Diet and the aetiology of dental calculus

The aetiology of dental calculus formation is not fully understood, but it is known that a number of factors play a role. Generally, anthropologists have overlooked the role of other causative factors in the formation of dental calculus, attributing it almost exclusively to diet, particularly protein consumption. Anthropologists have also oversimplified the role of diet in the formation of dental calculus. This may be due to a general paucity on research on dietary effects on calculus formation, as well as a lack of integration between anthropological and non‐anthropological data. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Contact tinning: A millennia‐old plating technology

Tinning copper and copper alloy objects by putting them into (electrical) contact with metallic tin in a boiling aqueous solution of potassium hydrogen tartar is a very old technique, but is nowadays almost forgotten. It was possibly invented by the Gauls and used intensively until the 20th century. This paper first briefly recounts the history of this galvanic process. To understand better the parameters influencing the thickness of the coat and thus to reconstruct this ancient technique, laboratory tests were undertaken by varying a series of parameters. The results are then presented with a short interpretation.