牙刷和牙膏的前世今生

From+colgate.com

History of Toothbrushes 牙刷的歷史

Toothbrushing tools date back to 3500～3000 BC when the Babylonians and the Egyptians made a brush by fraying1） the end of a twig. Tombs of the ancient Egyptians have been found containing tooth sticks alongside their owners. Around 1600 BC， the Chinese developed "chewing sticks" to freshen breath which were made from aromatic2） tree twigs.

The Chinese are believed to have invented the first natural bristle3） toothbrush in the 15th century， made from the bristles from pigs' necks attached to a bone or bamboo handle. When it was brought from China to Europe， this design was adapted and often used softer horsehairs， which many Europeans preferred. Other designs in Europe used feathers.

The first toothbrush of a more modern design was made by William Addis in England around 1780—the handle was carved from cattle bone and the brush portion was still made from swine4） bristles. In 1844， the first 3-row bristle brush was designed.

Natural bristles were the only source of bristles until DuPont5） invented nylon. The invention of nylon started the development of the truly modern toothbrush in 1938， and by the 1950s softer nylon bristles were being made， as people preferred these. The first electric toothbrush was made in 1939 and the first electric toothbrush in the US was the Broxodent in 1960.

Today， both manual and electric toothbrushes come in many shapes and sizes and are typically made of plastic molded handles and nylon bristles. The most recent toothbrush models include handles that are straight， angled， curved， and contoured6） with grips and soft rubber areas to make them easier to hold and use. Toothbrush bristles are usually synthetic7） and range from very soft to soft in texture8）， although harder bristle versions are available. Toothbrush heads range from very small for young children to larger sizes for older children and adults and come in a variety of shapes such as rectangular， oblong9）， oval and almost round.

The basic fundamentals have not changed since the times of the Egyptians and Babylonians—a handle to grip， and a bristle-like feature with which to clean the teeth. Over its long history， the toothbrush has evolved to become a scientifically designed tool using modern ergonomic10） designs and safe and hygienic materials.

刷牙工具的出現(xiàn)最早可以追溯到公元前3500～3000年，當(dāng)時(shí)古巴比倫人和古埃及人通過(guò)磨散小樹(shù)枝的末端將其制成牙刷。在古埃及人的墓中曾發(fā)現(xiàn)墓主的身邊擺放著牙簽。公元前1600年左右，中國(guó)人開(kāi)發(fā)出由帶香氣的樹(shù)枝做成的“咀嚼棒”來(lái)清新口氣。

人們普遍認(rèn)為是中國(guó)人在15世紀(jì)時(shí)發(fā)明了第一把用天然鬃毛做的牙刷——將一撮豬頸部的鬃毛固定在骨頭或是竹子制成的手柄上。這種牙刷從中國(guó)傳到歐洲后，樣式有所改變，通常會(huì)使用許多歐洲人喜歡的更為柔軟的馬鬃。當(dāng)時(shí)歐洲也有一些其他的用羽毛制成的牙刷。endprint

威廉·阿迪斯于1780年左右在英格蘭設(shè)計(jì)出了第一支較為現(xiàn)代的牙刷——牙刷柄由牛骨雕刻而成，刷毛部分則仍由豬鬃構(gòu)成。1844年，第一支三排毛的牙刷面世。

在杜邦公司發(fā)明尼龍之前，天然鬃毛一直是牙刷毛的唯一原料。1938年，尼龍的發(fā)明開(kāi)啟了真正意義上的現(xiàn)代牙刷的發(fā)展之路。到20世紀(jì)50年代，應(yīng)人們的偏愛(ài)，用更為柔軟的尼龍制作成的牙刷毛誕生了。1939年，第一支電動(dòng)牙刷問(wèn)世。美國(guó)的第一支電動(dòng)牙刷則是1960年誕生的Broxodent電動(dòng)牙刷。

