The excellent American dentist at Madras had me "at discretion" in
1908; and as he worked he began talking, in the kindly way some
dentists have, about things in general, and in particular, when
encouraged and led to that topic, he spoke about the science of his
useful art.
"What spoils the teeth is want of use," said he. "Look at cats! What
fine teeth tigers have!"
"When they are young," said I, "are you aware that tigers and leopards
often die prematurely of starvation, because their teeth fail them?
There is no kind of living creature that needs more than they do the
services of a really competent dentist. See!"
He looked over his shoulder with a start, as if half expecting to see
some strange customer; but it was only a common messenger....
Resuming his work, he began recalling all he had heard from various
patients about cats' teeth; and suddenly ejaculated, "You're right,
you're right! I had forgotten what a man told me he saw in the
Nilgiris. From a distance, but close enough to see well, he saw a big
leopard seize his dog as it played on the road. The dog got loose, in
a surprising way. The leopard caught and mouthed him again, and then
again; and finally let him go and disappeared as men approached. Three
times that dog had been seen in its mouth, and yet there was not a
scratch on the body of the dog. The leopard could not have had a tooth
in its head."