Skip to main content

Full text of "Dental brief : a monthly magazine of dental art, science and literature"

See other formats 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

University  of  Toronto 


http://www.archive.org/details/dentalbriefmonth05phil 


I 


THE 


DENTAL  BRIEF 


A  MONTHLY  JOURNAL   OF   DENTAL 
SCIENCE,  ART  AND   LITERATURE. 


EDITED   BV 

WILBUR  F.  LITCH,  M.D.,  D.D.S., 
1507  Walnut  Street,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


VOLUME    V. 


Published  by  L.  D.  CAULK, 

Southeast  Corner  Broad  and  Chestuut  Streets,  Philadelphia,  Pa.,  U.  S.  A. 
Western  Office,  Moutgomerj'  Building,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 


INDEX. 


PAGH. 

Abbreviations    548 

Abnormal       Space       Between       the 

Superior  Central   Incisors    240 

About   Maxillary   Triangles 'M 

Abscessed  Deciduous  Teeth 57,  120 

Absorption     of     Medicine     in      the 
Stomach     725 

Acetanelid    in   Toothache 179 

A  Chemical  Epitaph 247 

A    Chronic    Case    of    Empj'ema    of 
the  Antrum   380 

Aconit  Poisoning   121 

A   Convenient  Steam   Sterilizer 57 

A  Discussion  on  Anaesthetics 258 

Adjusting     Rubber    Disc     on     Foot 
Blower 30G 

A  Fatal  Case  of  HaBmophilia 65)4 

After-Pains      from      Extraction      of 
Teeth    586 

After-results       of       Treatment       of 
Caries  by  Geranium-Formol   ....  689 

Alcohol   and    Caries    546 

Alkaline  Saliva   365 

Allows  a  Big  Dentist's  Bill 125 

Alloy    Cement     544 

A    low-priced    Crown 55 

Alpha-  and  Beta-Eunol 368 

Aluminum  Alloys  183 

Aluminum       Lining       ror       Rubber 
Plates 242 

Aluminum    Solder    181 

Alveolar   Hemorrhage 57 

"Alveolotomy"  in  Tooth  Regulation.   244 

Amalgam  as  a   Filling  Material....  723 

Amalgam  Cement  Fillings 240 

Amalgam    Fillings 57 

Amalgam     Fillings     in      Deciduous 
Teeth    722 

Amalgam  Repairs  in  Defective  Gold 
Fillings    304 

A  Manual  of  Personal  Hygiene,  Re- 
view      655 

A   Man   with   a  Quiver  Full 425 

American   Dentists  in   Germany   . . .  427 

American  Medical  Association  (Sec- 
tion on  Stomatology)  297 

A     Metallic     Shell-die    for    Rubber 
Plates    484 

A  Mountain  of  Alum  310 

Anaesthetics,  A  Discussion  on 258 

Anaesthetic  Properties  of  Nirvanin.  209 

Anaesthesia     by     Cocain     to     Spinal 
Cord     427 

An     Amalgam    Containing    33     Per 
Cent.    Gold    367 

An  Antiseptic  Mouth  Lamp   665 

An  Attractive  Nurse   126 

Ancient  Japanese  Dental   Art 142 

Anchylosis   of  the   Jaw   Due  to  In- 
terstitial   Myositis    61 

Anchylosis      of     Temporo-Maxillary 
Joint  156 

Ancient  and   Modern    Grip    670 

An  Easy  Method  of  Refining  Gold..     26 

Annealing  Platinum   602 

An   Elective   Medical    Course 346 

An  Embarrassing  Question 245 

An   Evening  With   Bonwill 2 

A    New    Alloy 62 

A   New   Explosive 246    I    Bonwill's  Methods  of  Practice,  Clin- 

A  New  Metal  for  Dies  for  Swaging  I  ical  Demonstrations  of 10 

Plates    547    I    Bonwill  Photographs  1 


PAOK. 

A  New  Method  in  the  Employment 

of   Cocain    605 

A    New    Method    of    Reducing    Old 

Dislocations  of  the  Lower  Jaw.  .     18 
A  New  Trealment  for  Empyema  of 

the  Antrum   79 

Annual     Meeting     of     the     National 

Dental  Association  350 

An  Odd  Predicament  368 

Antidoite    for    Tincture    of    Aconite 

Root   120 

Antisepsis   of   the   Mouth 345 

Antiseptic   Mouth   Perles    309 

Antiseptic   Varnish   for  Cavity   Lin- 
ing        120 

Antrum  Treatment   600 

An   Up-to-Date   Report  of  Procet'd- 
ings    of   an    Up-to-Date   Medical 

Society    .- 400 

A   Place   for   the   Porcelain    Inlay..  724 

Application  of  the  Rubber-dam 118 

Appointment    of    a    Dentist    to    the 

United  States  Naval  Academy..     47 
A    Rival    of    the    i^'amous    Crowbar 

Case    430 

Army  Dentists   107 

Arrest  of  Plemori-hage   547 

Arsenic    and    Copper    in    Enameling 

Materials    727 

Artificial    Silk    669 

Artificial   Sponges    487 

Artificial  Teeth,   The  Perils  of 96 

Articulation   and   Articulators    481 

Asbestos  as  an  Investment 7ft 

Aseptic    Cement    723 

Aseptic  Precautions  in  the  Care  of 

the  Hypodermic  Syringe 56 

A    Seven-Hundred-Pound    Patient...  548 
A  Simple  Compressed  Air  Apparatus  488 

Aspirin     669 

Association  Transactions   291 

Asterionella,  A  Cause  of  Foulness  in 

Drinking   Water    606 

A  Substitute  for  Collodion   666 

A    Successful    Filling   Over   an    Ex- 
posed Pulp   664 

A   Suggestion  366 

A  Thing  of  the  Past 38 

Athletics   Barred    549 

A  Unique  Splinter  Injury 310 

A  Universal  Antidote   706 


Back-Bay  Doctors  310 

Backing  Porcelain  Facings 304 

Bacteria  in   Aseptic   Operations 186 

Beans,  Their  Merphology  and  Food 

Value    388 

Beer  Drinking  by  Children   726 

Benjamin   H.    BeaJe,    M.D.,    D.D.S,, 

Obituary 42 

Better  Than  Pepper  Plaster 56 

Biennial      Meeting     of     the      New 

Brunswick      and      Nova      Scotia 

Dental   Societies    416 

"Big   Wards"    422 

Boil,   to  Abort  a 55 


(ii) 


INDEX. 


HI 


BonwUl,    The    Man    and    the    Prac- 
titioner         34 

Bridge    Abutments    ;...243 

Bridge  Worli  and  Rigg's  Disease...  363 
Broken    Broach   from   a   Root-canal, 

To  Remove    a 56 

Broken  Broach  in  Boot-canal 364 

Broken  Nerve   Broaches 241 

Burden    of    Proof    as    to    Value    of 

Dental    Services    727 


Calcium  Carbide 183 

Caoutchouc  281 

Carbolic  Acid  and  Common  Salt  as 

Disinfectants     670 

Carbolic  Acid   Burns    59^ 

Carbolized  Resin    1»0 

Care  of  Gum  Tissue 307 

Care  of  the  Hypodermic  Syringe 307 

Care  of  the  Teeth  During  Illness...  366 

Carving   of    Block    Teeth 127 

Cause  of  Cancer 427,  489 

Cavity  Cleansing;  Hydronapthol  ...  546 

Cavity  Lining   115 

Celery   as  a   Vehicle   of  Infection. .  487 

Celluloid  Cement  363 

Cement  Fillings    547 

Cement  for  Broken  Casts   724 

Cement  Syringe  to  be  Used  in  Set- 
ting Crowns  and  Bridges 239 

Cement,  To  Hasten  Setting  of 421 

Charcoal    in    Immediate    Root-canal, 

Filling   of   Abscessed   Teeth 486 

Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery.  356 

Chicago  Dental    Society 299 

Chicago  Diploma  Mill  Men  in  Jail..  397 

Chloretone 428,  665 

Chloretoue  in  Removal  of  Live  Pulp  601 
Chloretone,   Strength  of  Solution...  605 
Chloretone,  The  Ideal  Anaesthetic   .  544 
Chloretone,   The  Ideal   Local  Anaes- 
thetic      603 

Chloretone,   The  Ideal   Local   Anaes- 
thetic  in   Dental   Surgery 458 

Chloretone;   Three  Advantages    667 

Chloroform  as  a  Styptic 664 

Chloroform  in  India 61 

Chloro-percha      as      a       Root-canal 

Filling    179 

Christian  Science  Did  Not  Save 121 

Chronic   Brass   Poisoning   726 

Clamps,    Use   of 367 

Cleansing   from    Borax    485 

Cleansing  Pyorrhea  Pockets  603 

Climate  of  the  Philippines   124 

Clinical  Demonstration  of  Dr.   Bon- 
will's  Methods  of  Practice 10 

Clyde   Payne's  Obtundent 604 

Coal-oil  and  Mosquitoes   248 

Cocain   Intoxication,   Caution    239 

College    of    Dentistry    of    Southern 

California     528 

Colorado  State  Dental  Association 

356,  525 
Complimentary  Banquet  to  Dr.  Nor- 
man   W.    Kingsley 292 

Compressed  Air  in   Bl(>aching  Teeth  485 

Conoorning  Mouth  Washes   322 

Contlict  Over  Evans'   Museum 121 

Consideration  for  the  Patient..  116,  119 
Continuous  Gum  Facing  Compound.  543 

Contract  Dental  Surgeons 104 

Copper   In    Peas 12- 

Corks  in   Place   of  Glass   Stoppers.  601 
Correspondence,   "Noblesse  Oblige".   170 

Correspondence 171,  300,  352,  415,  525 

Coryza,  Apparently  of  Dental  Origin  3t>8 


Course  of   Study    451 

Crowning   a    Molar   Decayed    Below 

the   Gum    Margin    600 

Crowning  ITrail  Roots 55 

Crystal   Mat,   Gold  in   Bridge- work.  664 


Dangers     In      Making      Phosphorus 

Matches    *28 

Deaths  from  Anaesthetics 394 

Death  Under  Chloroform 590 

Death    Under   Chloroform   During   a 

Dental   Operation    283 

Death   Under  Chloroform  for  Teeth 

Extraction    158 

Decalcified  Dentin   72o 

Decalcified  Dentin  in  the  Bottom  of 

a  Cavity   30o 

Decay,    Prevention   of 1/J 

Deciduous  Molars    424 

Decision  of  Interest  to  Doctors 247 

Degeneracy  of   Pitcairn  Islanders..  12b 

Dental  Advertising   398 

Dental  and   Aural   Surgery    443 

Dental  Surgeons  in  the  Army^ .  .^.^.^.  3^^ 

Dentist  for  the  War 250 

Dentistry    for    the    South    African 

Forces    231 

Dentistry  in  Belgium I80 

Dentistry    in    France 6^ 

Dentistry    in    Japan .■■\^^^ 

Destruction    of    Teeth    In    Chemical 

Establishments    "2 

Detroit  Dental  Society 47 

Devitalized   Deciduous  Molars 54 

Diabetes,   The  Pathogenesis  of 89 

Discs  for  Pulp  Capping 3u3 

Diseases    of    the    Antrum    and    their 

Treatment    320 

Diseases    of    the    Antrum    of    High- 
more:     A  Study  of  One  Hundred 

and  Fifty   Cases   697 

Disinfecting      and      Filling      Root-     ^ 

canals  ; ^'1 

Disinfection   of  the  Mouth 244 

Do    Animals    Feel    Pain   Less   Thau 

Men? 222 

Does  Gold   Grow? 2i8 

Dr.  Broomell's  Paris  Letter 491 

Dressing  Burns  With  Silver  Leaf. .  248 

Dr.   Norman   W.   Kingsley 290 

Dry   Storage   Batteries 548 

Dr.  Theodore  Menges 413,  414 


£ 


Electric  Fusion  of  Platinum  to  Se- 
cure Stiffness   .-  • 

Empyema  of  the  Antinim,  A  New 
Treatment   for   

Enamel   Fillings  for  Teeth 

Enameling    Gold    Caps 

Enlarging  Root-cajial    

Ether  Versus  Chloroform 

Ethocain    

Eucain   B 

Europhou   In   Root-canals   

Experiments   with    Nirvanln 

"Extension  for  Prevenlion,"  Ex- 
tending the  Cervical  Wall  Be- 
neath  the   Gum 

Extension  to  Prevent  Displacement. 

Extracting  Badly  Decayed  and 
Broken  Oil   Upper  Molars 

Extraction  of  Rubber  


179 

79 
83 
314 
367 
97 
42J 
11S» 
546 
644 


118 
178 


178 
429 


INDEX. 


PAGE. 

Fac'lul      liyperidrosis     of      Nervous 

Origin    429 

Facial   iSounilgiii    t)l)4 

Failure  in   lieguluting  Cases    (>01 

Faitli    Healing     370 

Fasting  an  Acute  Disease o(kS 

Fear  and  Death 30i) 

Fender,   Edward  Stanley,  Obituary.   171 

Fetal  Tooth  Nutrition  241 

Files,  To  Sharpen   484 

Filling  from  the  Lingual  Surface  of 

Superior  Incisors    G05 

Filling   Material   for   the   Deciduous 

Teeth    600 

Filling     Root-canal9     of     Deciduous 

Teeth 485 

Filling  the  Hypodermic  Syringe 423 

Filling  the   Temporary   Teeth,    Cop- 
per Amalgam   304 

Final    Report  of   the   Law   Commit- 
tee of   the   National   Association 

of  Dental  Faculties 39 

Finished  Amalgam  Fillings 486 

Finishing  Gutta-percha  Fillings 484 

"Fish-Line"  Method  of  Wedging... 

240,  422 

Flexible    Strips,    The   Use    of 441 

Foods,  Adulteration  of 87 

Food    Stulis   in   Gout   and   Rheuma- 
tism      700 

For  Aphthous  Patches  in  Infants..  246 
Forced  Dilation  of  Thorax  to  Arrest 

Epistaxis    548 

Formagen    Paste    241 

Formaldehyde   in    Chronic   Abscess.  664 

Formalin    239 

Formalin  as  a   Preservative 184 

Foi*malin  Cataphorically  243 

Formalin-Gelatin 667 

Formalin    in    Pulp    Removal 665 

For  Patients  with  Catarrhal  Affec- 
tions      666 

For  Polishing  Plates   600 

For  Relief  of  Nausea  and  Headache 

after  Nitrous  Oxid  Ansesthesia. .  667 
For    Relief    of    Reflex    Pains    from 

Diseased    Pulp 723 

For  Setting  Crowns   721 

Fractures  of  the  Inferior  Maxilla..   3D7 

Full   Porcelain   Dentures    371 

Fused    Silica    425 


Gagging,  To  Prevent 482 

Gasolin  as  an  Antiseptic  and  Surgi- 
cal   Detergent     609 

Generating  Electricity   241 

Geophagy    369 

Germicide;   Acetic  Acid    484 

Gold  and   Gold   Beating 271 

Gold    and    Platinum     545 

Gold  and  Tin  in  Combination 241 

Gold-plate   Strengthener   602 

Gold   Solder   115 

Grating  the  Teeth  During  Sleep,  A 

Preventive  of  482 

Grinding  Porcelains   725 

Gutta-percha    461 

Gutta-percha  Fillings   604 

Gutta-percha      in      setting      Crowu.s 

and    Bridges    60 

Gutta-percha  in  Setting  Crowns  and 

Bridge-Work    303 

Gutta-percha  in  Setting  Inlays   ....  724 


If 


PAGK. 

Hsemophill;!    600 

IhvnKxsfatic  Anjes-lhetic  Solution...  12.J 
Hand  writing    on    the    Wall:     What 

Does   it   I'ortrayV    576 

Hardening   Steel    606 

Hard    Wax   for  Crown   and   Bridge- 

\\  ork     545 

Health  Thoughts   704 

Helocaiu    488 

Hemorrhage  at  Apex  of  Root  After 

Pulp  Removal,  To  Control 57 

Hemorrhage  after  Pulp  Extirpation  179 
Hemorrhage  after  Pulp  Removal...  422 
Hemori'hage  after  Removal  of  Live 

I'ulp     601 

Hemorrhage  after  Tooth  Extraction  667 
Hemorrhage  after  Tooth  Extrac- 
tion ;   Picric  Add    543 

Hemhorrhage     from     Socket     after 

Tooth  Extraction   305 

Hemorrhage      from      Socket      after 

Tooth   Extraction    308 

Plemostatic  Anaesthetic  Solution....  309 
Henry  H.  Burchard.  M.D.,  D.D.S...  717 

Heredity    608 

Homocresol  309 

Horseflesh  as  a  Food    490 

How  Frozen  Meat  Deteriorates 426 

How  Much  Will  It  Cost? 56 

How     to     Restore     Animation     in 

Etherized  Subjects 90 

Human  Ostnch 247 

Hungarian  Punishment  for  Bigamy.  121 
Hydronapthol    Wash    for   Pyorrhoea 

Alveolaris    242 

Hyperesithesia  in  Erosiion 602 

Hypertrophica   Gum    243 

Hypodermic  Injections    180 

Hypodermic     Needle,     To     Sharpen 

the  Points  of   178 


Ice  Water  Without  Ice    487 

Immediate    Root-Filling    (From    the 

Financial  Point  of  View) 421 

In  Case  of  Pericemental  Inflamma- 
tion      602 

Incisor    Crowns    721 

In  Dental  Surgery  603 

Indigestion    608 

Injuries  to  the   Mucous  Membrane.  543 
Insert   Dentures   Immediately   after 

the  Extraction  of  the  Teeth 424 

Institute   of   Dental   Peaagogics 718 

International  Dental  Congress 167 

International  Dental  Congress,  Paris  354 
Interstitial      Gingivitis     from    Indi- 
gestion,   Auto-intoxIcation    639 

Introducing  Cement  into  a  Pulp- 
canal    423 

Invesitment    for    Gold     Casting    In 

Bridge   Work    119 

Investment   for    Soldering   Cap   and 

Post  for  Crowns 604 

Investment       Material       for       Gold 

Soldering    721 

In   Using  the  Mallet   483 

lodin    in   Fish 245 

Is  a  Medical  Education  a  Necessary 
Qualification  for  Dental  Prac- 
tice?     581 


IC 


Kentucky  State  Dental  Association, 

167,  232 
Kreasoform    56 


INDEX, 


Laborde's      Method      of      Artificial 

Respiration    187 

Lactate  of  Silver  in  the  Treatment 

of  Chronic  Abscess  546 

Largin  for  the  Eye    426 

Latent     Survival     After     Apparent 

Death  249 

Lead  Poisoning 185 

Lebanon   Valley   Dental    Society....  234 
Limitations  in  Dental  Education...  515 

Liquid    Albolene    490 

Local  Anaesthetic;  Peroxide  of  Hy- 
drogen      665 

Lunar  Caustic  with  Cocain   600 

Lute  for  Alcohol  Eo-ttles 62 


M 


Making  Gold  Fillings  out  of  the 
Mouth  by  the  Impression  and 
Matrix    System    

Manganese   Silver   

Margarin  and  Butter 

Maxillary  Degeneracy   

Means  of   Resuscitation 

Mechanical   Root-oanal   Cleansing... 

Meeting  of  the  Ohio  Board  of 
Dental  Examiners 

Medicinal  Vapors 

Medicine  as  a  Business  Proposition 

Medullary  Anaesthesia   

Meeting  of  the  Pennsylvania  State 
Dental    Society    

Metal  Backings  of  Porcelain 
Veneers   

Michael  Angelo's  Physique  and 
Health    

Michigan   Dental  Association 

Microbes  in  the  Arctic  Regions 

Mici'obes  in   the  Beard 

Microorganisms  of  the  Mouth  of  the 
New   Born    

Milk  as  a  Lubricant  

Miscellany 183,   245,   309,   368, 

487,  548,  606,  668, 

Mississippi  Valley  Medical  Associa- 
tion   

Modern  Dental  Absorbents  and  the 
"Old  Reliable  Rubber-dam" 

Mummification    of    Pulps 

Mothers  and  Alcohol   

Mouth  and  Tooth-Ache 

Mouth   Washes   

Mouth  Washes,  Concerning  


N 

National  Association  of  Dental  Ex- 
aminers    

National  Dental  Association 

Nebraska  State  Deutal  Society 

Necrosis  from  Local  Anaesthetic 

Neuralgia    

Neurotic  Affections  of  Interstitial 
Gingivitis 

New  Alloy    

New  Pulping  Machine 

"Nice  for  Billheads  or  Advertis- 
ing"     

Nickel  for  Regulating  Appliances, 
etc 

Nickel    Plating   Bath 

Nirvanin    

Nirvnniu,  Anrosthetic  Properties  of. 

Nirvanin  as  a  Local  Anaesthetic  for 
Extraction    

Nitrous  Oxid  and  Ether  by  the 
Open   Method    


502 
369 
668 
522 
309 
243 

235 

482 
490 
646 

473 

57 

549 

299 

30 

60 

93 

604 

725 

47 

134 

146 
548 
280 
686 
322 


300 
298 
167 
1-24 
182 

687 
248 
489 

652 

602 
310 
303 
209 


254 


Nitrous  Oxid  With  Air  or  With 

Oxygen  28 

No  Cow's  Milk  in  Japan 121 

No  Indian   Lunatics 124 

"No  Mosquitoes,  No  Malai-ia"   708 

Northwestern       Uni\ersity      Dental 

School 357 

Notes    on     a     Ca«e    of     Extraction 
Under  Nitrous  Oxid  396 


Obituary     477 

Obituary,  Dr.  Henry  H.  Burchard..  594 
Oklahoma   Board   of   Dental    Exam- 
iners    168 

Oklahoma   Dental   Association 234 

On  Early  Decay  of  the  Teeth 153 

Opening    an  Abscess    605 

Oral   Bacteria    222 

Oral    Hygiene    422 

Oral    I'rophylaxi.s 308 

Orthoform 182,  549 

Orthoform  After  Tooth  Extraction.  305 

Orthoform,    Sonsitiv c    Dentin 304 

Ovarian    Grafting    tj68 

Overcoming   Nausea    484 

Overcoming      Receswion      of      Gum 

Tissue    423 

Oxygen  and  Exercise 609 

Oxyphosphate    519 

Ozone  by  a  New  I'rocess 245 


Painful    Erosion     

l*aiules®  Dentistry    

I'aiuless  P^xcavation  of  Sensitive 
Dentin    

I'ainless   Operations    

I'aiuless  I'ulp  Removal   

Parker  Shot  Swage  

I'aris  Letter,   Dr.   Broomell's    

I'artial   Impressioins   

I'ateuts       Relating       to       Dentistry 

Recently  Granted 48,  359, 

417,  478,  528, 

I'ateuts,    Recent  Dental 

Pathogenises    of   Diabetes 

I'eimsylvauia  Board  of  Dental  Ex- 
aminers     

Penusylvanla  College  of  ijental 
Surgery    

Pennsylvania   State  Dental  Society. 

Peparation  of  Canada  Balsam  for 
Lining    Cavities 

Perils  of  Artificial  Teeth 

Permanent  Fillings  in  Young  Teeth, 

120, 

Peroxid  of  Hydrogen  as  a  Local 
Anaesthetic     

Physique  of  the   Boers 

Plaster   of   Paris   Impressions 

I'laster,  To  I'rovent  trom  Adhering 
to   Flask 

Platinum   and   Gold   I'late    

Platinum  Foil  for  Matrix  for 
I'orcelain    Inlay     

Piatt's  Medicament,  Pliers  in  Root- 
canal    Treatment    

Pneumatic  Device   

I'oliMhing  a   Gold  Crown 

Polislio<l     Fillings     

Porcclaiu-faccd  Crown:  To  Make  a 
Perfect  .loint    

Porcelain  Facings,  Replacing  of 

Porcrlniti   Inl;)y    

I'orcelnin  Inlays,  Cutting  the 
Grooves    


721 
120 

665 
545 

485 
303 
491 
601 


720 

172 

89 

166 

358 

2J>8 

56 
90 

241 

429 
219 
182 

177 
724 

547 

604 
250 
117 
599 

483 

86 
384 

54 


vi  INDEX. 

PAGE. 

Porcelain    lulays    In    Troxlmal    Sur- 
faces in  Front  Teeth 242 

rorcelalu  lulays,  Selection  of  Color.  423 
Porcelain   lulays,   Tlie  Matrix  for..  180 

Powdoi-s   for   the   Teetn 430 

Practical  I'oints 177,  239,  303, 

3G3,  421,  482,  543,  599,  004,  721 

I'reparation  of  Amalgam 110 

Preparation  of  Steel  for  Regulating 

Appliances    178 

Preparations  of  Koots  for  Crowning  003 

Presbyatrics    487 

Prevention    of   Death    from    Chloro- 
form      488 

Prevention  of  Decay 177 

Pix>fessional       Education       in       the 

United    States    351 

Professions    for    Boys   and    How    to 

Enter  Them    C06 

Protargol   1^3 

Protecting    the    Hands    from    Infec- 
tion     544 

Protection   of  the   Eyes  While   Sol- 
dering     115 

Pulp  Capping 179,  306,  363,  365 

lulp   Devitalization    119 

Pulp  Mummihcatiou 100,  181,  47o 

Pulp    Mummitication    in    Deciduous 

Molars    ■  -  ■  •  118 

Pulp  Protection 181,  486 

I'ulp     Protection     Under    Oxyphos- 

phate  Fillings 57,  115 

Pulp  Removal   lol 

Pulp    Removal    in     Badly     Broken- 
down  Molars 178 

Pure   Drinking  Water 182 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris   55 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris  Treatment 306 

Pyorrhea       Alveolaris;        Complica- 
tions     603 


Quartz  Thermometers  607 

Questions  and  Answers,.  49,  111,  173, 

236,   301,   360,  418,  479,   597,   658,  713 

Quick  Vulcanizing 306 

Quinine   Plantations 344 


Random  Thoughts  and  Pickings 195 

Reaming  Out  Root-canals  304 

Recent  Dental  Pateuts 172 

Recent     Patents     of     Interest     to 

Dentists 114,  235,  300,  662 

Reception  Committee  353 

Reciprocity    Between    Dentists    and 

Medical    Men;    The    Question    of 

Fees    177 

Recovery  after  a  Broken  Neck   248 

Recurrence  of  Decay 244 

Regulating   Appliances,   Preparation 

of    Steel    for 178 

Regulating  Plates   ^03 

Removable  Bridge 485 

Removal     of    Broken     Crowns     Set 

With  Cement   306 

Removal  of  Gum  Tissue  from  Over 

Third    Molars    724 

Removal  of  Green  Stain 482 

Removal  of  lodin  and  Silver  Nitrate 

Stains    60 

Removal  of  Old  Amalgam  Fillings.  117 
Removal  of  Silver  Nitrate  Stains  on 

Teeth  303 

Removal   of   Tartar    721 

Repairing  a  Vulcanite  Plate 363 

Repairing  Broken   Plaster  Models. .  724 


PAGSJ. 

Ucphicing    a    Broken    Logan    Crown  509 
Kei)lacing  of  Porcelain  Facings....     86 
licpoit    of    the    Foreign     Relations 
Committee  of  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Dental  Faculties    529 

Reproduction  of  Gum  Tissue...  116,  424 
Resolutions    on    the    Death    of    Dr. 

Bonwill    45 

Restoring  Broken  Down  Molars  and 

Bicuspids    181 

Resuscitation  after  Suffocation, 
Chloroform  Poisoning  and  Elec- 
tric  Shock    705 

Retained  Deciduous  Teeth,  What  to 

do  with  485 

Retention  of  Corner  lulays 721 

Revocation  of  the  Right  to  Practice 

Medicine    61 

Rigg's       Disease;      Treatment      of 

Molars   367 

Roentgen   Ray  Diagnosis    489 

Root-canal   Cleansers   364 

lioot-canul  Filling 424,  660 

Root-caual   Filling,   Carbonized  Coi- 

ton    117 

Root-canal    Filling,     Sandarac    Var- 
nish and  Gutta-percha  Points...  182 
Root-canal   Treatment  366 


Salivary  Calculus  from  the  Sub- 
maxillai-y   Gland    

Sample 

Save  the  First  Permanent  Molars. . 

Saws  for  the  Dental  Engine   

Second  Soldering   

Securing  Certainty  in  Covering 
Cervical  Margins 

Sensitive  Dentin 55,  545, 

Sensitive  Dentin:   Orthoform 

Sensitive  Dentine^  The  Aqueous 
Treatment    of    

Sensitive  Teeth  and  Dental  Opera- 
tions    

Separating  Cast  and   Model 

Sepai-ating  Rubber   

Setting  Logan  Crown  with  Porcelain 
Body  

Shrinkage  of  the  Gums,  To  Prevent 

Should  the  Medical  Undergraduate 
be  Instructed  in  the  Principles 
of  Dentistry ?   

Siberian   Cold    

Silver  Nitrate  for  Arrest  of  Decay. 

Silver  Nitrate  in  Pyorrhea  Pockets. 

Simple   Water  Tub 

Sir  Thomas  Browne 

Skulls  and  Brain  Capacity 

Snake  Bites  and  Their  Treatment.. 

Soap  as  an  Antiseptic  and  Disin- 
fectant    

Softened  Dentin  Over  the  Pulp 

Solder  for  Aluminum   Plate 

Solidified  Formaldehyde  in  the 
Treatment  of  Blind  Abscess 

Some  Thoughts  on  Teaching  Materia 
Medica   and   Therapeutics    

Some  Uses  of  Hydronapthoi 

Soreness  at  Apex  of  Root    

Southern  Wisconsin  Dental  Associa- 
tion   

Spasmodic  Closure  of  Glottis  from 
Ether   

Special  Care  of  the  Teeth  in  Sick- 
ness     

Spectacles   for   Dental    Work 

Spraying  Cavities  and  Keeping 
Them  Free  of  Debris   

Starch   and   Tuberculosis    


215 
185 
242 
666 
^2A 

244 
722 
304 

482 

182 
179 
308 

305 
178 


249 
364 
363 
243 
122 
61 
184 

483 
181 
366 

177 

510 
242 
599 

299 

368 

240 
180 

722 
247 


INDEX. 


Vll 


PAGE. 

State  Board  Examination,   Pennsyl- 

vaaia    662 

Stephen    Tliomas   Catcliing,    D.D.S., 

Obituary   44 

Sterilization  of  Dental  Instniments..  307 

Sterilization  of  Rubber-dam   239 

Sterilizing    Brushes    605 

Sterilizing     Partially     Disorganized 

Dentin   in  Deciduous  Teeth 243 

St.    Helena   as   a   Place   of   Military 

Confinement   607 

Sticky   Gutta-percha  Fillings    546 

Storage     Battery     in     the     Dental 

Office    107 

Student-rule   122 

Sulphuric       Acid       in       Root-canal 

Cleansing    364 

Sulphurous  Acid  as  a  Preservative.  125 

Superstition    250 

Swaged   Cusps 118 

Swiss   Pivot  Broaches 117 

Syphilis  from  Dental  Instruments.  149 
Symposium     on    Dental     Education, 

Discussion 583,  624 


Taking  Impressions   of  Mouth   with 

Very  High   Vault    724 

Taking    the    Bite 56 

Taste,  Is  There  a  Sense  of? (30 

Technical  vs.  Theoretic  Training...  51)6 

Teeth,   The   Care  of 177 

Teeth,  to  Remove  from  Rubber 
Plate  Without  Danger  of  Crack- 
ing or  Fetching  180 

Tempering  Swiss  Broaches  605 

Texas    State   Dental    Association...  417 
The    Adaptation    of   Artificial    Den- 
tures    251 

The   Age   of   Medical    Graduates   in 

Japan    425 

The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Stomato- 
logical  Section  of  the  American 

Medical    Associarion    471 

The  Antiquity  of  Modern  Science.  .  590 
The  Application  of  Nitrate  of  Silver  603 

The  Army  and  Dentistry 107 

The  Articulation  after  Extraction . .  119 
The  Best  Way  to  Inject  an  Abscess  666 

The  Boer  and  His  Dentist 216 

The  Brunette  Peoples  of  Europe....     29 
The  Century's  Chief  Characteristic.   728 

The   Chemistry   of   Perfumes 488 

The   Chemical   Arrest  of  Caries....  364 

The  Color  of  Water 125 

The  Countersunk  Molar  as  a  Com- 
posite  Crown    244 

The     Countersunk     Nut     in     \jrtho- 

doTitia    182 

The  Custom  of  Dharma 245 

The  "Dental  Brief"  at  the  Inter- 
national Dental   Congress   460 

The  Dentist  and  Per  Cent 451 

The  Didactic  Lecture 226 

The  Disk  in  Finished  Fillings 120 

The    Drill    in    Root-cannls 365 

The  Effect  of  Colored  Light  on  the 

Nervous   System 224 

The  Effects  of  Certain   Proprietary 

Mouth-washes  Upon  the  Teeth . .     22 
The     Electric     Current     in     Fusing 

Platinum     179 

The    Epigrams    of    Martial:    Their 

Place  in   Dental   Literature.^. . . .  311 
The  Essential's  in  the  Treatment  of 

Pyorrhea    117 

The  Essentials  of  a  Successful  Prac- 
titioner      181 

The  Final   Finish  of  Gold   Fillings.   544 


PA.GB. 

The  Food  Preservative  Danger 187 

The     Gold     Inlay:     Protecting     the 

Cement    Joint    723 

Tlie    Influence    of   Alcohol    on    Mus- 
cular Work   • 188 

The       Injuriousuess    .  of       Ai-tificial 

Teeth   310 

The      Institute     of     Dental     Peda- 
gogics     662 

The   International  Dental  Congress, 

I'aris 553,  611,  673 

Tlie   Liiborde    ^Icthod    428 

The   Ledge    Crown    722 

The   Liverpool   Malaria   Commission 

Returns   123 

The  Louisville  College  of  Dentistry.  478 
The  Medical   School  of  the  Future.  3:i3 

The  Modern  British  Recruit 32 

The  Most  Remarkable  Clinic  in  the 

Practice  of  Dentistry 14 

The      Mouth      as      an      Index      to 

Character     370 

The  National  Association  of  Dental 

Faculties     470 

The    National    Institute    of    Dental 

Pedagogy    100 

The  Need  for  Skilled  Anaesthetists.  284 
The  Non-removal  of  Softened  Dent- 
ine Before  B'illing 158 

'J'he   Number   Mania 225 

The  Oil   Stone 239 

The  Operating  Stool    486 

The  Ottolengui   Amendment   to   the 

Patent   Law    163 

The  Pins  in  Artificial  Teeth   705 

The   Pneuraophone    723 

The     Practical    Side    of    a    Dental 

Education    682 

The    Protection    of    Early    Exposed 

Pulps    239 

The  Race   Problem 408 

The    Report    of    the    Foreign    Rela- 
tions Committee  of  tne  National 
Association  of  Dental  Faculties.   591 
Therapeutic  Cycles  in  Laryngology.   707 

The  Spittoon   365 

The  Status  of  Dentistry  Versus  Per- 
sonal Reputation   63 

The      SteriliJ'/ation      of      Water     by 

Means  of  Ozone 62 

The     Supervising    Board     of    Army 

Dentists     229 

The      Teeth      in      Civilizatio'n     and 

Barbarism    463 

The  Therapeutic  Use  of  Water 213 

The   Third    Annual    Meeting   of   the 

National  Dental  Association   466 

The  Toxic  Effects  of  Boric  Acid. . .  609 

The   Use  of   Flexible   Strips 441 

The  Use  of  Trichloracetic  Acid 189 

The   Wisconsin   Liticrntion 39 

The  X  Rnys  and  Artificial  Teeth...  157 
Three    Requisites    for   a    Root-oanal 
Filling.     Adaptability,     Compati- 
bility, Removability 60 

Tin  and  Gold  as  Filling  Material...  483 

Tin   and   (Jold:   Coloration    ..." 4S6 

Tincture  of  lodin   Stains   122 

To  Change  the  Shade  of  a  Porcelain 

Tooth    304 

To  Check   Flow  of  Saliva .303 

To  Cleanse  the  Cement  Slab 115.  722 

To   Cut  Gold   Foil   In   the   Form   of 

Ribbons   116 

To      Finish     and      Polish     Occlusal 

Fillings     547 

To  Finish  up  a  Dead  Tooth 547 

To  Give  RHief  in  Case  of  Pulpitis.   725 
To  Give  a  Smooth,  Finished  Surface 

to   Vulcanite    119 

To  His  Delinquent   Pntient 186 


Mil 

PAGE. 

To  Keep  the  Hands  Soft  ami  White  423 

To  Lessen  Pain  from  Arsenical  Ap- 
plications      119 

'J'o   Make  Cavity   Margins   Smootli..  424 

To  Marlv  Exactly  on  a  DtMitnre  the 
Spot  Corresponding  to  a  Wound 
of    the    Mucous    Membrane 544 

'J'o    Obtain     Duplicates    of    IMaster 

Models     603 

To  I'hotograph  an  Implement  or  In- 
strument so  as  to  Make  a  Work- 
ing  Copy   to   Scale 55 

To  Prevent  Hemorrhage  after 
Tooth   Extraction    3tX3 

To  l*revent  Injury  to  the  Teeth  of 
Plaster  Models  in  Adjusting 
Ci-owns  for  Bridge-work      543 

To  Prevent  Porosity  in  Vulcanized 
Rubber    363 

To  I'revent  Profuse  Flow  of  Saliva.  722 

To  Keduce  Inflammation  of  Pulp 
I'revious  to  Arsenical  Applica- 
tion      120 

To  Itelieve  Pain  in  a  Socket  after 
an   Extraction   482 

To  Remove  Blood  from  the  Cloth- 
ing       282 

To  Remove  Plaster  Impression  from 

Impression   Cup    304 

To  Remove  Plaster  of  Paris  from 
the   Hands    543 

To    Remove    the   Cloth    Adherent   to 

the   Sheets   of  Black   Rubber 602 

To  Remove  the  Odor  of  Iodoform 
from    the    Hands 117 

To  Repair  Broken  Pin  in  Logan 
Crown    118 

To  Repair  Gold  Crowns. 3G4 

To  Replace  Porcelain  Fronts  With- 
out  Removal  of  Bridge   546 

To  Restore  Badly  Decayed  Root  for 
Crowning    484 

To  Restore  Zinc  for  Castings HiW 

To  Save  on  Cost  of  22k.  Gold  Plate.  721 

To  Sectire  a  Smooth  Surface  to 
Vulcanize    Plate    

To  Separate  Oast  and  Impression. 

To  Solder  Cusps  to  Backing  for 
Porcelain    Facing    242 

To  I'tilize  Cuttings  of  "Ideal  Base 
Plate"    

Toxic  Action  of  Chemically  Pure 
Water 188 

Treatment   of   Abscessed   Deciduous 

Teeth    423 

Treatment  of  Abscessed  Teeth 116 

Trontm(>nt  of  Alveolar  Abscess  by 
Electrolysis    182 

Trejitraent  of  Carbolic  Acid  Poison- 
ing      429 

Treatment   of   Children's   Teeth 138 

Treatment   of  Lead    544 


INDEX. 


»^o 
119 


665 


PAGB. 

Treatment     of     Minute     Cracks     in 

Porcelain    Facings    307 

Treatment     of     Plaster     Cast,     For 

i'orcelain  Inlay  Work   600 

Treatment    of    Puli)less    Deciduous 

Teeth    723 

Treatment     of     Septic     Root-oanal, 

With   Fistulous   Opening    664 

Treatment    of    Socket    after    Tooth 

Extraction    307 

Trial   Plates   545 

Trichloracetic  Acid,  The  Use  of 185) 

Tri-Slate  Dental   Association,   1,   K. 