現(xiàn)在，不論是普通牙刷還是電動(dòng)牙刷都有多種外形和尺碼，通常都是由塑料柄和尼龍毛構(gòu)成。最新的牙刷樣式包括手柄是直線型的、有角度型的、曲線型的和波浪線型的，并附有把手和用軟質(zhì)橡膠覆蓋的部位，這樣易于抓握和使用。牙刷毛則通常是人工合成的，質(zhì)地從非常軟到柔軟都有，不過(guò)也有較硬的牙刷毛。牙刷頭從專(zhuān)為嬰幼兒設(shè)計(jì)的特小號(hào)，到年齡大一些的孩子和成年人使用的較大號(hào)，大小都有。牙刷頭的形狀也多種多樣，有矩形、長(zhǎng)橢圓形、橢圓形，還有接近圓形的。

從古埃及人和古巴比倫人的時(shí)代至今，牙刷的基本結(jié)構(gòu)始終沒(méi)變——供抓握的手柄和用來(lái)清潔牙齒的類(lèi)似鬃毛的部分。在經(jīng)過(guò)漫長(zhǎng)的歷史演變后，牙刷已經(jīng)逐步成為一種設(shè)計(jì)科學(xué)合理的工具，采用現(xiàn)代人體工程學(xué)設(shè)計(jì)并且用材安全又衛(wèi)生。

History of Toothpastes 牙膏的歷史

Egyptians are believed to have started using a paste to clean their teeth around 5000 BC， before toothbrushes were invented. Ancient Greeks and Romans are known to have used toothpastes， and people in China and India first used toothpaste around 500 BC.

Ancient toothpastes were used to treat some of the same concerns that we have today—keeping teeth and gums clean， whitening teeth and freshening breath. The ingredients of ancient toothpastes were however very different and varied. Ingredients used included a powder of ox hooves' ashes and burnt eggshells that was combined with pumice11）. The Greeks and Romans favored more abrasiveness12） and their toothpaste ingredients included crushed bones and oyster shells. The Romans added more flavoring to help with bad breath， as well as powdered charcoal13） and bark14）. The Chinese used a wide variety of substances in toothpastes over time that have included ginseng15）， herbal mints and salt.

The development of toothpastes in more modern times started in the 1800s. Early versions contained soap and in the 1850s chalk was included. Betel nut16） was included in toothpaste in England in the 1800s， and in the 1860s a home encyclopedia17） described a home-made toothpaste that used ground charcoal.

Prior to the 1850s， "toothpastes" were usually powders. During the 1850s， a new toothpaste in a jar was developed and in 1873 Colgate started the mass production of toothpaste in jars. Colgate introduced its toothpaste in a tube similar to modern-day toothpaste tubes in the 1890s.

In the second half of the twentieth century modern toothpastes were developed to help prevent or treat specific diseases and conditions such as tooth sensitivity. Fluoride18） toothpastes to help prevent decay were introduced in 1914. Toothpastes with very low abrasiveness were also developed and helped prevent the problems caused by overzealous19） brushing.endprint

The most recent advances in toothpastes have included the development of whitening toothpastes， and toothpaste containing triclosan which provides extra protection against bad breath and dental diseases like caries20）.

Toothpastes today typically contain fluoride， coloring， flavoring， sweetener， as well as ingredients that make the toothpaste a smooth paste， foam， and stay moist. Individual toothpastes also may contain special ingredients， such as triclosan. Toothpaste in tubes is used throughout the world and has been a very successful invention.

人們普遍認(rèn)為早在牙刷發(fā)明之前，古埃及人就已在約公元前5000年率先使用一種膏狀物來(lái)清潔牙齒。古希臘人和古羅馬人也用過(guò)牙膏，中國(guó)人和印度人最早在公元前500年左右開(kāi)始使用牙膏。

古時(shí)的牙膏用途有一些跟現(xiàn)在一樣——保持牙齒和牙齦的清潔，亮白牙齒，清新口氣。然而古時(shí)的牙膏成分跟現(xiàn)在的有很大區(qū)別，并且多種多樣。古時(shí)的牙膏成分包括牛蹄骨灰粉、燒過(guò)的蛋殼與浮石的混合物。古希臘人和古羅馬人更喜歡用有研磨性的牙膏，他們的牙膏成分包括磨碎的骨頭和牡蠣殼。為防治口腔異味，古羅馬人在牙膏中加入了更多香料以及木炭粉和樹(shù)皮屑。中國(guó)人隨著時(shí)間的推移曾用過(guò)各種各樣的物質(zhì)制作牙膏，其中就有人參、薄荷和鹽。

