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Show HAD THE TOOTHACHE. A large baboon in the monkey-house of the Zoological Society at Regent's Park has been suffering for several weeks past from toothache which culminated in a large abscess. The poor beast must have suffered intense pain, judging from the large swelling on its cheek under the left eye, and the sense of agony which he manifested was much the same as would be that of a human being under similar affliction. He was unable to eat his ordinary food, and his spirits were much affected by the incessant suffering proceeding from the abscess. It was a common sight to see the baboon nursing his own head and face in the corner of his cage, apparently anxious to abstract himself from the notice of everyone, his paw being held over the affected part as though to soothe it. This circumstance having been mentioned by Mr. Colam, secretary of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, to Mr. G. Hammond, a dentist, that gentleman at once offered to extract the tooth of the animal under chloroform at his own expense. Yesterday morning, at eight o'clock, Mr. Hammond, in company with Mr. W. Knight, M. R. C. S., of the Western General Dispensary, met Mr. Bartlett, the superintendent of the gardens, for the purpose of performing the operation, which, under the circumstances, was not an easy task. The sufferings of the baboon made him unusually suspicious of strangers, and consequently the operators could not approach him without considerable danger. It was thought desirable not to pinion Peter, as the animal is called, and to secure him only with a short chain, in order that no unnecessary alarm might be caused. The baboon evidently liked the odor of the chloroform, and permitted the operators to place the linen which was saturated with the spirit near his nose, but not close enough for it to produce insensibility. Peter, for nearly half an hour successfully baffled the skill of the operators by licking the chloroform off the linen instead of inhaling it. But it was apparent that gradually he was becoming more and more drowsy. At length the perseverance of the dentists (who were assisted by the keepers) was rewarded, and in about forty minutes Peter dropped in his cage, being well under the influence of the anaesthetic. Mr. Hammond then endeavored to remove the first molar tooth in the upper jaw, which he failed to accomplish until he had made several attempts, but, fortunately, before the sensibility of the animal returned. The tooth was found to be badly decayed, the nerve being dead, which led to the formation of the abscess. Two minutes later Peter sat on his haunches, perfectly recovered and free from pain, and at once began to eat, apparently thankful for the operation which he had undergone.-London News. |