1 234 

Trumpet     Mouthpiece     Above     Soft 

Palate    369 


U 


Ulceration    of    the    Gums    in    MiaS" 

matic  Fevers 406 

Ulcerative  Stomatitis   369 

Umbrella  Stick  in  the  Antrum 240 

llilizing   Carbonic   Acid    Gas 184 


Aegetol,  A  New  Tooth  Powder. , ,  .  180 
Vegetol,  A  Prophylactic  Dentifrice.  115 
^'ei-mont  State  Dental  Society...  167,  299 
Vicarious     Menstruation     from     the 

Gums    33 

Vinegar    in    Syphilis    488 

Vulcanite  from  Between  the  Teeth, 

To  Remove    423 

Vulcanizing  Between      Metal       Sur- 
faces    30r, 


W 

Water  in  the  Gouty  Diathesis 94 

Wealth    and   Health 62 

What  is  Done  With  the  By-Products 

of    INIeat    Packers    403 

When   Extraction  and  Replantation 

is  Indicated    604 

Why   Bile   is   Bitter    462 

Why      Pulps      Die      Under      Metal 

Crowns 240 

Why  Recurrent  Decay  is  Less  Fre- 
quent With  Gutta-percha  Fill- 
ings      365 

Why    Some    Gold    Fillings    Become 

•    Loose    118 

"^'Oman's   Brains    703 


X-Rays   and   Vulcanite   Plates 422 


[thk  frontispiece] 


Bonwill  Photographs, 


The  photographs  of  Dr.  Bonwill,  presented  as  a  frontis- 
piece to  this  number  of  the  Brief,  have  been  selected  by 
Dr.  Broomell  for  reproduction  from  a  series  conspicuously 
displayed  in  Dr.  Bonwill' s  office  and  in  which  he  took 
great  pride. 

The  profile  in  the  upper  left-hand  corner  was  taken  in 
his  seventeenth  year. 

The  next,  passing  to  the  right,  was  taken  in  1852,  at 
the  age  of  nineteen. 

Just  previous  to  this  time  he  had  been  engaged  in  teach- 
ing school  at  Hick's  School  House,  half  way  between  Bur- 
lington and  Mount  Holly,  N.  J.,  but  had  abandoned  that 
pursuit  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  dentistry  with  Dr.  Sam'l 
W.  Neall,  in  Camden,  N.  J. 

The  upper  right-hand  picture  was  taken  at  the  age  of 
twenty-two,  while  the  lower  left  was  taken  in  1858,  at  the 
age  of  twenty-five. 

The  remaining  photographs  are  of  more  recent  date,  that 
in  the  lower  right-hand  corner  representing  him  as  he  ap- 
peared in  his  fortieth  year. 

The  central  picture  for  which,  it  is  stated,  he  had  a 
decided  preference,  was  taken  after  he  had  passed  his  six- 
tieth year. 

One  still  more  recent,  and  his  latest  photograph,  was 
reproduced  in  the  October  issue  of  this  journal. 


THE 


DENTAL   BRIEF. 


Vol.  V.  PHIIvADELPHIA,  JANUARY,  1900.  No.  1 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


AN  EVENING  WITH  BONWILL. 
By  I.  Norman  Broomell,  D.D.S. 

"Good  evening,  young  man,  I  have  come  to  show  you  how- 
to  'grind  on'  a  set  of  teeth  according  to  geometrical  and  anatomi- 
cal laws." 

Such  were  the  words  spoken  by  the  subject  of  this  sketch,  as, 
passing  his  fingers  through  his  gray  locks,  he  placed  his  familiar 
grip  at  my  feet.  The  time  was  an  evening  late  in  July  of  the  pres- 
ent year,  and  the  occasion  one  long  anticipated  and  long  to  be  re- 
membered by  me. 

"Now,  let  us  take  off  our  coats  and  get  to  work,  as  I  must  be 
getting  back  home,  I  have  many  things  to  do  before  2  a.  m.  Did 
I  ever  tell  you  that  I  do  the  biggest  part  of  my  brain  work  after 
the  rest  of  you  young  fellows  are  in  bed?" 

"Are  you  using  the  articulator  I  gave  }ou?"  A  nod  in  the 
affirmative  was  met  by,  "I  don't  believe  you,  or  else  you  would 
have  sent  for  the  extra  bows;  I  always  keep  them  back  to  catch 
skeptical  boys  like  you." 

"What  do  you  use  such  stuff  as  that  for?  Not  for  a  base  plate! 
Throw  it  away,"  putting  his  own  command  into  violent  execution ; 
this  supposed  ideal  product  of  the  dental  material  makers  was 
soon  replaced,  with  the  remark,  "I  prepare  this  kind  myself." 

"Now  give  me  a  fair-sized  wheel.  This  is  carborundum; 
why  don't  you  use  corundum?  Here  is  an  upper  and  lower  set 
of  teeth;  I  will  grind  them  on  and  I  will  leave  you  this  other  set 
to  do  yourself,  and  I  will  bet  you  can't  do  it.  There  is  not  a  man 
in  this  city  that  can  do  it.  Not  even  the  professors  who  try  to 
teach  prosthetic  dentistry." 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  3 

"Why  do  you  always — ?"  "Hold  on  now,  wait  until  I  am 
through,  I  want  to  do  the  talking,  you  listen.  Now  you  see  I 
take  these  upper  incisors  and  grind  off  the  inner  side  of  the  cut- 
ting edge,  making  a  bevel  there  of  about  forty-five  degrees,  and 
place  them  back  again  on  the  card.  Now  this  is  the  first  thing  I 
always  do  in  articulating  a  set  of  teeth.  What  are  you  laughing 
at?  'Articulation'  is  right,  it  is  not  'occlusion.'  Occlusion  will 
do  when  referring  to  closing  the  lips  or  mouth,  but  it  does  not 
apply  to  the  movements  of  the  lower  jaw  through  the  action  of  the 
tempero-maxillary  joint.  If  the  action  of  the  lower  jaw  was  di- 
rectly up  and  down  we  might  refer  to  the  closing  of  the  teeth  as 
occlusion."  "Wait  a  minute — "  "Now,  what  is  it?  Remember 
I  said  no  interruptions,  but  gO'  ahead,  speak  up!"  "You  ac- 
knowledge that  the  movement  of  the  lower  jaw  is  not  the  same 
in  all  cases,  and  that  it  is  seldom  directly  up  and  down."  "Yes; 
well  what  of  it?"  "I  was  wondering  why  it  is  if  the  movements 
of  the  jaws  are  not  always  the  same  that  you  grind  the  occlusal 
surfaces  of  the  teeth  alike  in  all  instances."  Almost  before  I  had 
finished  came  the  reply,  "To  compel  them  to  be  all  ahke  as  the 
Almighty  intended  they  should  be.  When  you  ask  that  question 
it  shows  how  little  you  know  of  the  fundamental  principles  gov- 
erning the  teeth  in  man." 

"Give  me  a  pair  of  dividers.  What,  you  haven't  any!  What 
would  you  think  of  a  carpenter  who  would  try  to  work  without  a 
saw?  Well,  dividers  are  just  as  essential  in  a  dentist's  hands. 
Did  I  ever  show  you  how  to  square  a  circle?  Ha,  ha,  ha!  Well, 
I  can  come  very  near  doing  it,  but  never  mind  that  now.  Don't 
sit  down,  stand  up  here;  I  want  you  to  see  how  I  grind  these 
bicuspids.  I  have  stood  up  to  'grind  on'  teeth  for  over  forty 
years  and  I  feel  younger  to-day  possibly  than  you  do." 

After  thus  relieving  himself  of  an  opinion  doubtless  based 
upon  his  own  physical  convictions,  he  took  from  the  card,  one  at 
a  time,  the  bicuspid  teeth  belonging  to  the  upper  set,  and  with  all 
the  enthusiasm  of  the  most  ardent  student,  cut  upon  the  occlusal 
surface  of  each,  from  mesial  to  distal,  a  well-defined,  rounded 
groove,  converting  this  surface  into  a  double  inclined  plane  ex- 
tending from  buccal  to  palatal. 

"Now,  do  you  see  the  way  the  bicuspids  come  together? 
They  meet  with  all  their  surfaces  touching.  Then,  while  rotating 
the  articulator  from  side  to  side,  and  looking  In  from  the  back, 
as  in  viewing  the  mouth  from  the  pharynx,  he  added  with  en- 


4  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

thiisiasm:  "Now,  isn't  it  beautiful!  And  so  perfect  mathemati- 
cally; after  a  preordained  and  established  law;  nothing  could  give 
a  better  idea  of  the  wisdom  of  the  Almighty.  Now,  the  fact  that 
I  grind  these  teeth  this  way — you  see  I  am  doing  the  same  thing 
with  the  molors — is  not  my  creation,  I  am  simply  carrying  out 
nature's  law  as  found  in  the  human  jaws,  ana  having  as  its  basis 
an  equilateral  triangle." 

By  the  time  my  visitor  had  completed  the  grinding  of  the 
upper  teeth,  all  of  which,  so  far  as  the  posterior  teeth  were  con- 
cerned, were  treated  in  a  similar  manner,  he  appeared  completely 
wrapped  up  in  what  he  was  doing,  and  the  energy  of  his  toil  was 
only  surpassed  by  his  desire  to  have  me  fully  comprehend  what  he 
was  doing  and  saying.  At  one  time  he  looked  up  from  his  work 
long  enough  to  ask  if  he  was  using  too  many  'Ts."  After  a 
glance  he  appeared  to  realize  that  his  remark  was  understood, 
and,  referring  to  the  incident  which  called  it  forth,  he  said:  "That 
Western  editor  who  had  sufficient  leisure  to  count  the  number  of 
I's  used  by  me  in  the  publication  of  my  personal  experiences  dur- 
ing my  trip  tO'  Europe  in  1889  taught  me  a  lesson,  but  it  was  not 
one  by  which  I  could  profit;  the  work  which  I  have  been  doing 
in  dentistry  for  nearly  half  a  century  has  been  in  a  special  line, 
and  of  rather  a  unique  character;  I  have  not  imitated  or  even  re- 
ferred to  the  works  of  others.  All  that  I  have  done  for  dentistry 
has  been  after  my  own  ideas  of  what  was  right,  theories  at  first, 
facts  soon  afterward.  Advice,  although  frequently  proffered, 
was  seldom  accepted,  this  (pointing  to  his  forehead)  being  my 
confidential  and  most  reHable  adviser.  I  was  compelled  to  use 
the  personal  pronoun  then,  and  shall  continue  to  do  so;  when  all 
your  thoughts  and  actions  are  your  own,  it  is  impossible  to  do 
otherwise."  After  nervously  consulting  his  time-piece,  he  con- 
tinued his  work  by  taking  the  lower  incisor,  grinding  from  the 
labial  cutting  edge  the  round  smooth  surface  common  to  finished 
porcelain.  This  grinding  was  so  slight  and  performed  so  quickly, 
that  it  appeared  to  have  no  practical  bearing  on  his  theory. 

"Now,  the  proper  width  for  these  lower  incisors  I  get  with 
the  dividers  after  the  plans  laid  down  in  this  little  chart,"  (here  un- 
folding a  sheet  filled  with  many  complex  drawings)  "by  placing 
the  dividers  at  this  point  I  draw  a  line  from  A  to  B,  and  from  C 
to  D  we  get  the  radius  of  another  arc  intersecting  with  the  line 
previously  drawn  from  A  to  B ;  all  within  this  equilateral  triangle ; 
now  is  that  clear  to  you?"     With  a  desire  to  avoid  unhappiness  1 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  5 

had  always  made  it  a  point  to  agree  with  Bonwill,  so  I  answered 
in  the  affirmative.  **Now  with  the  proper  manipulation  of  the 
dividers  we  get  many  equilateral  triangles  within  the  main  tri- 
angle, each  one  of  which  denotes  the  exact  size  and  location  of 
one  of  the  teeth  in  each  jaw." 

Venturing  another  question,  I  said:  "You  always  take  four 
inches  as  the  size  of  the  primary  equilateral  triangle?"  ''Yes." 
*'And  always  go  through  the  same  geometrical  figuring  to  obtain 
the  position  and  width  of  each  individual  tooth?"  "Yes."  ''And 
always  grind  the  teeth  in  about  the  same  manner  before  mounting 
them  in  the  base  plate?"  "Yes;  what  of  it?"  "Do  you  not  find 
that  you  get  practically  the  same  results  in  all  cases?  Do  you 
fail  to  recognize  a  marked  variation  in  the  movements  of  the 
mandible,  in  some  directly  up  and  down,  in  others  a  more  or  less 
lateral  motion?"  After  a  hearty  laugh,  he  said:  "Of  course  I 
know  it,  to  be  sure  I  do,  there  are  almost  as  many  movements 
as  there  are  jaws,  but  there  is  only  one  normal  movement  of  the 
lower  jaw,  only  one  intended  by  the  Creator,  that  is  the  move- 
ments of  all  human  jaws  should  be  the  same;  why,  how  could  we 
consider  it  any  other  way,  when  we  see  so  beautiful  and  so  math- 
ematical a  design  employed  by  the  Creator  in  the  construction  of 
the  lower  jaw.  There  is  only  one  way  by  v/hich  the  exact  law 
governing  the  movement  of  the  lower  jaw  can  be  carried  out,  and 
that  is  to  articulate  the  teeth  in  such  a  manner  that  they  will  com- 
pel a  perfect  mechanical  movement  of  the  mandible,  and  in  this 
way  and  in  no  other  you  will  have  perfect  mastication. 

"Noiw  you  see  in  grinding  the  lower  bicuspids  and  molars 
I  have  intentionally  refrained  from  cutting  ofif  from  the  lingual 
side,  I  do  this  because  the  teeth  are  always  made  with  their 
lingual  cusps  too  short,  they  should  be  made  much  longer,  and 
the  only  way  to  overcome  this  is  by  grinding  from  the  buccal 
cusps  alone." 

Bonwill  now  proceeded  to  arrange  the  teeth  more  carefully 
in  position  on  the  base  plate,  placing  one  at  a  time  and  viewing  ir 
in  every  direction,  his  face  taking  on  an  expression  of  profound 
admiration  as  he  said,  "Now  look  at  that,  could  you  imagine  any- 
thing nearer  perfection?  All  that  nature  wants  is  a  chance  to 
right  herself,  and  with  this  beautiful  arrangement  of  the  articula- 
tion of  the  teeth  we  do  a  great  deal  to  assist  her  in  this  direction. 
This  reminds  me  of  the  boy  in  my  laboratory ;  did  I  ever  tell  you 
about  him?     It  took  him  a  long  time  to  get  on  to  the  method  of 


6  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

mounting  teeth  according  to  my  rules,  which  are  nature's  rules, 
notwithstanding  he  was  apt  and  quick.  One  day  I  took  a  case 
from  his  hands  and  said  'Let  me  do  that,  you're  getting  it  wrong/ 
When  I  returned  them  to  him  he  was  quick  to  observe  an  in- 
tended imperfection  which  I  had  left.  Taking  them  again  I  cor- 
rected the  defect  and  handed  him  the  case.  Instantly  he  said, 
'That's  it,  that's  it;  why,  doctor,  if  there  is  any  such  a  thing  as  a 
God,  he  couldn't  do  better  than  that.'  "  While  I  was  unable  to 
see  the  force  of  this  incident,  Bonwill  evidently  thought  it  carried 
great  weight,  referring  to  it  on  numerous  private  occasions  as 
well  as  in  his  occasional  lectures  to  students. 

By  this  time  (11.30)  I  was  so  engrossed  with  Bonwill's 
whole-souled  desire  to  have  me  understand  as  he  understood,  to 
think  as  he  thought,  that  I  determined  to  get  more  out  of  him, 
not  particularly  in  the  Hne  of  the  articulation  of  teeth,  but  in  mat- 
ters of  general  practice.  In  the  meantime  a  little  lunch  had  been 
provided  in  the  dining-room  and  of  this  my  visitor  was  invited  to 
partake.  His  ready  acceptance  without  even  referring  to  the  time 
of  night  encouraged  me  in  the  belief  that  he  had  more  to  say. 
After  being  seated,  about  the  first  thing  he  said  was,  "Well,  what 
do  the  boys  think  of  me  by  this  time?  I  v/ish  I  knew;  well  I 
think  I  do  know;  but  we  will  not  talk  about  that  now.  Before  it 
gets  too  late  I  want  to  show  you  how  I  pack  amalgam."  He  had 
evidently  anticipated  this  demonstration,  for  as  he  spoke  the 
words  he  reached  down  and  took  from  his  grip  all  the  requisites 
necessary  to  put  his  remark  into  execution.  "Here  is  a  lot  of 
amalgam  for  you;  I  don't  sell  this,  I  give  it  away  for  what  it  costs 
to  make  it.  I  do  this  because  I  want  everybody  to  use  it,  and  I 
want  everybody  to  use  it  because  I  know  it  will  save  teeth  better 
than  anything  else.  You  fellows  don't  know  how  to  use  amal- 
gam, that's  the  reason  it  fails,  and  then  you  think  you  can  get 
more  money  for  gold;  ah,  that's  what  most  of  you  are  after,  the 
money,  the  money;  it  isn't  the  desire  to  save  teeth.  Now,  with 
this  I  can  do  both;  I  can  save  teeth  and  I  can  get  as  much  money 
for  it  as  by  using  gold.  Why  do  we  impose  a  fee?  Not  for  the 
material  used,  but  for  the  service  rendered  and  that  service  means 
the  saving  of  teeth." 

Simultaneously  with  this  talking  Bonwill  was  "packing 
amalgam,"  as  he  termed  it,  using  for  a  cavity  a  steel  plate  in  which 
were  drilled  a  number  of  holes  of  various  sizes,  these  passing  en- 
tirely through  the  plate.     In  mixing  the  alloy  he  used  the  palm  of 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  7 

his  hand  for  a  mortar,  and  with  the  ball  of  his  thumb  for  a  pestle 
the  mass  was  amalgamated  with  true  Bonwili  enthusiasm.  The 
amalgam  was  then  squeezed  only  moderately  dry  and  dropped 
intO'  the  metal  cavity  in  quite  large  pieces.  Then  came  the  most 
interesting  part  of  the  demonstration ;  grasping  a  plugger,  one  of 
his  own  design,  of  course,  because  Bonwili  seldom  made  use  of 
those  planned  or  designed  by  others,  he  proceeded  to  force  the 
alloy  into  the  cavity.  Force  is  the  only  expression  tO'  use  in  de- 
scribing his  methods. 

The  heavy  handle  of  the  plugger  was  taken  by  the  hand  of 
the  operator,  not  by  the  finger  and  thumb,  but  by  the  entire  hand, 
in  this  way  bringing  into  action  the  wrist  nniscles,  the  plug  re- 
ceiving the  combined  force  from  the  hand  and  wrist  at  each  punch 
or  push  of  the  instrument.  It  might  be  added  that  the  force 
above  referred  to  was  just  as  much  a  factor  during  operations  in 
the  mouth,  and  anyone  who  has  had  the  privilege  of  seeing  some 
of  Bonwill's  amalgam  work  can  testify  to  the  value  of  the  meth- 
ods which  he  employed. 

"See,  the  cavity  is  now  almost  full,  and  I  am  bringing  all  the 
surplus  mercury  to  the  surface  by  pressure  on  this  bibulous  paper, 
which  absorbs  it.  In  the  bottom  of  the  filling  there  is  no-  mercury 
and  the  metal  is  almost  as  hard  at  that  point  as  it  will  ever  be." 

After  turning  over  the  metal  plate  I  found  this  to  be  the  true 
condition,  the  filling  was  already  so  hard  that  no  impression  could 
be  made  upon  it  with  the  sharp  point  of  an  instrument. 

"Now  as  I  approach  the  surface  I  take  up  the  surplus  mer- 
cury by  the  addition  of  fresh  alloy,  rubbing  it  in  with  this  round 
burnisher;  rub  it  hard,  then  add  more  fillings  and  rub  again;  keep 
this  up  until  the  surface  of  the  filling  is  as  hard  as  the  bottom. 

"Now  it  is  finished,  and  I  will  show  you  what  a  perfect  mass 
I  have  made,"  and  taking  an  iron  punch  and  a  hammer,  he  pro- 
ceeded to  force  the  plug  from  the  hole  in  the  steel  plate,  which 
was  accomplished  only  by  a  series  of  heavy  blows.  "There,  it  is 
almost  as  hard  and  compact  as  the  steel  plate  itself."  And  so  I 
found  it;  the  entire  operation,  which  had  occupied  but  a  few  min- 
utes, had  resulted  in  the  production  of  a  metal  plug  which,  in  the 
mouth,  would  defy  the  force  and  strain  of  mastication.  "Why  it's 
nearly  one  o'clock,  I  must  get  out.  Wish  I  had  time  to  tell  you 
more  about  filling  teeth  with  amalgam  and  the  way  I  form  a 
matrix  for  the  purpose,  by  using  a  rubber-dam  clamp  and  model- 
ing composition  or  gutta-percha.     Also  how  I  use  Abbey's  old- 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


fashioned  gold  foil,  and  the  use  of  paraffin  in  connection  with  oxy- 
phosphate. 

"But    you're  like    everybody  else,  you  don't  want  to  listen. 
Good  night,  I'll  see  you  at  Asbury  Park." 


Fio.   I 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  9 

The  accompanying  illustrations  (Figs,  i,  2  and  3)  show  the 
result  of  Bonwill's  work  during  the  evening,  these  probably  be- 
ing the  last  teeth  mounted  by  him.  The  specimen,  which  is  in  my 
possession,  remains  just  as  he  left  it.  Little  attention  was  given 
to  beautifying  the  work  by  contouring  the  wax  base  plate  ma- 
terial, or  in  the  method  of  attachment  to  the  articulator. 


|.  .^,s«,w#<i*rt*i«f  |*s;                                        'MS^^^^SSKi 

i 

>  •  1 

w 

|<«l«l»ki^tippMlil|:|#.                          '     ^ 

^^^^^^^^SSl^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^H 

'  '^'-"'**"**"'*'-'''"*''''^-"  '^H 

1^0^ 

Fii.> 


and  ■?. 


lo  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

CLINICAL    DEMONSTRATION    OF    DR.    BONWILL'S- 
METHODS  OF  PRACTICE. 

Reported  by  Geo.  V.  I.  Broimi,  B.A.,  D.DS.,  M.D.,  CM.'' 

The  following  report  of  a  clinical  exhibition  of  patients,, 
operations  and  methods,  given  by  Dr.  W.  G.  A.  Bonwill,  in  his- 
office  in  Philadelphia,  June,  1897,  before  a  committee  appointed 
by  the  Section  of  Stomatology  of  the  Amierican  Medical  Asso- 
ciation, the  substance  of  which,  though  not  properly  within  the 
limits  of  the  purpose  for  which  the  section  was  organized,  and 
therefore  ineligible  for  publication  in  the  columns  of  the  official 
journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  is,  nevertheless,, 
so  full  of  matter  of  such  great  importance  to  the  dental  profes- 
sion that  it  is  hoped  its  publication  at  this  time,  and  in  the  man- 
ner contemplated,  may  lead  tO'  the  preservation,  with  credit  to- 
their  originator,  of  the  methods  described. 

The  committee  were  shown  some  forty  patients.  Work  was 
thoroughly  examined,  and  all  were  interrogated  with  regard  to- 
the  length  of  time  since  the  fillings  had  been  inserted,  the  num- 
ber of  years  they  had  been  under  Dr.  Bonwill's  care,  and  their 
opinions  generally.  These  questions,  as  every  one  will  know  who- 
remembers  Dr.  Bonwill's  almost  absolute  deafness,  could  be 
frankly  answered  without  fear  of  being  overheard  by  Dr.  Bon- 
will. There  was,  therefore,  no  possible  reason  why  the  most  per^ 
feet  truth  should  not  have  been  told.  Such  a  demonstration- 
each  of  us  felt  it  had  never  been  his  privilege  to  witness  before,., 
and  doubtless  never  would  again. 

One  or  two  of  the  oldest  had  been  under  Dr.  Bonwill's  care- 
for  some  forty  odd  years;  many  more  than  thirty  years;  others- 
a  shorter  period,  and  some  were  very  young  patients.  To  one- 
who  had  been  accustomed  to  see  Dr.  Bonwill  operating  under 
the  disadvantages  of  large  public  clinics,  where  everything  pos- 
sible constantly  occurred  to  increase  his  natural  nervousness,  the 
beautiful  work,  with  its  careful  polish  and  the  exactness  of  every- 
thing in  his  private  office  was  a  revelation,  when  compared  with 
the  opnion  too  often  expressed,  that  his  work  was  rough  and" 
crude.  Nothing  could  be  further  from  the  truth.  Down  to  the 
smallest  detail,  all  was  neatness,  exactness  and  perfection.     The 


*  Chairman  of  a  committee  appointed  by  the  Section  on  Stomatology 
of  the  American  Medical  Association. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  ii 

•impression  was  a  profound  one,  and  doubtless  many  years  of 
•development  will  be  required  before  we  can  fully  comprehend  the 
merit  and  value  which  underlay  that  which  we  only  saw  upon 
the  surface. 

As  everyone  knows,  Dr.  Bonwill  bound  his  faith  to  Abbey's 
gold  foil,  claiming  for  it  properties  which  other  kinds  did  not 
possess,  and  his  fillings,  made  as  he  todd  us,  with  this  foil,  would 
aggregate  a  large  number,  and  if  it  were  possible  to  roll  them  all 
together  would  make  a  sheet  of  gold  marvelous  when  considered 
as  having  been  put  together,  piece  by  piece,  by  one  man. 

The  cavity  outlines  were  quite  marked  by  contrast  to  the 
square,  more  box-like  forms  advocated  by  many  teachers  at  the 
present  time.  In  his  work  every  corner  was  rounded,  every  out- 
line a  perfect  curve,  but  the  boldness  with  which  cavity  walls  had 
been  cut  away  on  the  lingual  and  buccal  margins,  showed  that 
many  years  ago  he  had  anticipated,  in  its  fullest  extent,  the  value 
of  extension  for  prevention.  The  contour  of  the  filling  in  each 
case  was  bold  and  clearly  marked,  i.oints  of  contact  showing  a 
careful  consideration  of  most  favorable  adjustment. 

The  plus  contours  shown  were  quite  astonishing  (cantilever 
size,  the  author  called  them),  many  cases  showing  that,  where 
teeth  had  been  lost  in  early  life,  and  crowding  together  had  nar- 
rowed the  space  to  some  extent,  but  had  caused  a  tipping  for- 
ward, particularly  of  the  molar  teeth,  endangering  the  future  use- 
fulness of  the  tooth  through  mal-occlusion,  with  a  boldness 
characteristic  of  the  man,  he  had  not  hesitated  to  extend  his 
gold  forward  in  a  rounded,  tapering  form,  something  after  the 
'manner  of  the  horn  of  a  blacksmith's  anvil  until  the  point  rested 
securely  in  contact  with  the  distal  surface  of  the  tooth  in  front. 
Only  those  familiar  with  the  peculiar  properties  of  gold  and  the 
difficulty  of  perfect  condensation  of  an  over-hanging  mass  in 
such  form  as  to  give  secure  resistance  in  all  directions,  can  ap- 
preciate the  triumph  that  the  success  of  this  work  meant.  As 
for  the  value  of  supporting  leaning  teeth  in  that  manner,  and  its 
import  upon  the  future  usefulness  and  long  retention  of  the  teeth, 
I  think  we  have  all  of  us  yet  much  to  learn  before  this  can  be 
fully  appreciated. 

The  occlusal  surfaces  in  many  instances  showed  an  attempt, 
at  least,  to  reproduce  angles  and  cusp  lines  rather  than  the  smooth 
concavity  with  which  we  are,  as  a  rule,  familiar.  The  broadly 
over-lapping  margins,  both  of  gold  and  amalgam  fillings,  sue- 


12  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

cessfully  carried  mit  the  design  of  clasping  and  supporting  the 
frail  walls  of  teeth  rather  than  to  depend  solely  upon  support  of 
the  filling  by  the  walls,  and  were  a  revelation  to  any  one  who 
had  been  led  to  believe  that  alloy  fillings  could  not  be  relied  upon 
for  this  purpose,  by  reason  of  insufficient  edge  strength. 

The  committee  was  not  given,  as  fully  as  might  have  been, 
the  nature  and  manner  of  working  these  alloys,  too  much  of 
other  things  crowding  out  its  minute  consideration. 

In  many  teeth  gold  and  alloy  were  mixed  in  the  same  tooth. 
In  almost  every  instance  the  color  of  the  alloy  had  remained  un- 
tarnished after  the  first  evidently  careful  polishing,  and  each,  of 
all  these  fillings,  whether  gold,  or  amalgam,  or  both,  seemed  to 
be  doing  service  with  perfect  satisfaction.  Amalgam  seemed  to 
last  and  protect  against  caries  as  well  as  gold,  and  vice  versa, 
the  lesson  of  it  all  being  borne  strongly  in  upon  us  that,  beyond 
and  above  the  details,  which  we  all  recognize  as  important  in 
filling  of  teeth,  there  was  a  something  in  the  work  that  this  man 
did  which  rendered  it  capable  of  immunizing  that  particular 
portion  of  the  mouth  against  the  inroad  of  bacteria. 

Many  patients  whose  teeth  showed  that  at  some  previous 
time  there  had  been  marked  tendency  to  caries,  reported  having 
had  almost  no  fillings  placed  in  their  teeth  since  the  completion 
of  the  first  general  work,  after  coming  under  Dr.  Bonwill's  hands. 
The  result  certainly  justified  the  means  in  every  particular. 

Pink  gutta-percha  fillings  packed  securely  in  proximo-oc- 
clusal  cavities,  extending  across  the  interdental  space  to  the  next 
tooth,  were  to  be  seen  in  a  number  of  mouths.  These,  Dr.  Bon- 
will  explained,  were  inserted  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  a  slow 
but  perfect  separation.  He  left  them  about  one  year,  after  which, 
sufficient  space  was  gained  to  admit  of  the  perfect  contouring 
of  the  fillings  and  the  sensitive*  dentin  lost  much  or  all  of  its 
sensibility,  so  that  the  excavation  for  the  gold  or  alloy  fillings 
gave  little  or  no  pain,  and  there  was  slight  danger  of  exposing 
pulps,  a  thing  which  seldomi  occurred  in  his  practice. 

Dr.  Bonwill  had  great  faith  in  gutta-percha  as  a  stopping 
for  children's  teeth,  and  for  use  as  just  described.  He  claimed 
that  the  slow  separation  it  effected  allowed  the  adjustment  of  the 
tooth  moved  in  its  relation  with  the  opposing  one  in  the  jaw 
and  prevented  the  likelihood  of  future  trouble  from  malocclu- 
sion, particularly  in  regard  to  pyorrhoea  alveolaris.  Among  all 
those  cases  none  were  found  to  have  active  symptoms  of  pyor- 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  13 

rhoea,  but  several  showed  by  the  denuded  surfaces  of  the  roots 
and  recessions  of  the  gums,  that  they  had  been  so  affected,  yet 
none  were  found  to  be  noticeably  loose,  and  there  was  an  entire 
absence  of  discharge. 

Very  few  crowns  were  seen,  the  extensive  contour  operations 
seeming  to  have  reduced  the  necessity  for  their  use  to  a  mini- 
mum. Few  artificial  dentures  were  shown,  such  as  were,  being 
partial  and  having  clasps  for  the  natural  teeth.  The  method  of 
adjusting  these  clasps,  as  also  Dr.  Bonwill's  now  famous  methods 
of  articulation  and  arrangement  of  the  teeth  in  the  arch,  accord- 
ing to  his  geometrical  principles,  are  all  fully  set  forth  in  his 
various  writings,  and  need  only  mention  here  in  that  they  seemed 
to  be  fully  equal  to  the  praise  that  their  author  himself  has  be- 
stowed upon  them. 

His  views  on  cataphoresis  or  the  plain  current  of  electricity 
are  better  set  forth  in  the  paper  read  before  the  Section  of  Sto- 
matology of  the  American  Medical  Association,  at  its  meeting 
held  in  Philadelphia  in  June,  1897,  than  would  be  possible  in 
any  report  the  committee  could  make,  particularly  since  no 
demonstrations  of  this  sort  were  shown,  as  it  had  been  expected 
there  would  be,  nor  were  any  demonstrations  given  of  rapid 
breathing  as  a  means  of  performing  painless  operations  by  diver- 
sion of  the  will,  but  the  writer  can  fully  testify  to  the  fact  that 
nearly  twenty  years  ago  he  heard  Dr.  Bonwill  explain  the  use  of 
this  method  in  performing  minor  surgical  operations,  and  its 
constant  use  during  some  few  years  past  has  absolutely  dem- 
onstrated that  an  extremely  valuable  truth  underlies  this  ap- 
parently simple  experiment. 

No  fistulous  openings  were  observed  in  any  of  the  mouths: 
the  gums  and  mucous  membrane  in  all  cases  seemed  to  be  in 
such  healthful  condition  as  would  naturally  be  expected  with 
those  who  observed  the  minute  instructions  given  them. 

In  his  own  peculiar,  very  peculiar,  way,  one  might  say,  Dr. 
Bonwill  seemed  to  possess,  not  only  the  absolute  confidence  of 
his  patients  but  also  their  simple  and  almost  blind  obedience  to 
all  his  wishes,  they  submitting,  apparently  as  a  matter  of  course, 
to  his  most  arbitrary  exactions. 

Some  patients  were  shown  for  whom,  in  their  earlier  years, 
the  method  advocated  by  Dr.  Bonwill,  of  cutting  V-shaped  spaces 
upon  proximate  surfaces  of  the  anterior  teeth,  with  little  notice- 
able cliange  upon  the  labial  aspect,  but  (luito  sharply  cut  away 


14  DENTAL   BRIEF. 

upon  the  lingual  side,  in  order  to  facilitate  self-cleansing  with  a 
view  to  the  prevention  of  caries,  had  been  practiced.  So  far  as 
the  result  was  concerned,  he  seemed  to  be  highly  successful  in 
accomplishing  that  which  he  desired. 

In  Dr.  Bonwill's  own  words,  it  was  a  lesson  of  forty-two 
years'  work,  and  in  answer  to  his  question  whether  it  showed 
the  hand  of  art  or  mechanism,  we  would  unreservedly  say  that 
in  a  high  degree  art  and  mechanism  paid  silent  tribute  to  the 
wonderful  genius,  through  the  instrumentality  of  which  so  much 
had  been  accomplished  in  the  saving  of  human  teeth,  giving,  as 
it  did,  one  man  the  power  to  exert  an  influence  upon  human  life 
far  beyond  the  possibility  of  measurement  by  present  standards. 


THE  MOST  REMARKABLE  CLINIC  IN  THE  HISTORY 
OF  DENTISTRY. 

Reported  by  Eugene  S.  Talbot,  M.D.,  D.DS."^ 

At  the  meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  in 
Philadelphia  in  1897,  Dr.  Bonwill  read  a  paper  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology  upon  the  subject  of  ''Cataphoresis;  or,  the  Use  of 
Electricity  in  Obtunding  Sensitive  Dentine."  In  closing  the 
discussion  Dr.  Bonwill  extended  an  invitation  to  a  committee  (ap- 
pointed by  the  chairman)  to  visit  his  office  at  any  time  most  con- 
venient to  them,  to  observe  his  method  of  producing  anaesthesia 
by  rapid  breathing..  The  chairman.  Dr.  R.  R.  Andrews,  of  Cam- 
bridge, Mass.,  appointed  as  a  committee  Drs.  G.  V.  I.  Brown, 
E.  S.  Talbot,  M.  H.  Fletcher,  H.  ¥/.  Gillett  and  Geo.  Fames. 
The  committee  met  at  the  appointed  hour,  9  o'clock,  the  follow- 
ing morning  and,  much  to  their  surprise,  found  his  spacious  re- 
ception  room  filled  with  patients  ranging  in  age  from  14  tO'  78. 
These  patients  represented  the  extensive  field  of.  his  practice. 
They  were  from  Delaware,  New  York  City  and  Philadelphia,  and 
had  been  summoned  by  telegraph  and  messengers.  This  illus- 
trates the  enthusiasm  with  which  Bonwill  entered  into  every  un- 
dertaking. He  had  spent  the  entire  night  in  this  work.  He  had 
evidently  enlarged,  in  his  enthusiasm,  the  scope  of  investigation 
of  the  committee,  since  he  proposed  not  only  to  illustrate  his 
methods  of  practice  at  the  present  day  in  the  younger  patients, 
but  also  the  results  of  his  early  practice  in  the  elder. 


*  Secretary  of  i  committee  appointed  by  the  Section  on  Stomatology  of  the  Ameri- 
can Dental  Association. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  15 

Bonwill  possessed  perfect  control  of  his  patients.  He  would 
not  operate  for  a  patient  who  did  not  carry  out  his  instructions 
tO'  the  letter.  He  frequently  sent  patients  home  and  refused  to 
operate,  as  they  had  not  followed  instructions  given  at  a  previous 
sitting.  The  cleanlineess  of  all  of  his  patients  was  remarkable. 
No  inflamed  gums  or  pus  oozing  from  about  the  teeth  was  to  be 
seen.  The  truth  of  his  frequent  statement  "that  he  did  not  know 
what  it  was  to  have  a  case  of  'pyorrhoea  alveolaris'  in  his  practice/' 
was  demonstrated  by  the  mouths  on  exhibition.  The  committee 
had  a  very  good  opportunity,  in  the  examination  of  the  different 
patients,  to  see  how  he  managed;  the  committee's  questions  to 
patients  were  answered  in  the  presence  of  Bonwill  without  his 
knowledge,  because  of  his  deafness.  The  patients  loved  him,  but 
said  that  they  did  not  dare  to  visit  his  office  for  his  services  with- 
out complying  with  his  instructions.  Each  patient  was  required 
to  visit  his  office  from  four  to  six  times  a  year  and  undergo  a 
thorough  inspection.  If  the  brush  was  not  being  used  in  a  proper 
manner  or  reaching  certain  localities  they  were  instructed  how  to 
proceed.  He  gave  his  patients  tooth  brushes  and  tooth  soap,  so 
that  there  should  not  be  the  slightest  excuse  for  unclean  mouths. 
One  of  Bonwill's  pet  methods  was  the  preparation  of  the  teeth  to 
secure  getting  wide  spaces  between  them.  The  approximal  cav- 
ities were  partially  prepared  and  red  gutta-percha  warmed  and 
crowded  in  between  the  teeth;  all  approximal  cavities  were 
treated  in  this  manner.  The  patient  masticated  upon  this  from 
six  months  to  two  or  three  years.  By  this  method  the  teeth  are 
wedged  apart,  making  wide  spaces,  without  inconvenience  to  the 
patient.  The  teeth  were  then  contoured  in  such  a  manner  that 
the  occlusion  was  at  the  grinding  edge,  thus  giving  room  for  the 
alveolar  process  and  firm  foundation  for  the  gum  tissue. 

Bonwill  believed  that  the  narrow  alveolar  process  between 
the  roots  of  the  teeth  failed  to  nourish  the  gum  margin,  thus 
causing  interstitial  gingivitis.  Every  operation  upon  the  mouth 
was  performed  with  the  utmost  skill,  in  a  sense  not  understood 
by  the  average  dentist.  Bonwill  was  a  master  workman.  His 
operations  were  perfection.  The  contour  of  the  fillings,  whether 
gold  or  amalgam,  conformed  to  the  movement  of  the  jaws  and 
the  occluding  teeth.  Although  Bonwill  was  an  expert  gold  ope- 
rator, many  of  his  operations  were  done  with  amalgam,  as  he  did 
not  believe  in  crown  and  bridge  work.  In  this  he  made  another 
strong  point  as  to  the  prevention  of  so-called  pyorrhoea  alveo- 


i6  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

• 
laris  and  unhealthy  mouths.  Crown  and  bridge  work  being  a 
source  of  chronic  irritation  to  the  gum  margin  and  the  roots  ot 
two  or  more  teeth  supporting  and  doing  the  work  of  many  more, 
and  accumulating  filth.  Bonwill,  in  place  of  this,  would  build  up 
the  approximal  surface  and  sometimes  an  entire  crown  (by  intro- 
duction of  screws),  and  polish  the  margin  arv)und  and  under  the 
gum  in  such  a  manner  that  irritation  or  decomposed  food  and 
other  irritants  could  not  take  place.  Amalgam  fillings  were  not 
confined  to  the  posterior  teeth.  In  many  cases  the  anterior  teeth 
were  filled  and  contoured  with  amalgam.  In  the  case  of  one  old 
gentleman  both  approximal  surfaces  of  all  superior  and  inferior 
incisors,  as  well  as  the  bicuspids  and  molars,  contoured  with  amal- 
gam, had  been  doing  good  service  for  over  thirty  years.  This  case 
was  of  unusual  interest,  since  osteomalacia  (senile  absorption  of 
the  alveolar  process)  had  taken  place,  exposing  the  necks  of  all 
the  teeth.  The  gums,  however,  were  healthy,  and  no  pus  was 
present.  The  cavity  margins  at  the  approximal  surfaces  were 
smooth  and  free  from  decay ;  here  was  a  fine  opportunity  to  note 
the  effect  of  wide  approximal  spaces. 

