Long in the tooth
If I read one more paper on dentistry or dental hygiene I’m going to yank my own teeth out. I didn’t name any “taboo topics,” because I haven’t had my fill of the biggies like cloning, death penalty, abortion and all that yet. But I’m considering putting anything that has to do with mouths on the “don’t you dare” list. At least one person took a somewhat innovative tack: she attacked the problem of bad breath.
Did you know that “in a Jewish liturgical teaching, a man who marries a woman and subsequently discovers she has bad breath, can summarily divorce her”? I didn’t. Unfortunately, I can’t confirm this because there is no reference cited. Of course that’s a big problem with this paper. Inquiring minds want to know where this stuff comes from, particularly in the context of a research paper. Trying to do ten pages on teeth and gums is just too much. No medical school for me, thank you. At least they could have picked more interesting body parts to write about.
While I’m rambling, I thought I’d cast out a favorite bit from Blake’s Milton which could be applied to the negative side of a lot of postmodern rants:
To cast off the idiot Questioner who is always questioning,
But never capable of answering; who sits with a sly grin
Silent plotting when to question, like a thief in a cave;
Who publishes doubt & calls it knowledge; whose Science is Despair
Whose pretence to knowledge is Envy, whose whole Science is
To destroy the wisdom of ages to gratify ravenous Envy;
That rages round him like a Wolf day & night without rest (40:13-18)
A lot of critics would like to adopt Blake as a model deconstructor (he is quite good at it), but he’s skeptically anti-skeptic. I wonder if I could find an antiskeptic mouthwash? That was bad, even by my standards. Too many freakin’ dentistry papers, I tell you.
But I can offer up something good, which helped take the edge off the multiple papers on mental health. If you haven’t seen flashback, dim the lights, have some mushrooms, and enjoy. I was told you have to wait until it’s completely loaded before it will play. I’ve had friends like that. I’d better shut up now.
