"Gold is now preferred, though tin, from its toughness when in the leaf, is perhaps the most suitable. Americans are superior to British in filling." ("Plain Advice on Care of the Teeth," Dr. A. Cameron, Glasgow, 1838.)

Fig. 1.

Fig. 2.

"Tin foil is used for filling teeth." (S. Spooner, New York, 1838, "Guide to Sound Teeth.")

In 1838 Archibald McBride, of Pittsburg, Pa., used tin for filling cavities of decay.

The following facts were learned from Dr. Corydon Palmer: E. E. Smith, who had been a student of John and William Birkey, in Philadelphia, came to Warren, Ohio, in 1839, and among other things made the first gold plate in that part of the country. In operating on the anterior teeth, he first passed a separating file between them, excavated the cavity, and prepared the foil, tin or gold, in tapes which were cut transversely, every eighth of an inch, about three-quarters of the way across. [Fig. 1] shows the size of tape and the manner of cutting. With an instrument ([Fig. 2]) he drew the foil in from the labial surface, using such portion of the tape as desired.

The instrument from which the illustration was made was furnished by Dr. Palmer, and is shown full size. Instruments for use on posterior teeth were short and strong, with as few curves as possible; no right and left cutters or pluggers were used, and none of the latter were serrated, but had straight, tapering round points, flat on the ends, and of suitable size to fill a good portion of the cavity. He used what was termed Abbey's chemically pure tin foil, forcing it in hard, layer upon layer,—as he expressed it, "smacked it up." In this manner he made tin fillings that lasted more than thirty years.

In 1839 Dr. Corydon Palmer filled teeth with tin foil, also lined cavities with gold and filled the remainder with tin. In the same year he filled crown (occlusal) cavities one-half full with tin and the other half with gold, allowing both metals to come to the surface, on the same plan that many proximal cavities are now filled. (See [Fig. 3], showing about one-half of the cavity nearly completed with tin cylinders. The same plan was followed when strips, or ropes, were used.)