In  the  place  of  bridge  work,  Bonwill  had  invented  a  remov- 
able plate  (with  which  the  profession  is  familiar).  This  little  plate 
was  so  nicely  adjusted  that  it  could  be  worn  as  a  single  tooth,  or 
four  or  five  could  be  attached  when  necessary.  Five  or  six  of  these 
were  exhibited,  showing  different  methods  of  adjustment  in  favor- 
able and  unfavorable  cases.  Bonwill's  method  of  adjusting  arti- 
ficial dentures  and  their  practicable  application  was  demon- 
strated in  many  mouths.  He  certainly  knew  how  to  arrange  and 
adjust  artificial  teeth  to  the  welfare  of  his  patients.  Patients  were 
exhibited  who  had  been  wearing  these  dentures  many  years,  some 
of  which  were  very  difficult  to  adjust.  All  were  well  pleased,  as 
well  they  might  be. 

A  few  words  about  the  reception  room  and  office  are  neces- 
sary to  complete.  No  one  but  Bonwill  could  arrange  such  an 
office.  His  aesthetic  taste  enabled  him  to  furnish  and  fit  up  an 
office  which  resembled  an  art  room  more  than  a  reception  room 
to  a  dental  office.  The  moment  a  patient  entered  the  room  he 
forgot  the  object  of  his  visit.  Art  furniture,  works  of  art  about 
the  room  and  upon  the  walls  produced  all  the  effects  of  sugges- 
tion (intentionally)  upon  his  senses.  Stand  or  sit  anywhere,  art 
books  and  bric-a-brac  lay  in  profusion.  These  were  so  arranged 
that  many  could  be  handled  at  will.     So  interested  would  the  pa- 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  17 

tient  become  that  time  and  dread  were  swallowed  up  and  forgot- 
ten. Out  of  the  most  singular  features  of  Bonwill's  life  was  that 
he  was  not  a  believer  in  evolution.  He  believed  that  the  equi- 
lateral triangle  was  the  basis  upon  which  God  constructed  man- 
kind, way  back  in  the  dark  ages,  and  upon  that  basis  he  would 
remain  until  eternity.  As  a  singular  contradiction  of  this  belief 
his  patients  could  examine  a  series  of  about  thirty  photographs  of 
Bonwill*  in  a  convenient  corner  of  the  reception  room,  demon- 
strating his  evolution  from  childhood  to  the  very  year  of  his 
death.  In  these  he  took  a  natural  but  illogical  pride,  since  they 
illustrate  the  helpless  child  developing  year  after  year,  grasping 
new  ideas  as  time  passed  by,  adding  nerve  association  to  nerve 
association  until  he  became  a  genius.  He  was  emphatically  a 
man  who  bettered  the  world  by  living  in  it. 


REPAIRING  RUBBER  PLATES. 

Allow  me  a  little  space  to  describe  a  simple  method  of  re- 
pairing rubber  plates. 

With  wax  fasten  the  fractured  pieces  together  and  insert  the 
palatal  surface  in  plaster.  Cut  a  narrow  section  through  the 
fracture,  and  burr  the  adjoining  surfaces  one-eighth  inch  deep 
and  one-quarter  inch  wide.  No  holes,  dovetails,  nor  grooves  are 
needed,  but  simply  pack  the  fresh  rubber  with  a  hot  spatula  and 
flask.  L.  P.  Haskell. 


^^^^^^t 


For  a  SflecliiMi  ol  thtse  photographs  see  (r   iiti>iitce-  KmioR  Mrikk 


i8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 

A    NEW    METHOD    OF    REDUCING    OLD    DISLOCA- 
TIONS OF  THE  LOWER  JAW. 

Theodore  A.  McGrazv,  M.D.,  Professor  of  Surgery  in  the  Detroit 
College  of  Medicine. 

Having  failed  to  reduce  an  ancient  dislocation  of  tfie  lower 
jaw  by  the  usual  methods,  I  was  forced  to  invent  a  procedure 
which  is  so  simple  and  yet  so  efifective  that  it  seems  to  me  worthy 
of  record. 

James  Loder,  aged  32  years,  while  walking  in  his  garden 
on  the. morning  of  June  6th,  1898,  suddenly  fell,  paralyzed  in  his 
left  arm  and  leg.  The  history  of  the  case  is  not  clear,  and  it  is 
uncertain  whether  his  jaw  was  dislocated  when  he  fell  or  immedi- 
ately afterward  while  yawning.  However  that  may  be,  the  symp- 
toms of  dislocation  made  themselves  manifest  immediately  after 
the  fall  and  continued  without  intermission  until  I  reduced  it. 
There  was  a  gradual  but  nearly  complete  recovery  from  the 
paralysis  of  the  leg  and  thigh,  and  to-day  they  seem  as  sound 
and  powerful  as  their  fellows.  The  left  hand  and  arm,  however, 
still  show  the  effects  of  the  stroke.  The  hand  especially  is 
shrunken  and  stiffened.  Its  muscles  are  atrophied  and  its 
motion  is  much  impaired.  The  evident  paralysis  apparently 
blinded  the  man's  many  physicians  to  the  true  nature  of  the  de- 
formity and  loss  of  function  of  the  jaw. 

His  difficulty  of  speech  was  referred  to  a  paralysis  of  the 
muscles  of  the  mouth,  and  the  inability  to  close  his  mouth  to 
spasm  and  permanent  contraction  of  the  depressor  muscles  of  the 
chin.  It  was  not  until  October,  when  he  fell  into  the  hands  of  Dr. 
David  Inglis,  that  a  correct  diagnosis  was  made  of  his  injury. 
About  the  middle  of  October,  Dr.  F.  W.  Robbins  made  a  pro- 
longed but  unsuccessful  effort  to  effect  the  reduction  of  the  dislo- 
cation with  the  patient  under  anaesthesia. 

I  saw  him  for  the  first  time  on  November  2d  in  my  cHnic  at 
St.  Mary's  Hospital.  I  found  a  man  of  magnificent  proportions 
and  great  muscular  development,  with  typical  symptoms  of  a  bi- 
lateral dislocation  of  the  lower  jaw.  There  were  marked  hol- 
lows in  front  of  both  ears.  The  jaw  was  open  and  thrust  forward 
so  that  the  chin  protruded.  The  motion  of  the  jaw  was  ex- 
tremely  limited.     The   teeth    could    not   be   brought   together; 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  19 

mastication  was  impossible,  and  the  speech  was  much  impaired. 
During  the  five  months  which  had  elapsed  since  the  injury,  no 
improvement  had  taken  place  in  the  motion  of  the  jaw.  I  was 
unable  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  paralysis.  He  had  not  been 
ill  before,  and  the  suspicions  entertained  of  syphilis  were  not  con- 
firmed by  his  history  or  by  any  existing  symptoms.  His  heart 
sounds  were  clear  and  his  urine  was  normal.  It  is  possible  that 
he  may  have  suffered  from  some  form  of  embolism.  The  man 
was  put  under  chloroform,  and  I  made  a  protracted  effort  to  put 
the  jaw  in  place  by  traction,  by  inserting  wedges  between  the 
teeth,  by  Nelaton's  method,  and  in  fact  by  all  methods  which 
could  be  used  without  especial  apparatus.  I  failed  completely, 
and  could  not  see  at  the  close  of  the  trial  that  the  condyles  had 
been  stirred  in  the  slightest  degree  from  their  abnormal  position. 
On  November  9th  I  made  a  new  attempt  on  a  different  plan. 
I  provided  myself  with  a  strong  steel  hook;  it  was  made  espe- 
cially for  the  purpose,  with  a  short  prong  bent  in  such  a  way  as 
to  run  parallel  to  and  near  to^  the  shaft.  The  space  between  the 
prong  of  the  hook  and  its  shaft  was  just  wide  enough  to  permit 
the  hook  to  pass  over  and  grasp  the  jaw  at  the  sigmoid  fossa.  I 
purposed  making  incisions  under  each  zygoma,  separating  the 
fibers  of  the  masseter,  passing  the  hook  through  in  front  of  the 
condyle  on  each  side  and  over  the  bone  at  the  sigmoid  notch, 
and  then  pulling  downward  and  backward  until  the  condyle  was 
disengaged  and  slipped  into  place.  In  carrying  out  this  plan,  I 
made  first  a  T-shaped  incision  below  the  right  zygomatic  arch. 
I  found  it  easy  then  to  pass  the  hook  through  the  masseter  by 
separating  but  not  dividing  its  fibers,  and  to  fasten  it  over  the 
bone  in  front  of  the  condyle.  Pieces  of  cork  were  inserted  be- 
tween the  molars  as  far  back  as  possible,  and  an  assistant  was 
directed  to  pull  the  chin  forward  and  upward  with  all  of  his  force, 
while  I  myself  made  traction  on  the  hook.  This  was  continued 
over  fifteen  minutes  before  I  could  feel  the  jaw  yield  to  the  strain. 
It  was  rendered  more  movable,  but  could  not  as  yet  be  replaced 
in  its  normal  position.  I  now  made  a  straight  and  short  cut 
under  the  left  zygoma  and  succeeded  in  passing  the  hook  as  be- 
fore. Repeating  on  the  left  side  the  efforts  I  had  made  before  on 
the  right,  I  had  soon  the  satisfaction  of  feeling  the  bone  slip  into 
place.  The  chin  fell  back  to  its  proper  position;  the  teeth  were 
brought  together,  and  motion  was  restored.  The  jaw  was  kept 
bandaged  for  two  weeks,  and  all  motion  forbidden.     The  patient 


30  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

took  nourishment  in  fluid  form  without  opening  the  mouth.  It 
was  interesting  to  note  how,  after  a  few  days,  the  jaw  seemed  to 
settle  more  and  more  into  its  normal  relations.  Directly  after 
the  operation  there  remained  a  slight  projection  of  the  teeth  and 
an  abnormal  fullness  over  the  joints.  This  gradually  disappeared, 
and  the  man  left  the  hospital  with  the  form  and  function  of  the 
jaw  perfectly  restored.  The  operation  was  followed  by  some  in- 
flammation and  suppuration,  which,  howeyer,  soon  subsided,  and 
his  recovery  was  perfect.  I  found  on  trial  that  the  first  incisions, 
those  made  on  the  right  side,  were  unnecessarily  long,  and  when 
I  operated  on  the  left  side  I  contented  myself  with  a  straight  cut 
about  an  inch  in  length.  I  am  satisfied,  however,  that  this,  too, 
was  longer  than  necessary,  and  in  another  case  I  should  content 
myself  with  the  very  smallest  incision  which  would  permit  the 
hook  to  pass  through  the  muscle  and  over  the  jaw.  The  fibers 
of  the  muscle  are  easily  separated,  and  the  hook  can  be  passed 
over  the  sigmoid  notch  without  exposing  the  bone  to  view.  On 
traction  the  muscle  would  yield  and  the  elasticity  of  the  skin 
would  make  no  opposition  to  the  downward  pull.  Although  I 
have  found,  in  several  systematic  works  on  surgery,  the  advice 
to  proceed,  in  case  of  failure  to  reduce  the  dislocations  of  the  jaw 
to  operative  measures,  it  is  curious  that  no  such  author  whom  I 
have  been  able  to  consult  has  described  any  such  operation  or 
cited  any  cases.  The  only  cases  of  operations  made  for  this  pur- 
pose which  I  have  been  able  to  find  in  the  periodical  literature 
were: 

(i)  That  of  Brockway.''^  A  bilateral  dislocation  of  thirteen 
months'  standing  in  a  woman  30  years  of  age,  after  unsuccess- 
ful trial  of  other  methods,  was  reduced  by  making  incisions  below 
the  zygomas,  exposing  the  condyles  and  the  glenoid  fossae,  and 
prying  the  condyles  out  of  their  abnormal  positions  by  some 
blunt  instrument.     The  use  of  the  jaw  was  fully  recovered. 

(2)  Two  cases  of  Dr.  R.  H.  M.  Dawbarn.t  Dr.  Dawbam 
presented  a  patient  who  had  suffered  a  long  time  with  an  unre- 
duced bilateral  dislocation  of  the  lower  jaw.  Several  unavailing 
attempts  had  been  made  to  reduce  it.  Dr.  Dawbarn  had  made 
incisions  almost  dividing  both  masseter  muscles,  enabling  him  to 
reach  the  dispaced  bone  and  pry  it  back  into  place.  The  result 
was  permanent  and  satisfactory.     In  another  case  the  speaker 

*  Johns  Hopkins  Hospital  Bulletin,  May,  1890. 
t  New  York  Medical  Journal,  March  12th,  1892.  " 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  21 

had  been  able  to  effect  reduction  after  nearly  dividing  only  one 
of  the  masseter  muscles. 

(3)  Mazzoni,  of  Rome,*  has  described  an  operation  for  the 
reHef  of  an  irreducible  dislocation  of  the  lower  jaw  of  eight  days' 
duration.  He  resected  both  condyles,  and  after  three  months' 
treatment  had  a  successful  result. 

Old  dislocations  of  the  lower  jaw  are  not  common.  The 
inconvenience  arising  from  the  injury  makes  the  patient  gen- 
erally clamorous  for  aid,  and  the  symptoms  are  so  pronounced 
that  mistakes  in  diagnosis  rarely  occur.  The  reduction  of  the 
recent  luxation  is  usually  not  difficult,  and  cases  of  this  kind  are 
rarely  neglected  so  long  that  the  bone  becomes  fixed  in  its  ab- 
normal position.  As  regards  the  instrumental  methods  in  vogue 
for  the  reduction  of  difficult  dislocations  of  the  jaw,  they  are  all 
based  upon  the  use  of  force  exercised  within  the  mouth  by  means 
of  wedges  and  levers.  The  fulcrums  for  this  leverage  are  the 
molar  teeth,  upon  which  the  instruments  rest  and  which  are  pried 
apart.  But  force  applied  within  the  mouth  is  exerted  at  great 
disadvantage.  In  an  old  dislocation,  a  pressure  applied  to  the 
molar  teeth  sufficient  to  break  adhesions,  stretch  the  contracted 
temporal  muscles,  and  disengage  the  jaw  must  endanger  the 
teeth.  How  many  such  teeth  have  been  broken  in  attempts  at 
reduction  does  not  appear  in  the  records.  Probably  the  surgeons 
have  thought  the  matter  too  trivial  for  mention,  and  yet  it  is  no 
small  matter  to  suffer  the  loss  of  molar  teeth.  However  that  may 
be,  there  will  be  occasional  cases  which  will  resist  all  such  efforts 
at  reduction.  For  such,  the  surgeon  has  a  choice  of  two  opera- 
tive procedures,  the  one  that  adopted  by  Drs.  Brockway  and 
Dawbarn,  of  incisions  over  the  glenoid  cavity  and  through  the 
masseters,  the  exposure  of  the  injured  bones,  and  then  reduction 
by  prying  the  condyles  out  of  their  false  position  by  means  of 
chisels  or  similar  instruments.  In  so  doing  the  fulcrum  of  the 
lever  must  be  the  zygoma  itself.  The  other  method  is  that  which 
I  have  just  described.  When  it  is  taken  into  consideration  that 
by  the  use  of  a  hook  and  traction  it  is  not  necessary  to  expose 
the  bone  or  joint,  or  to  cut  the  masseter  across  its  fibers,  I  do 
not  think  that  there  can  be  any  question  that  my  method  is  the 
simpler  and  better.  In  the  one  case  which  I  have  reported,  I 
made  incisions  unnecessarily  long.     I  know  now  that  the  opera- 


*  Gazeta  Medica  di  Roma,  1877,  No.  4. 


22  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

tion  could  be  done  through  a  cut  so  small  that  it  would  be  prac- 
tically subcutaneous. 

For  the  investigation  of  the  literature  of  this  subject,  I  wish 
to  express  my  obligations  to  the  National  Bureau  of  Medical 
Bibliography  in  Washington.  Medical  Record. 


THE  EFFECTS  OF  CERTAIN  PROPRIETARY  MOUTH 
WASHES  UPON  THE  TEETH. 

By  H.  Prinz,  BSc,  D.DS.,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

At  present  the  quality  of  a  mouth  wash  seems  to  be  judged 
by  its  antiseptic  power  only.  From  a  recent  paper  published  by 
Dr.  Peck,*  of  Chicago,  111.,  we  learn  that  out  of  eleven  proprietary 
preparations  only  four  restrained  the  growth  of  the  microorgan- 
isms, if  used  in  definite  proportions,  and  of  these  four  liquids, 
three  owe  their  effective  anti-bacterial  power,  more  or  less,  to  the 
quantity  of  formaldehyde  present.  The  other  one — sanitol — is 
so  much  unlike  the  other  preparations  that  it  cannot  be  well 
classified  with  the  rest. 

Almost  all  of  these  modern  dental  antiseptics  contain  boric 
acid  in  combination  with  benzoic  acid,  thymol,  menthol  and  the 
addition  of  essential  oils,  such  as  eucalyptus,  cassia,  gaultheria, 
peppermint,  etc.  This,  with  some  variations,  holds  good  accord- 
ing to  label  to  Listerin,  Pasteurin,  borolyptol,  bensolyptus,  gly- 
cothymolin,  euthymol,  etc.  Sozodont  consists  mainly  of  a  solu- 
tion of  castile  soap  and  essential  oils  in  diluted  alcohol,  while  san- 
itol represents  the  salol-saccharin-alcohol  class.  To  combine  the 
above  named  drugs  in  an  elegant  and  palatable  pharmaceutical,  as 
well  as  therapeutical  preparation,  they  must  be  compounded  in 
definite  proportions,  which,  of  course,  will  determine  their  germ- 
icidal strength. 

If  we  take  two  typical  representatives  of  this  kind,  viz..  Lis- 
terin  and  Pasteurin,  we  find,  according  to  the  affixed  label,  that 
"Listerin  is  the  essential  constituent  of  thyme,  eucalyptus,  bap- 
tisia  (wild  indigo),  gaultheria  and  mentha  arvensis  (Japanese  pep- 
permint), in  combination.  Each  fluid  drachm  also  contains  two 
grains  of  refined  and  purified  benzo-boracic  acid,"  (?)  and  ''Pas- 
teurin contains  the  active  antiseptic  principles  of  cassia  zelanicum, 
eucalyptus,  gaultheria,  menthol  combined  with  boro-glycerid 
and  0.3  per  cent  of  formaldehyde." 

*  The  Dental  Digest,  1899,  page  230. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  23 

By  actual  experimental  tests  it  is  shown  that  a  10  per  cent, 
solution  of  Listerin  will  check  the  growth  of  anthrax-bacilli, 
while  Pasteurin  will  do  the  same  work  in  a  i  per  cent,  solution 
(Crandall).  By  comparing  the  formulae  of,  and  the  results  ob- 
tained with,  the  two  antiseptics,  we  may  conclude  that  their  value 
is  largely  due  to  the  presence  or  absence  of  formaldehyde.  The 
latter  is  almost  as  powerful  as  bichlorid  of  mercury,  although 
comparatively  harmless,  if  properly  blended  and  diluted. 

From  the  study  of  the  flora  of  the  human  mouth,  we  know 
that  the  dense  adhesion  of  the  gelatinous  mass  of  fungi  is  never 
removed  by  simple  rinsing  of  the  oral  cavity,  no  matter  what 
mouth  wash  is  employed.  Mechanical  cleansing,  by  means  of 
the  brush  in  connection  with  some  dentifrice,  is  necessary,  and 
even  this  would  not  create  an  absolutely  sterile  condition  for  any 
length  of  time,  as  the  sterility  practically  ceases  with  the  removal 
of  the  active  agent. 

Some  genial  dentist  theorized  upon  the  happy  thought  to 
compound  a  dentifrice  which  contained  the  potent  antiseptic  in  an 
alcoholic  solution,  which  would,  when  used  in  the  proper  aqueous 
dilution,  form  an  emulsion  which  in  turn  would  deposit  the 
precipitated  antiseptic  between  the  interproximal  spaces  of  the 
teeth,  and  thus  inhibit  the  growth  of  bacteria. 

Of  the  modern  synthetical  chemicals,  salol  and  saccharin  are 
the  ones  which  are  mostly  used  for  the  purpose.  Saccharin  is  a 
coal-tar  product,  derived  from  toluol  or  thio-salicylic  acid. 
Slightly  soluble  in  water  (i  :  250),  but  very  soluble  in  alcohol, 
ether,  etc.  It  is  remarkably  sweet,  and  has  a  strongly  anti-bac- 
terial power.  Salol,  or  phenyl-salicylate,  is  another  coal-tar 
product,  formed  by  the  action  of  salicylic  acid  upon  phenol  by 
means  of  phosphorous  chlorid.  It  is  insoluble  in  water,  but  very 
much  so  in  ether  or  alcohol.  In  alkaline  solutions  it  will  split  up 
into  its  compounds,  viz.,  salicylic  and  carbolic  acids.  For  some 
time  salicylic  acid  has  been  much  lauded  as  an  ideal  dental  anti- 
septic, but  soon  its  deleterious  influence  upon  the  enamel  of  the 
teeth  became  so  marked  that  its  use  in  this  connection  is  prac- 
tically discarded  at  present.  Salol  took  its  place,  but  it  is  found 
to  be  just  as  detrimental  to  the  dental  organs  as  its  component, 
salicylic  acid. 

Nevertheless,  some  enterprising  patent  medicine  firms  have 
flooded  both  continents  with  such  a  preparation.  In  Europe  a 
salol-alcohol  is  known  as  "odol,"  while  the  American  maker  has 


24 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


changed  its  name  to  "sanitol/'  "Odol,"  according  to  Pharma- 
ceiitical  Post,  1894,  is  a  solution  of  3.5  parts  of  salol  in  90  parts  6f 
alcohol  with  the  addition  of  0.2  parts  of  saccharin,  and  some  es- 
sential oils,  mostly  peppermint.  The  salol  reaction  in  odol  as 
well  as  sanitol,  is  easily  proven  by  adding  a  few  drops  of  chlorid 
of  iron  solution  (i  :  20)  to  the  liquids;  a  violet  tint  is  instantly 
produced. 

To  determine  the  influence  of  sanitol  upon  the  teeth,  I  con- 
ducted a  series  of  experiments.  The  effect  was  so  surprising  that 
I  concluded  to  try  some  of  the  other  best  known  dental  prepara- 
tions on  the  market  in  the  same  direction.  The  tabulated  results 
are  appended  herewith. 

EXPERIMENTS. 

The  teeth  which  I  used  for  the  purpose  were  thoroughly 
cleansed,  boiled  in  water  and  alcohol,  dried,  and  the  apical  fora- 
mina and  the  carious  defects  sealed  with  paraffin.  Each  tooth 
was  then  exactly  weighed  up  to  one-tenth  of  a  grain,  immersed  in 
the  liquid,  accordingly  pure  or  diluted,  and  kept  there  for  a  cer- 
tain length  of  time.  The  teeth  were  then  removed,  carefully 
washed  in  water  and  alcohol,  dried  and  again  weighed.  The 
difference  is  expressed  in  per  cent. 

First  Series. — Teeth  immersed  in  the  undiluted  liquids  and 
kept  there  undisturbed  for  ten  days. 


Namb. 


Euthymol 

Listerin 

Bensolyptus  .  . . 
Glycothymolin. 

Sozodont 

Borolyptol 

Pasteurin 

Sanitol 


Reaction. 


Acid. 

Acid. 
Weak  alkaline. 
Strongly  alka- 
line. 
Weak  alkaline. 

Acid. 

Acid. 

Neutral. 


Weight.       1 

Before. 

After. 

Grains 

Gpains 

38.7 
37-3 
39  3 
26.8 

28.4 
37-1 
38.7 
27.0 

32.8 

32.4 

13-7 
32.2 
21.6 

13.6 
32.1 
20.2 

IvOss  in  Per 
Cent 


1.05 

0.54 

153 

0.75  (gain  in 

weight) 

1.22 

0.73 
0.31 
6.48 


Remarks. 


Stained  deeply 
bluish -red. 

Stained  slight- 
pink. 


Peculiar  ap- 
pearance, 
bleached. 


ABSTRACTS  AND   SELECTIONS. 


25 


Second  Series. — Teeth  immersed  in  the  undiluted  liquids  and 
kept  there  undisturbed  for  twenty  days. 


Weight. 

lyOss  IN  Per 
Cent. 

Remarks. 

Before. 

After. 

Grains. 

Grains. 

Eiithymol 

28.2 

28.0 

0.71 

Ivisterin 

28.1 

27.8 

1.07 

Bensolyptus  . . . 

32.1 

31-8 

093 

Glycothymolin. 

20.7 

19.9 

387 

Stained  deeply  bluish-red. 

Sozodont 

33-2 

33-0 

0.60 

Stained  deeply  pink. 

Borohptol 

34  9 

34-7 

0.57 

Pasteurin 

330 

32.9 

0.^0 

Sanitol 

25.8 

21.7 

15-89 

Looks  like  bleached. 

Third  Series. — Teeth  immersed  in  the  diluted  liquids  (i  :  20) 
except  sanitol,  which  was  i  :  50,  and  kept  there  undisturbed  for 
twenty  days. 


Name. 


Euthymol  ... 

Listerin , 

Bensolyptus. . . 
Glycothymolin 

Sozodont , 

Borolyptol 

Pasteurin , 

Sanitol 


Weight.              1 

Before. 

AFTER. 

Grains. 

Grains. 

439 

43-6      ' 

29.7 

29-5 

22.0 

21.8      1 

27.9 

28.1      1 

22.8 

22.3 

20.0 

19.8 

26.2 

26.1 

25.5 

24.0 

I,oss  IN  Per 
Cent. 


0.68 
0.67 
0.91 
10.72  (gain  in 
weight) 
2.19 
1. 00 
0.^8 
5.'88 


Remarks. 


Stained  slightly    bluish- 
red. 
Stained  slightly  pink. 


AVERAGE  LOSS  IN   PER   CENT. 

AVERAGE  I^OSS   IN  PKR  CENT. 

Euthymol 0.81       Glycothymolin 3.87 

Listerin 0.76  (Loss  in  only  one  specimen,  while 

Bensolyptus 1. 12  two  others  had  an  average  gain  of 

Sozodont    1.34  0.74  per  cent.     This  gain  seems  to 

Borolyptol........ 0.77  be  due   to  a   deposit  of  coloring 

Pasteurin 0.33  matter  in  the  tubuli  of  the  dentin.) 

Sanitol 9.41 

For  diluting  the  liquids  we  used  distilled  water.  According 
to  repeated  trials,  the  proportions  of  i  :  20  seemed  to  be  best 
tolerated  by  the  oral  cavity,  and  probably  correspond  in  the  main 
with  those  used  by  the  public  in  general.  Sanitol  had  to  be 
diluted  to  at  least  i  :  50  parts  of  water,  and  still  the  taste  of  the  oil 
of  peppermint  and  the  salol-saccharin  became  so  irritating  to  the 


26  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

mucous  lining  of  the  mouth  and  Hps  that  after  some  days  it  had  to 
be  discarded.  A  case  illustrating  this  fact  is  reported  by  Dr. 
Neiser  (vide,  Ohio  Dental  Journal,  1898,  page  515).  A  little  bov 
about  six  years  of  age  had  a  squamous  eczema  about  the  mouth 
for  some  months.  The  upper  and  lower  lips  and  the  chin  were 
swollen,  causing  a  very  painful  itching  sensation.  All  the  em- 
ployed remedies  failed,  until  the  boy  was  advised  to  omit  his  daily 
mouth-wash,  "odol."  Recovery  set  in  immediately,  showing  that 
"odol"  was  the  cause  without  doubt.  The  antiseptic  value  of 
such  a  weak  solution  is,  of  course,  practically  nil.  Sozodont,  it 
seems  to  us,  contains  too  much  soap  for  ordinary  purposes,  and 
has  no  disinfectant  value,  while  Listerin,  euthymol,  bensolyptus 
and  glycothymoline  in  proper  dilutions  are  too  weak  if  compared 
with  the  last  two  of  our  list,  viz.,  borolyptol  and  Pasteurin,  the 
latter  being,  according  to  our  tables,  the  least  injurious  to  the 
teeth. 

We  must  bear  in  mind,  however,  that  the  experiments  were 
conducted  in  the  laboratory,  and  cannot  be  supplemented  in  the 
oral  cavity.  Nevertheless,  they  teach  us  to  be  careful  in  the  selec- 
tion and  recommendation  of  certain  mouth  soecialties,  which  may 
not  alone  be  valueless,  but  may  have  a  direct  detrimental  influ- 
ence upon  the  dental  organs.  Items  of  Interest. 


AN  EASY  METHOD  OF  REFINING  GOLD. 
Dr.  A.  D.  Hooker,  San  Jose,  Cat. 

Since  the  introduction  of  crown  and  bridge  work  the  busy 
dentist  finds  his  gold  drawer  gradually  filling  up  with  scraps 
of  gold  ranging  in  quality  from  eighteen  to  twenty-four  carats 
fine. 

The  work  of  refining  gold  by  any  of  the  ordinary  processes 
is  not  only  difificult-for  the  average  dentist,  but  it  takes  a  great 
deal  of  time  and  skill. 

The  process  of  refining,  to  which  we  now  desire  to  call 
attention,  is  very  easy  and  simple.  One  which  the  student  or 
office  boy  could  work  out  with  very  little  trouble.  It  is  briefly 
as  follows: 

Gather  up  all  the  old  scraps  and  filings,  carefully  discard- 
ing all  stray  pieces  of  platinum  which  may  be  mixed  with  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND   SELECTIONS.  27 

gold.  Take  four  parts  of  sheet  copper  to  one  part  of  gold  scraps, 
melt  all  together  in  a  crucible,  or  it  may  be  done  with  the  blow- 
pipe, with  foot  blower  attachment,  using  a  large  piece  of  charcoal 
or  asbestos  cup  to  melt  it.  After  the  two  metals  have  been  per- 
fectly melted  and  thoroughly  mixed,  cool  off  and  place  the  mass 
on  an  anvil  or  swaging  block,  and  with  a  four-pound  hammer 
reduce  to  a  thin  sheet.  Then  run  it  through  the  rolling  mill  un- 
til the  whole  mass  is  as  thin  as  tissue  paper.  Boil  out  in  soap 
and  water  to  remove  any  oil  which  may  have  gathered  upon 
it  during  the  process  of  rolling.  Now  cut  the  sheet  or  sheets 
of  metal  into  narrow  strips  about  one-fourth  of  an  inch  in  width, 
and  place  them  in  an  earthen  vessel  and  set  outside  the  ofBce  win- 
dow. Pour  into  the  vessel  containing  the  metal  sufficient  com- 
mercial nitric  acid  to  attack  and  eat  up  the  copper,  which  it  will 
do  very  quickly  if  everything  is  w^orking  right.  After  letting 
it  stand  a  short  time  to  cool,  the  acid  may  be  carefully  poured 
out  so  as  not  to  disturb  the  gold  which  will  be  found  in  the 
bottom  of  the  bowl  or  vessel. 

At  first  sight  one  would  almost  believe  that  this  black, 
dirty-looking  deposit  was  worthless,  and  that  the  gold  had  been 
ruined  by  the  refining  process.  It  is  only  necessary,  however, 
to  carefully  wash  and  rinse  with  clean  water  to  bring  the  gold 
plainly  into  view. 

Gather  up  fine  dust,  dry,  melt  and  roll  again  into  any  thick- 
ness desired. 

If  every  detail  of  the  process  has  been  well  done  the  gold 
will  be  pure,  twenty-four  caracts  fine,  and  as  soft  as  lead. 

In  remelting  and  rolling  clippings  and  scraps  of  twenty  and 
twenty-two  carat  gold,  which  has  been  kept  free  from  all  other 
grades,  we  naturally  expect  it  to  work  well  without  any  refining, 
but  it  does  not  always  do  so.  It  will  sometimes  crack  under 
the  hammer  and  act  in  a  fractious  and  unbecoming  manner  under 
the  roller. 

To  make  this  again  ductile  and  pliable  it  will  only  be  neces- 
sary to  place  it  on  a  piece  of  charcoal»(first  making  a  cone-shaped 
depression  in  it).  And  with  the  blow-pipe  melt  and  boil  it  till 
very  hot,  and  while  it  is  still  boiling  throw  on  to  the  molten 
mass  a  small  piece  of  corrosive  sublimate  followed  by  a  little 
saltpetie.    This  will  clean  it  up  and  make  it  again  pliable. 

Pacific  Medico-Dental  Gazette. 


28  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

NITROUS  OXID  WITH  AIR  OR  WITH  OXYGEN. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  New  York  State  Medical  Association 
held  in  New  York,  October  26th,  1899,  Dr.  Thomas  L.  Bennett, 
of  New  York,  presented  a  paper  on  the  administration  of  the 
above-named  combinations.  He  stated  that  the  inhalation  ot 
nitrous  oxid  was  often  followed  by  headache,  dizziness,  persistent 
nausea,  or  a  tendency  to  yawn  for  twenty-four  hours  or  more. 
He  had  been  unable  to  find  on  record  an/  disturbance  of  the 
heart,  lungs,  and  kidneys,  and  from  his  own  experience  was  sure 
that  such  results  must  be  extremely  rare.  The  prolonged  admin- 
istration of  this  agent  was  difficult,  because  the  stages  were  ex- 
ceedingly short  and  sharply  marked.  On  the  other  hand,  if  con- 
siderable air  was  admitted,  the  patient  would  not  pass  quietly 
into  deep  narcosis,  but  would  present  marked  signs  of  excite- 
ment. Hence  it  was  necessary  to  admit  air  in  small  quantities. 
Deep  narcosis  was  present  after  about  one  minute,  and  if  all  had 
been  rigidly  excluded,  there  would  be  also  marked  asphyxia. 
Mixtures  of  nitrous  oxid  with  pure  oxygen  afforded  an  ideal 
combination;  and  they  were  best  made,  in  practice,  by  the  use 
of  Hewitt's  apparatus.  All  changes  in  the  proportion  of  gases 
must  be  made  gradually,  as  sudden  changes  were  apt  to  inter- 
fere with  the  smoothness  of  the  narcosis.  This  method  undoubt- 
edly afforded  the  safest  and  best  form  of  nitrous  oxid  anaesthesia, 
possessing  all  of  its  advantages  and  none  of  its  disadvantages. 
It  was  practically  impossible  to  move  the  patient  after  the 
anaesthesia  had  been  started,  without  disturbing  the  narcosis. 
In  a  long  administration  of  the  mixed  gases  it  was  not  uncom- 
mon to  consume  five  dollars'  worth  of  the  gases.  The  abdomen 
was  apt  to  remain  rigid  even  when  the  narcosis  was  deep,  and 
hence  this  method  was  not  ordinarily  well  suited  to  abdominal 
operations.  The  greatest  indications  for  this  anaesthesia  were 
to  be  found:  (i)  in  those  in  whom  ether  or  chloroform  could 
not  be  used  without  special  danger;  (2)  in  operations  so  short 
as  to  render  the  effects  of  eiher  or  chloroform  out  of  proportion 
to  the  results;  (3)  in  patients  who  had  previously  suffered  ex- 
tremely from  ether  or  chloroform,  and  had  in  consequence  a 
great  dread  of  them.  This  anaesthetic  agent  had  been  found 
especially  serviceable  in  the  following  cases:  tooth  extractions, 
incisions  of  abscesses  and  sinuses  or  division  of  strictures,  curett- 
ings  of  various  kinds,  stretching  in  orthopedic  cases,  breaking 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELEOTIONS.  29 

Up  adhesions  in  joints,  removal  of  tonsils,  doing  major  dressings, 
in  the  aged  and  in  those  presenting  lesions  of  the  heart  or 
kidneys. 

Dr.  Golden  said  that  he  was  positive  that  the  degree  of  cya- 
nosis depended  almost  entirely  on  the  experience  and  skill  of 
the  administrator.  The  longest  period  that  he  had  maintained 
narcosis  with  gas  had  been  two  hours,  and  with  the  mixture  of 
gas  and  oxygen  one  hour  and  a  half. 

Dr.  De  Lancey  Rochester  said  that  in  most  general  hospitals 
it  would  be  difficult  to  find  a  sufficiently  experienced  adminis- 
trator on  the  house  staff,  and.  in  rural  practice  it  was  hard  to 
secure  the  gases.  Medical  Record. 


THE  BRUNETTE  PEOPLES  OF  EUROPE. 

Sergi  has  given,  in  Science  Progress,  the  results  of  his  study 
of  the  brunette  races  and  their  migrations  to  the  Mediterranean 
belt.  To  his  mind  the  origin  of  those  races  is  a  question  of 
racial  rather  than  linguistic  migration.  While  admitting  that 
Aryan  speech  among  modern  and  historic  peoples  throws  the 
burden  of  proof  on  anyone  who  essays  to  find  an  origin  other 
than  Aryan  for  those  peoples,  Sergi  makes  bold  to  assume  that 
the  race  or  races  with  which  Aryan  speech  originated  may  have 
been  at  all  times  few  in  numbers,  and  may  further  have  been 
long  since  extinct;  and  consequently  that  all  the  Aryan-speaking 
races  of  historic  times  may  have,  at  one  time  or  another,  learned 
Aryan  speech,  without  acquiring  more  than  a  slight  tincture  of 
Aryan  blood.  The  ground  is  thus  left  open  for  an  examination 
of  the  question  from  a  point  of  view  primarily  anthropologic,  and 
based  in  the  first  place  on  physical,  viz.,  morphologic,  criteria  of 
natural  kinship  between  the  races  to  be  examined.  A  survey  of 
the  whole  Mediterranean  shore  fine  has  led  him  to  the  conclu- 
sion that  its  earliest  recognizable  inhabitants  and  their  descend- 
ants, who  form  the  great  mass  of  the  present  population,  belong 
to  a  single  closely  connected  group  of  races;  that  their  earlier 
home  is  to  be  looked  for  in  the  former  fertile  interior  of  northern 
Africa,  and  not  improbably  in  or  near  the  upper  valley  of  the 
Nile;  and  that  the  peninsulas  of  South  Europe  and  Asia  Minor 
have  been  peopled  thence  along  several  distinct  routes  which 
mainly  follow  the  course  of  the  pliocene  land-bridges,  or  former 


30  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

land  connections.  The  "Mediterranean  race,"  thus  described, 
has  the  following-  characteristics  common  to  all  its  branches: 
The  outer  complexion  is  typically  brown;  brown  skin,  brown 
eyes,  brown  hair,  abundant  and  always  more  or  less  wavy.  It  is 
thus  equally  distinct  from  the  blonde  white  races  wdiich  bound 
it  on  the  north,  and  from  the  negro  races  of  Africa.  Modifica- 
tions of  the  brown  tint  are  found  in  all  branches  of  the  race,  but 
are  conceived  to  be  due  to  intermixture  either  with  the  earlier 
aborigines  or  with  subsequent  intruders.  The  body  is  well-pro- 
portioned, the  face  oval,  the  nose  rather  narrow,  the  orbits  wide 
and  set  horizontally,  the  forehead  high  and  nearly  vertic,  the 
cheek-bones  neither  w^ide  nor  very  high;  the  face  not  flattened, 
but  if  anything  a  little  prominent  in  front;  the  neck  long  and 
well-rounded,  and  the  features  mobile  and  expressive.  It  is,  in 
fact,  the  familiar  brunette  type  which  every  one  recognizes  who 
has  traveled  to  any  extent  along  the  Mediterranean.  Deter- 
mined by  certain  types  of  skull,  the  ''Mediterranean  race"  ap- 
pears, wdierever  it  is  found,  as  a  collocation,  more  or  less  uni- 
formly complete,  of  a  number  of  such  related  types;  and  from  this 
it  is  inferred  that  the  race  was  already  composite  in  the  farthest 
area  of  origin  to  which  it  can  be  traced.  This  center  is  placed  by 
Sergi  in  the  upper  valley  of  the  Nile,  on  the  ground  that  here, 
among  the  Abyssinians,  Gallas  and  Somalis,  the  characteristic 
collocations  of  types  are  most  completely  exhibited;  the  dusky 
complexion  of  a  large  proportion  of  these  races  at  the  present  day 
being  discounted,  partly  by  their  long-continued  exposure  to  a 
more  tropic  climate  than  any  other  branch  of  the  race,  and  partly 
by  the  certainty  of  continuous  infusion  of  a  negroid  strain  from 
the  south.  Popular  Science  News. 