牙膏在近現(xiàn)代的發(fā)展開(kāi)始于19世紀(jì)。早期的牙膏成分里含有肥皂，到19世紀(jì)50年代又加入了白堊粉。19世紀(jì)，英國(guó)的牙膏中加入了檳榔。19世紀(jì)60年代，英國(guó)的一本民用百科全書(shū)記錄了一種家庭自制的牙膏，其成分中包括木炭粉。

在19世紀(jì)50年代以前，“牙膏”通常都是粉狀的。19世紀(jì)50年代，一種新型罐裝牙膏誕生。1873年，高露潔開(kāi)始大規(guī)模生產(chǎn)罐裝牙膏，在19世紀(jì)90年代，高露潔將一種管裝牙膏引入市場(chǎng)，其形狀類(lèi)似于現(xiàn)在的牙膏管。

20世紀(jì)后半葉，人們發(fā)明了現(xiàn)代牙膏來(lái)幫助防止或治療某些特定的疾病和癥狀，如牙齒敏感。1914年，可以防齲的含氟牙膏問(wèn)世。人們還開(kāi)發(fā)了研磨作用輕微的牙膏，它的出現(xiàn)有助于防止刷牙過(guò)度引起的牙齒問(wèn)題。

牙膏發(fā)展的最新進(jìn)展包括開(kāi)發(fā)出美白牙膏以及含三氯生成分的牙膏，這種牙膏可以為牙齒提供額外保護(hù)，以防止口腔異味以及齲齒等牙齒疾病。

現(xiàn)在的牙膏中通常含有氟化物，色素，芳香劑，甜味劑以及其他能使牙膏呈均勻的糊狀物、產(chǎn)生泡沫并保持濕潤(rùn)的成分。個(gè)別牙膏可能還含有一些特殊成分，如三氯生?，F(xiàn)在，管裝牙膏已在全世界范圍使用，成為一個(gè)非常成功的發(fā)明。

1. fray [fre?] vt. 磨散（織物等的）邊緣（或末端）

2. aromatic [??r??m?t?k] adj. 芳香的，有香味的，有香氣的

3. bristle [?br?sl] n. 豬鬃毛；刷子毛

4. swine [swa?n] n. 豬

5. DuPont： 杜邦，世界排名第二的美國(guó)化工公司，成立于1802年，領(lǐng)導(dǎo)了20世紀(jì)的聚合物革命，開(kāi)發(fā)了很多極為成功的材料。

6. contoured [?k?nt??d] adj. 波狀外形的

7. synthetic [s?n?θet?k] adj. 合成的；人造的

8. texture [?tekst??（r）] n. 質(zhì)地

9. oblong [??bl??] adj. 長(zhǎng)橢圓形的

10. ergonomic [???ɡ??n?m?k] adj. 工效學(xué)的，人體工程學(xué)的

11. pumice [p?m?s] n. 浮石，浮巖，輕石（用于去垢、磨光等；亦作pumice stone）

12. abrasiveness [??bre?s?vn?s] n. 研磨

13. charcoal [?t?ɑ?k??l] n. 炭，木炭

14. bark [bɑ?k] n. 樹(shù)皮；莖皮

15. ginseng [?d??nse?] n. 人參

16. betel nut： 檳榔子；檳榔果

17. home encyclopedia： 指流傳于17～19世紀(jì)的英國(guó)和美國(guó)的一種百科全書(shū)，現(xiàn)已不再使用。其內(nèi)容包羅萬(wàn)象，被很多家庭用來(lái)了解和增長(zhǎng)知識(shí)，但與現(xiàn)在的百科全書(shū)有所不同，其中又不乏各種專(zhuān)業(yè)知識(shí)，因此并不僅限于家庭使用。

18. fluoride [?fl??ra?d] n. 【化】氟化物

19. overzealous [???v??zel?s] adj. 過(guò)分熱心的

20. caries [?ke?ri?z] n. 【醫(yī)】齲

譯 / 阿瓊endprint