Literary notes about incisor (AI summary)
The term “incisor” has been deployed in literature to traverse both the realms of natural science and cultural anthropology. In Darwin’s works, it appears in a neutral, anatomical context: in one instance, the absence of the middle incisor teeth helps categorize a distinctive group of quadrupeds [1], while in another, the display of protruding incisor teeth in horses signals a readiness to bite [2]. Meanwhile, anthropological literature repurposes the term as a cultural symbol: Durkheim recounts a ritual practice among the Kaitish, where an extracted incisor is hung on a tree [3], and Thurston reports on the deliberate filing of upper incisor teeth into sharp points, likening them to crocodile fangs [4]. These examples illustrate the versatility of “incisor,” demonstrating its deployment from anatomical specificity in the study of animals to its emblematic role in human cultural practices.
- EDENTATA.—A peculiar order of Quadrupeds, characterised by the absence of at least the middle incisor (front) teeth in both jaws.
— from The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection by Charles Darwin - Horses .—Horses when savage draw their ears closely back, protrude their heads, and partially uncover their incisor teeth, ready for biting.
— from The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals by Charles Darwin - Among the Kaitish, for example, they pull out an incisor from one man, and hang it on a tree.
— from The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life by Émile Durkheim - The upper incisor teeth of both men and women are filed to a sharp point, like crocodile’s fangs.
— from Castes and Tribes of Southern India. Vol. 7 of 7 by Edgar Thurston