MICROBES  IN  THE  ARCTIC  REGIONS. 

Recent  explorers  in  both  the  Arctic  and  Antarctic  regions 
have  brought  back  interesting  information  concerning  bacterial 
life  in  the  frigid  zones.  It  has  long  been  known  that  travelers  in 
the  Arctic  territory  suffer  very  little  from  excessive  changes  of 
temperature,  and  are  entirely  free  from  colds  and  coughs  which 
are  so .  frequently  observed  in  the  winter  in  our  own  latitude. 
Nordenskiold  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  Spitzbergen  in 
the  summer  time  is  the  healthiest  portion  of  the  earth.  Levin 
made  a  number  of  cultures  of  the  air  in  Spitzbergen  and  in  King 


ABBTRACT8  AND  SELECTIONS.  31 

Charlesland.  Samples  of  air  were  taken  on  the  surface  of  the 
glacier,  on  the  coast,  on  the  top  of  a  clifif,  as  well  as  on  board 
ship.  In  each  instance  at  least  1,800  liters  (nearly  50  gallons) 
of  air  was  filtered,  indicating  an  elapsed  time  during  the  experi- 
ment of  four  or  five  hours.  In  only  one  instance  were  bacilli 
found.  In  that  case  the  air  was  taken  from  the  deck  of  the  vessel 
while  it  was  in  harbor,  and  as  only  three  colonies  of  bacteria  de- 
veloped, it  is  at  least  a  question  whether  a  grain  of  dust  from  the 
ship  did  not  get  into  the  gelatin.  On  the  other  hand,  all  samples 
of  water,  whether  taken  from  the  surface  of  the  sea  or  at  a  great 
depth,  or  from  a  glacier  or  obtained  by  melting  snow  or  ice,  were 
found  to  contain  bacteria,  although  in  very  small  numbers.  At 
the  surface  of  the  sea  Levin  found  one  germ  for  each  11  c.c.  (3 
drams)  of  water — a  quantity  of  germ-life  which  is  absolutely  in- 
significant. The  same  amount  of  water  taken  from  the  River 
Seine  has  been  found  tO'  contain  more  than  two  million  bacteria. 
A  curious  fact  was  noticed  in  that  the  water  taken  from  the  ocean 
at  great  depth  invariably  contained  more  bacteria  than  water 
from  the  surface,  and  this  in  spite  of  the  fact  that  deep  water 
in  the  Arctic  Ocean  is  usually  below  the  freezing  point.  Levin 
made  another  series  of  experiments  in  order  to  determine  the 
bacterial  condition  of  the  intestinal  contents  of  various  animals, 
white  bears,  seals,  reindeer,  eider  ducks,  penguins,  gulls,  frigate 
birds,  sea-urchins,  sea-anemones  shrimps,  etc.  These  experi- 
ments showed  him  that  in  most  of  these  animals  the  contents 
of  the  intestine  are  almost  entirely  sterile.  In  one  white  bear 
and  in  two  seals  was  found  a  species  of  bacteria  which  resembled 
the  bacillus  coli  commune.  The  inferior  animals,  sea-urchins, 
sea-anemones,  etc.,  usually  contained  bacteria. 

While  scientists  have  long  held  that  bacteria  are  not  indis- 
pensable to  digestion  it  is  extremely  interesting  to  receive  this 
proof  of  their  statement  direct  from  the  natural  world.  This  fact 
and  the  fact  of  the  existence  of  a  whole  world  of  bacterial  life  at 
a  temperature  sometimes  3-^-°  F.  below  the  freezing-point  are  the 
most  valuable  results  of  Levin's  researches,  a  full  report  of  which 
will  be  found  in  the  July  number  of  the  Annalcs  dc  /'  Institnt 
Pasteur. 


i^^^^.^^^ 


32  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

THE  MODERN  BRITISH  RECRUIT 

Recently  at  the  United  Service  Institution,  Lieutenant- 
Colonel  C.  M.  Douglas,  V.C.,  M.D.,  read  a  paper  on  'The  Re- 
cruit from  a  Depot  Medical  Officer's  Point  cf  View,"  and  said 
that  "a  comparatively  small  collection  of  highly  trained  soldiers 
formed  the  nucleus  of  the  British  army,  round  which  were  aggre- 
gated a  heterogeneous  mixture  constituting  the 'auxiliary  forces/'' 
Speaking  of  the  recruits  who  enlisted  in  the  north  of  England  and 
in  Scotland,  he  said  that  the  great  majority  were  sallow,  down- 
cast, nondescript  youths,  mostly  artisans.  Candidates  were  care- 
fully examined  in  respect  of  weight,  height,  circumference  of 
chest,  lungs  and  heart,  head  and  teeth.  A  really  good  set  of 
teeth  was  rare,  except  among  agricultural  recruits.  The  mini- 
mum physical  standard  was  low;  weight,  115  pounds;  height,  five 
feet  three  and  one-half  inches;  minimum  girth  of  chest,  thirty- 
three  inches;  age,  eighteen  years.  This  was  not  a  high  type  of 
British  male.  But  the  short,  muscular,  well-formed  man  often 
made  a  good  soldier,  and  was  more  active  than  the  big  man. 
Professor  Dudley  Sargent,  of  Harvard  University,  took  the 
measurements  of  several  thousand  American  students,  aged  from 
sixteen  to  twenty-six  years.  This  was  the  average  result:  Age, 
twenty-two  and  one-fourth  years;  weight,  156  pounds;  height, 
five  feet  eight  and  one-half  inches;  girth  of  chest,  thirty-four  and 
one-half  inches  minimum,  thirty-six  and  one-half  inches  maxi- 
mum; right  upper  arm,  eleven  and  one-half  inches;  right  forearm, 
ten  and  one-fourth  inches.  Of  British  recruits  the  results  were 
on  the  average:  Age,  nineteen  and  one-third  years;  height,  five 
feet  five  and  two-thirds  inches;  weight,  126  pounds;  girth  of 
chest,  thirty-three  and  one-half  inches  minimum,  thirty-five 
inches  maximum;  right  upper  arm,  ten  and  one-half  inches;  right 
forearm,  nine  and  one-half  inches.  The  usual  average  rejections 
was  a  little  over  a  third,  but  sometimes  they  amounted  to  two- 
thirds,  and  in  one  case  the  army  medical  officer  declined  the  whole 
batch  of  twenty-five  or  thirty. 

It  is  said  the  continental  recruit  was  worse  than  the  British. 
but  the  comparison  was  not  fair.  Compulsory  service  was  a  net 
enclosing  all  the  fishes,  big  and  little;  in  the  British  net  the  meshes 
were  made  as  large  as  we  dared  in  order  to  capture  only  the  best 
fish  and  let  the  others  go.  Want  and  hunger  were  unfortunately 
the  invisible  recruiting  sergeants  of  the  Britisn  army,  and  the  men 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  33 

were  too  often  black  sheep.  But  the  effects  of  drill  and  discipline 
on  the  degenerates  in  the  ranks  was  amazing,  and  on  the  whole 
the  raw  material  of  the  British  army  was  not  quite  so  bad  as  many 
pessimists  would  have  us  believe.  Unfortunately  soldiering  was 
a  trade  looked  down  upon  by  the  working  classes,  who  disliked 
discipline  and  longed  for  better  pay  and  shorter  hours.  The  army 
of  the  past  had  in  it  many  blackguards,  but  fewer  degenerates; 
the  species  was  almost  unknown  then  among  the  ranks.  The 
inference  was  that  there  was  more  of  the  fighting  spirit  in  the 
blackguards  than  in  the  degenerates,  and  it  was  the  fighting  spirit 
that  was  essential.  Medical  Record. 

VICARIOUS  MENSTRUATION  FROM  THE  GUMS. 
By  W.  Geo.  Beers. 
Since  last  January  I  have  had  a  very  complicated  case  of 
contraction  of  the  superior  and  inferior  teeth  to  contend  with, 
and  during  the  frequent  visits  of  the  patient,  aged  seventeen,  I 
had  opportunity  for  observing  one  of  the  most  interesting  cases 
of  vicarious  menstruation  which  the  limitations  of  dental  practice 
have  ever  brought  to  me.     The  day  after  I  had  taken  the  im- 
pression for  models,  the  patient  came  by  appointment,  and  I  no- 
ticed such  an  effusion  of  blood,  about  the  gingival  margins  espe- 
cially, and  the  gums  generally,  that  at  first  I  suspected  that  the 
blood  in  the  mouth  came  from  the  lungs.    But  upon  careful  ob- 
servation there  was  no  mistake  about  the  matter,  and  the  sur- 
prise was  the  greater  because  the  gums  were  healthy  and  the 
teeth  free  from  caries  or  calculus..   A  week  afterward  I  inserted 
the  apparatus  for  expanding  the  superior  arch.    It  was  worn  with 
comfort  until  the  periodical  return  of  the  menses,  when  the  mar- 
gins of  the  gums — which  the  plate  did  not  touch — were  inflamed, 
as  if  by  the  rough  inner  edges  of  a  badly-fitting  vulcanite  plate, 
and  the  bleeding  reappeared.    Upon  examination  of  the  appara- 
tus there  was  no  exciting  mechanical  cause  to  produce  such  a 
result,  and  I  was  at  a  loss  for  an  explanation  until  I  found  that 
the  blood  was  non-coagulable,  and  that  the  same  symptoms  of 
hysteria  were  present  which  I  had  observed  the  previous  month. 
I  then  made  it  my  duty  to  extend  my  inquiries,  and  learned  that 
the  condition  was  regularly  present  each  month,  associated  with 
severe  migraine,  and  that  the  bleeding  began  and  ceased  coinci- 
dently  with  the  recurrence  and  cessation  of  menstruation.     As  I 
write,  the  ninth  observation  has  been  made. 

Dominion  Dental  Journal 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 
PuBUSHED  Monthly. 


WII.BUR    F.    I.ITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    KDITOR. 


BONWILL  THE  MaN  AND  THE  PRACTITIONER. 

All  who  knew  the  late  Dr.  Bonwill  and  his  marked  peculiari- 
ties of  temperament,  will  recognize  in  the  sketch  by  Dr.  Broom- 
ell  of  an  evening  passed  in  his  society,  which  appears  in  this  issue 
of  the  Brief,  a  piece  of  pen  portraiture  true  to  the  life;  showing 
the  man  as  he  was,  with  all  his  intense  belief  in  himself  and  his 
work,  his  sensitiveness  to  criticism,  impatience  of  contradiction 
and  fervid  and  tireless  zeal  as  a  propagandist  of  his  ideas. 

No  life,  however  "authentic,"  of  Doctor  Samuel  Johnson, 
essayist,  poet  and  lexicographer,  can  displace  from  the  affections 
of  English-speaking  people  Boswell's  immortal  record  of  John- 
son's very  self,  his  form  and  outward  seeming,  and  the  pollysylla- 
bic  thunders  of  his  sententious  speech;  and  Dr.  Broomell  in  giving 
us  this  bit  of  Bonwill  Boswellized,  has  rendered  to  the  future  biog- 
rapher a  service  of  more  real  value  than  would  be  pages  of  mere 
chronological  data  or  ''dry-as-dust"  details  of  matters  extraneous 
to  the  man.  Such  revelations  of  character  often  make  clear  the 
hidden  springs  of  force  and  action  governing  the  events  which  it 
is  the  purpose  of  history  and  biography  to  record. 

Concerning  Bonwill  the  practitioner,  the  interesting  reports, 
written  severally  by  Dr.  Brown  and  Dr.  Talbot  for  this  number  of 
the  Brief,  of  a  notable  clinical  demonstration  of  his  methods  of 
practice  and  their  results,  are  in  the  highest  degree  valuable. 
They  show  that  he  was  not  a  mere  theorist,  but  had  a  mastery  of 
detail  in  every-day  practice  which  deeply  impressed  all  who  had 
the  opportunity  to  examine  the  results  of  his  work. 


EDITORIAL.  35 

Few  practitioners  would  dare  attempt  to  summon  for  such  a 
clinic  so  large  a  number  of  patients  upon  a  few  hours'  notice — or 
upon  any  notice.  Fewer  still  would  have  succeeded  in  securing 
them  when  summoned.  Perhaps  no  greater  evidence  of  the 
dominating  force  of  his  personality  could  have  been  given  than 
this.  His  was  an  unique  individuality,  whose  memory  will  long 
survive  in  tradition,  and  whose  like  we  of  this  generation  shall  not 
look  upon  again. 


About  Maxillary  Triangles. 

Those  familiar  with  the  life  and  work  of  the  late  Dr.  Bon- 
will  are  aware  that  he  regarded  what  he  termed  his  "divination" 
of  the  "tripod  arrangement  of  the  lower  jaw,  forming  an  equi- 
lateral triangle/'  as  his  most  important  contribution  to  dental 
•  science.  Enthusiastic  as  he  was  in  regard  to  the  merits  of  all  his 
inventions,  upon  this  special  theme  his  enthusiasm  arose  to  ex- 
altation. In  his  latest  writing  upon  the  subject,  in  the  Septem- 
ber issue  of  Items  of  Interest,  he  speaks  of  it  as  the  "most  impor- 
tant of  my  life  works  and  discoveries,  and  upon  which  I  am  willing 
to  die,  feeling  assured  that  it  was  as  pure  a  revelation  and  inspira- 
tion to  me  as  the  laws  of  motion  were  to  Kepler,  and  the  further 
continuation  of  those  laws  in  establishing  gravitation  by  Newton." 

All  who  have  made  the  effort  have  found  it  difficult,  if  not 
impossible,  to  follow  the  chain  of  reasoning  by  which  he  arrived 
at  what  he  claimed  to  be  demonstrated  laws  in  maxillary  and 
dental  development,  much  less  to  grasp  his  meaning  in  those 
wider  flights  of  metaphysical  symbolism  upon  which  his  imagina- 
tion soared. 

As  to  the  modern  geometer  "the  triangle  connotes  not 
merely  the  figure  bounded  by  the  sides,  but  the  outside  regions 
of  space  marked  ofif  by  the  sides  produced  to  infinity,"  so  to  Bon- 
will,  the  definitely  proportioned  equilateral  triangle  which  he 
made  the  base  lines  for  measurement  of  the  human  maxillae,  their 
teeth,  cusps  and  interdental  spaces,  became  a  key  to  the  revela- 
tion of  nature's  inner  workings,  a  miracle  of  design  which  turned 


36  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

him  from  doubt  and  agnosticism  to  a  belief  in  the  existence  of  a 
Divine  Architect,  who,  not  through  the  slow  march  of  evolution- 
ary development,  but  in  accordance  with  fixed  and  immutable 
designs  and  in  conformity  to  changeless  laws  transforms  lifeless 
matter  into  organism. 

Much  which  he  believed  and  verbally  afBrmed  is  only  hinted 
at  in  his  writings;  but  those  who  have  had  with  him  personal  con- 
verse upon  these  themes  know  that  apparently  the  triangle  was  to 
him  not  only  the  one  basal  form  in  which  matter  in  solution  crys- 
tallizes into  organism,  but,  as  to  many  ancient  cults,  was  in  some 
sense  emblematic  of  Divinity,  and  even  of  the  cross  which  sym- 
bolizes the  tragedy  of  Calvary. 

Dr.  Bonwill  was  not  the  first  man  of  talent  who  has  been 
lured  into  the  shadowy  paths  of  speculative  mysticism  by  the 
powers  of  numbers  and  the  proportions  of  geometric  forms ;  the 
pyramid,  the  triangle  and  the  sphere  and  those  "mystical  num^ 
bers,"  five  and  nine  and  three  have  all  had  their  cults,  to  whose 
initiates,  in  some  occult  and  esoteric  sense,  each  has  seemed  an 
effluence  from  the  Deity. 

Geometry  has  well  been  termed  the  "Divine  Science,"  but 
many  have  been  the  worshippers  at  her  shrine  who,  dazzled  by 
the  majestic  beauty  of  her  changeless  laws,  have  seen  henceforth 
with  distorted  vision  and  wrested  those  laws  to  meanings  which 
are  meaningless  and  interpretations  which  are  phantasy. 

Apart  from  the  question  of  triangulation  Dr.  Bonwill's 
studies  of  the  human  maxillae  and  their  dental  equipment  were 
not  only  original,  but  in  many  particulars  of  practical  value  to 
dental  science,  as  well  as  to  dental  art.  Of  practical  value  to  Dr. 
Bonwill  himself  they  undoubtedly  were,  for  no  man  can  subject 
tooth  forms  to  such  careful  scrutiny  and  searching  analysis  with- 
out a  quickening  of  his  artistic  sense  and  a  gain  in  his  constructive 
ability. 

That  a  full  understanding  and  acceptance  of  his  geometric 
theories  was  absolutely  essential  to  success  in  "prosthodontia,"* 


*  An  excellent  word  of  Dr.  Ottolengui's  mintage. 


EDITORIAL.  37 

Dr.  Bonwill  no  longer  claimed,  although  he  urged  that  "it  is  well 
to  master  them  for  the  culture  in  their  study ;"  but  upon  his  claim 
that  without  his  anatomical  articulator  no  artificial  denture  can 
be  properly  constructed  he  was  insistent  to  the  last. 

The  appliance  in  question  undoubtedly  possesses  some  ex- 
cellent features,  and  in  his  skilled  hands  became  a  tool  for  the 
accomplishment  of  results  which  were,  as  a  rule,  satisfactory. 
True,  the  interlocking  of  the  broadened  planes  of  contact  in  the 
deeply  channeled  grooves,  described  and  illustrated  inDr.Broom- 
eirs  paper,  modifies  the  typical  occlusal  surfaces  of  molars  and 
pre-molars  in  a  manner  which  is  as  radical  as  it  is  startling,  and 
which,  it  would  seem,  must  necessarily  restrict  that  freedom  of 
lateral  movement  permitted  by  the  nature  of  the  tempero-maxil- 
lary  articulation  in  certain  temperaments,  notably  the  san- 
guineous. 

As  this  temperament  is  obviously  better  nourished  than  any 
of  the  others,  the  nutrient  results  of  mobility  of  masticatory  move- 
ment would  seem  to  be  conclusive  evidence  that  nature  has  not 
made  a  mistake  either  in  that  particular  or  in  regard  to  the  rela- 
tively shallow  grooves  and  flattened  cusps  characteristic  of  the 
grinding  surfaces  of  teeth  associated  with  a  mandible  of  the  san- 
guineous type. 

As  a  jaw  with  an  articulation  closely  resembling  a  ball  and 
socket  joint  is  capable  of  free  movement  in  many  directions,  it  is 
evident  that  by  Dr.  Bonwill's  plan  it  can  be  restricted  to  move- 
ment chiefly  in  two  directions,  up  and  down;  and  experience 
teaches  that  patients  can  and  do  learn  to  accommodate  them- 
selves to  such  changed  conditions.  Restrictions  of  that  kind, 
however,  cannot  fail  to  interfere  with  the  normal  play  of  the  mas- 
ticatory muscles,  and  to  that  extent  diminish  the  crushing  power 
which  they  impart  to  the  milling  apparatus  of  the  mouth.  Hence 
whatever  might  possibly  be  gained  for  the  incisive  function  by  a 
more  shear-like  arrangement  of  cusps  and  cutting  edges  would 
be  lost  in  the  diminished  force  with  which  the  shears  could  do 
their  work. 


38  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

That  Dr.  Bonwill  was  highly  skilled  in  prosthodontia  there  is 
abundant  testimony,  and  if  he  was  deceived  in  thinking  his  success 
due  to  an  inspired  geometric  concept,  rather  than  to  acquired  me- 
chanical skill,  he  is  not  the  only  one  who  has  wrought  a  good 
work  under  analogous  conditions  of  mistake.  Seas  were  sailed, 
and  venturous  mariners  came  safely  to  the  haven  where  they 
would  be,  even  when  they  thought  that  the  stars  by  which  they 
steered  had  piloted  them  across  a  watery  plane,  and  not  the  sur- 
face of  a  watery  sphere. 

Assuming  that  there  is  an  archetype  jaw,  and  that  Dr.  Bon- 
will's  ''divination"  of  its  basal  form  is  irrefutably  true,  the  fact 
remains  that  in  dental  prosthesis  the  operator  is  not  always,  or 
usually,  dealing  with  archetypal  forms,  and  that  an  artificial  den- 
ture is  a  mechanism  which  must  be  modified  in  accordance  with 
the  shape  of  the  jaws,  the  character  of  the  tempero-maxillary 
articulation,  the  movement  of  the  masticatory  muscles  and  the 
ever-varying  configuration  of  the  face  and  lips;  hence  it  follows 
that  there  can  be  no  application  of  fixed  geometric  principles  to 
conditioins  so  varying  and  requirements  so  arbitrary  and  inexact. 


''A  Thing  of  the  Past." 

The  dental  profession  will  receive  with  gratification  the  an- 
nouncement of  the  Law  Committee  of  the  National  Association 
of  Dental  Faculties,  which  appears  in  this  issue  of  the  Brief,  that 
the  litigation  in  Wisconsin  upon  issues  which  for  several  years 
have  been  the  subject  of  a  more  or  less  acrimonious  controversy 
between  the  associated  boards  of  dental  examiners  and  the  asso- 
ciated faculties  of  dental  schools  is  **a  thing  of  the  past." 

Readers  of  the  Brief  have  already  been  made  familiar  with 
the  causes  of  the  regretable  contention  thus  amicably  terminated, 
and  which  it  is  to  be  hoped  will  never  again  be  revived. 

The  final  settlement  of  an  unfortunate  dispute  leaves  clear  the 
pathway  for  a  united  and  harmonious  effort  for  the  advancement 
of  dentistry  along  educational  lines,  and  there  must  be  no  back- 
ward step. 


THE  WISCONSIN  LITIGATION.  39 

The  century  just  ending  closes  an  epoch  in  educational  as 
well  as  in  national  and  civic  growth.  It  has  been  an  epoch  char- 
acterized by  youthful  vigor,  but  also  by  many  youthful  crudities 
-and  imperfections  which  are  no  longer  tolerable. 

In  educational  affairs  especially  rawness,  laxity  and  irre- 
sponsibility must  henceforth  give  place  to  trained  skill,  strict 
requirement  and  authoritative  rule.  To  this  the  National  Associ- 
ation of  Dental  Faculties  stands  pledged  for  all  the  years  to 
•come;  and  that  pledge  must  and  will  be  inviolably  fulfilled. 


THE  WISCONSIN  LITIGATION. 

Final  Reporj  of  the  Law  Committee  of  the  National  As- 
sociation OF  Dental  Faculties. 
To  the  Editor: 

It  is  well  known  to  the  members  of  the  dental  profession, 
especially  those  interested  in  dental  education,  that  in  April,  1899, 
the  Wisconsin  State  Board  of  Dental  Examiners  refused  to  regis- 
ter diplomas  from  the  Chicago  dental  colleges  and  other  schools, 
as  the  law  provides.  The  provision  of  the  law  is  that  the  board 
shall  at  all  times  issue  a  license  to  any  regular  graduate  of  any 
reputable,  legally  incorporated  dental  college,  without  examina- 
tion, upon  the  payment  of  the  registration  fee.  After  making  in- 
quiry of  the  Secretary  of  the  Board  as  to  the  reason  why  the 
diploma  of  his  client  was  not  registered,  Attorney  Quarles,  who 
had  been  retained  in  the  case,  received  the  following  reply: 

''Milwaukee,  April  15th,  1899. 
*'Hon.  J.  V.  Quarks y  Milwaukee,  Wis., 

''Dear  Sir: — I  am  authorized  to  say  from  instructions  re- 
ceived from  a  member  of  the  Committee  on  Colleges  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Dental  Examiners,  that  if  the  college  you 
represent  accepts  all  the  rules  as  laid  down  by  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Dental  Examiners,  in  regular  form  through  that 
body,  that  this  Board  will,  upon  the  receipt  of  such  knowledge, 
issue  licenses  to  regular  graduates  of  said  college. 

(Signed)  "//.  W.  Carson,  Secretary." 

After  receiving  the  above  letter,  Dr.  P.  T.  Diamond,  a  gradu- 
ate of  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  brought  man- 
damus proceedings  to  compel  the  board  to  accept  his  diploma. 
The  board  moved  to  quash  the  proceedings,  which  motion  was 
denied  by  the  court,  in  a  vigorous  decision  handed  down  by 
Judge  Sutherland,  of  the  Superior  Court  of  Milwaukee  County, 


40  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

Wisconsin.     Summing  up  the  case,  in  regard  to  the  standing 
of  the  college,  the  Judge  makes  use  of  the  following  language: 

"The  reputation  in  this  case  shows  that  among  intelligent 
men,  whether  members  of  the  dental  profession  or  not,  the  Chi- 
cago College  of  Dental  Surgery  must  be  regarded  as  a  reputable 
institution.  *  *  *  Therefore,  without  difificulty  the  court 
reaches  the  conclusion  that  the  motion  to  quash  the  mandamus 
proceedings  must  be  denied.** 

The  action  of  the  board  was  based  on  the  ground  that  those 
schools  refused  to  subscribe  to  a  rule  passed  by  the  National 
Association  of  Dental  Examiners,  regarding  the  preliminary  edu- 
cational qualifications  of  students,  the  colleges  giving  as  a  reason, 
their  unwillingness  to  accept  the  interference  of  the  boards  in 
a  matter  which  was  outside  of  their  proper  function. 

The  National  Association  of  Dental  Examiners,  of  which 
the  Wisconsin  Board  was  a  member,  at  their  meeting  at  Niagara 
Falls,  in  August,  1899,  rescinded  the  rule  which  was  the  cause 
of  the  controversy,  and  passed  a  resolution  adopting,  in  sub- 
stance, the  rule  governing  preliminary  educational  qualifications 
of  students,  which  was  adopted  in  1898  by  the  National  As- 
sociation of  Dental  Faculties,  and  it  was  hoped  that  henceforth 
the  two  national  bodies  would  work  in  concert  and  harmony. 
In  adopting  this  resolution,  the  National  Association  of  Dental 
Examiners  recommended  to  the  various  State  boards  that  all 
the  schools  belonging  to  the  National  Association  of  Dental 
Faculties  be  placed  on  the  recognized  list,  and  that  the  gradu- 
ates of  those  schools  be  licensed,  and  that  all  litigation  cease. 
In  all  States  where  difficulties  had  arisen  regarding  the  registra- 
tion of  diplomas  of  graduates  of  schools  belonging  to  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Dental  Faculties,  the  trouble  was  at  once 
terminated,  and  licenses  issued,  except  in  the  State  of  Wisconsin. 
The  representative  from  the  Wisconsin  Board  pledged  himself 
at  Niagara  Falls  to  return  home  and  do  all  in  his  power  to 
terminate  the  litigation.  The  week  following  the  National  As- 
sociation meeting,  the  Wisconsin  Board,  with  their  attorney, 
met  by  appointment  the  representatives  of  the  Chicago  College 
of  Dental  Surgery  and  the  plaintifif  in  the  case  against  the  board, 
with  his  attorney,  and  after  a  conference,  the  representatives  of 
the  board  informed  the  representatives  of  the  college  that  the 
members  of  the  board  had  voted  unanimously  to  continue  the 
litigation. 


THE  WISCONSIN  LITIGATION  41 

On  August  13th,   1899,  the  following  letter  was  written  by 
Senator  J.  V.  Quarles,  attorney  for  the  complainant,  to  Dr.  T.  W. 
Brophy,  Dean  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery: 
''Quarles,  Spence  &  Quarles, 

"Attorneys  and  Counsellors, 
"The  Sentinel  Building. 

''Milwaukee,  Wis.,  August  13th,  1899. 
"Dr.  T,  W.  Brophy,  126  State  St.,  Chicago,  III., 

"Dear  Doctor: — As  you  are  aware,  a  meeting  of  the  State 
Board  of  Dental  Examiners  took  place  yesterday  in  this  city,  for 
the  ostensible  purpose  of  carrying  out  the  recommendation  of  the 
National  Board  so  explicitly  made  at  its  meeting  at  Niagara 
Falls.  Nothing  could  be  more  plain  and  explicit  than  the  recom- 
mendations of  such  National  Association,  which  ought  to  be 
looked  upon  as  a  command  by  members  thereof. 

"I  have  to  report,  however,  that  our  State  Board  have  as- 
sumed to  be  wiser  than  the  national  organization,  and  have  posi- 
tively declined  to  follow  or  respect  the  mandate  of  the  central 
body.  The  State  Board  refuses  to  recognize  the  diplomas  of 
your  college  and  all  others  similarly  situated,  and  leaves  no  course 
open  but  to  continue  the  litigation.  We  shall,  therefore,  unless 
ordered  to  the  contrary,  embrace  the  first  opportunity  to  crowd 
the  case  to  a  final  hearing,  and  allow  the  National  Board  to  deal 
with  its  recalcitrant  members. 

"Very  respectfully  yours, 

(Signed)  ''Quarles,  Spence  &  Quarks.'* 

Preparations  were  then  made  .for  a  vigorous  prosecution  of 
the  case.  The  Law  Committee  of  the  National  Association  of 
Dental  Faculties,  which  was  created  at  the  Niagara  Falls  meet- 
ing, in  August,  1899,  ^o^  the  purpose  of  taking  charge  of  this 
litigation,  as  well  as  any  other  litigation,  involving  the  Association 
or  any  college  holding  membership  therein,  held  a  meeting  in 
Chicago,  October  14th,  1899,  and  after  Drs.  Barrett  and  Morgan 
of  the  committee  held  a  conference  with  the  members  of  the  Wis- 
consin State  Board,  the  latter  agreed  to  license  graduates  of  the 
Chicago  colleges  and  all  schools  belonging  to  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Dental  Faculties.  November  6th  the  agreement  was 
consummated.  November  7th  the  following  letter  was  received 
by  the  Dean  of  the  Chicago  College  of  Dental  Surgery : 
"Quarles,  Spence  &  Quarles, 

"Attorneys  and  Counsellors, 
"The  Sentinel  Building. 

"Milwaukee,  November  7th,  1899. 
"Dr.  T.  W.  Brophy,  Chicago,  III, 

"Dear  Sir: — After  great  tribulation,  regarding  matters  of 
detail,  I  am  glad  to  report  to-  you  that  the  board  has  finally  de- 


42  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

cided  to  conform  with  the  provisions  of  the  Dental  Law  of  Wis- 
consin, abide  by  the  ruHng  of  the  National  Association  of  Dental 
Examiners,  and  license  Chicago  graduates  and  all  other  gradu- 
ates from  schools  holding  membership  in  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Dental  Faculties;  thus  admitting  that,  in  their  action  in 
refusing  to  license  these  graduates  from  April  nth  to  Noivember 
6th,  1899,  they  were  in  the  wrong.  Everything,  consequently, 
in  the  Diamond  mandamus  case  has  been  brought  to  a  satisfac- 
tory conclusion. 

"The  injustice  the  Wisconsin  State  Board  of  Dental  Ex- 
aminers has  done  your  graduates,  yourself  and  the  many  schools 
involved,  cannot  be  easily  forgotten,  but  our  success  in  securing 
all  w^e  contended  for  is  an  assurance  of  the  justice  of  our  cause. 

''Dr.  Diamond's  license  has  been  issued,  on  our  assurance 
that  he  would  discontinue  the  case.     The  stipulation  tO'  withdraw 
the  suit  has  been  signed  by  both  parties ;  the  whole  matter  is  now 
closed  up,  and  the  litigation  is  a  thing  of  the  past. 
"Yours  truly, 

"Quarks,  Spmce  &  Quarks. 

''A.  0  Hunt, 
'W.  C.  Barrett, 
"Henry  W.  Morgan, 
"Law  Committee  of  the  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties.^' 
November  22d,  1899. 


OBITUARY. 


Stephen  Thomas  Beak,  M.D.,  D.D.S. 

Dr.  Stephen  Thomas  Beale,  the  oldest  practitioner  of  den- 
tistry in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  one  of  the  oldest  graduate? 
of  the  Jefferson  Medical  College,  died  at  his  home,  Tulpehocken 
street,  Germantown,  Tuesday  evening,  December  12th,  in  his 
•eighty-sixth  year.  His  death  was  due  to  senile  debility.  He  re- 
tained all  his  faculties  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

He  was  born  in  Sussex,  England,  May  23d,  18 14,  and  came 
with  his  parents  to  America  in  1831,  the  family  settling  in  Albany, 
N.  Y.  Dr.  Beale  obtained  his  early  education  in  England,  and 
also  attended  the  Albany  Academy.  Later  he  studied  dentistry 
-with  Dr.  McCallister,  of  that  place. 

In  1837  he  came  to  Philadelphia,  and  attended  lectures  at  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  and  at  Jefferson  Medical  College,  tak- 
ing up  the  study  of  both  medicine  and  dentistry.  He  matricu- 
lated at  the  Jefferson  College  with  Professor  James  Bryan  as 
medical  preceptor,  and  Dr.  Lee  as  dental  preceptor,  and  gradu- 
ated from  the  college  in  1847,  receiving  the  degree  of  M.D.,  and 


OBITUARY. 


45 


from  that  time  until  1851  he  practiced  both  medicine  and  den- 
tistry, starting  in  the  latter  profession  in  1840.  The  work  of  both 
professions,  however,  being  too  laborious,  he  devoted  himself 
wholly  to  dentistry.  At  the  time  of  his  letirement  his  dental 
practice  in  Philadelphia  had  covered  a  period  of  fifty-two  years, 
and  was  successful  and  lucrative. 

With  the  late  Dr.  Ely  Parry  and  Dr.  John  DeHaven  White^ 
he  was  known  as  one  of  the  ''Fathers  of  Dentistry"  in  Philadel- 
phia, and,  with  them,  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  "Pennsyl- 
vania Association  of  Dental  Surgeons,"  which  was  the  first  or- 
ganized movement  in  that  city  for  the  promotion  of  scientific  den- 
tal education.  He  was  the  first  vice-president  at  its  formation, 
was  several  times  reelected  to  that  office,  took  an  active  part  in  its 
affairs,  and,  with  the  exception  of  Dr.  Mintzer,  was  the  last  sur- 
vivor of  its  founders. 

Dr.  Beale  was  also  instrumental  in  obtaining  a  charter  for 
the  Philadelphia  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  and  on  its  formation 
was  asked  to  fill  two  of  its  chairs,  but  was  prevented  from  doing 
so  by  ill-health.  This  college  at  its  first  annual  commencement, 
February  i8th,  1853,  conferred  upon  him  the  honorary  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery.  Dr.  Beale  was  a  master  of  his  profes- 
sion, and  was  specially  interested  in  cases  which,  in  those  days, 
were  considered  extremely  difficult,  such  as  maxillary  fractures 
and  cleft  palate  deformities.  In  his  younger  days  his  laboratory 
was  fully  furnished  with  anvil,  furnaces,  and  all  implements  and 
appliances  for  the  making  of  artificial  teeth  by  the  carving  process 
then  so  generally  employed;  also  for  the  smelting  and  refining  of 
the  precious  metals.  For  years  this  laboratory  was  thrown  open 
to  young  students,  and  was  well  attended. 

He  was  a  man  of  broad  views,  advanced  ideas,  bright  intel- 
lect and  great  energy;  an  old  school  gentleman  of  courteous  man- 
ners, kindly  heart  and  domestic  tastes;  a  thorough  Latin  scholar, 
a  lover  of  nature  and  of  the  fine  arts.  He  contributed  both  to 
dental  and  literary  magazines,  and  published  essays  as  well  as 
many  musical  compositions.  His  active  brain  sought  recreation 
in  music,  which  he  thoroughly  enjoyed. 

From  his  youth  he  has  been  a  consistent  active  member  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  has  for  the  last  thirty  years  been 
connected  with  the  Second  Presbterian  Church  of  Germantown, 
Philadelphia. 

In  early  life  he  married  Miss  Louise  Boggs  McCord,  who 


44  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

died  twelve  years  ago.     They   had  a   family  of  seven  sons   and 
three  daughters,  all  of  whom,  with  one  exception,  survive. 

Two  sons,  Dr.  Thomas  T.  Beale,  Jr.,  and  Dr.  Alonzo  P. 
Beale,  deceased,  followed  their  father  in  the  dental  profession; 
also  three  grandsons. 


Benjamin  H.  Catching,  D.D.S. 

His  many  friends  and  the  dental  profession  at  large  will  learn 
with  great  regret  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Catching,  of  Atlanta,  Ga., 
so  well  known  through  his  numerous  contributions  to  dental  lit- 
erature. For  many  years  he  has  suffered  from  attacks  of  nervous 
exhaustion,  the  result  of  too  ardent  a  devotion  to  work  in  the 
many  spheres  of  activity  in  which  his  energies  were  expended. 
No  one  thought,  however,  and  probably  he  least  of  all,  that  under 
the  strain  the  end  of  all  labor  for  him  would  come  so  soon.  It 
was  early  in  the  morning  of  November  23d,  1899,  just  as  he  was 
about  to  leave  his  home  to  enter  upon  the  duties  of  the  day,  that 
the  stroke  came,  and  within  five  minutes  of  the  apoplectic  seizure 
all  was  over.  'The  silver  cord  was  loosed  and  the  golden  bowl 
broken." 

Benjamin  Holliday  Catching  was,  at  the  time  of  his  death, 
iifty-one  years  of  age.  He  was  born  June  28th,  1848,  at  George- 
town, Miss.,  of  an  ancestry  distinguished  for  honorable  service 
in  the  history  of  the  State,  his  great-grandfather,  Hon.  Benjamin 
Catching,  having  taken  an  active  part  as  a  delegate  in  the  conven- 
tion which  framed  the  original  State  Constitution. 

Under  the  preceptorship  of  Dr.  J.  S.  Knapp,  of  New  Orleans, 
La.,  he  began  the  study  of  dentistry,  and  later  matriculated  in  the 
Baltimore  Dental  College,  from  which  institution  he  graduated 
with  distinction,  and  as  valedictorian  of  his  class,  in  March,  1870. 

In  the  autumn  of  1871  he  entered  upon  active  practice  in 
Canton,  Miss.,  where  he  remained  until  1881,  at  which  time,  at- 
tracted by  the  superior  opportunities  as  a  field  for  practice  offered 
by  Atlanta,  Ga.,  which  had  just  entered  upon  its  epoch  of  almost 
unprecedented  growth  and  prosperity,  he  removed  to  that  city, 
and  there  remained  up  to  the  time  of  his  death. 

Although  he  secured  a  large  practice  his  predilection  for  lit- 
erary pursuits  soon  led  him  into  the  field  of  journalism.  He  was 
the  founder,  and  for  eight  years  the  editor  of  the  Southern  Dental 
Journal.  On  retiring  from  that  position  he  began  the  publication 
of  Catching' s  Compendium  of  Practical  Dentistry,  which  furnished 


RESOLUTIONS.  45 

annually  during  the  five  consecutive  years  of  its  publication  a 
most  valuable  compilation  of  all  the  important  contributions  to 
dental  art  and  science  made  in  this  and  foreign  countries.  It  was 
by  this  work  that  he  was  best  known,  and  it  undoubtedly  consti- 
tuted his  most  important  service  to  his  profession.  After  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  fifth  volume^  1896,  ill  health  from  overwork  com- 
pelled the  discontinuance  of  its  publication;  and,  with  the  excep- 
tion of  an  occasional  contribution  to  professional  journals,  he  de- 
sisted from  all  literary  labor  until  1897,  when  he  established  the 
American  Dental  Weekly.  But,  even  with  the  aid  of  five  colabor- 
ators,  the  labor  involved  in  this  publication  was  so  enormous  that 
the  task  proved  beyond  his  strength,  and  with  the  issue  of  the  fifty- 
second  consecutive  number  the  journal  was  discontinued. 

