Licence: Public Domain Mark
Credit: Principles of forensic medicine. Source: Wellcome Collection.
Provider: This material has been provided by the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the Francis A. Countway Library of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.
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![223 Boys. 109 Girls. 332 Boys and Girls. INCISORS. BICUSPIS, MOLAR. Cent. Later. Anter. Poster. Anter. Poster. 103 65 168 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 9 6 15 4 4 4 4 4 4 — 7 5 12 4 4 4 4 4 1 2 3 4 4 4 4 88 28 116 4 4 — — 4 — 7 0 7 4 4 4 4 0 4 4 215 106 321 3 ] 4 1 0 1 4 4 — — 0 4 — 3 0 3 4 4 — 4 — 4 0* 0 1 1 4 4 , 4 0 4 0 0 1 1 4 4 0 4 4 4 0+ 1 0 1 4 4 0 0 4 oj 8 3 11 From this table it appears that rather less than half the boys, and more than half the girls, and as nearly as possible half of the two sexes taken together, had the full complement of teeth stated in the first table as occurring in children of 12^ to 14 years of age; that by far the majority of both sexes had one or more of the several orders of teeth; and that in 11 instances only were some or other of the teeth entirely wanting. In three cases a child of 13 might have been mis- taken for one of 12 to 12^ j^ears ; in one instance a child of the same age for one of 1], and in one instance also for one of 10. In a vast majority of instances, however, Ave should be justified in stating that a child having one or more of the several teeth indicated in the first table opposite to the period of 12§ to 14 years had completed its 13th year; and we should be more likely to be right in the case of a girl than in that of a boy. It is highly probable, from these considerations, that by substituting in the first table the nmubers 1, 2, 3, or 4, for the number 4, we shall have a very useful, though by no means a certain, test of age. The permanent set of teeth is not complete till the denies sapientice have made their appearance. This usually happens from the 18th to the 25th year, but it sometimes takes place much later ; and one case is recorded by Dr. Hamilton of a man of 80 who died from the irri- tation produced by cutting his wisdom tooth.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b21055890_0054.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
