Dr. W. H. Thomson, in his book on “What is Physical Life,”
says that “once, while talking to a roomful of the naturally
bright people of a town in Mount Hermon about the achievements
of Western civilization, I happened to tell a toothless old
man present that in our country we had skilled persons who
could make for him an entirely new set of teeth. Glancing round
the room, I noticed some listeners stroking their beards in a
fashion which I knew meant that I was telling a preposterous
yarn. Fortunately I had with me an elderly Scotch friend who
had a set of false teeth, and on explaining the situation to
him, he forthwith opened his mouth and pulled the whole set out.
The Arabs jumped to their feet in fright, not sure but he might
start to unscrew his head next, for had any of their venerated
ancestors ever seen such an uncanny performance with teeth? They
afterward said that never would they have believed this if they
had not seen it.”
(1576)
See CHRISTIANITY AND CIVILIZATION.