He  was  ex-President  of  the  Southern  Dental  Association  and 
a  member  of  the  American  Dental  Association,  which  two  organ- 
izations are  now  merged  in  the  National  Dental  Association.  He 
was  also  a  member  of  the  Georgia  State  Dental  Faculty,  and  for 
four  years  served  as  a  member  of  the  Georgia  State  Board  of 
Dental  Examiners. 

Dr.  Catching  was  deeply  religious  in  his  convictions,  and  an 
active  member  of  the  Methodist  Church.  He  was  upright  in  all 
the  relations  of  life,  a  good  citizen,  a  devoted  husband,  a  kind 
father,  a  Christian  gentleman. 

He  was  married  June  15th,  1870,  to  Miss  Mattie  Sanders,  of 
Georgetown,  Miss.,  who,  with  a  son  and  three  daughters,  sur- 
vives him. 


RESOLUTIONS  ON  THE  DEATH  OF  DR.  BONWILL. 
Academy  of  Stomatology  of  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

The  committee  on  resolutions  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Bonwill 
beg  leave  to  submit  the  following: 

Whereas,  W.  G.  A.  Bonwill,  D.D.S.,  a  member  of  the 
Academy  of  Stomatology,  has  been  removed  by  death,  it  becomes 
our  mournful  pleasure  to  make  record  of  his  worth;  therefore, 
be  it 

Resolved,  As  the  sense  of  this  society  that  in  the  death  of  Dr. 
Bonwill  the  academy  has  lost  a  distinguished  member  and  the 
dental  profession  one  of  its  best  known  followers. 

As  a  man  Dr.  Bonwill  was  genial  and  affable,  though  often 
misunderstood.  As  a  dentist  he  was  skillful  and  conscientious. 
As  an  inventor  he  had  no  superior  in  the  dental  profession.     As 


46  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

an  enthusiastic  worker  in  the  field  of  dental  advancement  he  had 
few  equals. 

Entering  upon  the  study  of  dentistry  at  an  early  age,  and 
under  pecuniary  disadvantages,  he  worked  his  way  to  success  and 
eminence  by  burning  zeal  and  untiring  industry.  His  tempera- 
ment was  such  that  he  could  not  be  idle,  and  while  others  slept 
he  was  awake  and  working  out  problems  which  have  made  his 
name  famous  throughout  the  dental  world. 

As  fellow  comrades,  marching  to  the  eternal  world,  we  shall 
miss  Dr.  Bonwill  from  our  ranks.  Let  us  therefore  loiter  for  a 
moment  on  the  busy  highway  of  life  to  hang  one  garland  on  his 
tombstone. 

Resolved,  That  a  copy  of  these  resolutions  be  engrossed  upon 
the  records  of  the  academy,  and  additional  copies  sent  to  his 
family  and  the  dental  journals. 

Edwin  T.  Darby,  Chairman, 

James  Truman, 

I.  N.  Broomell, 

Harry  B.  Hickman,  Secretary. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


KENTUCKY  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  annual  meeting  of  the  Kentucky  State  Dental  Association 
will  be  held  in  the  city  of  Louisville  on  the  15th,  i6th  and  17th  of 
May,  1900.  We  are  already  assured  of  the  best  meeting  in  the 
history  of  the  association.  Aside  from  an  attractive  program, 
the  meeting  of  the  National  Confederate  Association  in  Louis- 
ville at  the  same  time  enables  us  to  procure  a  one  cent  per  mile 
railroad  rate  from  over  the  greater  portion  ot  the  United  States. 
There  will  be  many  other  attractions  to  the  dentists  who  attend; 
trips  to  the  wonderful  Mammoth  Cave,  and  to  the  bluegrass  re- 
gions of  Kentucky. 

Ample  accommodations  at  reasonable  rates  have  already 
been  obtained. 

F.  I.  Gardner,  D.D.S.,  Secretary. 

For  further  information  address  F.  I.  Gardner,  Secretary, 
213  West  Chestnut  street,  Louisville,  Ky. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS.  47 

DETROIT  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

Officers  for  1899-1900:  Dr.  T.  J.  Collins,  President;  Dr.  G. 
B.  Watkins,  Vice-President;  Dr.  Karl  M.  Fechheimer,  Secretary; 
Dr.  W.  Cleland,  Treasurer;  Dr.  A.  W.  Diack,  Dr.  G.  B.  Watkins, 
Dr.  J.  L.  Young,  Board  of  Censors. 

Meetings  for  1900:  January  5th,  Clinic,  Dr.  F.  E.  Logan,  at 
234  Cass  avenue. 

February  12th,  dinner  and  a  social  evening. 

March  12th,  8.00  p.  m.,  paper,  ''Necrosis  and  Diseases  of  the 
Antrum,"  Dr.  C.  H.  Oakman;  discussion,  Dr.  E.  C.  Moore,  Dr. 
J.  L.  Young. 

April  9th,  8.00  p.  M.,  paper,  'The  Systematic  Treatment  of 
Odontalgia,"  Dr.  J.  M.  Thompson;  discussion,  Dr.  L.  P.  Hall, 
Dr.  A.  Lowther. 

May  14th,  8.00  p.  M.,  paper,  "The  Value  of  Experience  in 
Dentistry,"  Dr.  C.  R.  Bailey;  discussion.  Dr.  J.  Cleland,  Dr.  H. 
K.  Lathrop,  Jr. 


MISSISSIPPI  VALLEY  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

At  the  twenty-fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  Association,  held 
in  Chicago,  111.,  the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the 
coming  year:  President,  Dr.  Harold  N.  Moyer,  Chicago,  111.; 
First  Vice-President,  Dr.  A.  H.  Cordier,  Kansas  City,  Mo. ;  Sec- 
ond Vice-President,  Dr.  S.  P.  Collings,  Hot  Springs,  Ark.;  Secre- 
tary, Dr.  Henry  E.  Tuley,  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Treasurer,  Dr.  Dudley 
S.  Reynolds  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Chairman  of  Committee  of  Arrange- 
ments, Dr.  M.  H.  Fletcher,  Asheville,  N.  C. 


APPOINTMENT    OF   A    DENTIST    TO    THE    UNITED 
STATES  NAVAL  ACADEMY. 

Dr.  Richard  Grady,  of  Baltimore,  Md.,  has  been  recom- 
mended by  the  Board  of  Naval  Academy  Examiners  for  the  posi- 
tion of  dentist  at  the  Naval  Academy,  and  the  appointment  has 
been  approved  by  the  superintendent,  Admiral  McNair.  The 
appointment  is  the  result  of  a  competitive- examination,  free  to  all 
dentists.  There  were  more  than  30  applicants,  1 1  of  whom  were 
given  an  examination,  theoretical  and  physical.     The  academic 


48  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

year  lasts  eight  months,  and  the  salary  is  $i,6oo,  which  is  paid  by 
the  government,  the  naval  cadet  paying  only  for  the  gold  used 
in  filling  operations.  Since  the  Naval  Academy  was  organized  in 
1845,  it  has  had  but  two  dentists,  Dr.  Walton,  who  has  resigned, 
having  served  from  1856.  The  appointment  is  purely  civil,  and 
carries  with  it  no  rank  as  an  officer  in  the  United  States  Navy. 

Dr.  Grady  is  a  graduate  in  medicine  and  dentistry.  He  has 
served  eight  years  as  a  member  of  the  State  Board  of  Dental  Ex- 
aminers, of  Maryland;  was  founder  and  first  President  of  the  Bal- 
timore Association  of  Dental  Surgeons,  and  is  co-editor  of  the 
American  Journal  of  Dental  Science. 


PATENTS    RELATING    TO    DENTISTRY    RECENTLY 

GRANTED. 

638123,  Cooling  attachment  for  dental  impression  trays,  Ad- 
diel  M.  Jackson,  Milledgeville,  Ga. 

31825,  Design,  tool  handle,  Albert  W.  Johnston,  New  York, 
N.  Y.;  assignor  to  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manutacturing  Company, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

637338,  Dental  handpiece,  Thomas  L.  James,  Fairfield,  Iowa. 

637522,  Tooth  brush,  Francis  A.  McGinnis,  Detroit,  Mich. 

638197,  Dental  chair,  George  T.  Higgins,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

638019,  Artificial  tooth,  Henry  D.  Justi,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

637970,  Dental  saliva-ejector  and  tongue  depressor,  John  E. 
Nyman,  Oak  Park,  111. 

638468,  Dental  pliers,  Henry  L.  McKellopps,  San  Francisco, 
Cal. 

638645,  Attachment  for  barbers'  or  surgical  chairs,  Willis  T. 
Pinckney,  Ludington,  Mich. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  solicitor  of  patents,  Fendall  Building, 
Washington,  D.  C. 


i^^i^^^^^^. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  49 


Question  69.  About  what  time,  by  whom  and  in  what  form 
were  matrices  first  used  in  the  operation  of  filling  teeth? 

This  useful  appliance  was  introduced  to  the  profession  by 
Dr.  Louis  Jack,  of  Philadelphia,  in  an  article  published  in  the 
April  number  of  the  Dental  Cosmos,  Vol.  XTII,  page  169  (1871), 
entitled  ''On  the  Use  of  Matrices  for  Proximal  Fillings."  This 
article  bears  evidence  of  careful  thought.  The  difficulties  asso* 
ciated  with  filling  proximal  cavities  have  been  thoroughly  can- 
vassed by  its  writer,  and  a  series  of  ingeniously  designed  steel 
molds  invented;  a  method  for  securing  them  in  position  devised; 
changes  in  cavity  preparation,  in  filling  instruments  and  the  best 
method  of  using  them  so  as  to  secure,  with  the  assistance  of  these 
steel  molds,  the  best  results  with  the  least  expenditure  of  time 
and  effort,  and  the  least  discomfort  to  the  patient  are  carefully 
explained.  To  crown  all  he  gave  to  them  a  name — matrices — ■ 
which  like  appliances  have,  ever  since  the  publication  of  that  ar- 
ticle, retained.  The  publication  marks  the  advent  of  appli- 
ances  to  assist  in  placing  and  shaping  proximal  fillings.  It  has 
been  very  seldom,  indeed,  that  sO'  thoroughly  matured  an  idea  has 
been  presented  to  the  profession.  These  matrices  invented  by  Dr. 
Jack  did  more  than  supply  the  missing  wall  in  proximal  cavities; 
they  gave  to  the  completed  filling  a  desirable  shape,  and  when 
skilfully  used  materially  assisted  in  securing  accuracy  at  that  vital 
point,  the  cervical  border.  While  it  is  very  probable  that  before 
this  the  expediency  of  thrusting  between  adjoining  teeth  some- 
thing that  would  help,  crudely,  to  retain  the  filling  material  while 
it  was  being  introduced  has  been  thought  of  and  used,  I  do  not 
recall  anything  noted  in  dental  literature  that  in  the  least  antici- 
pates Dr.  Jack's  idea.  His  matrices,  instruments  for  placing 
them  in  position,  and  the  special  forms  of  pluggers  he  suggests  in 
the  article  referred  to,  were  advertised  in  the  next  number  of  the 
Dental  Cosmos,  May,  1871.  Dr.  Jack's  article  is  well  worth  a  care- 
ful reading.     Notwithstanding  the  changes  that  have  taken  place 

^' Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norynaji  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  14.20  Chestnut  St.,  Phila. 


50  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

during  the  twenty-one  years  that  have  elapsed  since  it  was  writ- 
ten, his  observations  and  suggestions  are  as  vaUiable  and  practical 
now  as  they  were  then.        William  H.  Trueman,  Philadelphia. 

As  far  as  I  am  aware,  the  credit  of  employing  matrices  as  an 
aid  in  filling  teeth  was  devised  by  me  in  1870.  The  first  article 
on  the  subject  appearing  in  the  Dental  Cosmos,  April,  1871,  page 
169.  Previously  to  this  bent  files  and  pieces  of  silver  bent  into 
circular  form  had  been  used  to  facilitate  the  starting  of  fillings. 
Dr.  Dwindle  claimed  to  have  introduced  this  plan  at  an  early  date 
in  his  experience,  but  called  attention  to  only  one  instance. 

The  matrices  introduced  by  me  were  depressed,  which  en- 
abled the  fillings  to  be  contoured.  Accompanying  the  descrip- 
tion of  the  matrix  was  the  method  of  preparing  the  cavity  and  in- 
troducing the  filling,  which  was  described  in  several  articles. 
This  constitutes  the  method,  a  new  system  of  filling  distal  prox- 
imal cavities. 

The  subject  did  not  attract  general  attention  until  over  twelve 
years  afterwards,  when  Dr.  Barrett  in  the  editorial  pages  of  the  In- 
dependent Practitioner  called  attention  to  the  value  of  this  system 
of  filling  proximal  cavities. 

This  improvement  was  effected  at  the  commencement  of  the 
transition  period  in  the  methods  of  filling  the  proximate  surfaces. 

Within  the  period  from  1871  to  1883  the  procedures  of  filling 
proximate  surfaces  underwent  gradual  change,  from  spacing  to 
prevent  recurrence  of  caries,  to  contouring  to  restore  the  form  of 
the  teeth  and  to  avoid  frequent  injury  of  the  gum.  At  present 
the  use  of  thin  matrices,  either  of  plane  or  depressed  surfaces,  lend 
themselves  easily  by  ready  adaptation  to  the  production  of  true 
contouring.  The  required  preliminary  being  the  forcible  separa- 
tion of  the  teeth.  Loiiis  Jack,  Philadelphia. 

Question  70.  What  is  the  most  frequent  location  of  fractures 
of  the  maxilla  and  what  are  the  most  pronounced  symptoms  of 
such  a  condition?  Also  would  it  be  advisable  to  attempt  to  insert 
a  splint  after  the  lapse  of  several  days  or  weeks? 

The  most  frequent  location  of  fracture  of  the  inferior  max- 
illary bone  is  below  the  canine  and  first  bicuspid. 

The  most  prominent  symptoms  are  false  point  of  motion  and 
crepitus. 

The  splint  should  be  placed  in  position  as  soon  as  possible 
after  the  occurrence  of  the  fracture. 

Union  of  fracture  will  take  place  as  soon  as  the  fractured 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  51 

ends  of   the  bone   are  fixed  by  the   splint  in  proper   contiguity. 
Days  or  even  weeks  make  no  difference. 

I  would  refer  your  inquirer  to  my  paper  on  ''Fracture  of  the 
Inferior  Maxilla"  in  the  Cosmos  of  1898. 

Faneuil  D.  Weisse,  New  York  City. 

There  is  considerable  disagreement  among  surgeons  on  the 
particular  point  regarding  fracture.  I  would  say  on  either  side  of 
the  cuspid  tooth,  but  much  depends  on  the  direction  of  the  force 
and  the  character  of  the  violence. 

Kingsley,  while  commenting  on  fractures  of  the  maxilla, 
says: 

"Erichen  thinks  it  occurs  more  frequently  near  the  symphysis 
than  at  any  other  point,  while  Boyer  makes  the  statement  that  it 
never  occurs  there,  but  at  the  weakest  parts  of  the  bone,  i.  e.,  on 
either  side  of  the  symphysis.  Garretson  regards  the  weaker  part 
of  most  inferior  maxilla,  with  an  unbroken  dental  arch,  as  on  the 
line  of  the  roots  of  the  cuspid  teeth,  but  when  teeth  have  been  re- 
moved, the  weaker  part  may  be  at  the  point  of  the  removal. 

Gibson,  of  Philadelphia,  is  strongly  inclined  to  the  opinion 
that  age  has  much  tO'  do  with  the  location  of  the  fracture,  and 
then,  with  young  people  it  commonly  occurs  at  the  symphysis. 

"What  are  the  most  pronounced  symptoms  of  such  a  condi- 
tion?" 

More  or  less  pain,  particularly  at  the  seat  of  the  fracture  in 
the  effort  to  open  or  close  the  mouth,  crepitation,  inability  to  mas- 
ticate, displacement  of  fragments  with  marked  irregularity  in  the 
line  of  the  teeth. 

"Time  to^  be  allowed  before  inserting  splint." 

The  splint  or  appliance  to  be  used  should  be  inserted  for  the 
retention  of  the  fragments  in  as  short  time  as  possible,  say,  at  any 
time  from  first  to  third  day  after  the  occurrence  of  the  fracture. 

This  is  done  to  overcome  the  undue  strain  upon  the  frag- 
ments by  the  powerful  muscles  of  mastication,  and  thus  prevent 
further  displacement  and  discomfort  to  the  patient,  and  to  bring 
about  the  restoration  of  the  parts  to  their  normal  position  for  the 
process  of  granulation. 

I  fully  believe  in  the  immediate  insertion  of  the  splint,  except 
in  case  of  comminuted  fractures  where  fragments  are  to  be  re- 
moved. In  which'case  I  would  advocate  making  this  splint  pre- 
vious to  the  operation,  so  as  tO'  have  it  at  hand  immediately  after 
the  operation  is  completed.     It  would  be  unwise  to  advocate  the 


53  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

immediate  insertion  of  the  splint  where  the  patient  has  persistent 
vomiting,  due  to  the  injuries  received  at  the  time  of  the  fracture 
of  the  maxilla,  or  following  the  administration  of  an  anaesthetic. 
"Can  union  take  place  in  seven  or  eight  days?" 
Yes;  but  the  time  necessary  to  reestablish  bony  union  varies 
with  the  circumstances  of  the  case.  Kingsley  speaks  of  ''Smith 
having  a  casewhere  the  separation  was  delayed  130  days;  Physick, 
another  where  nine  months  were  necessary;  while  DuPuytren  met 
with  one  of  three  years'  standing  before  union  took  place."  The 
most  careful  treatment  sometimes,  however,  and  notwithstanding 
all  that  art  can  do,  will  result  in  failure.  This  seems  to  have  been 
the  result  upon  one  side  of  the  jaw  in  the  celebrated  case  of  Sec- 
retary Seward.  Rupert  G.  Beak,  Philadelphia. 

Stewart  L.  McCurdy,  A.M.,  M.D.,  of  Pittsburg,  read  a  paper 
upon  this  subject  before  the  Odontological  Society  of  Western 
Pennsylvania  on  December  12th.  Included  in  his  paper  were 
three  cases  recent  in  his  practice.  The  publication  of  this  paper 
will  no  doubt  add  much  of  value  to  the  present  literature  upon  the 
subject.  Editor. 

Question  71.  The  editor  of  this  department  feeling  that  it 
would  be  of  general  interest  and  profit  to  have  an  expression  from 
different  members  of  the  profession  in  regard  tO'  their  preferred 
method  in  the  filling  of  root-canals,  submits  the  following  replies 
to  this  question  which  have  been  received.  The  same  question 
will  be  asked  of  others  in  time  for  insertion  of  answers  in  the  next 
aumber. 

*T  fill  the  majority  of  root-canals  either  after  devitalization 
or  treatment  with  cones  similar  to  the  ordinary  gutta-percha 
canal-points,  but  made  of  temporary  stopping,  previously  having 
moistened  the  canal  with  chloroform.  In  case  of  future  trouble 
it  is  easier  to  get  to  the  apex  of  the  root." 

/.  T.  Lippincott,  Philadelphia. 

"After  closing  apical  foramen  with  smallest  amount  of  anti- 
septic cotton  I  have  for  years  filled  roots  with  oxychlorid  of  zinc, 
with  a  few  strands  of  silk  or  cotton  to  carry  cement  to  place. 
Have  had  such  satisfactory  results  that  I  have  not  cared  to  change 
my  method,  though  there  are  others,  doubtless,  just  as  good." 

5'.  H.  Guilford,  Philadelphia. 

"In  answer  to  your  question,  would  say  I  use  Gilbert's  tem- 
porary stopping,  which  I  roll  in  small  sharp  points,  the  canal 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  53 

being  wet  with  aristol  and  wintergreen  for  back  teeth  and  carbolic 
acid  for  front.  It  is  hard  enough,  does  not  deteriorate,  is  easily 
worked,  and  can  be  easily  removed  or  penetrated  if  necessary. 
Have  used  it  many  years  and  see  no  reason  to  change." 

Howard  E.  Roberts,  Philadelphia. 

"I  think  the  preparation  of  root-canals  for  filling  is  of  far 
greater  importance  than  the  material  with  which  they  are  after- 
wards filled.  After  a  canal  has  been  thoroughly  treated  and  ster- 
ilized the  filling  of  it  is  to  me  largely  a  matter  of  convenience. 
The  larger  canals  I  prefer  to  fill  with  gutta-percha.  Small  atten- 
uated canals  I  can  fill  more  perfectly  with  a  fine  thread  of  raw 
cotton  saturated  with  some  antiseptic.  Pathologic  roots  I  always 
prefer  to  fill  with  cotton,  as  it  affords  facility  for  continued  medi- 
cation; also,  easy  subsequent  removal  in  case  of  trouble." 

F.  D.  Gardiner,  Philadelphia. 

''Oxychlorid  of  zinc."  /.  W.  Scott,  Philadelphia. 

*'Apex  closed  with  a  paste  of  one  of  Ceylon  cinnamon  and 
tribrophenol  bismuth  (xeroform).  Oil  of  cajuput  as  a  solvent 
for  gutta-percha  cones.  This  is  my  present  method  of  root  filling. 
The  quantity  of  oil  of  cinnamon  is  so  small  that  I  have  had  no 
trouble  as  yet  from  discoloration  such  as  we  have  had  from  oil  of 
cassia."  /.  Carrozv  Chance,  Philadelphia. 

''I  close  the  foramen  with  narrow  strips  of  No.  4  tin  foil." 

/.  D.  Peters,  Norristoivn,  Pa. 

"Sterilized  cotton."  W.  A.  Phreaner,  Philadelphia. 

''My  method  of  filling  root-canals  has  changed  very  little  in 
the  last  fifteen  years,  about  which  time  I  read  a  paper  on  'Com- 
pressed Air  and  Its  Uses  in  Dental  Practice.'  Believing  then, 
as  I  do  now,  and  having  every  evidence  to  support  it,  that  the 
preparatory  or  pre-treatment  of  dentine  and  its  ftbrilous  contents 
is  of  vital  consideration,  while  the  filling  the  canal  itself  after 
extirpation  of  pulp  is  of  comparatively  little  matter,  and  any  one 
of  the  many  m.aterials  offered,  after  the  dentine  is  rendered  sterile, 
is  acceptable  as  a  filling  material,  it  acting  purely  as  a  mechanical 
medium  to  fill  the  space.  My  method  of  manipulation  at  present 
is  to  open  up  the  canals,  so  as  to  be  freely  reached,  and  in  pu: res- 
cent  cases  to  wash  thoroughly  with  the  atomizer  and  tepid  water; 
after  which  the  rubber-dam,  as  a  rule,  is  applied,  and  warm  or 
hot  air,  under  pressure  of  ten  to  fifteen  pounds,  is  thrown  in 


54  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

until  ihorongh  desiccation  is  produced.  If  the  canals  are  not 
easily  freed,  as  found  sometimes  in  putrescent  conditions,  a  sol- 
vent, such  as  sulphuric  acid  in  the  aromatic  form,  which  can  be 
freely  used,  of  a  strength  as  high  as  fifty  per  cent.,  carefully  to  get 
the  canals  thoroughly  cleaned  of  their  contents.  This  is  done 
to  reach  the  dentine,  the  acid  is  neutralized  by  magnesia  when 
necessary.  The  dentine  is  air-dried  to  whiteness.  This  is  the 
key,  in  my  judgment,  in  anticipating  further  disturbance,  for  by 
removing  the  w^ater  in  the  basic  substance  the  decomposed  fibrils 
and  mephitic  matter  contained  in  the  dentine  held  in  water  be- 
comes neutralized  or  inoperative.  A  solution  of  salol  and  iodo- 
form, to  which  I  have  recently  added  formalin,  in  solution  in 
chloroform  and  alcohol  is  allowed  to  saturate  the  dentine  while 
in  a  dried  condition,  forcing  it  to  the  apex  if  possible;  one  to  three 
dressings  of  this  treatment  meeting  all  cases  with  exceptions  so 
few  as  to  prove  the  rule.  This  formula  is  not  essential,  any  posi- 
tive germicide  will  answer.  Freshly  devitalized  cases  through 
the  desiccating  process  can  have  contents  of  dentine  rendered 
sterile  by  immediate  treatment.  The  canals  them'selves  are  filled 
either  with  oxyphosphate  of  zinc,  into  which  is  incorpo-rated  salol 
or  iodoform  rubbed  up  with  oil  of  cinnamon,  or  a  good  alloy,  into 
which  at  times  the  latter  ingredient ^ may  be  incorporated;  or  a 
combination  of  these  two,  oxyphosphate  of  zinc  and  alloy,  rubbed 
together,  with  or  without  an  antiseptic;  or  gutta-percha  and 
sometimes  gold;  the  selection  being  generally  governed  by  the 
operation  required  upon  the  tooth  crown." 

H.  C.  Register,  Philadelphia. 


practical  joints. 


Devitalized  Deciduous  Molars. — Clean  the  canals  as  well  as 
possible,  sterilize  with  carbolic  acid,  and  inject  full  of  liquid  par- 
affin (liquified  in  a  hypodermic  syringe  under  hot  water). 

/.  W.  Cozvan,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Porcelain  Inlays,  Cutting-  the  Grooves. — I  observed  Dr.  Ten- 
kins  at  work,  and  observed  that  when  he  cut  his  grooves  he  en- 
deavored if  possible  to  get  a  filling  that  would  be  in  the  shape  of  a 
collar-button,  the  groove  being  cut  around  the  circumference  of 
the  filling,  and  in  antagonism  to  the  undercuts  in  the  tooth. 

R.  Ottolengui,  Items  of  Interest. 


•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Den  till  Proceedings,  Waveland, 
Mississippi. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  55 

Sensitive  Dentin. — When  excavating  causes  great  pain  I  dry 
the  cavities  thoroughly,  lay  in  orthoform  and  close  with  wax. 
After  one  or  two  days  the  cavity  may  be  prepared  painlessly,  or  at 
least  with  very  much  lessened  sensibility. 

Wm.  Rotenberger,  Therapeutic  Progress. 

Sensitive  Dentin. — Many  times  when  I  have  not  been  able  to 
prepare  cavities  in  sensitive  teeth  I  have  taken  a  drop  or  two  of 
some  perfume  and  put  it  in  the  tooth;  the  odor  being  diffused 
would  soothe  the  mind  of  the  patient  and  I  could  go  on  with  the 
work  the  same  as  if  I  had  used  the  cataphoric  outfit. 

A.  W.  Harlan,  Dental  Rcviezv. 

A  Low-priced  Crown. — For  the  last  twelve  months  I  have 
been  using  platinoid  for  molar  crowns  when  the  patient  is  not  able 
to  pay  for  gold,  in  this  way  restoring  to  usefulness  many  teeth 
that  would  otherwise  be  lost.  Silver  solder  answers  every  pur- 
pose and  can  be  flowed  into  the  cusps  without  danger  of  burning 
the  crown.  M.  N.  Mixon,  Dental  World. 

To  Photograph  an  Implement  or  Instrument  so  as  to  Make  a 
Working  Copy  to  Scale. — When  the  photo  is  to  be  taken  so  place 
a  clearly  marked  three-foot  rule  that  it  will  be  photographed  with 
the  object.  No  matter  what  the  size  of  the  print  or  negative  it 
will  always  be  a  true  scale,  enlarging  or  diminishing  in  exactly  the 
same  proportion  as  the  object  photographed.      London  Field. 

To  Abort  a  Boil. — Moisten  a  small  portion  of  camphor  with 
alcohol  and  rub  in  a  mortar  one-fourth  as  much  salol  until  a  trans- 
parent fluid  is  obtained — camphorated  salol.  Apply  on  cotton 
protected  from  evaporation.  In  from  twenty  to  tw^enty-four 
hours  the  pain  diminishes  'and  the  tumor  becomes  progressively 
smaller,  without  the  formation  of  pus. 

Dr.  Bozver,  Pacific  Medical  Dental  Gazette. 

Crowning  Frail  Roots. — After  thorough  cleansing  and  the  re- 
moval of  as  much  decayed  dentin  as  is  deemed  safe,  insert  a  gutta- 
percha cone  at  the  apex;  then  heat  piece  of  wire,  dip  it  in  wax  and 
press  home  with  the  gutta-percha  and  fill  the  canal  with  amalgam. 
At  the  next  sitting  remove  the  wire,  enlarge  the  opening  for  the 
reception  of  a  post  and  adjust  a  crown. 

A^.  M.  Chitterling,  Items  of  Interest. 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris. — I  have  cured  many  cases,  bad  ones,  by 
putting  a  band  around  the  neck  of  the  tooth,  letting  it  extend  well 
up,  cutting  it  first  to  the  gum  line,  wherever  that  might  be,  cut- 
ting down  tO'  the  gum  line  as  though  the  gum  margin  were  in 
proper  place,  and  fitting  the  band  well  down  under  the  margin  of 
the  gum,  in  order  to  change  the  conditions  completely.  If  you 
fit  the  band  snug  around  the  root  it  will  get  well  because  the  con- 
ditions are  changed,  although  no  amount  of  freatincr  can  make 
it  well.  '  JV.  H.  Tacrgart,  DenfarRcz'icK'. 


56  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

To  Remove  a  Broken  Broach  from  a  Root-Canal. — Insert 
twenty-five  per  cent,  pyrozone  on  cotton  in  the  canal  and  leave  it 
for  a  few  days,  when  the  broach  will  be  found  much  reduced  in 
size  and  easily  removed.      5.  L.  Walton,  Pacific  M.D.  Gazette. 

Preparation  of  Canada  Balsam  for  Lining  Cavities. — Place  the 
balsam  in  a  porcelain  dish  and  expose  to  low  heat  for  several 
hours,  so  that  when  cool  it  will  be  hard  and  friable.  Place  in  a 
small  bottle  and  add  chloroform  until  you  have  a  thin  fluid. 

A.  Osgood,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Taking  the  Bite. — I  find  it  much  better  to  take  an  impression 
before  extracting  the  teeth,  cutting  the  teeth  down  to  the  gum  line 
on  the  model.  By  taking  the  bite  before  extraction  you  get  a  cor- 
rect closure  of  the  jaws,  and  have  a  guide  to  go  by.  There  is  also 
less  liability  of  soreness  and  inflammation. 

W.  H.  Weaver,  Dental  World. 

Aseptic  Precautions  in  the  Care  of  the  Hypodermic  Syringe. — 

An  all-metal  hypodermic  syringe  which  can  be  made  aseptic  by 
boiling;  a  graduate  used  for  no  other  purpose;  clove  water  for 
making  the  solution  (this  keeps  indefinitely),  a  fresh  solution 
every  time.  After  boiling  the  needles  fold  them  in  cotton  sat- 
urated in  alcohol  and  oil  of  cloves.  Proper  precautions  will  elim- 
inate most  of  the  dangers.  /.  E.  Nyman,  Dental  Review. 

Kreasoform. — This  is  a  product  of  formaldehydic  action  on 
creosote.  It  is  antiseptic  and  disinfectant,  and  being  insoluble  in 
water  or  the  fluids  of  the  mouth  its  sticky  nature  makes  it  valuable 
as  a  filling  material  for  saucer-shaped  cavities,  especially  in  the 
teeth  of  small  children.  Mixed  with  oxid  of  zinc  it  makes  an  ex- 
cellent material  for  pulp  capping. 

Report  Com.  on  Mat.  Med.  N.  J.  S.  Den.  Society^  Items  of  In- 
terest. 

How  Much  Will  It  Cost  ? — I  believe  that  most  of  those  patients 
who  wish  to  know  beforehand  about  what  it  will  cost,  do  so  to  be 
sure  their  finances  will  allow  of  their  having  the  work  done.  Un- 
less I  know  the  party  I  am  always  suspicious  of  those  who  seem 
indifferent  as  to  the  charge  to  be  made.  Very  often  they  do  not 
bother  with  their  part  of  the  deal — that  is,.tO'  hand  over  the  cash. 

/.  E.  Crane,  Dental  Century. 

Better  Than  Pepper  Plaster. — A  topical  application  to  the 
gums,  consisting  of  ether  and  alcohol  in  which  are  dissolved  men- 
thol crystals  and  a  few  crystals  of  cocain,  is  far  more  effective  than 
a  dozen  boxes  of  ''pepper  plasters,"  whether  the  pain  is  the  result 
of  extracting  a  tooth  or  of  setting  a  crown,  or  a  wedge  or  other 
pericemental  inflammation.  Apply  on  plasters  made  of  rubber 
on  one  side  and  felting  cloth  on  the  other,  held  together  with 
gum  cement.  Moisten  the  felt  side  and  apply  to  the  gum,  renew- 
ing as  required.  A.  Retter,  Dental  Cosmos. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  57 

Pulp  Protection  Tinder  Oxyphosphate  Fillings. — Line  the  cav- 
ity with  Canada  balsam  and  tin  foil,  pressing  the  tin  foil  to  place 
with  cotton  till  a  good  adaptation  is  obtained. 

IV.  W.  Smith,  Dental  Cosmos. 
To  Control  Hemorrhage  at  Apex  of  Root  After  Pulp  Removal. 
— Wet  a  needle  of  bibulous  paper  in  bichlorid  of  mercury  and  in- 
sert in  canal.     This  will  control  hemorrhage  every  time. 

/.  Y.  Crazvford,  Alabama  Dental  Apprentice. 

Abscessed  Deciduous  Teeth. — Clean  out  the  cavity  by  mechan- 
ical means  and  pack  with  cotton  saturated  with  oil  of  cloves;  then 
make  pressure  by  means  of  unvulcanized  rubber,  filling  the  cavity 
until  the  oil  of  cloves  comes  out  of  the  fistulous  opening.  Then 
fill  the  cavity.  C.  N.  Johnson,  N.  D.  A.,  Niagara,  i8gp. 

Alveolar  Hemorrhage. — In  a  case  where  other  well-known 
methods  had  failed  and  the  patient  was  becoming  alarmingly  weak 
from  loss  of  blood,  sulphuric  acid  dropped  in  the  socket,  after 
washing  the  mouth  out  with  warm  water,  caused  the  flow  to  cease 
within  three  minutes,  and  there  was  no  subsequent  return. 

R.  W.  Turner,  Items  of  Interest. 

A  Convenient  Steam  Sterilizer. — The  ordinary  dental  vulcan- 
izer  furnishes  a  simple  and  effective  steriHzer  for  small  instru- 
ments. Place  them  in  a  bag  tied  closely  at  the  top,  put  in  the 
vulcanizer  and  run  the  thermometer  up  to  230°;  shut  ofi  the  heat 
and  allow  the  instruments  to  remain  in  the  steam  bath  for  ten 
minutes.  A  small  quantity  of  bicarbonate  of  soda  will  prevent 
rust.  Kasson  C.  Gibson,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Metal  Backings  of  Porcelain  Veneers. — The  metal  backing 
nearly  always  changes  the  shade  of  the  porcelain.  To  secure  a 
perfect  match  in  color  it  is  necessary  to  try  the  effect  of  the  back- 
ing in  the  mouth.  A  convenient  way  of  doing  this  is  to  flatten  a 
small  stick  of  wax,  warm  it  and  on  one  side  of  the  wax  press  gold 
foil,  on  the  other  platinum — or  tin  foil  will  have  the  same  eft'ect. 
The  pins  of  the  facing  can  be  stuck  through  this  and  the  facing 
brought  into  contact  with  the  backing,  and  the  effect  tried  in  the 
mouth.  5^.  H.  McAfee,  Dental  World. 

Amalgam  Fillings. — i.  Isolate  by  rubber-dam. 

2.  Remove  all  decay. 

3.  Sterilize  cavity. 

4.  Dry  thoroughly  with  alcohol  and  hot  air. 

5.  Varnish  cavity  with  thin  solution  of  rosin  in  ether. 

6.  Carefully  remove  all  varnish  from  periphery  of  cavity. 

7.  Pack  amalgam  in  usual  way. 

Ether  has  great  penetrating  powers  especially  in  the  canali- 
culi  of  the  tooth  structure.  By  using  the  rosin  and  ether  varnish 
the  canaliculi  are  reached,  and  a  very  intimate  relation  is  estab- 
lished between  the  tooth  and  the  filling. 

Geo.  IV.  Souls,  Items  of  hifcrest. 


58  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Tooth  Bleaching. — The  brown  discoloration  following  the 
death  of  a  pulp  and  the  dilYusion  of  hemoglobin  into  the  tubular 
structure  of  the  dentin  may  be  removed  by  the  prolonged  action 
of  etherial  pyrozone,  followed  by  strong  oxalic  acid. 

E.  C.  Kirk,  Dental  Cosmos. 

After-pains  of  Extraction. — I  apply  orthoform  after  every  ex- 
traction, completely  tilling  the  wounds  with  the  pain-allaying 
antiseptic;  even  though,  as  after  the  extraction  of  many  teeth, 
the  wounds  arc  numerous,  this  can  be  done  without  fear,  as  ortho- 
form  is  absolutely  non-poisonous. 

IVui.  Rotcnbergcr.  Therapeutic  Progress. 

Pulp  Devitalization  in  Deciduous  Teeth. — I  consider  it  ex- 
tremely hazardous,  dangerous,  and  unjustifiable  to  use  arsenic 
for  destroying  pulp  of  decidous  teeth.  I  say  this  in  consequence 
of  an  accident  that  happened  to  me.  I  introduced  arsenic  into  the 
crown  of  a  temporary  molar,  directing  that  the  child  be  brought 
back  in  six  hours.  It  w-as  not  brought  back  for  three  days.  As 
a  result  the  child  never  had  the  permanent  cuspid,  bicuspid  or  first 
permanent  molar.  The  germs  of  all  these  teeth  were  destroyed  in 
consequence  of  the  infiltration  of  arsenic  destroying  the  crypts  in 
which  they  were  located.  This  is  doubtless  the  cause  of  the  non- 
eruption  of  many  permanent  teeth. 

A.  [['.  Harlan,  Dental  Reviezu. 

Nirvanin. — A  number  of  extractions  were  made  from  persons 
of  varying  ages,  with  invariably  satisfactory  results  after  the  use 
of  nirvanin.  We  brushed  the  gums  with  a  five  per  cent,  solution, 
or  applied  tampons  saturated  to  the  gums,  which  produced  the 
dual  efifect  of  anaesthesia  and  antisepsis.  The  gums  were  also  in- 
jected to  the  periosteum,  on  both  sides,  the  finger  gently  pressed 
on  the  point  of  injection  to  prevent  an  outflow  of  the  liquid.  I 
prefer  to  make  the  solution  at  the  time  of  using.  I  have  had 
made  tablets  of  nirvanin,  each  containing  0.25  grammes,  of  which 
I  dissolved  one  or  two  in  ten  c.  cm.  of  water  for  immediate  use. 
No  after-afTects  appear,  and  no  paid.     Healing  is  ahvays  normal. 

Robert  Marcus,  Dental  Register. 

Setting  Bands  With  Gutta-Percha. — Wipe  out  the  band  or 
crown  with  oil  of  cajuput  and  warm  both  crown  and  pellet  of 
gutta-percha  and  press  the  latter  into  the  band;  while  still  quite 
warm  carry  to  root,  allowing  all  the  moisture  to  remain  in  the  lat- 
ter, which  permits  of  easy  withdrawal  of  band.  Remove,  and 
with  hot,  flat  burnisher  cut  oft  all  surplus,  removing  a  portion 
from  the  inside  if  there  appears  to  be  too  much.  Repeat  till  it 
will  almost  go  to  place.  When  there  is  no  exuding  gutta-percha 
dry  the  root  with  absolute  alcohol;  make  the  crown  as  warm  as 
you  can  hold  it  in  your  fingers;  drop  oil  of  cajuput  in  it  and  carry 
to  place.  By  this  means  you  are  sure  there  is  no  excess  or  exuda- 
tion of  gutta-percha.  JV.  H.  Taggart,  Dental  Reviezv. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  59 

To  Improve  the  Color  of  Amalgam. — Dissolve  gold  foil  in  the 
mercury — from  one  to  four  sheets  of  No.  4  foil  to  one  ounce  of 
mercury.  A.  0.  Osgood,  Dental  Cosmos. 

