. took the view that moving the gums had a stimulating effect on the circulation of the blood and consequently on the nourishment of the gums.

8 With the word scales (probably ‘rok’ in Dutch) L. refers to the thin vascular walls of the blood vessels in the gums.

[p. 154]

Why 2 or 3 of your Friend's Teeth stick out longer than the rest, I conceive the reason to be, because in Eating they do not touch their Opposites; for if any one looses a Tooth in their Younger years, that tooth which was opposite to it will in time grow longer than the rest because it meets with little or no Counterpressure.

⁺The Tooth you sent me which fell out with washing I did not take for a very good Tooth, because on one side of it, where it was oppos'd to another tooth, there is a very small place that began to Corrupt, & that was below the Gums.

In the forepart of the Tooth I observe a little Hole or Cavity which I don't think proceeds from Rottenness, but rather occasioned by something striking against it; I believe it happen'd a great while ago because it is smooth & polisht; neither was it any Prejudice to the Tooth.

'Tis no wonder that th'other 2 Teeth are in Danger of following the former for the Gums being there Spoiled those parts of them which cover the Teeth & to which they are joyned shrink away for want of Nourishment⁹.

The Medicines that have been used to wash the Gums and strengthen the Teeth are in vain because the Teeth have no Feeling, neither can they cure the Looseness of them for the Reasons abovementioned.

If your Friend instead of the aforesaid Medicines had used to rubb his gums with salt every morning, it would not have only freed him from the Tooth-Ach, but preserv'd the Gums also by keeping the Blood in constant Motion.

⁺On this Occasion I can't forbear telling you that above 30 Years ago my Upper Teeth, close to my Gums were overspread whith a white Chalky Substance¹⁰ which though I often Scrap'd off, yet it grew on again & again; & I observ'd where this Chalky Substance had been, there the Teeth were bereft of their polisht Hardness, and afterwards all rotted away even to the Stumps or Roots, which for all that are as fast in my Gums as any young man's.

+ Bad tooth.

9 See n. 7.

+ Dental plaque.

10 See n. 6 on dental plaque. L. described bacteria from a rotting molar in Letter 188 [110] of 10 September 1697, Collected Letters, vol. 12, pp. 193-195. In Letter 216 [130] of 27 July 1700, idem, vol. 13, pp. 165-173, L. described maggots which had been sent to him by Chamberlayne with the story that these came from a rotting tooth; and treating toothache of his wife by means of vitriol.

[p. 155]

This Accretion of a Chalky Substance was, as I suppose occasioned by the Thickness of my Upper Gums which stuck out a good way beyond¹¹ my Teeth. And my Gums were wont to bleed so easily that if I did but bite a Thick piece of Bread or an Apple that part of them that had toucht my Gums would be all Bloody. But since that I have rubbed my Teeth & Gums every morning with Salt (which at first would make them bleed & pain them) I have not been Troubled with the abovementioned^a Accretion on my Teeth, & my Gums are now so firm & Red, that although I rub them with course salt I can't perceive that it makes them bleed. By this Rubbing I conclude that I am deliver'd from the Tooth-Ach which formerly I used to be much Troubled with, & when I Discover any Accretion or Chalky Matter in my Gums I don't fail to rub those Parts the Harder whereby I Conceive I avoid greater Inconveniences. As for my Lower Gums they are thin & the Teeth are Sound & free from any of that Adventitious chalky matter. And as for what Concerns your Friend give me leave to tell you that if he cannot bring the blood to Circulate again in his Gums I know no other help for him, & though the Circulation should return, yet those parts of the Gums that are loose or Separate from the Gums will be useless, & consequently his Teeth never entirely fast. Now to promote this Circulation of the Blood in the Gums I take the Liberty to tell you that you should use no other Remedies then our Common Salt which by its Angles occasions such a Friction as will neither incommode the Teeth nor Gums, & you must begin in the furthest parts of the Mouth, which I reckon are best provided with Blood Vessels, & so bring the Circulation forwards, but you must take care that in rubbing you don't touch the loose Teeth which a small matter will cause to fall out. If Fine salt should be found too sharp for a weak Mouth, I would rather advise the use of Tobacco Ashes in which there is a vast quantity of Salts much more then in burnt Herbs which burning in a Flame don't only loose a great deal of their volatile Salts but even of their fixt¹² too, whereas your Tobacco evaporating mostly in Smoak retains those Salts which are known to be very good for the Blood¹³.

