> Yes, Merillat's book is the basis for all modern dentistry on horses and
cattle. This style of dentistry is termed "equilibrative dentistry,"
because its purpose is much larger than merely the removal of "points",
i.e. the ectoloph of upper teeth and the medial edge of the
metaconid-metastylid in the lower teeth, which often fail to wear off
properly in domesticated animals that are dieted on processed feed
(i.e., grain, pellets, or hay). When these edges don't wear off, they
are usually sharp and interfere with the animal's ability to eat and its
pleasure in eating. Merillat's book is also the basis for our
theoretical understanding of why this common form of malocclusion
occurs, i.e. so that we can predict fairly well which animals will be in
the greatest need of dental prophylaxis.
The modern books on equine (and by extension, bovine) dentistry are two:
one by Tom Allen, DVM, which is a well-illustrated, sound, and thorough
treatment useful to the professional but also understandable and clear for
the horse owner not trained in biology. The other is the textbook by Jack
Easley et al.
I would use Pam's post as a jumping-off point to raise everyone's
consciousness on this list who works with archaeological cows and horses:
anyone who thinks they can see evidence of rasping or "floating" of the
teeth -- please notify me, as I have for many years been collecting
examples. The oldest archaeo-horse that I have seen that has obviously had
its teeth floated comes from western China and dates from the 3rd century.
-- Deb Bennett
> Hi all
>
>
> I've come across this fascinating tome, which I thought many others might
> find of some interest.
>
>
> For instance:
> p15-
>
> 1. cutting and floating of enamel points of horse and ox.
> 2. removal of projections which prevent perfect apposition of the dental
> arcades of horse, ox and hog.
> p16-
> current vets stigmatize animal dentistry as unimportant, religated to
> horse-shoer, horse-dentist (similar in human dr/dentistry - tooth puller
> locksmith/barber...)
>
>
>
> Merillat LA. 1911. Animal Dentistry and Diseases of the Mouth. Chicago:
> Alexander Eger: Grier Press.
> https://books.google.com/books?id=Ops_AQAAMAAJ
>
>
>
>
> cheers!
>
>
>
> Pamela J Cross
> PhD researcher, Zoo/Bioarchaeology
> Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, BD7 1DP UK
> p.j.cross (at) student.bradford.ac.uk / pajx(at) aol.com
> http://www.barc.brad.ac.uk/resstud_Cross.php
> http://bradford.academia.edu/PamCross
>
>
> Life at the Edge "liminality...enable[s] evolution and growth ...
> Boundaries and edges also characterize the dynamics of landscapes ...
> environments..[both intellectual and physical]." Andrews & Roberts 2012,
> Liminal Landscapes
>
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