A  Germicidal  Dentifrice. — My  patients  use  a  dentifrice  in 
which  hydronapthol  and  oil  of  cassia  are  the  principal  germicides 
With  patients  who  use  this  freely  and  faithfully  the  results  have 
often  been  astonishing.  Decay  has  in  many  instances  been  al- 
most entirely  arrested.         /.  Leon  Williams,  Items  of  Interest. 

To  Correct  the  Unpleasant  Odor  and  Feeling  of  Rubber-dam. — 
Wipe  it  perfectly  clean  with  a  damp  napkin  or  sponge;  dry  thor- 
oughly; dust  with  borated  talcum  powder.  Rub  it  over  lightly 
with  the  fingers  and  you  have  a  smooth,  slightly-scented  satin  sur- 
face, which  will  readily  pass  into  the  closest  spaces  without  soap 
or  cosmolin.  /.  C.  Gary,  Dental  Headlight. 

Bleaching  of  Cataphoresis. — Where  a  tooth  is  very  black  from 
an  old  amalgam  filling  fill  the  cavity  with  cotton  carrying  sul- 
phuric acid — three  to  five  per  cent,  solution — first  filling  the  root 
with  gutta-percha  if  well  open  towards  the  apex.  Apply  the  neg- 
ative instead  of  the  positive  pole  and  turn  on  the  current.  In  a 
few  moments  the  oxid  will  have  been  transferred  from  the  tooth 
to  the  cottO'U.  5.  E.  Guilbert,  Items  of  Interest. 

Removal  of  Porcelain  Crown  Set  With  Gutta-Percha. — When, 
for  any  reason,  it  becomes  necessary  to  remove  a  crown  that  has 
been  set  with  gutta-percha  heat  the  crown,  using  a  miniature 
alcohol  lamp  made  by  passing  a  cotton  string  through  a  medicine 
dropper,  cutting  it  off  even  with  the  tapering  end.  With  a  few 
drops  of  alcohol  you  have  a  flame  about  the  size  of  a  pin's  head. 

R.  Eugene  Payne,  Items  of  Interest. 

Velum  Rubber  in  Plate  Work. — In  a  case  where  the  mouth 
was  very  flat  and  tender,  and  in  which  a  plate  made  in  the  or- 
dinary way  would  not  ''stay  up,"  I  made  a  plate  with  the  entire 
roof  of  the  mouth  of  velum  rubber,  using  hard  rubber  next  to  the 
pins  and  pink  rubber  for  the  gums.  The  piece  was  vulcanized 
with  tin  foil  on  both  sides,  as  velum  rubber  cannot  be  polished. 
It  has  been  perfectly  satisfactory. 

'  M.  N.  Mixon,  Dental  World. 

Painless  Extraction — Clyde  Payne's  Local  Anaesthetic. — 

R.    Cocaiu. 15  gr. 

Glyceriu 5  drachms. 

Nitroglycerin.    -^j^  gr. 

Morp.  sulph   I  gr. 

Atropia  sulph 1  gr. 

Carbolic  acid 3  drops. 

Distilled  water  to  make 2  oz. 

Glycerin  localizes  the  cocain,  holding  it  in  opposition  to  the 
parts;  nitroglycerin  stimulates  the  heart;  the  sulphates  overcome 
after-pain;  the  carbolic  acid  preserves  the  solution.  The  prepara- 
tion contains  one  and  one-half  per  cent,  cocain. 

Southern  Dental  louDial. 


6o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Gutta-Perclia  in  Setting  Crowns  and  Bridges. — I  have  been 
using  gutta-percha  for  some  time  in  setting  crowns  and  bridges 
and  I  think  gutta-percha  will  add  about  fifteen  years  to  my  life,  for 
now  if  any  accident  should  happen  so  that  a  crown  or  bridge 
should  need  to  be  removed  it  is  almost  as  easy  as  taking  out  a 
plate.  A.  W.  McCandless,  Dental  Reviezv. 

Three  Requisites  for  a  Root-Canal  Filling — Adaptability, 
Compatibility,  Removability. — A  proper  combination  and  manip- 
ulation of  oxychlorid  of  zinc  cement,  low-heat  gutta-percha  and 
electrozone  will  give  a  filling  which  fulfils  these  requisites. 

Incorporate  with  the  cement  powder  one  drop  of  concen- 
trated electrozone  and  add  sufficient  of  the  cement  liquid  to  make 
a  creamy  paste.  The  combination  of  the  cement  with  the  electro- 
zone hastens  the  elimination  of  chlorin  and  other  sterilizing  gases 
which  permeate  the  dentin.  Pump  the  paste  into  the  canal  and 
follow  with  a  gutta-percha  cone  very  slightly  warmed. 

G.  W.  Knight,  Items  of  Interest. 


Removal  of  lodin  and  Silver  Nitrate  Stains. — Stains  of  iodin 
from  skin  or  clothing  are  readily  removed  by  the  application 
of  the  hyposulphite  of  soda. 

Nitrate  of  silver  stains  are  removed  by  first  painting  with 
iodin,  following  with  an  application  of  ammonia. 

International  Dental  Journal. 

Is  There  a  Sense  of  Taste  ? — According  to  some  experiments 
which  have  been  made  at  the  University  of  Iowa,  sensations  of 
taste  seem  really  to  be  combinations  of  reports  to  the  brain  made 
by  the  nerves  of  sight,  smell  and  touch.  P'or  instance,  few 
among  a  large  number  of  persons  upon  whom  tests  were  made 
could  distinguish,  when  their  eyes  were  covered  and  their  noses 
closed,  between  weak  solutions  of  tea,  cofifee  and  quinin. 

Microbes  in  the  Beard. — Dr.  Schoull,  of  Tunis,  has  discovered 
that  the  beard  is  simply  a  ''happy  hunting  ground"  of  bacilli.  He 
has  proved  it  upon  the  guinea  pig,  whom  he  has  inoculated  with 
the  "material  obtained  from  beards  and  mustaches,"  with  results 
distressing  to  the  guinea  pig,  and  alarming  to  those  who  had 
been  in  more  or  less  contact  with  the  beards  and  mustaches  afore- 
said. This  is  a  very  disagreeable  discovery,  and  may  seriously 
effect  the  popularity  of  a  form  of  facial  adornment  which  has 
hitherto  been  regarded  as  open  to  no  other  objection  than  that  it  is 
a  nuisance  to  its  wearer  when  in  the  act  of  taking  soup.  But  what 
are  a  few  shreds  of  vermicelli  compared  with  a  whole  army  of 
able-bodied  bacilli  lying  in  ambush  for  their  victims,  and  what  is 
more,  ready  to  make  victims  of  anybody  who  happens  to  come 
within  their  range?  "  Sanitarian. 


MISCELLANY.  6i 

Eevocation  of  the  Right  to  Practice  Medicine. — '^The  Supreme 
Court  of  Iowa  recently  rendered  a  decision  declaring  that  the 
State  Board  of  Medical  Examiners  possessed  the  right  to  revoke 
the  license  of  any  physician  whom  it  considers  incompetent  to 
practice  medicine. 

Chloroform  in  India. — It  has  been  found  that  an  apparatus 
for  killing  animals  with  chloroform  in  England  would  not  work 
in  India,  because  the  high  temperature  prevented  the  concentra- 
tion of  the  chloroform  vapor.  That  this  was  the  case  was  proved 
by  the  fact  that  by  placing  ice  in  the  box  the  animals  were  readily 
killed. 

Skulls  and  Brain  Capacity. — Professor  Arthur  Thompson, 
in  the  October  number  of  Knowledge,  deals  w;.th  the  form  of  skulls 
and  brain  capacity.  The  average  weight  of  a  man's  brain  is  about 
fifty  ounces;  that  of  a  woman  about  forty-five  ounces.  This  dif- 
ference between  the  sexes  is  less  marked  in  savage  than  in  civil- 
ized races,  and  is  apparently  explained  by  the  fact  that  in  the 
higher  races  more  attention  is  paid  to  the  education  of  the  male 
than  the  female,  and  consequently  the  brain  is  stimulated  to  in- 
creased growth. 

Anchylosis  of  the  Jaw  Due  to  Interstitial  Myositis. — Seggel 
(Duetsch.  ZeiL  f.  Chir.,  May,  1899)  describes  a  case  of  anchy- 
losis of  the  jaw  of  rather  unusual  character.  The  patient  was  a 
woman  aged  forty-eight  years,  who  lost  all  of  the  molar  teeth  on 
the  left  side  on  account  of  caries.  They  were  pulled  out  in  a 
rough  manner  and  marked  inflammation  followed  each  extrac- 
tion. Three  years  after  their  removal  the  patient  was  exposed 
to  a  severe  wetting  and  was  thoroughly  chilled.  The  left  side 
of  the  face  swelled  badly,  and  this  swelling  and  pain  lasted  for 
more  than  three  months.  From  that  time  on  the  cheek  never 
regained  its  normal  size,  but  grew  gradually  larger  without  pain 
until  it  was  impossible  to  open  the  jaw.  A  diagnosis  of  sarcoma 
of  the  ascending  portion  of  the  jaw  was  made,  and  an  extensive 
resection  of  the  bone  and  soft  parts,  including  the  whole  of  the 
parotid  gland,  was  carried  out.  Complete  facial  paralysis  of  that 
side  resulted.  The  wound  healed  well,  and  in  six  weeks  the 
patient  could  open  her  mouth  nearly  an  inch.  The  tendency  of 
the  jaw  to  fall  to  the  right  side  was  counteracted  by  a  plate  with 
an  inclined  surface.  Microscopical  examination  of  the  excised 
muscle  showed  that  its  fibers  were  separated  by  a  large  amount 
of  cicatricial  tissue  and  the  fibers  themselves  were  atrophied. 
The  question  of  syphilis,  after  careful  consideration,  was  rejected. 
The  lesions  appeared  to  be  due  to  traumatism  at  the  time  of  the 
extraction  of  the  teeth  and  to  the  inflammation  caused  at  that 
time,  and  after  the  exposure  to  the  weather.  Several  similar 
cases  have  been  reported,  although  usually  anchylosis  of  the  jaw 
IS  due  to  syphilis,  or  to  myositis  ossificans  progressiva,  or 
rheumatism.  Medical  News. 


€2  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

A  New  Alloy  is  being  used  in  Paris  in  the  construction  of  the 
bodies  of  automobile  vehicles.  It  has  been  used  by  De  Dion 
and  Bouton,  and  has  been  given  the  name  of  Partinium.  It  is 
an  alloy  of  aluminum  with  tungsten,  and  gives  a  metal  with  a 
specific  gravity  of  2.89  when  cast  and  3.09  when  rolled.  It  is  said 
to  be  stronger  than  aluminum,  and  almost  as  light,  while  at  the 
same  time  it  is  less  expensive. 

Dentistry  in  France. — This  sign — "Dr.  Sylvester,  American 
Dentist" — at  the  entrance  to  his  office  in  a  French  city  resulted  in 
the  condemnation  of  the  dentist  on  two  indictments:  i,  for 
practicing  under  a. pseudonym,  as  his  name  was  in  reality  Sylves- 
ter Baumgartner;  and  2,  for  neglecting  to  append  the  source  of 
his  medical  diploma,  the  court  asserting  that  dentistry  being  a 
branch  of  medicine,  the  derivation  of  the  title  of  "Dr."  must  be 
stated  on  the  sign  to  conform  to  the  French  law  in  respect  to 
aliens  practicing  in  France. 

Wealth  and  Health. — 

There  was  a  man  in  our  town 

Invested  all  his  health, 
With  madly  avaricious  aim, 

To  win  the  goal  of  wealth  ; 
And  when  the  same  he  had  attained. 

With  all  his  might  and  main, 
He  vainly  lavished  all  his  wealth 

To  get  his  health  again. 

Collier's  Weekly. 

Lute  for  Alcohol  Bottles. — The  following  cement  is  used  by 
Camerano  for  sealing  specimen  jars  containing  preparations  pre- 
served in  alcohol  in  the  Zoological  Museum  at  Turin.  It  is 
stated  that  it  gives  a  perfect  hermetic  seal,  which  is  impervious 
to  alcohol,  and  will  last  indefinitely.  Caoutchouc,  200;  suet, 
125,  are  melted  together  (caoutchouc  in  the  form  of  old  rubber 
tubing  cut  in  small  pieces  may  be  used);  French  chalk,  200,  is 
then  stirred  in.  The  mixture  is  allowed  to  cool  and  keeps  in- 
definitely. To  use  it  it  is  warmed  and  a  little  taken  up  on  a 
glass  rod  or  a  piece  of  wood  is  applied  to  the  parts  to  be  luted. 

Petit  Mon.  Pharm. 

The  Sterilization  of  Water  by  Means  of  Ozone  has  now  been 
in  operation  at  Lille  for  some  months,  and  a  Commission,  includ- 
ing Drs.  Roux  and  Calmette,  has  recently  issued  a  report  on  its 
efficiency.  The  ozone  was  produced  electrically  and  was 
thoroughly  mixed  with  the  water,  the  amount  present  varying 
from  5  to  10  mgms.  of  ozone  per  litre  of  air.  The  amount  of 
water  treated  was  35  cubic  meters  per  hour.  The  conclusions  of 
the  commission  are  very  favorable.  The  apparatus  worked  well 
and  simply,  and  brought  about  a  marked  sterilization  of  the 
water.  The  untreated  water  contained  over  2,000  organisms  per 
cubic  centimeter,  after  passing  through  the  ozonizer  it  contained 
only  two  or  three  organisms  (B.  subtilis)  per  cubic  centimeter. 

Pharmaceutical  Journal. 


THE 

DENTAL   BRIEF. 

Vol.  V.  PHILADELPHIA,  FEBRUARY,  1900.  No.  2 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


THE   STATUS   OF   DENTISTRY  VERSUS   PERSONAL 
REPUTATION.* 

By  Grant  Mitchell,  D.D.S.,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

Almost  since  the  beginning  of  dentistry,  as  a  quasi-independ- 
ent science,  there  have  been  clamors  in  certain  quarters  for  "ele- 
vating the  dignity  of  the  profession."  The  recommendations 
and  endeavors,  hov^ever,  to  effect  this  laudable  purpose  usually 
fall  short,  because  of  a  manifest  misapprehension  as  to  what 
constitutes  "professional  dignity." 

Such  conditions  are  apparent,  to  a  greater  or  less  degree, 
in  all  professions ;  especially  those  in  which  low  standards  of  pre- 
liminary requirement  have  become  established.  Furthermore, 
a  profession  whose  mechanical  aspects  are  prominent,  as  in  den- 
tistry, is  at  a  greater  disadvantage  than  one  purely  intellectual 
in  character. 

The  glitter  of  a  professional  title,  and  the  evident  ease  with 
which  it  may  be  obtained — by  merely  developing  a  little  ability 
in  the  manipulative  processes,  and  memorizing  enough  of  the 
seeming  "irrelevant"  matter  to  pass  a  far  too  lax  examination 
— attracts  persons  who  do  not  possess  a  semblance  of  qualifica- 
tion; whose  lack  of  cultivation  renders  them  incapable  of  com- 
prehending the  vast  scientific  side  of  the  profession  for  which  they 
are  unsuited,  and  to  which  the  operative  features  are  merely  in- 
cidental. It  is  such  as  these  who  seem  in  greatest  distress  in  re- 
gard to  the  "dignity  of  the  profession." 

It  would  seem  that  the  self-esteem  of  these  persons  so  in- 
creases upon  gaining  entrance  to  the  outer  chamber,  or  handicraft 


*  Read  before  the  Odontological  Society  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  at 
Beaver  Falls,  Pa.,  September  12th,  1899. 

6s 


64  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

department,  of  a  scientific  pursuit,  that  they  become  subject  to 
spasms  of  solicitude  for  the  profession  which  bestowed  on  them  a 
title.  And  their  thankfulness  for  the  gift  finds  easy  expression  in 
chattering  attempts  to  ''elevate  her  dignity." 

The  design,  in  some  instances,  may  be  highly  commendable. 
But  the  plan  for  carrying  it  into  execution  can  be  effectual  only 
when  directed  toward  self-improvement.  This,  however,  does 
not  appear  to  be  comprehended  in  the  notions  of  professional 
dignity.  Rather  than  thus  devote  time  to  educating,  developing, 
cultivating  one's  self,  it  seems  more  in  harmony  with  the  eternal 
unfitness  of  things  to  waste  it  in  narrow  discussions  of  shallow 
ethical  questions,  and  in  unscientific,  inconsequent  caviling  over 
fees. 

The  dental  profession  is  not  thus  to  be  dignified.  Neither 
ethics  nor  fees  have  aught  to  do  with  the  honor  and  glory  of  this 
calling.  In  its  broadest  sense,  dentistry  is  one  of  the  most  ex- 
alted of  the  learned  professions.  No  other  occupies  a  higher 
sphere.  None  requires  such  a  diversity  of  talents,  nor  a  greater 
degree  of  excellence  in  them,  for  its  successful  practice. 

The  briefest  glance  at  the  literature  of  this  profession  should 
suffice  to  convince  the  most  skeptical  that  her  dignity  does  not 
suffer  in  its  present  elevation.  An  inspection  of  such  stupend- 
ous works  as  have  come  from  the  hands  of  Miller,  Litch, 
Bodecker  and  many  others;  an  insight  into  the  character  of  her 
periodical  literature,  such  as  the  Cosmos,  the  International,  the 
Ohio,  and  an  array  of  journals  too  numerous  to  mention,  is 
almost  overwhelming.  It  seems  impossible  not  to  feel  a  pitiful 
lack  of  power  to  budge  her  dignity  an  iota. 

Notwithstanding  this,  there  are  those  in  her  own  ranks  who 
imagine  that  ethics  and  fees  are  essential  parts  of  this  lofty 
vocation.  What  wonder  that  public  estimate  falls  below  her 
desert? 

Professions,  like  men,  are  judged  not  by  their  best  produc- 
tions, but  by  their  very  worst.  Only  a  few  days  ago  a  bright  young 
woman  said  she  never  thought  it  required  a  very  "smart  man" 
to  be  a  dentist,  and  cited  in  evidence  some  notable  examples  of 
uneducated  men  who,  in  a  business  sense,  were  successful  prac- 
titioners. Numerous  inquiries  have  elicited  the  fact  that  this 
view  expresses,  substantially,,  the  popular  idea  of  the  dental  pro- 
fession, and  the  reason  for  it  is  painfully  obvious. 

It  is  not  necessary  that  the  public  should  have  a  knowledge 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  65 

of  law,  medicine,  or  theology  to  comprehend  the  dignity  of  those 
callings.  The  intellectual  character  of  the  men  engaged  in  them 
suffices.  Seldom  do  persons  of  undisciplined  mind  find  recog- 
nition among  them.  Whereas  in  the  dental  profession  the  mul- 
tiplicity of  colleges  established  for  revenue  and  glory;  the  rivalry 
among  them  for  large  attendance;  the  disregard  of  the  profes- 
sion in  assuming  the  responsibilties  of  the  preceptor  and  adviser 
has  resulted  in  a  low  order  of  requirements  in  the  very  begin- 
ning, and  this  not  rigidly  exacted. 

Can  there  be  any  wonder  that  the  expression: — ''What 
t'  'ell's  that  got  to  do  with  gold  fillings?" — so  common  among  stu- 
dents when  confronted  with  difficulties  in  memorizing  (not  learn- 
ing) histology,  bacteriology,  physiology,  anatomy,  chemistry,  or 
any  of  the  collateral  branches,  has  come  to  be  a  byword?  Or  is 
it  a  wonder  that  these  same  students,  after  graduation,  fail  to 
impress  upon  the  world  that  dentistry  is  more  than  a  mere  trade, 
like  the  carpenter's,  the  plumber's,  or  the  machinist's,  or  that  the 
general  public  regard  it  as  differing  from  these  only  in  degree  of 
delicacy,  and,  even  in  this  inferior  as  compared  with  the  trade  of 
the  manufacturing  jeweler? 

Even  among  the  students  who  imagine  that  gold  fillings 
constitute  the  dizziest  heights  of  dental  possibilities  the  majority 
succeed  in  mastering  only  the  meagre  rudiments  of  their  proper 
introduction,  and  fail  to^  grasp,  in  their  fullness,  as  in  their  refine- 
ments, the  underlying  principles  of  that  department  of  practice; 
they  do  things  thus-and-so  because  the  demonstrator  told  them 
to!  Failing  to  get  at  the  "reason  why,"  they  never  come  to  an 
understanding  of  the  all  too  evident  fact,  that  dentistry  offers  no 
middle  ground  upon  which  to  stand;  that  nothing  may  be  effected 
which  will  merely  "answer  the  purpose;"  that  operations  are 
accomplished  perfectly,  or  they  are  simply  imperfect;  and  that 
there  cannot  exist  a  "slight"  imperfection  in  any  dental  operation. 

How  fortunate  for  many  that  structural  and  hygienic  con- 
ditions so  often  defer  the  "evil  day"  until  a  reputation  is  realized! 
How  equally  fortunate  that  personal  reputations  are  achieved — 
not  through  public  recognition  of  fitness  to  engage  in  a  scientific 
vocation,  but  through  the  ability  of  individualities  to  favorably 
impress  themselves  upon  a  credulous  public  mind.  And  how 
unfortunate  for  the  profession  that  this  same  public  mind  is  only 
capable  of  measuring  the  profession  from  the  man's  station,  and 
not  the  man  from  the  profession's  point  of  view.     Were  this 


66  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

order  reversed,  dentistry  could  not  be  accredited  with  being  a 
"trade"  which  "does  not  require  very  'smart'  men  to  engage  in 
it;"  and  the  army  of  artisans  who  presume  to  operate  in  this  field 
— deficient  in  education,  both  general  and  special — would  be 
rated  where  they  justly  belong — with  the  pettifogging  shysters! 

Can  you  imagine  such  men  presenting  dentistry  in  the  light 
of  a  science?  Destitute  aHke  of  learning  and  of  industry,  of 
judgment  and  of  skill,  the  plane  they  occupy  is  so  far  below  the 
level  of  scientific  dentistry  that  it  would  require  a  special  dis- 
pensation of  Providence  to  raise  them  high  enough  to  gain  a 
horizontal  view  of  the  substratum  upon  which  her  professional 
foundation  is  laid !  Yet  they  form  a  remarkable  proportion  of  the 
practitioners,  and  contribute  to  the  public  notion  of  things. 

Many  of  those  of  the  "better  class/'  who  acquired  a  fair  edu- 
cation before  embarking  in  the  profession,  instead  of  progress- 
ing and  imprcving,  have  allowed  themselves  to  fall  into  careless 
habits,  especially  of  speech;  habits  which,  so  far  from  impressing 
the  idea  of  erudition,  convey,  rather,  the  notion  that  "it  doesn't 
require  a  very  smart  man  to  be  a  dentist." 

These  are  the  men  who  are  partially  responsible  for  the  im- 
pression regarding  "professional  dentistry"  entertained  by  med- 
ical men.  I  am,  of  course,  fully  aware  that  the  same  conditions 
here  described  are  equally  operative  in  the  medical  profession; 
with  this  difference  in  their  favor,  the  superstition  which  clings 
to  the  curative  power  of  drugs  and  the  altogether  over-rated 
notion  of  the  M.D.'s  knowledge  thereof  held  by  nearly  every- 
body. I  am  also  cognizant  of  a  suspicion  of  jealousy  concern- 
ing the  dental  specialty,  and  of  the  utter,  almost  hopeless,  lack 
of  knowledge  pertaining  to  the  simplest  functions  of  dental 
surgery. 

However,  there  are  some  just  reasons  for  the  contempt  in 
which  they  hold  us,  professionally,  in  the  glaring  misapplication 
and  mispronounciation  of  simple  technical  terms,  into  which 
careless  habits  of  speech  have  led  us.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  this 
society  no  less  than  seven  errors  of  this  sort  were  noted  in  the 
discussion  of  a  single  essay. 

Inattention  to  niceties  of  speech  is  too  common,  as  in  allu- 
sions to  alveolar  abscesses  as  "bealed"  or  "ulcerated  teeth;"  to 
devitalized  pulps  as  "dead  nerves,"  or  "dead  teeth;"  to  devital- 
ization and  extirpation  of  pulps  as  "killing  the  nerves,"  etc. 
Such   mispronunciations   as   the   "lar-nyx,"  the   "phar-nyx,"   of 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  67 

"ple-thor-k,"  ''ane-mi-a,"  etc.;  or  the  adoption  of  the  lay  desig- 
nations, such  as  *'eye  teeth,"  '"canines"  and  "wisdom  teeth,"  when 
the  cuspids  and  third  molars  are  referred  to;  and,  in  rarer  in- 
stances, such  ungrammatical  expressions  as:  **'skun  the  skin  off" 
and  **skint  his  knuckle,"  do  not  compel  admiration  for  the  pro- 
fession admitting  "smart  men"  of  this  mold  to  its  apparently  suc- 
cessful practice. 

Nor  is  it  improved,  on  the  other  hand,  by  indulgence  in 
silly,  ultra-professionalisms,  like  "aurification  of  carious  cavi- 
ties," when  gold  fillings  are  meant;  or  "dentes  sapientiae,"  when 
the  third  molars  are  spoken  of.  Neither  are  extremes  of  cour- 
tesy, such  as  invocations  to  patients  to  "spit  kindly  please,"  im- 
pressive of  much  culture. 

Next  to  the  questions  of  ethics  and  fees  the  crudest  tortures 
the  "tradesman-dentist"  is  called  upon  to  endure,  probably,  re- 
lates to  the  necessity  of  educating  the  public,  ostensibly,  in  things 
pertaining  to  the  health  and  care  of  the  teeth.  And  the  sugges- 
tions offered  are  as  numerous  as  they  are  ridiculous. 

Gentlemen  of  the  Odontological  Society,  for  the  sake  of 
personal  reputation,  for  the  sake  of  the  standing  of  your  profes- 
sion, educate  the  public  by  practical  demonstration  that  dentistry 
is  a  science  of  such  importance  that  a  high  order  of  intelligence 
is  essential  to  the  appreciation  and  accomplishment  of  its  aims; 
that  the  teeth  in  their  intimate  relation  with  the  other  organs  of 
the  human  body,  as  is  so  frequently  exhibited  in  the  more  pro- 
nounced and  directly  traceable  reflex  manifestations,  are  organs 
worthy  of  the  greatest  care  and  attention;  and  that  only  "smart 
men"  can  give  them  this.  Then  limit  the  efforts  at  popular  edu- 
cation in  dentistry  to  the  only  professional,  dignified  and  effec- 
tive channel — ^personal  intercourse,  at  your  office,  beside  your 
chairs. 

In  the  matter  of  popular  special  education,  it  does  not  appear 
that  the  oculist  finds  it  necessary  to  resort  to  unusual  means 
in  acquainting  the  public  with  the  importance  of  caring  for  the 
eye.  And,  by  the  way,  whence  comes  the  evident  difference  in  re- 
spectability between  this  gentleman  and  the  dentist?  What  is 
there  in  the  practice  of  his  specialty  that  requires  a  thorough 
knowledge  of  general  medicine?  Whereas  in  the  dental  specialty 
D.D.S.  seems  almost  superfluous.  His  work  is  very  much  in 
the  same  order  as  that  of  the  dental  surgeon;  he  is  called  upon 
to  relieve  suffering;  to  remove  foreign  substances  which  irritate 


68  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

sensitive  tissues;  to  remove  diseased  and  destroyed  tissues;  and, 
all  in  all,  his  occupation  is  largely  mechanical. 

I  wonder  why  dictionaries,  like  the  International,  the  recog- 
nized authority  of  the  United  States  Supreme  Court,  define  "den- 
tist" as  "one  whose  business  it  is  to  clean,  extract,  or  repair 
natural  teeth,  and  to  make  and  insert  artificial  ones;"  and  "ocu- 
list" as  "one  skilled  in  treating  diseases  of  the  eye?"  Why  "den- 
tistry" is  defined  as  "the  art  or  profession  of  a  dentist;"  and 
"ophthalmology"  as  "the  science  which  treats  of  the  structure, 
functions,  and  diseases  of  the  eye?"  It  would  seem  as  though  the 
young  woman's  idea  was  not  far  wrong.  In  the  present  state  of 
affairs  it  doesn't  "require  a  very  smart  man  to  be  a  dentist." 

The  purpose  of  dental  conventions  is  the  investigation  and 
interchange  of  ideas  relating  to  the  prevention,  cure  or  allevia- 
tion of  diseases  of  the  mouth  and  associate  parts,  and  the  promo^- 
tion  of  the  science  engaging  our  abilities  by  an  increase  in  the 
store  of  individual  knowledge,  as  well  as  by  a  consideration  of  all 
collateral  questions,  arising  from  time  to  time,  which  have  a 
bearing  upon  the  improvement  of  the  profession  as  a  body. 

I  am  not  persuaded  that  discussions  of  "professional  ethics" 
have  ever  done  more  in  this  line  than  gratify  the  vanity  of  him 
who  had  "views"  to  parade,  or  an  axe  to  grind,  and  am  of  the 
opinion  that  if  a  man  be  a  professional  man,  he  is  such  from  in- 
herent instincts,  and  not  because  he  "subscribed  to  the  code," 
Nor  am  I  aware  that  indorsement  of  the  code  has  in  any  case 
prevented  unprincipled  persons  from  becoming  quacks  and  charl- 
atans. On  the  contrary,  I  am  convinced  that  in  many  instances 
persons  have  veiled  themselves  behind  the  code  to  do  that,  of 
which  no  honest  man  would  be  guilty. 

It  is  the  old  story  of  the  silk  purse  and  the  porcine  ear. 
As  well  expect  rogues  and  knaves  to^  become  honest  citizens 
through  lectures  on  law  and  morality,  or  expect  blackguards  to 
become  gentlemen  by  acquainting  them  with  the  Ten  Command- 
ments, as  hope  that  charlatans  will  be  converted  by  harpings  on 
ethics. 

The  question  of  fees  I  consider  one  for  each  person  to  settle 
for  himself.  In  no  sense  is  it  a  subject  of  more  than  passing  in- 
terest to  the  profession  as  a  body.  So  long  as  there  exists  a  di- 
versity of  professional  attainments  and  human  conditions,  there 
must,  in  all  justice,  be  a  difference  in  rewards  for  services.  And 
no  man,  nor.  body  of  men,  has  a  right  to  meddle.     This  is  a 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  69 

matter  of  private  business,  not  of  public  policy;  and  each  man  is 
the  best  judge  of  the  value  of  his  own  services. 

To  my  apprehension,  discussions  of  these  subjects  do  not 
conduce  to  the  moral  or  intellectual  development  of  the  pro- 
fession. There  is  nothing  in  them  of  an  elevating  nature.  The 
strictest  interpretation  of  the  code  of  ethics  cannot  improve  a 
man's  grammar;  nor  the  rigid  exaction  of  extortionate  fees  refine 
his  intelligence.  And  both  culture  and  intelligence  are  essential 
characteristics  of  the  truly  professional  man. 

I  have  already  alluded  to  the  manner  of  educating  the  public 
in  matters  dental.  Let  us  look  at  this  a  Httle  closer.  I  am  aware 
the  notion  prevails  in  the  public  mind  that  the  highest  qualifica- 
tion of  a  competent  dentist  is  his  ability  to  extract  teeth  deftly 
and  painlessly,  and  his  facility  in  the  artistic  restoration  of  dis- 
eased or  lost  parts.  I  have  full  knowledge  of  the  fact  that  woe- 
ful ignorance  exists  in  reference  to  hygienic  and  prophylactic 
measures;  that  very  many  otherwise  fastidious  people  either  do 
not  know  or  are  careless  of  the  fact  that  cleanliness  of  the  mouth 
is  as  essential  to  health  as  a  clean  skin.  And  I  quite  realize  that 
few,  if  any,  recognize  dental  caries  as  a  disease,  sometimes  local, 
more  often  an  expression  or  result  of  constitutional  disturbance; 
or,  conversely,  that  through  the  intricate  nervous  connection  be- 
tween the  teeth  and  distant  organs  many  of  the  apparent  disor- 
ders which  baffle  the  skill  of  learned  medical  men  could  be 
avoided  by  early  and  intelligent  attention  tO'  the  dental  organs. 

In  view  of  facts  like  these  there  can  exist  no  shadow  of 
doubt  as  to  an  urgent  need  of  popular  instruction  in  elemental 
dentistry.  But  how  may  it  best  be  imparted?  By  ''inserting 
chapters  in  the  text-books  on  physiology  used  in  the  public 
schools?"  The  very  conditions  enumerated  above  render  this 
inexpedient;  and  doubly  so,  since  the  public  for  years  have  been 
educated  by  tooth  extractors  and  incompetents  to  believe  in  the 
comparative  unimportance  of  the  dental  organs;  a  belief  that  is 
strengthened  by  the  fact  that  vastly  more  artistic  and  more  useful 
substitutes  can  be  constructed  for  the  teeth  than  for  any  other 
member  of  the  human  body. 

To  overcome  this  belief  no  concerted,  intelligent  effort  seems 
to  have  been  made.  The  text-book  plan  is  not  feasible.  The 
public  has  not  been  educated  to  a  perception  of  the  truth  and  is 
not.  therefore,  ready  for  an  innovation  which,  once  started,  might 
lead  tO'  other  chapters  on  "the  Eye  and  Ear,"  "the  Nose  and 


70  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Throat,"  "Genito-Urinary,''  "Gynecology,"  and  other  specialties 
of  the  healing  science,  the  study  of  which  is  subversive  of  the 
true  purpose  of  a  public  school  training. 

Reasons,  in  such  numbers  and  of  such  force  as  to  outweigh " 
all  considerations  of  good  accruing,  might  be  given  to  show  that 
"the  judicious  resort  to  pamphlets,"  or  **the  columns  of  the  daily 
press,"  are  impracticable,  inadvisable,  and  positively  objection- 
able. But  I  should  too  far  overstep  the  limits  of  my  time  by 
further  pursuing  the  subject.  Before  concluding,  however,  I  will 
venture  to  reiterate,  that  if  the  public — the  better  class — appears 
to  be  growing  out  of  the  notions  and  beliefs  hitherto  entertained, 
if  it  is  gradually  showing  a  higher  appreciation  of  the  dental 
organs  (and  it  is),  the  results  are  due  entirely — exclusively — to 
the  properly  directed  efforts  of  intelligent  practitioners  in  per- 
sonal intercourse,  at  their  offices,  besides  their  chairs. 

My  intelligent  friends,  you  who  are  bringing  about  this  mag- 
nificent result,  let  your  efforts  continue  until  not  only  is  the 
public  mind  imbued  with  a  higher  and  yet  higher  appreciation 
of  your  noble  calling,  but  until  your  fellow  practitioners  begin 
to  entertain  more  than  the  present  vague,  uncertain  notion  that 
dentistry  is  other  than  a  "trade;"  until  he  awakens  to  a  full  real- 
ization of  the  truth  that  the  "science  which  treats  of  the  anatomy 
and  physiological  functions  of  the  human  mouth,  and  associate 
parts,  and  the  diseases  incident  thereto"  is  one  for  which  the 
name  dentistry  is  totally  inadequate.  Let  your  efforts  so  ex- 
tend that  dental  colleges  may  eventually  be  compelled  to  exact 
intelligence  as  the  first  preliminary  requirement  instead  of  a 
"hundred  dollars."  And  thus  a  class  of  students  may  be  em- 
barked in  the  profession  who  can  comprehend  that  anatomy, 
physiology,  etc.,  have  all  to  do  with  their  profession,  and  that 
gold  fillings  are  but  a  means  to  an  end,  and  never  the  end 
itself! 

What  have  these  branches  to  do  with  "gold  fillings?"  Let 
me  tell  you  one  simple  lictle  story:  A  student,  in  one  of  the  few 
really  excellent  dental  colleges,  once  went  to  the  clinical  professor 
to  obtain  an  agent  used  in  bleaching  the  teeth.  In  order  that  he 
might  not  be  guilty  of  a  regretable  error,  through  ignorance  of 
its  properties,  he  asked  the  professor  if  the  agent — peroxid  of 
sodium — would  affect  steel  instruments.  The  reply  was:  "Does 
an  alkali  act  upon  metals?"  The  moral  of  this  is  too  plain  to 
need  elucidation.    Learn  not  only  chemistry,  but  all  branches  of 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS,  71 

the  science  you  aim  to  practice  for  their  practical  appHcation 
and  not  for  the  purpose  of  passing  examinations! 

My  friends,  you  who'  have  the  interest  of  your  profession  at 
heart,  let  not  your  efforts  abate  until  you  have  stimulated  your 
more  uncouth  brethren  to  exertions  leading  to  self-education  and 
self-culture.  Teach  them  the  necessity  of  reading  good  books; 
that  their  ideas  may  grow  broader,  and  their  manners  become 
more  refined. 

Show  them  that  in  books,  "with  the  exception  of  the  violently 
satirical  and  the  violently  sentimental  specimens,  we  find  the 
closest  imitation  of  men  and  manners;  and  are  admitted  to  ex- 
amine the  very  web  and  texture  of  society  as  it  really  exists, 
and  as  we  meet  with  it  when  we  come  into^  the  world.  That  we 
are  brought  acquainted  with  an  infinite  variety  of  characters,  all 
a  little  more  amusing,  and,  for  the  greater  part,  more  true  to 
general  nature  than  those  we  meet  with  in  actual  life,  and  have 
our  moral  impressions  far  more  frequently  called  out,  and  our 
moral  judgments  exercised  than  in  the  busiest  career  of  ex- 
istence." 

Do  these  things,  or  let  us  abandon  the  notion  that  dentistry 
is  other  than  it  seems  to  be — a  mere  trade  which  "does  not 
require  very  smart  men  to  engage  in  it." 


DISINFECTING  AND  FILLING  ROOT-CANALS. 

By  H.  A.  Loomis,  D.DS.,  Nezv  York. 

So  many  filling  materials  have  been  employed  for  filling  the 
root-canals  of  semi-devitalized  teeth,  and  so  many  disinfectants 
suggested  for  disinfecting  them,  that  the  number  and  variety  is 
enough  tO'  confuse  the  intelligence  of  almost  any  dental  student. 

One  professor  recommends  clean  cotton,  another  gutta- 
percha; one  employs  oxychlorid  of  zinc,  others  cotton  impreg- 
nated with  iodoform,  thymol,  chloroform,  celluloid,  liquid  gutta- 
percha, carbolic  acid,  zinc-chlorid,  or  liquid  sandarac. 

There  are  advocates  of  liquid  pastes,  such  as  balsam  of  the 
desert,  iodoform  (iodoform-lanolin),  carbol-eucalypto  zinc,  cor- 
rosive sublimate,  aristol,  and  a  number  of  others  which  might  be 
mentioned. 


72 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


The  cements  employed  embrace  formalin,  gypsum-formalin, 
iodoform  and  pheno-iodoform.  Then  we  find  advocates  of  wood, 
wax.  gold,  tin,  silk  and  amalgam. 

The  number  of  disinfectants  employed  range  upward  from 
carbolic  acid,  through  a  long  list  of  essential  oils,  to  sulphuric 
acid,  and  downward  through  another  list,  including  permanga- 
nate of  potassium,  peroxid  of  hydrogen,  and  a  combination  of 
potassium  and  sodium  (Schreirer)  to  the  most  recent  forty  per 
cent,  solution  of  formaldehyde  gas. 

An  article  was  recently  published  in  the  Dental  Digest,*  in 
which  the  author  speaks  of  a  num.ber  of  other  disinfectants  and 
materials  not  enumerated  among  those  above  mentioned.  Dr. 
Hattyasy  says:  "I  have  labored  in  gathering  the  methods  as 
advocated  by  the  leading  dentists  of  the  Continents,  and  1  can 
assure  you  the  deductions  will  be  of  benefit  to  those  who  are 
giving  this  important  branch  of  operative  dentistry  their  con- 
sideration. Many  dentists  do  not  give  any  attention  to  the  new 
methods  which  from  time  to  time  present  themselves  in  the 
society  meetings,  although  much  must  yet  be  ascertained  if  we 
hope  to  successfully  fill  and  save  roots  containing  favorite  fillings. 
If  any  are  dissatisfied  with  the  results  of  their  work,  it  will  be  to 
their  interest  to  glance  over  the  various  materials  used  by  others, 
as  it  may  suggest  some  material  or  method  which  may  become 
universal.  Whatever  your  success  is  in  this  direction,  you  owe 
it  to  your  profession  to  make  known  the  true  results  in  order  that 
some  material  may  be  recommended  as  giving  satisfaction." 