This Rubbing of the Gums in my Opinion ought to be repeated at least 3 times a day in the beginning, & presently after each time to wash the mouth, & if young People would take care to rub their Teeth & Gums every Morning we should not see so many Toothless People, nor be sensible of so much Pain we commonly call the Tooth Ach.

11 In the manuscript beyond stands halfway above the line, and before halfway below it, as if the translator was in doubt; afterwards he has expunged before by means of little dots below the word.

a hs: abomentioned

12 their fixt, viz. their fixed salts.

13 Smoking tobacco to combat toothache is described by L. in Letter 176 [106] of 12 September 1696, Collected Letters, vol. 12, p. 91, and he mentions it again in Letter 216 [130] of 27 July 1700, idem, vol. 13, pp. 165 and 169-171.

[p. 156]

⁺Now that the Drinking of Tea & Coffee is prejudiciall to the Teeth, I can't believe by any means, & it does not at all appear by the Tooth you sent which is as good as a young man's of 25; & if the Warmth of Tea & Coffee be hurtfull at all, it would be most Hurtfull to the Lips which are first affected with it. I have severall times scalded my under Lip with Drinking hot Tea that it fetcht the Skin off, but never found any farther Prejudice; in short our blood is a friend to Warmth but an Enemy to Cold¹⁴. You desire to know of me what Observations I have publisht whithin these 2 Years last past: I must own to you that I was resolved to Publish none in my life time, and afterwards my Executors might do with them what they saw Convenient. But a great many of my Friends being dissatisfy'd with such Resolutions, & urging why they might not be suffered to partake of my Discoveries as well as other Countries where my Letters were publisht in a Language they did not understand I have been prevail'd whith to disperse my last printed Books¹⁵ by the Ordinary Convenience of a Vessel that passes between Rotterdam & London.

⁺In the Philosophicall Transactions No. 108. p. 187, & No. 109. p. 211. I did observe that one Alonso Barba had putt out a Book concerning the Minerals of Peru & Potosi which was translated into English by the Rt. Honorable Edward E. of. Sandwich¹⁶; I would gladly know they proceed with Mettals in those parts: If the Book is to be gott I would beg you to buy it for me, & to send it me by any ship bound for Rotterdam under the Cover of the Heer van Leeuwen¹⁷, he is well known to all the Skippers there: in so doing you will mightily oblige me, & whatever costs I will thankfully Repay. Thus I have sent you my Crude and Hasty Thoughts in the business you desired of me, I wish I had a better Occasion of serving you, & in the mean time remain¹⁸

Sir
Your Friend to serve you
Anthony van Leeuwenhoek

+ Tea and Coffee.

14 In Letter 123 [75] of 16 September 1692, Collected Letters, vol. 9, p. 135, L. describes that through regular drinking of hot coffee the Animalcules in the front part of the mouth are killed. L. was a strong champion of the use of tea as a medicine. See for his habits with regard to drinking tea and coffee, and the medicinal use of both beverages Letter 205 [120] of 1699, idem, vol. 12, pp. 361-367, and n. 6 on that passage for further references. See also n. 9 on Letter 234 [145] of 14 February 1702, in this volume.

15 L. probably alludes here to the Sevende Vervolg Der Brieven... (Delft, 1702). The Latin translation appeared only seventeen years afterwards as Epistolae Ad Societatem Regiam Anglicam... (Leiden, 1719).

+ Book by Barba.

16 L. alludes here to reviews of Alvaro Alonso Barba's The first book of the art of metals and The second book of the art of metals, in the Philosophical Transactions 9 (1674), respectively on pp. 187-191 (no. 108 of 23 November 1674) and on pp. 211-215 (no. 109 of 14 December 1674). Anonymous English translations of Barba's books, which originally had appeared in Madrid in 1640, were published in 1670. In the second edition of 1674 the name of the translator appeared on the title page. See for Barba and the Earl of Sandwich the Biogr. Reg. in this volume.

17 Philips van Leeuwen (1667-1713) was a son of L.'s sister Catharina and Claes Jansz. van Leeuwen. He was a merchant in Rotterdam and recurrently received packages for L. See the Biogr. Reg., Collected Letters, vol. 9, p. 429.

18 The next letter of L. addressed directly to Chamberlayne is Letter 251 of 3 October 1704 (Collected Letters, vol. 15), discussing, among other things, salts in the ash of tobacco.