[Dentistry in antiquity]. / Klassisk romersk odontologi.

The Etruscan gold dental appliances to women of means were a remarkable start of the application of inserted teeth. The Romans that followed paid great attention to the dental system and the poet Martialis is one of the first Roman writers who speaks clearly of artificial teeth. Celcus, with his medical writings in eminent Latin, made a nice contribution to dental surgery and some of the prescriptions and remedies of Scribonius Largus were fairly effectual. Dioskorides distributed a most comprehensive pharmacological guide presenting a great number of medical applications - some related to teeth and gums. Plinius collected a celebrated encyclopaedia on medicine and natural science crammed with all sort of facts - some absurd. The passages concerning teeth and gums has thus got a miscellaneous description of current folklore and more reliable treatments. Galenos, after Hippocrates the greatest physician of ancient times, was a prolific writer. He produced medical reference books covering all medical branches that became authoritative for nearly two thousand years and the portions of dental treatments are detailed. The Romans had a widespread interest of mouth-care with toothpicks, mouthwashes, pain relieving remedies, the use of instruments and in some cases constructions of false teeth - but no real explanation of caries.

[Ancient Egyptian Odontology]. / Antik egyptisk odontologi.

In ancient Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Djoser, circa 2650 BC, the Step Pyramid was constructed by Imhotep. He was later worshiped as the God of Medicine. One of his contemporaries was the powerful writer Hesy who is reproduced on a panel showing a rebus of a swallow, a tusk and an arrow. He is therefore looked upon as being the first depicted odontologist. The art of writing begun in Egypt in about 3100 BC and the medical texts we know from different papyri were copied with hieratic signs around 1900-1100 BC. One of the most famous is the Papyrus Ebers. It was purchased by professor Ebers on a research travel to Luxor in 1873. Two years later a beautiful facsimile in color was published and the best translation came in 1958 in German. The text includes 870 remedies and some of them are related to teeth and oral troubles like pain in the mouth, gingivitis, periodontitis and cavities in the teeth. The most common oral pain was probably pulpitis caused by extreme attrition due to the high consumption of bread contaminated with soil and/or quern minerals. Another text is the Papyrus Edwin Smith with four surgical cases of dental interest. The "toothworms" that were presumed to bring about decayed teeth have not been identified in the medical texts. It was not until 1889 W.D. Miller presented a scientific explanation that cavities were caused by bacteria. In spite of extensive research only a few evidence of prosthetic and invasive treatments have been found and these dental artifacts have probably been made post mortem. Some of the 150 identified doctors were associated with treatments of disorders of the mouth. The stele of Seneb from Sa'is during the 26th dynasty of Psamtik, 664-525 BC, shows a young man who probably was a dental healer well known to Pharaoh and his court. Clement of Alexandria mentions circa 200 AD that the written knowledge of the old Egyptians was gathered in 42 collections of papyri. Number 37-42 contained the medical writings. The household remedies in ancient Egypt were unique and future research will most likely give us new answers about pathology and health care of that time and a better understanding of old medical concepts.

Experiences from corrosion control of soft and acidic waters

Se analiza la corrosión en las cañerías de distribución de agua tanto exterior como interior que producen altos costos de mantenimiento, siendo el efecto más importante el deterioro de la calidad de agua. Hay muchos procesos de corrosión desconocidos y descontrolados. Se estudia este tema en detalle y los métodos de tratamiento de agua para contrarrestar la corrosión. Se indican métodos de control y se analizan dos casos reales