With  these  words  in  mind,  I  am  led  to  ask.  What  is  the  cause 
of  this  diversity  of  opinion  concerning  the  merits  of  the  best  root- 
filling?  The  great  majority  of  our  professors  of  operative  den- 
tistry are  practical  and  scientific  men.  Many  of  them  possess  the 
title  of  M.D.,  with  certainly  an  elementary  knowledge  of  chem- 
istry. And  yet  we  find  one  recommending  clean  cotton  and  an- 
other gutta-percha,  neither  of  which  possess  the  necessary  qualifi- 
cations for  making  a  perfect  root-filling.  And  this  leads  up  to 
the  question,  What  are  the  proper  qualifications  for  a  root-filling? 

Dr.  Hattyasy  remarks  that  the  points  which  a  material  or 
method  should  possess  are:  "(i)  It  must  perfectly  seal  the  apex 
of  the  root;  (2)  be  readily  inserted;  (3)  completely  fill  the  canal; 
(4)  possess  attraction  for  and  adhere  to  the  walls  of  the  cavity; 

*  Translated  by  Dr.  B.  J.  Cigrand  Vierteljahrsschrift,  April,  1899,  and 
entitled,  "Merits  of  Root-Filling,"  by  Dr.  Ludwig  Hattyasy,  of  Budapest. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


73 


(5)  possess  molecular  attraction;  (6)  have  antiseptic  properties; 
(7)  must  be  durable;  (8)  pliable  and  moldable;  (9)  easily  elimi- 
nated from  the  canal;  (10)  to  neither  expand  nor  contract;  (11) 
must  not  be  escharotic;  (12)  neither  unpleasant  in  taste  or  odor; 
(13)  must  not  discolor  the  tooth;  (14)  must  be  compact."  If  these 
requisites  are  attained  we  will  have,  he  says,  ''a  material  which 
will  be  universally  employed." 

Dr.  Weld,  the  author  of  the  ''Chemico-metallic  Method," 
says:  "The  necessary  qualifications  are,  (i)  a  smooth  material, 
possessing  requisite  stiffness  to  reach  the  apical  foramen;  (2) 
thorough  disinfection  and  a  practical  sealing  of  the  cavity."  This 
is  probably  the  most  concise  definition  pertaining  to  the  neces- 
sary requisites  for  a  perfect  root  filling  that  has  ever  been  given 
to  the  profession.  The  points  associated  with  Dr.  Weld's  method 
embrace  all  the  good  points  mentioned  by  Dr.  Hattyasy,  with  the 
exception  that  Dr.  Weld  employs  a  powerful  escharotic,  and  the 
material  used  is  not  always  easily  extracted  after  the  filling  is  in- 
serted. 

Let  us  examine  in  detail  some  of  the  above-mentioned  ma- 
terials, and  try  tO'  ascertain  which  possesses  the  least  merit,  con- 
sidered from  a  chemical  and  mechanical  standpoint,  and  by  a 
process  of  elimination  reduce  the  number,  that  we  may  be  better 
enabled  to  make  a  choice  of  what  would  appear  to  be  the  best. 
Of  course  there  are  probably  a  number  of  methods  possessing 
more  or  less  merit,  which  I  have  not  mentioned.  If  so,  I  leave 
it  with  the  advocates  of  the  same  to  give  them  to  the  profession. 

I.  Cotton,  with  or  without  a  disinfectant,  has  been  employed 
for  many  years.  Cotton  is  a  useful  adjunct  in  a  dental  office,  but 
it  is  not  a  germicide;  it  will  neither  prevent  nor  counteract  putri- 
faction;  moreover,  it  is  porous.  To  pack  clean  cotton  into  a  root- 
canal  which  has  previously  contained  putrid  matter,  or  where 
the  dead  matter  in  the  dental  tubuli  is  likely  to  cause  irritation 
and  after  trouble,  would  seem,  with  our  present  knowledge  of 
scientific  dentistry,  to  be  anything  but  a  scientific  operation. 

The  merit  of  cotton,  then,  as  a  root  filler  depends  to  a  great 
extent  upon  the  substance  with  which  it  is  saturated.  In  this 
connection  may  be  mentioned  carbolic  acid,  the  essential  oils, 
liquid  gutta-percha,  oxychlorid  of  zinc,  liquid  sandarac,  and  a 
dozen  and  one  more  things  too  numerous  to  mention.  The 
permanency  of  an  operation  where  cotton  is  employed  would 
seem  to  depend,  then,  upon  the  strength  and  efficacy  of  the  dis- 


74  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

infecting  agent  employed,  the  number  of  applications  made,  and 
the  length  of  time  given  to  treatment. 

The  use  of  cotton  is  limited,  however,  to  the  large  canals;  for 
whether  used  with  or  without  a  disinfectant,  it  cannot  be  intro- 
duced into  the  fine  canals  to  any  extent.  Clean  cotton,  that  is, 
cotton  alone,  is  the  first  material  which  is  eliminated  as  being 
unfit  for  a  permanent  filling. 

2.  Gutta-percha  is  better  than  cotton,  for  the  reason  that  it 
is  not  porous,  but  gutta-percha  is  no  more  of  a  disinfectant  than 
cotton.  Liquid  gutta-percha,  or  gutta-percha  and  chloroform,  is 
advocated  by  a  few  practitioners;  and  in  large  cavities,  easy  of 
access,  this  combination  would  seem  to  commend  itself.  Previous 
disinfection,  however,  with  a  stronger  disinfectant  would  appear 
to  be  necessary;  but  even  this  combination  cannot  be  used  satis- 
factorily in  the  fine  canals.  To  the  elimination  of  cotton  and 
gutta-percha,  when  employed  alone,  we  will  add  for  the  same 
reasons,  wood,  wax,  gold  foil,  gold  wire,  tin  foil,  amalgam  and 
balsam  of  the  desert. 

3.  Oxychlorid  and  phosphate  of  zinc  have  been  used  with 
success  by  some  practitioners,  either  alone  or  with  strings  of 
cotton  or  silk  saturated  with  the  same. 

Thus  we  find  that  there  are  a  large  number  of  materials  em- 
ployed for  filling  canals,  which  are  devoid  of  germicidal  proper- 
ties, but  are  rendered  germicidal  to  a  greater  or  less  degree  by 
impregnation  with  different  solutions,  pastes  and  cements. 

This  leads  up  to  a  variety  of  chemicals,  which  are  powerful 
disinfectants  but  devoid  of  the  physical  qualities  necessary  to 
properly  fill  the  canals  after  the  cleansing  and  disinfection  has 
been  accomplished.  One  of  these  methods  is  that  proposed  by 
Dr.  Schreier,  of  Vienna,  and  consists  in  the  decomposition  of  the 
watery  portions  of  the  pulp  fibres  that  may  be  left  in  the  canals, 
and  the  production  of  sodium  and  potassium  hydrates  by  intro- 
ducing into  the  canals  potassium  and  sodium.  There  can  be  no 
doubt  but  what  such  a  combination  is  both  cleansing  and  germ- 
icidal. 

For  the  same  purpose  Dr.  Barker  recommends  the  per- 
manganate of  potassium  and  peroxid  of  hydrogen,  claiming  that 
w^hen  a  small  quantity  of  the  powdered  permanganate  of  potas- 
sium is  introduced  into  the  canals,  followed  by  one  or  two  drops 
of  the  peroxid  of  hydrogen,  there  is  a  permanent  and  healthy 
change  in  the  character  of  the  remaining  decomposed  pulp  tissue. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  75 

With  a  similar  intention  Dr.  Callahan  has  recommended  a 
fifty  per  cent,  solution  of  sulphuric  acid.  The  efficacy  of  this 
method  is  probably  due  to  the  affinity  which  sulphuric  acid  has 
for  all  organic  matter. 

For  quick  and  thorough  disinfection,  any  one  of  these  three 
methods  is  doubtless  superior  to  carbolic  acid  or  any  of  the  essen- 
tial oils.  Admitting  this  tO'  be  the  case,  and  that  it  is  possible  to 
apply  these  powerful  agents  in  the  fine  canals,  the  best  filling 
material  tO'  be  employed  is  still  left  in  doubt. 

The  qualifications  which  Dr.  Hattyasy  has  mentioned,  viz.: 
"readily  inserted,  completely  fill  the  canals,  be  compact,  durable, 
non-porous,  and  have  disinfecting  properties,"  we  never  have 
had  until  the  ''chemico-metallic  method"  was  introduced  by  Dr. 
Weld.  I  have  used  this  method  for  little  more  than  two  years. 
In  two  hundred  cases  I  have  had  only  five  that  required  any  after- 
treatment. 

In  addition  to  my  own  experience,  I  have  made  many  in- 
quiries, and  can  truthfully  say  that  the  practical  points  about  this 
method,  which  have  been  commented  upon  and  summed  up  for 
emphasis  by  a  number  of  practitioners,  are  the  remarkable  ease  of 
disinfection,  the  saving  of  much  precious  time,  and  the  perfection 
of  the  operation.  The  method  may  not  be  perfect;  there  may  be 
one  or  twO'  things  connected  with  it  that  are  undesirable,  and  it 
may  not  be  applicable  in  all  cases,  but  for  all  practical  purposes 
its  superiority  over  any  other  one  method  is  self-evident. 


ASBESTOS  AS  AN  INVESTMENT.* 

By  Naaman  H.  Keyser,  D.D.S.^  Germantoum,  Pa. 

For  some  time  past  asbestos  has  been  used,  alone  or  in  con- 
nection with  other  ingredients,  as  an  investment,  either  as  a  pro- 
tection to  porcelain  teeth  or  to  hold  work  in  position  during 
soldering.  Both  the  asbestos  powder  and  the  so-called  woolly 
asbestos,  have  been  used  with  plaster  of  Paris,  to  reduce  shrink- 
age; the  woolly  with  the  idea  that  its  fibres  would  assist  to  hold 
the  plaster  together  when  it  shrinks  and  cracks  on  exposure  to 
intense  heat.  The  powdered  asbestos  is  added  to  the  plaster  in 
place  of  sand,  to  produce  a  light  porous  investment.    The  most 

*  Read  before  the  Pennsylvania  Association  of  Dental  Surgeons,  Nov- 
ember 14th,  1899. 


76  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

serious  objection  to  its  use  is  that  it  retains  the  moisture  long 
after  the  plaster  has  set  sufficiently  to  handle  and  expose  to  the 
heat.  Investments  that  contain  plaster  are  better  without 
asbestos. 

When  time  is  no  object,  very  good  investments  can  be  made 
by  adding  to  the  plaster  such  materials  as  bar-sand,  silex,  marble- 
dust,  or  pumice-stone.  To  prevent  shrinkage,  the  proportion  of 
all  these  ingredients  should  be  greater  than  the  plaster.  The  best 
results  are  obtained  with  materials  that  control  shrinkage,  make 
the  investment  porous,  and  yet  permit  the  use  of  sufficient  plaster 
to  hold  the  investment  together  after  it  is  heated.  Investments 
that  will  set  quickly  without  shrinkage  have  been  sought  for. 
Several  are  now  on  the  market,  which  permit  of  being  heated  up 
before  the  moisture  is  entirely  dried  out;  among  these  are  ''Sump" 
and  'Tryite."  A  mixture  having  almost  the  same  properties  as 
these  can  be  made  by  the  following  formula: 

Potter's  clay 4  parts. 

Plaster 3  pans. 

Mica I  part. 

An  investment,  which  stands  a  high  heat  without  change  of 
form,  has  been  suggested  by  R.  L.  Zellers: 

Pulv.  soapstone i  part. 

Plumbago 3  parts. 

Asbestos,  grade  3 5  parts. 

Plaster  of  Paris 7  parts. 

Mix  thoroughly  and  sieve. 

Asbestos,  by  itself,  makes  an  excellent  investment.  That 
known  as  woolly  asbestos,  or  the  powdered,  when  mixed  with 
water  or  alcohol,  may  be  quickly  molded  as  required,  and  the 
heat  can  be  at  once  applied.  It  holds  its  form  thus  used,  harden- 
ing as  the  heat  is  applied,  and  with  a  little  care  replaces  fully  in 
many  operations  the  plaster  investment,  with  the  advantage  of 
cleanliness  and  saving  of  time. 

In  using  this  investment  it  is  best  to  first  apply  the  heat 
slowly,  so  as  not  to  disarrange  the  mass  by  the  too  rapid  expan- 
sion of  the  contained  moisture.  Small  pieces,  such  as  a  tooth 
upon  which  we  desire  to  solder  a  backing,  and  many  of  the  parts 
of  a  crown  and  bridge  denture,  may  be  expeditiously  invested  by 
binding  around  them  No.  i  carded  asbestos  with  No.  6  iron  wire. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  77 

The  iron  wire  may  be  sO'  arranged  as  to  form  a  handle  by  which 
to  hold  the  work  (D,  Fig.  i).  In  this  way  a  tooth  can  be  safely 
soldered  over  a  Bunsen  burner  or  a  spirit  lamp  without  the  neces- 
sity for  waiting  for  the  investment  to^  harden  or  for  any  previous 
heating  up.  If  there  is  not  sufficient  heat  to  melt  the  solder  when 
held  in  the  Bunsen  burner,  a  blow-pipe  can  be  used  after  the 
object  is  thoroughly  heated. 

In  all  plate  work  the  teeth  thus  invested  can  be  individually 
soldered,  and  finished  before  final  investment.  The  investment 
for  holding  the  teeth  to  the  plate  is  best  made  of  plaster  of  Paris 
and  good  sharp  sand.  Wildman's  formula  is:  Sand  5  parts, 
plaster  4  parts. 


Fig.  I. 

A,  Investment.         B,  Backing  on  tooth.         C,  C,  Iron  binding  wire. 

D,  Prolongation  of  wire  to  form  a  handle  of  any  desired  length. 

By  following  out  the  method  above  suggested,  all  the  pins 
can  be  soldered,  and  the  backings  smoothed  and  finished  con- 
veniently and  thoroughly,  and  the  final  soldering  to  the  plate  be 
very  much  simplified.  The  plan  also  facilitates  finishing,  and 
gives  the  plate  a  far  more  perfect  appearance,  with  less  labor, 
than  by  any  other  method.  By  this  simple  investment  gold  fill- 
ings are  easily  fused  in  artificial  teeth,  all  the  work  being  done  in 
the  open  flame  of  a  Bunsen  burner  quite  as  well  as  with  the  more 
expensive  furnaces. 

A  slightly  larger  concavity  is  made  than  described  in  my 
article  in  the  Dental  Cosmos,  August,  1895,  under  the  title  of 
"Fusing  Gold  Fillings  in  Artificial  Teeth."  The  tooth,  after  the 
cavity  has  been  prepared,  is  wrapped  with  the  carded  asbestos, 
bound  with  the  iron  wire  to  hold  it  in  place  and  to  form  a  handle 
(as  seen  in  Fig.  i);  care  being  taken  to  make  the  investment  as 
thin  as  possible  and  to  cover  up  all  the  tooth  except  the  concavity 
made  to  receive  the  filling. 


78  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

The  fibres  of  asbestos  form  an  air  space  around  the  porcelain, 
protecting-  it  from  sudden  changes  of  temperature  and  from  direct 
contact  with  the  flame.  Any  of  the  low  fusing  enamels  can  be 
used,  Downie's,  Timme's,  or  ground  plate  glass.  The  enamel  is 
mixed  with  water  to  form  a  thin,  creamy  paste,  applied  to  the 
cavity  in  the  porcelain  tooth,  and  sponge  gold  is  then  gently 
pressed  into  it.  The  tooth  is  then  held  over  the  Bunsen  burner, 
heating  it  gradually  at  first,  and  is  then  placed  into  the  hottest 
part  of  the  flame.  If  this  does  not  give  suflicient  heat  to  fuse  the 
enamel,  the  blow-pipe  may  be  used  to  concentrate  it  upon  the 
filling.  After  a  little  practice  we  can  readily  determine  when  the 
enamel  is  fused.  It  generally  requires  a  degree  of  heat  just  a 
little  less  than  the  welting  point  of  gold.  After  fusion,  the  gold 
is  condensed,  and  the  filling  finished  in  the  usual  manner. 


^i$^i^$€^^ 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  79 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


A  NEW  TREATMENT  FOR  EMPYEMA  OF  THE  AN- 
TRUM.* 

By  C.  H.  Nicholson,  D.DS.,  Rochester,  N.  Y. 

It  is  altogether  unnecessary  and  is  not  my  intention  to  occupy 
the  time  of  the  members  of  this  convention  by  dwelling  on  the 
anatomical  features  of  the  region  concerned,  nor  refer  to  the 
etiological  conditions  involved  in  empyema  of  the  antrum  of 
Highmore,  but  to  come  at  once  to  my  subject. 

The  preparation  referred  to  in  my  title  is  protargol.  I  have 
called  it  a  "new  treatment"  because  while  it  has  been  on  the  mar- 
ket for  a  couple  of  years  and  has  been  used  in  general  practice  as 
a  bactericide,  especially  in  urethral  troubles,  to  some  extent  in 
ophthalmic,  and  latterly  in  auricular  practice,  it  has  not  hereto- 
fore, as  far  as  I  can  ascertain,  been  introduced  into  the  field  of 
odontological  therapy. 

In  addition  to  its  efificacy  I  am  glad  to  recommend  its  use  for 
the  reason  that  it  permits  of  a  conservative  line  of  treatment  and 
the  avoidance  in  many  cases  of  radical  operations,  such  as  enter- 
ing the  antrum  through  the  canine  fossa,  etc.  In  the  cure  of  this 
troublesome  disease,  which  I  fear  is  too  frequently  passed  over 
unnoticed  by  the  general  practitioner,  or  if  it  is  forced  upon  his 
attention,  the  patient  is  too  often  referred  to  a  nose  and  throat 
specialist  for  the  cure  of  a  trouble  distinctly  within  the  province 
of  the  dental  surgeon. 

Protargol  is  a  silver  proteid.  A  yellowish  light  powder 
easily  soluble  in  water,  forming  a  brown  liquid,  dark  according 
to  strength,  of  neutral  reaction,  and  unaffected  by  exposure  to  air, 
heat,  or  light.  It  is  somewhat  similar  to  argonon,  but  differs  in 
that  it  contains  twice  as  much  silver  as  argonon  (eight  and  three- 
tenths  per  cent.)  in  firm  organic  combination,  and  is  not  precip- 
itated by  albuminous  or  sodium  chlorid  solutions,  has  extra- 
ordinary penetrating  power,  and  is  non-irritating.  Solutions  of 
from  two  to  twenty-five  per  cent,  have  been  used  in  genito-urinary 
diseases,  and  five  per  cent,  for  affections  of  the  eyes. 

In  1897,  I  believe,  Dr.  Benario,  of  Frankfort,  after  long  bac- 
teriological experimentation,  first  introduced  it  in  his  practice  in 

*Read  before  the  union  meeting  of  the  Seventh  and  Eighth  District  Dental  Societies 
of  the  State  of  New  York,  October  24th,  1899. 


:^o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

the  treatment  of  urethritis,  due  to  the  presence  of  gonococci.  The 
tresult,  which  exceeded  all  his  expectations,  mduced  him  to  send 
the  preparation  to  Professor  E.  Neisser,  of  Breslau,  who  has  simi- 
lar success.  Both  of  these  gentlemen  reported  their  experience 
•to  the  profession,  and  it  soon  came  into  general  use  in  Germany, 
and  later  in  this  country,  until  it  is  now  considered  a  specific  in 
isuch  troubles.  Dr.  Ed.  S.  Peck,  visiting  oph-halmic  surgeon  to 
Jthe  City  Hospital,  New  York,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  New 
York  Academy,  December,  1898,  cites  a  number  of  cases  of  his 
^specialty  successfully  treated  by  this  remedy. 

My  attention  was  called  to  it  by  a  personal  friend,  a  specialist 
:in  nose,  ear,  and  throat  troubles,  who  had  read  of  it  being  used  in 
Tthe  middle  ear  with  success.  I  immediately  obtained  a  supply 
and  used  it  in  a  case  of  empyema  of  the  antrum  I  was  then  treat- 
ing, which  had  proved  unyielding  to  the  usual  methods  of  treat- 
ment, with  the  most  surprisingly  satisfactory  results.  My  experi- 
ence with  this  case  may  be  best  noted  in  the  following  report: 

A  young  man,  George  N.,  aged  twenty-eight  years,  was 
5t)rought  into  my  office  by  a  prominent  surgeon  of  one  of  our  lead- 
ing hospitals,  for  examination,  giving  the  following  history:  He 
iliad  a  carious  tooth,  upper  right  first  molar,  which  had  been 
■^troubling  him  for  some  time,  attended  with  fullness  in  the  superior 
maxillary  region,  serious  pain  in  the  orbit  with  protrusion,  frontal 
ilieadaches,  and  some  alveolar  enlargement.  Attracted  by  the 
-glaring  advertisement  of  one  of  our  numerous  "Dental  Parlors," 
ilie  called  and  consulted  the  proprietor,  who  attempted  the  treat- 
tment  of  the  tooth  for  alveolar  abscess,  which  was  continued  for 
rsome  days  without  success,  and,  the  trouble  becoming  more  ag- 
;:^ravating,  extraction  was  resorted  to  and  the  patient  dismissed. 
Two  days  later  he  visited  the  parlors  again,  with  pus  and  blood 
^discharging  freely  from  his  nose  and  mouth.  The  proprietor  was 
anuch  alarmed,  and  told  the  young  man  he  was  likely  to  lose  the 
cside  of  his  face,  and  advised  him  to  consult  the  best  doctor  he 
'•could  find.  He  went  to  the  hospital  referred  to,  w^as  examined, 
Tgiven  some  medicine, but  went  back  the  next  day  worse  than  ever; 
-at  this  call  he  was  seen  by  the  chief  surgeon,  who  at  once  brought 
Jhim  to  my  office  for  examination,  as  stated  above. 

I  found  the  alveolar  process  and  floor  of  the  antrum  consider- 
:ably  fractured,  with  some  necrosis,  the  membranous  lining  badly 
ninflamed  and  highly  painful  to  the  touch  of  the  probe,  especially 
iin  the  orbital  region,  but  a  large  roomy  cavity  was  presented  par- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  8n 

ticiilarly  free  from  bony  septa,  having  a  free  opening  into  the 
middle  meatus  of  the  nasal  cavity.  There  was  a  liberal  discharge 
of  pus  from  the  nose  and  alveolus,  with  a  disagreeable  odor  and 
other  characteristic  symptoms.  I  of  course  diagnosed  empyema 
of  the  antrum,  and  the  surgeon  kindly  turned  the  case  over  to  me» 

Treatment  was  begun  after  removal  of  all  necrosed  bone,  by 
douching  the  cavity  with  six  ounces  of  a  two  per  cent,  solution 
of  sodium  chlorid,  followed  wdth  eight  ounces  of  a  ten  per  cent. 
solution  of  peroxid  of  hydrogen  and  a  saturated  solution  of  boric 
acid  twice  daily.  This  was  continued  for  six  days,  with  the  result 
that  the  discharge  w-as  considerably  lessened,  the  odor,  headache, 
etc.,  had  disappeared,  and  the  patient  generally  more  comfortable. 
These  injections  were  all  introduced  warm  with  a  Eustachian 
catheter  through  the  alveolar  opening,  free  vent  and  drainage  be- 
ing obtained  through  the  right  nostril.  I  might  say,  in  passing, 
that  while  all  peroxid  preparations  are  reported  to  be  neutral,  I 
found  them  strongly  acid  and  very  irritating  to  the  mucous  mem- 
brane in  its  then  inflamed  condition,  especially  Marchand's,  Oak- 
land a  little  less  so,  and  McKesson  &  Robbins's  three  per  cent, 
pyrozone  the  least  of  the  three  I  tried.  I  found  by  using 
pyrozone  I  could*  increase  the  strength  of  the  solution  to  fifteen 
and  twenty-five  per  cent.,  and  substituted  the  boric  acid  after  the 
sixth  day  with  Gilmore's  germicide,  which  depends  on  formalde- 
hyde for  its  antiseptic  properties;  had  the  patient  call  once  a  day, 
and  directed  him  to  procure  a  suitable  bulb  syringe  and  wash  out 
the  cavity  with  the  boric  acid  solution  two  or  three  times  daily^ 
This  I  continued  for  a  period  of  twelve  days  with  a  not  very 
marked  change  in  the  character  or  quantity  of  the  discharge, 
when  I  received  the  information  of  protargol  as  above  stated. 

After  securing  a  supply  of  it,  the  cavity  was  thoroughly 
washed  out  with  the  saline  and  pyrozone  solutions  and  about  two 
drachms  of  ten  per  cent,  solution  of  protargol  v/as  injected,  letting 
as  much  of  it  as  would  remain.  The  patient  was  directed  to  call' 
again  in  five  days,  and  to  continue  the  boric  acid  injections  after 
forty-eight  hours.  On  his  return  I  was  delighted  to  find  a  marked- 
change  for  the  better  in  all  the  remaining  symptoms.  The  treat- 
ment was  repeated,  and  he  was  directed  to  call  again  in  a  week, 
when,  after  the  most  careful  examination,  I  could  find  no  trace 
of  pus  or  any  symptoms  which  had  been  present.  I  repeated  the 
treatment,  however,  as  a  safeguard,  reducing  the  strength  of  the 
protargol  solution  to  five  per  cent.,  directed  the  patient  to  keep 


82  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

the  alveolar  opening  thoroughly  cleansed  and  allow  it  to  heal,  and 
dismissed  the  case.  After  the  injection  of  the  ten  per  cent,  solu- 
tion of  protargol,  the  young  man  complained  of  a  severe  head- 
ache which  continued  several  hours;  if  you  will  shake  the  bottle 
containing  the  sample  presented,  you  will  notice  it  filled  with 
foam  Hke  soap-bubbles,  and  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  the  distress 
experienced  was  due  to  the  pressure  caused  by  this  rather  than  to 
any  irritation  from  the  drug  itself;  still,  perhaps,  a  five  or  seven 
per  cent,  strength  would  answer  as  well. 

I  regret  that  my  experience  with  this  preparation  has  not 
covered  sufficient  time  before  the  date  of  the  convention  of  these 
societies  to  confirm  the  above  satisfactory  results  with  the  citation 
of  other  cases,  but  if  it  will  cure  one  obstinate  case  in  two  treat- 
ments it  will  doubtless  prove  of  great  advantage  at  least  in  all 
similar  cases,  and  I  recommend  it  to  your  consideration.  I  am 
also  of  the  opinion  that  it  will  be  found  extremely  valuable  in 
alveolar  abscess,  and,  although  I  have  several  cases  under  treat- 
ment, I  am  not  at  present  prepared  to  report  definite  results  along 
this  line. 

I  can  at  least  remove  one  objection  to  its  use  which  at  once 
occurred  to  me,  that  is  discoloration  of  dentin.  I  have  saturated 
pulp-chamber  and  canals  of  recent  teeth  with  a  ten  per  cent,  so- 
lution, but  find  no  discoloration,  such  as  follows  the  use  of  silver 
nitrate. 

Dr.  Benario,  in  the  published  report  of  his  experiments  to 
ascertain  the  bactericidal  power  of  protargol,  states  that  fresh 
cultures  of  staphylococcus  pyogenes  were  killed  by  a  two  per 
cent,  solution  in  twenty  minutes,  and  those  of  the  sixth  genera- 
tion were  killed  in  fifteen  minutes  by  a  0.5  per  cent,  solution, 
and  the  action  was  more  rapid  in  bouillon  and  serum  than  in  ster- 
ilized water.  So  that  I  have  strong  hope  that  protargol  will  be 
found  a  most  effective  remedy  in  alveolar  abscess  and  many  other 
branches  of  our  field  of  operations.  Dental  Cosmos. 


i$;^$^$€^€ 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  83 

ENAMEL  FILLINGS  FOR  TEETH. 

"When  the  article  of  which  the  following  is  an  abstract  was 
read  before  the  Society  for  the  Advancement  of  Oral  Science, 
June,  1880,  I  supposed  that  the  use  of  enamel  filling  was  original, 
and  the  article  was  consequently  sent  to  one  of  the  journals. 
Since  then  several  dentists  have  told  me  they  had  used  pieces  of 
porcelain  for  filling  'twenty  years  ago.'  I  am  convinced  there 
must  have  been  some  imperfections  in  the  methods  they  used,  as 
I  am  not  aware  of  any  one  even  now  who  regularly  employs  this 
way  of  filling  teeth,  and  think  it  may  be  well  to  again  attempt 
to  make  the  method  public,  particularly  as  the  experience  of  sev- 
eral years  has  convinced  me  that  many  conspicuous  cavities  can 
be  more  satisfactorily  filled  in  this  than  in  any  other  way.  Early 
experiments  were  made  with  walrus  ivory,  and  afterward  with 
celluloid.  The  former  succeeded,  the  latter  failed.  The  next 
method  tried  was  one  which  in  some  of  its  modifications  is  now 
used. 

"Carefully  cut  the  cavity  with  perpendicular  walls.  When 
perfectly  dry  cover  with  a  thin  layer  of  some  petroleum  fat.  Roll 
up  Godiva  modeling  composition  into  sticks  about  two  inches 
long  and  one-quarter  of  an  inch  in  diameter.  Hold  the  end  of  one 
of  these  sticks  over  the  gas  flame,  then  press  into  the  cavity  as  far 
as  possible.  The  cold  part  of  the  stick  acts  as  a  piston  and  gives 
a  good  impression.  Attach  a  copper  wire  to  the  stick,  dip  for  a 
moment  into  ether,  then  into  powdered  black  lead,  and  brush  to 
remove  the  excess.  Make  an  electrotype  from  it.  The  thickness 
of  the  copper  deposit  should  vary  according  to  the  subsequent 
treatment  of  the  mold. 

"First  method:  Make  the  copper  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch 
thick.  Clean  the  surface  and  drill  a  hole  through  the  mold. 
Cover  the  face  of  the  mold  with  a  layer  of  No.  30  gold-foii. 
Then  make  an  enamel  as  follows : 

R.    Oxidoflead. 800  parts. 

Silica 400       ' ' 

Carbonate  of  potash 100       " 

Cryolite ...  500       " 

"These  should  be  finely  divided,  intimately  mixed,  melted  in 
a  covered  white  crucible,  poured  into  cold  water,  di  ied,  ground 
fine,  and  marked  Enamel  Base.  Many  bases  have  been  tried,  but 
this  is  now  used.     To  color  the  enamel  base:  for  gray,  blue,  plat- 


84  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

iniim;  for  yellow,  silver  ^chlorid  of  silver,  oxid  of  uranium,  silver 
and  gold,  oxid  or  cerium,  oxid  of  cerium  of  gold,  glass  of  anti- 
mony either  alone  or  mixed  with  gold.  For  blue,  cobalt  or  oxid 
of  silver. 

''Other  colors  have  been  tried,  but  these  give  good  results 
with  the  enamel  base  mentioned.  The  amount  of  color  must  be 
found  by  experiment,  each  new  sample  differing  in  power. 

Examples,  gray-blue  enamel: — 

Enamel  base,  lOO  grammes;  platinum,  50  milligrammes. 

Yellow  enamel,  No.  i. 

Enamel  base,  100  grammes,  uranium  oxid,  40  milligrammes, 

Yellow  enamel.  No.  2. 

Enamel  base,  100  grammes;  cerium  oxid,  500  milli- 
grammes; gold,  a  variable  quantity;  kaoHn,  i  gramme. 

'These  materials  should  be  finely  divided,  intimately  mixed, 
and  fritted  on  platinum  in  a  mui^e.  Colored  enamels  may  be 
made  less  transparent  by  increasing  the  cryolite,  by  cooling 
slowly,  or  by  adding  an  opoque  body.  Cryolite  can  be  increased 
to  advantage  with  those  pigments  only  which  give  the  required 
colors  in  the  metallic  state. 

"To  mold  the  enamel:  Put  a  piece  on  the  prepared  mold 
and  lay  them  in  a  heated  muffle.  With  a  platinum  instrument 
press  the  enamel  into  the  cavity.  Immediately  remove  from  the 
muffle,  placing  upon  cold  metal;  when  cold  push  out  the  enamel 
by  means  of  the  hole  in  the  back;  put  the  enamel  in  aqua  regia; 
wash  and  dry. 

"Second  method:  Deposit  copper  in  a  thin  layer  and  back  it 
up  as  in  an  electrotype.  Clean  the  mold  and  drill  a  hole  through 
the  back.  Pack  tooth  body  of  a  suitable  color  into  the  mold. 
Dry  and  push  out  of  the  mold  by  means  of  the  hole  in  the  back. 
Biscuit,  and  when  cool  replace  in  mold,  trim  and  enamel,  then 
bake.  For  small  cavities  the  shrinkage  is  not  injurious.  For 
larger  cavities  one  of  several  ways  may  be  used.  First  way: 
Grind  a  piece  of  body  to  a  size  smaller  than  the  cavity.  Place 
soft  tooth  body  in  the  mold  and  press  the  piece  of  fused  body 
into  it.  Dry,  biscuit,  etc.,  as  before.  Second  way:  Pack  soft 
body  into  the  mold,  dry  it  and  bake;  then  use  this  piece  instead 
of  grinding  as  just  described.  If  a  cavity  is  circular  and  quite 
small,  the  most  rapid  way  is  to  grind  a  piece  of  fused  body  to  fit 
the  mold. 

"By  whatever  method  the  enamel  is  prepared,  success  in  fill- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  85 

ing  depends  upon  the  way  by  which  the  enamel  is  fastened  into 
the  tooth.  I  have  found  no  durable  cement,  but  a  modification  of 
the  preparation  called  Hill's  stopping  seems  to  answer  the  pur- 
pose. 

R.    Pure  gutta  percha i  part. 

While  oxid  of  zinc 4  parts. 

Oxid  of  titanium, 

Oxid  of  uranium,  3 aa  a  minute  quantity. 

Mix. 

"To  properly  imbed  the  enamel  in  this  preparation  in  filling 
it  is  necessary  to  use  an  instrument  giving  out  a  constant  amount 
of  heat,  as  otherwise  one  of  two  things  will  happen;  either  the 
enamel  will  be  fractured  by  the  changes  of  temperature  or  it  will 
not  be  properly  imbedded,  because  heat  enough  has  not  been  used 
to  soften  the  composition.  I  have  devised  several  instruments, 
and  two  of  them  having  been  found  simple  will  be  described  at  the 
end  of  this  paper. 

"Given  such  an  instrument,  begin  the  filling  by  driving  the 
cavity  with  absolute  alcohol,  then  soak  it  in  creosote,  dry  the  cav- 
ity again  and  varnish  with  a  solution  of  copal  in  ether.  Smear 
the  surfaces  of  enamel  and  cavity  with  the  oxid  of  zinc  composi- 
tion already  given,  place  the  enamel  in  position,  and  imbed  it  with 
either  of  the  instruments  to  be  described.  After  removing  the 
superfluous  material  the  operation  is  completed. 

"Instruments:  The  first  is  a  copper  wire  one-eighth  of  an 
inch  in  diameter  and  eight  inches  long.  One  end  is  expanded 
into  the  shape  of  the  bowl  of  a  teaspoon,  the  other  is  formed  into 
a  socket  for  holding  instruments  made  of  copper.  Between  these 
ends  the  wire  is  wrapped  in  asbestos  and  inclosed  in  a  hard  rub- 
ber handle,  to  one  end  of  which  is  attached  a  small  gasburner  so 
placed  that  when  lighted  the  flame  shall  impinge  on  the  concave 
side  of  the  spoon-shaped  end  of  the  copper  wire.  The  gasburner 
is  connected  with  the  gas  supply  by  a  small  rubber  tube  six  feet 
long. 

"The  other  instrument  is  a  pair  of  pincers.  To  the  inside  of 
one  of  the  jaws  is  attached  a  soft  rubber  pad.  The  other  jaw  is 
perforated  for  holding  an  instrument  like  the  first  one,  only  on  a 
smaller  scale.  The  soft  rubber  pad  is  placed  against  the  tooth, 
the  warm  instrument  in  the  other  jaw  is  then  pressed  against  the 
enamel,  and  the  jaws  brought  together  by  pressure  on  the 
handles."  Items  of  Interest. 


86  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

REPLACING  OF  PORCELAIN  FACINGS. 

The  breaking  of  porcelains  in  bridges  that  are  set  is  one  of 
the  things  we  have  to  contend  with,  and  the  repairing  of  porce- 
lain is  something  which,  if  I  had  time,  I  should  like  to  talk 
about.  I  have  constructed  an  instrument  for  dilating  a  tube.  A 
pin  on  the  teeth  may  be  elongated.  It  is  often  the  case  pins 
are  not  long  enough,  and  even  the  longest  pins  are  frequently 
found  to  be  a  little  short  and  give  us  a  good  deal  of  trouble. 
Anyone  who  makes  bridge  work  for  a  number  of  years  will  find 
he  is  annoyed  by  having  porcelains  come  ofif,  and  to  replace 
porcelains  successfully  is  quite  an  important  thing.  To  elongate 
these  pins,  take  a  tube  of  platinum  with  a  pure  gold  upon  the 
inside.  In  your  own  laboratory  you  can  make  the  platinum  and 
gold  yourself.  Take  a  piece  of  platinum,  we  will  say  No.  28, 
and  pure  gold  30,  and  preferably  in  size  about  that  wide  (indicat- 
ing about  an  inch,  or  a  little  more) ;  put  the  two  pieces  under  the 
blow-pipe  and  make  perfectly  clean,  or  you  might  immerse  in 
alcohol,  then  lay  the  platinum  on  the  gold,  having  set  the  rollers 
so  that  28  will  just  come  through  the  rollers  easily;  then  grasping 
the  gold  and  platinum  with  tweezers,  hold  it  over  a  Bunsen 
burner  until  it  is  a  white  heat,  and  pass  quickly  through  the 
rollers.  It  is  simply  annealing;  but  if  conditions  are  right  pass- 
ing through  the  rollers,  you  will  get  perfect  welding,  perfect  in- 
terlocking of  the  crystals  of  gold  and  the  platinum,  and  you  will 
get  a  piece  of  platinous  gold  in  that  way.  Cut  ofif  a  strip  and  you 
can  very  readily  make  a  tube  to  fit  the  pin.  Then  with  a  blow- 
pipe and  a  tiny  piece  of  pure  gold,  unite  the  ends.  Having 
placed  the  two  tubes  on  the  pins,  invest  and  put  under  the 
blow-pipe,  after  heating  gradually,  and  the  pure  gold  will  unite 
on  the  inside  with  the  platinum  pin,  and  you  will  have  two 
elongated  tube  pins.  You  drill  your  holes  through  the  bridge  to 
accommodate  these  pins  and  then  upon  the  under  side  counter- 
sink it,  and  the  tubes  passing  through  may  be  ground  ofif  even 
with  the  general  surface.  I  have  constructed  a  tube  dilator.  It 
has  a  sole  leather  pad  (on  one  side  for  contact  with  the  facing), 
which  may  be  made  plastic  by  soaking  it  in  water,  or  it  can  be 
covered  with  rubber,  and  there  is  no  danger  if  properly  handled. 
Placing  the  dilating  punch-like  end  into  the  tube,  it  can  be  di- 
lated so  as  to  fill  the  countersink  portion  of  the  gold.  A  small- 
headed  gold  pin  may  then  be  made  and  cemented  in,  if  it  is 
thought  best;  or  the  space  may  be  filled  in  with  gold  foil.  In 
that  way  it  seems  to  me  a  bridge  may  be  repaired  easier  than  in 
most  other  ways.  G.  W.  Melotte,  Dom.  Journal. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  87 

THE  ADULTERATION  OF  FOODS. 

This  practice  has  become  a  public  disgrace  and  danger,  and 
stringent  laws  against  the  crime,  coupled  with  an  energetic  exe- 
cution of  them,  are  demanded  in  every  State  of  the  country.  The 
recent  testimony  before  the  Senate  committee  in  Wisconsin  has 
so  deeply  aroused  the  country  that  in  order  to  secure  an  accurate 
and  authoritative  report,  we  asked  Professor  A.  S.  Mitchell  to 
epitomize  his  testimony  for  us.  This  he  has  kindly  done,  and 
we  reproduce  it  herewith: 

"My  testimony  before  the  Senate  Committee  on  Food 
Adulteration  was  in  substance  as  follows: 

'That  as  chemist  of  the  Wisconsin  Dairy  and  Food  Com- 
pany for  the  past  four  years,  I  had  been  engaged  in  investigating 
the  character  of  the  foods  on  the  market.  That  before  the  pas- 
sage of  a  State  food  law  extensive  adulteration  of  spices,  syrups, 
honey,  flavoring  extracts  and  baking-powder  was  being  practiced. 
That  special  previous  laws  had  done  much  to  control  similar 
adulteration  in  vinegar  and  dairy  products. 

''That  adulteration  might  be  discussed  under  two  general 
heads.  The  adulterants  may  be  simply  fraudulent,  or  they  may 
be  injurious  or  deleterious;  the  injurious  substances  generally 
being  used  simply  for  coloring,  or  for  masking  fraudulent 
sophistication,  or  as  chemical  preservatives.  That  in  my  opinion 
the  rapidly  increasing  use  of  preservatives  was  a  menace  to  pub- 
lic health  and  should  be  regulated. 

"That  in  former  days  foods  were  preserved  by  aid  of  sugar, 
vinegar,  and  salt,  all  of  which  are  proper  constituents  of  food, 
or  were  kept  by  boiling,  or  the  use  of  ice.  That  at  present  chemi- 
cals were  not  only  purchased  under  their  own  names  for  use  in 
foods,  but  that  antiseptics  were  placed  upon  the  market  under 
fanciful  titles  and  accompanied  by  false  and  misleading  state- 
ments of  their  properties. 

"Quart  packages  of  'Freezine'  and  'Special  M  Preservaline* 
were  shown  the  committee,  with  the  false  statements  on  the  label 
of  the  former,  stating  that  it  acts  the  same  as  ice,  and  that  as  it 
is  a  gas  it  escapes  and  leaves  nothing  in  the  milk,  and  that  it  can- 
not be  detected  by  the  chemist.  The  substances  were  stated  to 
consist  wholly  of  solutions  of  formic  aldehyd.  Its  properties 
and  uses  were  then  described.  I  stated  that  other  similar  pre- 
servatives were  on  the  market,  and  were  much  used  bv  milkmen, 


88  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

especially  in  warm  weather,  and  by  those  shipping  milk  by  rail  to 
the  large  cities.  I  gave  it  as  my  opinion  that  it  did  not  'act  like 
ice,'  that  it  w^as  a  powerful  antiseptic,  and  deleterious  in  any 
amounts,  and  that  its  use  was  highly  objectionable;  that  if  cleanli- 
ness was  exercised  in  the  care  of  milk  and  it  was  properly  aerated 
and  cooled,  its  use  was  not  necessary.  'Cream  Albumenoid,' 
consisting  of  gelatin,  boric  acid,  and  borax,  was  shown  as  sold 
for  use  in  'improving'  cream.  'Laketone,'  a  solution  consisting 
of  sulfonated  anilin  yellow,  used  for  coloring  milk  and  cream, 
was  produced  and  discussed. 

"The  very  common  use  of  salicylic  acid  for  preserving  cider 
was  referred  to.  (I  have  found  grape  juice  of  a  standard  make 
and  recommended  for  the  use  of  invalids  with  weak  stomachs,  to 
and  heavily  salicylated.) 

"The  use  of  salicylic  acid  in  bottled  beer  was  referred  to. 

'T  stated  that  in  my  opinion  a  desirable  policy  would  be  to 
prohibit  the  use  of  all  deleterious  substances  in  all  amounts  ex- 
cept in  such  cases  as  the  substances  were  necessary  ingredients 
in  the  manufacture  of  the  product.  For  example,  where  there  is 
a  choice  of  yellows  for  butter-colors,  flavoring  extracts  and  con- 
fectionery, harmless  vegetable  colors  must  be  used  in  preference 
to  the  brighter  and  more  penetrating  coal-tar  colors. 

'T  then  showed  preparations  of  sodium  sulphite  intended 
for  use  in  chopped  meat  and  hamburger  steak.  'Rosaline,'  a 
colored  mixture  of  borax,  niter  and  salt,  sold  for  use  as  a  sausage 
color  and  preservative,  was  shown.  < 

"After  a  somewhat  lengthy  discussion  of  jellies,  syrups,  bak- 
ing-powders and  various  food  products,  I  strongly  recommended 
national  food  legislation  and  the  establishment  of  a  National 
Food  Commission. 

"Such  a  commission  would  not  only  prevent  the  sale  of  in- 
jurious and  deceptive  goods,  but  it  and  the  national  law  would 
serve  as  a  model  for  State  legislation,  tending  to  uniformity  in 
the  various  States.  As  it  is  at  present,  while  the  State  officers 
can  reach  and  control  the  manufacture  of  food  products  within 
the  State,  they  cannot  reach  dishonest  manufacturers  shipping 
goods  in  from  the  neighboring  States,  but  are  forced  to  hold  the 
retailers  responsible."  Phila.  Med.  Jour, 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  89 

THE  PATHOGENESIS  OF  DIABETES.* 
By  Henry  IV.  Berg,  M.D. 

The  sugars  and  starches  included  in  the  group  of  carbohy- 
drates of  the  food  may,  for  the  purpose  of  this  paper,  be  repre- 
sented as  undergoing  digestion  in  the  alimentary  canal,  in  which 
under  the  influence  of  certain  ferments  derived  chiefly  from  the 
salivary  glands,  pancreas,  and  intestinal  glands,  they  are  changed 
to  glucose,  an  easily  diffusible  form  of  sugar.  In  this  form^  they 
are  taken  up  by  the  portal  circulation,  and  pass  to  the  liver,  in 
which  they  are  stored  up  in  the  form  of  glycogen.  So  great  is  the 
storing  capacity  of  the  liver  for  this  material  that  it  sometimes 
represents  as  much  as  fourteen  per  cent,  of  the  weight  of  the 
organ. 

From  the  glycogen  thus  stored  up,  the  liver  again  converts 
to  glucose  a  quantity  sufficient  to  supply  a  fixed  percentage  of 
glucose  to  the  venous  blood  passing  from  it.  Thus  glucose  enters 
the  circulation  in  what  is  practically  a  fixed  percentage,  varying 
from  0.05  to  0.15  per  cent,  in  man.  Some  of  this  grape  sugar  in 
the  blood  is  again  converted  into  glycogen  in  the  muscles  and 
stored  in  them,  for  use  in  the  production  of  energy.  By  far  the 
larger  proportion,  however,  is,  according  to  Sepine,  destroyed  by 
a  glycolytic  ferment  formed  in  the  pancreas.  When  this  later 
organ  is  extirpated  or  at  least  removed  to  the  extent  of  ninety 
per  cent,  of  the  organ,  or  so'  diseased  that  the  ferment  is  not  pro- 
duced, the  grape  sugar  in  the  blood  is  not  destroyed,  accumulates 
in  excess,  and  is  excreted  by  the  kidneys.  Thus  glycosuria  re- 
sults. 

Diabetes  mellitus,  then — I  do  not  here  include  the  temporary 
glycosuria  which  follows  the  eating  of  carboliydrates  in  excess — 
may  be  due  to  disease  or  interference  with  the  saccharine  func- 
tions of  the  liver,  or  disease  or  interference  with  the  glycolytic  ac- 
tion of  the  pancreas.  Furthermore,  the  famous  experiments  of 
Claud  Bernard  showed  that  in  animals  puncture  of  the  apex  of 
the  calamus  scriptorius  in  the  floor  of  the  fourth  ventrical  caused 
glycosuria,  lasting  many  hours.  When  the  animal  was  killed, 
after  the  glycosuria  had  ceased,  it  was  found  that  the  liver  was  free 
from  glycogen.  In  other  words,  the  puncture  of  the  medulla  at 
the  above-mentioned  point  had  caused  the  liver  to  yield  up  all  of 


*  Bxcerpt  from  paper  read  before  the  Academy  of  Medicine,  Nov.  21st, 
1899. 


90  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

its  store  of  glycogen  to  the  circulation  in  the  shape  of  glucose, 
which  had  been  excreted  by  the  kidneys,  as  grape  sugar  in  the 
urine.  Many  other  lesions  of  the  nerves,  ganglia,  and  nerve 
centres  produce  a  similar  efifect,  although  not  with  anything  Uke 
the  constancy  with  which  the  lesion  of  the  medulla  causes  it. 
Thus  this  effect  was  found  to  follow  destruction  of  the  upper  and 
lower  sympathetic  cervical  ganglia,  the  first  thoracic  ganglion, 
and  the  abdominal  ganglia  of  the  sympathetic.  Here  then  we 
have  three  possible  varieties  of  glycosuria. 

1.  The  glycosuria  resulting  from  disturbance  of  the  func- 
tion of  the  liver. 

2.  The  glycosuria  resulting  from  disturbance  of  the  function 
of  the  pancreas. 

3.  The  glycosuria  due  to  puncture  of  the  medulla  resulting 
in  the  yielding  up  by  the  liver  of  the  store  of  glycogen,  with  a  prob- 
able simultaneous  stoppage  in  the  secretion  of.  or  at  least  no  cor- 
responding increase  in,  the  secretion  of  the  glycolytic  ferment  in 
the  pancreas. 


HOW    TO    RESTORE    ANIMATION    IN    ETHERIZED 

SUBJECTS. 

A  case  of  death  which  occurred  when  the  patient  was  under, 
or  had  taken,  ether,  recently  reported  in  the  Brisbane  Telegraph, 
offers,  if  the  report  is  correct,  food  for  much  thought  and  for 
some  comment.  We  cannot  vouch  for  the  accuracy  of  the  ac- 
counts of  the  proceedings,  and  we  simply  give  them  as  they 
reached  us.  If  the  facts  are  misrepresented,  our  strictures  may 
be  unnecessary,  and,  indeed,  we  hope  that  such  is  the  case.  The 
scene  of  the  occurrence  was  a  dentist's  room.  The  patient,  a 
somewhat  stout  maiden  lady,  aged  fifty  years,  required  13  or 
14  teeth  extracted.  The  patient  had  requested  a  qualified 
medical  woman  to  give  her  ether.  The  evidence  of  the  dentist 
is  that  the  patient  did  not  take  the  ether  well,  symptoms  causing 
anxiety  making  their  appearance  early.  The  administrator  states 
that  the  patient  complained  that  she  was  choking.  The  sequence 
of  events  is  now  somewhat  obscure.  The  administrator  states 
that,  owing  to  the  unsatisfactory  way  in  which  the  ether  was 
taken,  she  gave  a  few  whifTs  of  chloroform,  which  relieved  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


91 


urgency  of  the  symptoms.  She  then  resumed  giving  the  ether. 
The  dentist,  on  the  other  hand,  ignores  the  chloroform  given, 
it  w^ould  seem,  to  a  fat  patient  sitting  in  a  chair,  but  says  the 
patient's  state  was  so  unsatisfactory  that  the  administrator  re- 
moved the  mask  and  turned  round  to  -fill  a  syringe  with  ether  to 
inject  it.  The  italics  are  ours.  He  suggested  extracting  two  or 
three  teeth  to  rouse  the  nervous  system.  He  did  extract  the 
teeth,  but,  unhappily,  the  nervous  system  failed  to  respond,  as 
might  be  supposed,  to  the  stimulus  of  the  forceps.  Ether  was 
subcutaneously  injected,  and  nitrite  of  amyl  was  used.  The  head 
was  lowered,  but  it  appeared  almost  as  if  the  subcutaneous  syringe 
replaced  the  all-essential  inversion  and  prompt  performance  of 
artificial  respiration.  We  hope  the  account  as  we  read  it  is  in- 
accurate, for  it  is  a  fatal  error  to  lose  valuable  time  at  such  critical 
moments.  In  the  first  place,  the  patient  should,  as  soon  as  symp- 
toms of  an  unsatisfactory  nature  showed  themselves,  have  been 
inverted,  no  chloroform  should  have  been  given  in  the  sitting 
posture,  and  the  further  administration  of  ether,  if  attempted  at 
all,  should  only  have  been  done  while  the  patient  was  reclining. 
The  extraction  of  teeth  in  a  patient  who  is  on  the  verge  of  syn- 
cope or  in  semi-anaesthesia  is  a  step  which  no  experienced  or 
cautious  man  would  consider  for  a  moment,  much  less  practice. 
The  hypodermic  injection  of  ether  is  not  a  remedy  at  all  likely 
to  help  in  such  a  case.  The  patient  was  very  nervous,  and  it  is 
possible  that  she  died  from  fright  caused  by  the  suffocating  feel- 
ing she  complained  of,  or  from  the  shock  of  the  teeth  being  drawn 
while  she  was  imperfectly  anaesthetized,  or,  indeed,  the  syncope 
may  have  had  no  direct  connection  with  the  anesthetic.  Still,  as 
the  matter  appears  in  the  reported  evidence  of  the  magisterial  in- 
quiry, an  unpleasant  feeling  is  left  upon  the  mind  that  the  patient 
would  have  had  a  better  chance  had  other  measures  been  resorted 
to  and  with  greater  promptness.  We  are  not  informed  how  the 
ether  was  given.  If  a  cone  was  used,  it  is  probable  that  the  feeling 
of  suffocation  was  no  figure  of  speech,  and  that  the  enforced  hold- 
ing of  the  breath  from  spasms  of  the  air-passage  played  no  incon- 
siderable part  in  producing  the  fatal  issue.  Ether  improperly 
given  may  prove  as  perilous  to  nervous  and  stout  subjects  as  is 
chloroform.  The  case  is  further  of  interest  and  importance  as 
death  in  this  sudden  way  is  almost  unknown  under  ether  except 
when  due  to  an  overpowering  vapor  causing  spasmodic  closure 
of  the  glottis.  Lancet. 


92  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

DESTRUCTION    OF    TEETH    IN    CHEMICAL 
ESTABLISHMENTS. 

Of  the  different  factories  in  which  the  teeth  of  the  employes 
are  more  or  less  affected  we  find  the  following  about  those  en- 
gaged in  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid.  From  the  report 
of  a  commission  of  investigation  which  recently  met  in  England 
we  take  the  following:  In  the  manufacture  of  sulphuric  acid 
pyrite  is  the  principal  raw  material.  The  powdered  pyrite  is 
roasted  in  specially  constructed  ovens,  and  the  sulphurous  acid 
which  is  formed  is  conducted  into  the  so-called  glover  tower. 
In  the  refilling  of  the  ovens  and  the  consequent  opening  of  its 
doors  the  sulphurous  acid  escapes  and  fills  the  rooms  of  the  fac- 
tory, and  from  these  fumes  the  employes  suft'er  greatly.  Sul- 
phurous acid  has  a  depressing  effect  on  the  muscles  of  the  heart, 
while  on  the  respiratory  organs  it  is  sometimes  excitable,  and 
again  depressing;  stronger  inhalations  produce  a  feeling  of  suf- 
focation. The  workmen  guard  against  this  by  means  of  a  muzzle 
of  moistened  flannel  folded  several  times,  which  they  hold  be- 
tween their  teeth.  They  prefer  this  to  respirators.  The  sulphur- 
ous acid  that  condenses  on  the  muzzle  held  between  the  teeth 
will  in  time  attack  and  impair  them.  The  majority  lose  their 
teeth  in  a  very  short  time.  One  workman  who  was  employed 
for  three  years  in  St.  Helens,  and,  previously,  four  years  in 
Widness,  has  lost  all  his  teeth;  he  was  then  only  22-|  years  of  age, 
having  entered  the  factory  when  15^  years  old.  Also  in  the  man- 
ufacture of  sodii  sulphas  (Glauber's  salt),  which  is  made  by  the 
action  of  sulphuric  acid  on  heated  salt,  the  workmen  principally 
suffer  from  tiie  fumes  of  hydrochloric  acid,  and  they  also  guard 
themselves  by  holding  muzzles  of  moistened  flannel  between  their 
teeth.  In  these  the  gaseous  hydrochloric  acid  condenses  and 
attacks  the  teeth.  The  commission  reported  on  this  as  follows: 
The  inhaled  hydrochloric  acid  fumes  have  a  suffocating  and  irri- 
tating effect  en  the  respiratory  organs,  cause  coughing,  followed 
by  a  kind  of  bronchitis ;  especially  does  it  affect  the  teeth,  giving 
them  a  dull  feeling,  and  finally  destroys  them.  Many  of  these 
workmen,  too,  have  lost  all  their  teeth  from  this  cause. 

Journal  fur  Zahnheilkunde  (Dominion  Dental  Journal). 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  93 

MICROORGANISMS  OF  THE  MOUTH  OF  THE  NEW- 
BORN. 

Giuseppe  Campo  (Pediatria,  Naples,  vii.,  229,  August,  1899) 
has  carried  out  a  series  of  researches  on  the  niicroorganisir.s  of 
the  mouth  of  the  newborn  in  order  to  ascertain  (i)  if  the  mouth 
at  the  moment  of  birth  is  free  from  germs;  (2)  the  development 
of  germs  along  with  the  establishment  of  the  primar\'  functions 
of  life,  and  (3)  the  isolation  of  them  and  their  pathogenic  action. 
Reference  is  made  to  the  work  of  Vignal,  Biondi,  Sanarelli, 
Freund  and  Kreibohm,  and  the  methods  used  are  described.  The 
contents  of  the  mouth  were  taken  at  the  moment  of  birth 
{the  head  of  the  infant  being  still  on  the  perineum),  four  hours 
later,  when  respiration  had  been  going  on,  and  twenty-four  hours 
later,  when  lactation  had  been  commenced.  Ten  infants  were 
examined  at  these  three  times,  and  twenty-one  others  were  exam- 
ined at  one  or  other  of  the  times  named.  Campo  concludes 
that  the  mouth  is  sterile  at  the  time  of  birth,  for  out  of  tweiaty-one 
cases  in  which  the  buccal  contents  were  examined  at  the  moment 
of  birth,  in  six  no  germs  were  found;  the  fifteen  cases  in  which 
organisms  were  found  do  not,  in  his  opinion,  invalidate  the  con- 
clusion, for  in  some  of  these  the  contents  were  collected  by  the 
midwife  in  attendance,  and  in  others  it  may  be  that  germs  gained 
entrance  from  the  maternal  vagina  during  labor.  The  effect  of 
respiration  was  that  the  mouth  collects  a  number  of  various 
microorganisms,  which  multiply  with  great  rapidity;  they  were 
the  bacillus  mesentericus  vulgatus,  the  bacterium  termo  and  the 
bacillus  ulna.  The  first  effect  of  lactation  was  found  to  be  a  dimi- 
nution in  the  number  of  germs,  possibly  due  to  the  mother's  milk 
washing  them  downward  into  the  gastro-intestinal  tract;  but  its 
second  effect  seemed  to  be  to  increase  the  number  of  the  kinds 
of  germs  met  with.  This  effect  Campo  thinks  is  the  result  not 
of  new  varieties  being  introduced  in  the  milk,  for  the  milk  direct 
from  the  breast  is  sterile,  but  of  a  power  conferred  by  the  milk 
upon  the  buccal  contents  of  growing  new  kinds  of  germs.  The 
organisms  found  w^ere,  in  order  of  frequency,  the  bacillus  mesen- 
tericus vulgatus,  the  bacterium  termo,  the  bacillus  ulna,  subtilis, 
leptathrix,  and  lineola  (?),  and  three  non-identified  germs,  to 
which  the  names  of  bacillus  x  and  coccus  y  and  c  have  been 
given.  It  w'as  further  discovered  that  none  of  these  micro()rgan- 
isms  had  any  pathogenic  properties,  for  intra-peritoneal   injec- 


94  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

tions  of  cultures  of  them  into  guinea  pigs  did  not  produce  any 
phenomena  indicating  virulence,  save  a  slight  diminution  of  the 
body  in  weight.  The  characters  of  the  non-identified  germs  and 
their  cultures  are  fully  described;  bacillus  .r  and  coccus  2  caused 
passing  loss  in  weight.  British  Medical  Journal. 


WATER  IN  THE  GOUTY  DIATHESIS. 
By  Edward  P.  Adams,  M.D. 

In  a  general  way  I  may  say  that  fairly  large  quantities  of 
water  or  liquid  are  theoretically  and  empirically  useful,  in  that 
by  diluting  the  fluids  of  the  body  they  seem  to  hold  in  solution, 
or  take  up  a  larger  percentage  of  the  uric  acid,  and  also  to  pre- 
vent deposits  forming.  All  drinks  should  be  taken  hot  if  possi- 
ble, because  if  cold,  or  especially  if  iced,  they  waste  animal  heat, 
and  a  depression  of  nerve  force  takes  place  in  the  economy,  in 
the  effort  to  restore  the  normal  heat  again.  If  hot  water  cannot 
be  taken  between  meals  it  can  be  taken  while  eating,  and  I  have 
found  that  it  is  well  borne,  and  does  not  interfere  with  digestion, 
as  does  cold  water,  for  it  is  quickly  absorbed,  and  does  not  do 
"more  than  delay  digestion  for  a  few  minutes.  The  humbuggery 
of  the  past,  that  water  should  not  be  taken  while  eating,  is,  I 
trust,  "a,  thing  of  the  past,"  for  it  is  nowadays  quite  the  proper 
thing,  dietetically,  as  well  as  gastronomically,  to  use  hot  soup, 
bouillon  or  consomme  with  one  meal  a  day,  and  it  is  a  wise  habit 
to  develop. 

As  to  mineral  waters  generally,  and  especially  the  carbonate 
of  lithia  waters,  I  quite  agree  with  Osier  when  he  says,  "much  of 
the  humbuggery  in  the  profession  still  clings  about  mineral 
waters,  more  practically  so-called  lithia  waters.  There  is  not  the 
slightest  evidence  that  the  carbonate  of  lithia  has  any  influence 
in  promoting  the  solubility  of  uric  acid."  In  my  experience — 
and  it  is  quite  extensive — in  so  far  as  mineral  waters  are  con- 
cerned, I  am  convinced  that  Osier  is  justified  in  his  assertion.  I 
believe  that  they  do  good  only  in  so  far  as  they  serve  to  intro- 
duce into  the  system  a  large  quantity  of  water,  expensive  as  it 
is,  and  the  more  expensive  it  is,  the  more  it  is  likely  to  be  taken, 
for  a  patient  will  drink  water  for  which  he  has  to  pay,  when  he 
will  not  drink  largely  of  that  which  is  easily  obtained.  And, 
except  on  this  ground,  I  have  discontinued  the  use  of  them,  only 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  95 

giving  them  to  those  patients  who  still  believe  in  them,  and  then 
only  for  the  service  that  the  water  itself,  minus  the  carbonate  of 
lithia,  will  perform.  For  the  past  ten  years  I  have  succeeded  in 
having  my  patients  with  gout,  after  a  few  day's  education,  con- 
tinue the  use  of  hot  water  in  large  quantities,  in  which  was  suffi- 
cient piperazin,  or  fluid  extract  of  corn  silk  to  equal  daily  15 
grains  of  piperazin,  or  half  an  ounce  of  the  fluid  extract  of  corn 
silk.  In  all  cases  of  acute  attack  of  gout  my  dietetic  treatment 
was  commenced  immediately,  supported  and  assisted  during  the 
first  forty-eight  hours  by  twenty  grains  a  day  of  piperazin  in 
large  draughts  of  hot  water,  or  the  use  of  maizo-lithium  in  fluid 
dram  doses  in  a  tumbler  of  hot  water  every  four  hours,  and  in 
chronic  cases  continuing  the  use  of  either  one  or  the  other  in 
smaller  doses  but  in  large  quantities  of  hot  water.  Freshly  made 
fluid  extract  of  corn  silk  acts  admirably  in  the  same  way,  but  it 
must  be  freshly  made,  and  from  the  green  fresh  silk,  which  can 
only  be  done  during  the  season  of  sweet  corn,  and  as  the  lithia, 
either  the  citrate  or  benzoate,  has  remarkably  solvent  effects  on 
uric  acid,  I  have  often  combined  it  with  the  fluid  extract  of  corn 
silk,  in  which  the  value  lies  in  the  niaizinic  acid,  so  when  the 
corn  silk  cannot  be  taken  from  the  growing  corn  I  use  the 
maizo-lithium.  It  is  cheaper  than  piperazin,  and  has  no  depress- 
ing effects;  indeed,  com  silk,  since  its  introduction  to  notice  as 
an  uric-acid  solvent  in  1882  by  Professor  Castan,  has  grown  on 
the  profession  as  a  valuable  drug  in  these  gouty  conditions.  Its 
introduction  into  the  system  brings  about  a  balance  of  the  nitro- 
genous equilibrium  without  any  disturbance;  produces  a  rise  in 
the  arterial  and  a  fall  in  the  venous  tension.  Its  use  is  sup- 
ported by  such  authorities  as  Dennie,  of  Bordeaux;  Queirel,  of 
Marsielles;  Pons,  of  Nerac,  and  many  other  observers  in  uric 
acid  conditions,  and  not  once  in  ten  years'  use  have  I  been  dis- 
appointed in  its  results.  I  give  it  to  all  my  gouty  patients,  in  one 
form  or  another,  ofttimes  with  lithia,  sometimes  alone,  daily  for 
months  as  a  largely  diluted  drink  with  meals. 

According  to  Dujardin-Beaumetz,  coffee  is  not  deleterious 
in  gout  when  it  acts  as  a  diuretic,  otherwise  it  does  harm  and 
should  be  avoided.  Milk  is  another  valuable  drink  for  the  gouty, 
and  when  it  constipates  should  be  combined  with  seltzer  water; 
it  should  always  be  fresh  and  sweet.  Buttermilk  is  grateful  and 
refreshing  to  some,  and  furnishes  likewise  a  good  excuse  for  in- 
gestion of  fluid.  Jour.  Amcr.  Med.  Asso. 


96  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

THE  PERILS  OF  ARTIFICIAL  TEETH. 

A  sad  tale  of  the  dangers  of  high  days  and  hoHdays  is  related 
in  the  otherwise  prosaic  pages  of  the  Bulletins  et  Memoires  de  la 
Socicte  Anatomique  de  Paris.     On  Easter  Sunday  a  married  wo- 
man, aged  32,  one  in  the  ranks  of  the  bourgeoisie  of  Paris,  was 
feasting,  not  wisely  but  toO'  well,  in  a  restaurant,  when  part  of  her 
tooth-plate  broke  off  and  was  swallowed.    It  included  two  incisor 
teeth  on  a  portion  of  the  plate,  armed  with  two  sharp  incurved 
hooks.     She  applied  at  the  Hopital  St.  Louis  at  once,  when  not 
in  a  condition  to  feel  much  pain.     The  house  surgeon  on  duty 
succeeded  in  passing  a  sound  into  the  stomach,  as  reflex  irritabil- 
ity was  in  abeyance  through  intoxication;  nothing  could  be  felt, 
but  the  patient  believed  that  the  plate  passed  downward.    On  the 
next  day  the  patient  could  swallow  solids  and  liquids.    There  was 
a  deep  scratch  on  one  tonsil,  and  she  complained  of  distinct  pain 
in  the  left  side  of  the  neck  at  the  level  of  the  larynx.     She  was 
not  yet  thoroughly  sober;  yet,  as  it  turned  out,  she  was  accurate. 
A  specialist  carefully  made  an  exploration  with  the  Roentgen 
rays,  but  no  evidence  of  a  foreign  metallic  body  in  the  pharynx 
was  thus  obtained.     On  the  third  day,  April  4th,  the  patient  was 
better  and  at  least  sober,  but  there  was  rise  of  temperature  with- 
out any  local  symptoms;  she  could  still  swallow  solid  food.     But 
on  the  next  day  there  was  distinct  swelling  in  the  neck,  and  free 
expectoration  of  rusty  sputum.    Diffuse  cellulitis  and  pneumonia 
were  diagnosed.    On  April  6th  the  swelling  was  marked  on  both 
sides  in  the  carotid  region,  and  deglutition  had  become  painful. 
Retropharyngeal  suppuration  clearly  existed.     An  incision  was 
made  along  the  anterior  border  of  the  sterno-mastoid  (the  left, 
we  presume,  though  the  side  is  not  stated),  and  the  carotid  and 
jugular  pushed  aside.    Morestin,  the  operator,  then  succeeded  in 
opening  a  foetid  abscess  behind  the  lowest  part  of  the  pharynx. 
It  contained  gas.    When  it  was  emptied  the  operator  once  more 
explored  its  cavity,  and  detected  the  piece  of  tooth-plate,  which 
was  carefully  extracted.     Relief  was  immediate,  but  the  pneu- 
monia advanced;  the  patient,  owing  to  her  intemperate  habits, 
could  not  resist  so  formidable  a  complication,  and  she  died  within 
twenty-four  hours  of  the  operation.     The  dangers  of  swallowing 
a  tooth-plate  during  anaesthesia  or  intoxication  are  well  known. 
The  gravest  feature  in  this  case,  as  Morestin  admits,  is  the  failure 
of  the  X-rays  to  detect  the  piece  of  plate,  though  the  patient  knew 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AXD  SELECTIONS.  97 

she  had  swallowed  it,  and  had,  as  the  after-history  proved,  accu- 
rately located  it  before  the  X-rays  were  used.  Had  the  operation 
been  undertaken  at  once,  on  the  strength  of  this  unhappy  wo- 
man's localizing  ability,  she  would,  M.  Morestin  insists,  have 
been  saved.  British  Medical  Journal 


ETHER  VERSUS  CHLOROFORM. 

The  narrative  of  the  introduction,  declination  and  revival  in 
the  use  of  ether  as  an  anaesthetic  in  England  is  one  of  the  most 
curious  in  the  history  of  medical  thought  in  the  nineteenth  cen- 
tury. Mr.  Pridgin  Teale's  article  on  ether  in  the  recently  issued 
Encydopcedia  Medica  presents  us  with  his  view  of  the  subject  as 
an  operating  surgeon.  In  the  opening  pages  of  this  article  Mr. 
Teale  traces  the  story  of  the  revival  of  ether,  attributing  it  to  the 
well-known  paper  of  Joy  Jeffries,  ''Ether  in  Opthalmic  Practice," 
the  stimulus  which  set  the  pendulum  of  English  surgical  opinion 
in  motion,  and  caused  it  to  swing  back  from  the  almost  universal 
advocacy  of  chloroform  to  the  adoption  of  the  older  but  then 
obsolescent  angesthetic.  At  first  ether  had  been  vaunted,  and  as 
the  pages  of  contemporary  journals  show,  used  by  all  sorts  and 
conditions  of  men  with  small  regard  to  its  peculiar  properties, 
and  scanty  knowledge  of  its  possibilities  and  limitations.  It  was 
the  first  volatile  anaesthetic  appealing  for  surgical  suffrage,  and 
was  handled  with  a  diffidence  almost  amounting  to  fear  by  those 
who  gave  it,  and  looked  upon  somewhat  askance  by  the  operator 
unaccustomed  to  deal  with  humanity  in  a  condition  of  semi- 
anaesthesia  or  profound  narcosis.  In  the  one  case  the  delirious 
shouts  and  struggles  were  discomposing,  and  in  the  other  the 
death-like  calm  gave  rise  to  misgivings.  The  various  kinds  of 
apparatus  invented  during  the  first  year  or  so  of  ether-giving 
were  appalling  in  their  complication  and  bulk,  and  in  most  in- 
stances were  extremely  ill  adapted  for  the  purpose  for  which  they 
were  designed.  Then  came  stories  of  difficulties  and  failures. 
The  pundits  of  surgery  declared  ether  was  unreliable  and  prob- 
ably unsafe. 

At  the  critical  moment,  when  the  more  thoughtful  minds 
were  studying  and  attempting  to  improve  the  means  of  adminis- 
tering this  recalcitrant  vapor,  came  Simpson  with  a  pocket  hand- 
kerchief and  a  vial  with  the  new  anaesthetic  chloroform.    All  dan- 


98  I>i:.\T.\L   lih'lEF. 

gers  and  difficulties  were  to  be  removed,  and  the  operating 
theatre,  passing  through  what  Simpson  himself  calls  the  ''sham- 
bles" stage  and  the  bear  garden  experiences  of  imperfectly  given 
ether,  became  calm.  The  surgeon  could  do  his  work  without  let 
or  hindrance,  and  with  a  free  mind.  The  unhappy  death,  how- 
ever, which  occurred  under  the  new  anaesthetic  within  three 
months  of  its  introduction,  put  an  end  tO'  the  sense  of  security 
which  at  first  reigned  supreme.  Then,  as  now,  many  persons 
contended  that  the  anaesthetic  was  less  to  blame  than  the  method 
employed  in  giving  it;  but  the  increasing  mortality  under  its  use 
gave  rise  to  an  increasing  anxiety,  and  prepared  the  way  for  a 
revival  of  the  popularity  of  ether.  The  Committee  of  the  Royal 
Medical  and  Chirurgical  Society  was  appointed  to  reinvestigate 
the  case  of  Chloroform;  vs.  Ether,  and  although  admitting  the 
perils  of  the  former,  the  committee  declared  the  slow  action  and 
imperfect  methods  of  using  ether  an  insuperable  difficulty. 

This  is,  of  course,  ancient  history,  and  Mr.  Teale's  work  lies 
not  in  traversing  such  a  judgment.  Clover's  apparatus,  and  the 
teaching  of  the  modern  anaesthetists  have  done  that  already,  and 
have  shown  that  ether  can  be  given  more  rapidly  than  chloro- 
form and  without  any  of  the  drawbacks  of  former  days.  The 
whole  question  has  at  present  assumed  an  entirely  new  pihase. 
Given  the  best  methods  of  administering  chloroform  and  of  ether, 
the  conflict  is  still  waged  between  the  rival  camps  as  to  which  is 
the  best  all-round  anaesthetic.  Mr.  Teale,  after  twenty  years' 
experience  of  chloroform,  adopted  ether,  and  now,  after  two  more 
decades  in  which  he  has  used  that  anaesthetic,  affirms  unhesitat- 
ingly that  ether  is  safer,  and,  if  properly  given,  quite  as  service- 
able as  chloroform. 

The  object  of  his  paper  is  to  teach  how  this  proper  method 
can  be  acquired;  but  as  his  directions  are  practically  those  found 
in  the  special  manuals  on  anaesthetics,  we  need  not  pause  to  con- 
sider them  in  detail.  It  is  interesting,  in  view  of  recent  discus- 
sions before  the  Society  of  Anaesthetists,  to  learn  from  Mr.  Teale 
that  he,  as  a  surgeon,  has  found  ether  wholly  satisfactory  in  ab- 
dominal surgery,  in  throat  work,  and  for  yonng  children  and 
aged  persons.  Those  who  heard  the  eloquent  advocacy  by  Mr. 
Warrington  Haward  of  the  use  of  ether  for  all  sorts  and  con- 
ditions of  men,  women  and  children  in  one  of  those  discussions, 
will  find  in  Mr.  Teale's  pages  a  whole-hearted  agreement  upon 
this  subject. 


ABSTRACTS  AJ\D  SELECTIONS.  99 

The  two  stock  objections  urged  by  those  who  use  chloro- 
form in  preference  to  ether  have  recently  been  its  after  perils, 
that  is,  bronchitis,  pneumonia,  etc.,  and  the  less  profound  nar- 
cosis, which  causes  rigidity,  hurried  breathing,  and  so  on.  These, 
Mr.  Teale's  experience  goes  to  show,  are  more  theoretical  than 
real.  He  has  never  seen  ether  bronchitis,  and  agrees  with  those 
anaesthetists  who  regard  it  as  being  most  rare  and,  when  present, 
commionly  due  to  exposure  of  the  patient  to  cold  before,  during, 
or  after  the  operation. 

That  surgeons  like  a  patient  to  be  profoundly  anaesthetized 
is  natural,  but  whether  the  condition,  always  one  of  extreme  risk, 
is  often  desirable  from  the  patient's  point  of  view,  seems  fair 
matter  for  argument.  We  trust  Mr.  Teale's  useful  directions  will 
obtain  a  wide  hearing,  as  they  focus  in  a  small  space  his  great 
experience.  It  is,  perhaps,  a  pity  that  Mr.  Teale's  space  did  not 
allow  him  tOi  emphasize  the  keen  sense  of  responsibility  which 
should  exist  in  those  whoi  undertake  to^  give  anaesthetics.  It  is  a 
matter  of  regret  that  this  frame  of  mind  is  not  always  met  with 
in  the  occasional  anaesthetist,  and  its  absence  is  a  risk  both  to  the 
surgeon  and  to  the  patient.  British  Medical  Journal. 


i$^;^$€€€ 


Il 


THE 


Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literatnre. 

Published  Monthly. 


WILBUR   F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S..    EDITOR. 

EDITORIAL. 

The  "National  Institute  of  Dental  Pedagogy." 
Fiske's  aphorism  that  "In  a  very  deep  sense  all  hunmn 
science  is  but  an  increment  of  the  power  of  the  eye  and  all  human 
t  h  increment  of  the  power  of  the  human  hand,"  contan.s  an 
Slntal  truth  which  lies  at  the  basis  of  all  ^-^  P-J^^ 
-Vision  and  manipulation,"  in  the  last  analysis  what  :s  the  re  m 
an  science  or  in  any  art  of  which  these  primal  powers  are  not  the 

essential  factors?  ,      ,  •  ,,   t^„fh   meval 

Indeed,  however  newly  formulated,  th.s  .s  a  truth  coeval 
,,,h  the  development  m  man  of  that  power  to  classify  and  co. 
elate  experiences  which  is  the  essential  element  of  reason,     fhe 
pr^eval  worker  who  first  taught  his  untamed  offspring  to  shap. 
I  wood  or  stone  the  rude  weapons  of  warfare  or  the  chase^  w  Oi 
whose  making  his  conquest  of  the  worl    m  whic    1-  >  -    '^^^-^ 
acted  upon  it  equally  with  the  cultured  scientists  of  to-day     his 
a  test  i  eal  heirs  to  whatever  increment  of  acquired  constructiv 
IkiU  and  increased  brain  capacity  he  was  able  to  bequeath  to 

'"' The'primidve  teacher  sought  to  build  a  tool  and  not  a  brain; 
„3   wiser   successors   strive   to   build   brains   as   we^l   as   tools. 
Broadly  considered,  in  that  one  distinction  hes  the  chief  d^^-" 
,ation  between  the  empirical  and  the  ^^^::::^X^, 
tion.    The  first,  with  purpose  narrowed  to  a  present  ga 


EDITORIAL.  loi 

tO'  no  ulterior  or  higher  end;  whereas,  by  the  latter  method, 
special  knowledge  is  based  upon  elemental  principles,  and  is 
taught  in  its  true  relation  to  all  cognate  knowledge.  Thus  deeply 
and  broadly  based  it  grows  as  a  progressive  and  enduring  accre- 
tion, and  not  as  an  isolated  concretion  of  acquired  capacity. 

Such  was  the  inspiring  principle  of  the  few  zealous  teachers 
who'  seven  years  ago  organized  the  National  School  of  Dental 
Technics,  whose  seventh  annual  meeting  was  recently  held  in 
Philadelphia;  an  organizatio'n  which  has  done  so  nuich  to  ad- 
vance the  standard  of  technical  training  in  dental  schools  through 
education  of  the  eye  and  hand  by  progressive  and  systematized 
practice  in  manipulative  processes  and  constructive  work. 

The  history  of  this  movement  shows  that  in  its  inception  it 
was  regarded  with  indifference,  if  not  with  disfavor,  by  many 
who  thought  that  the  consideration  of  methods  of  instruction 
more  properly  pertained  to  and  could  more  effectively  be  accom- 
plished by  the  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties. 

Events  have,  however,  demonstrated  that  the  time  devoted  to 
the  annual  meetings  of  that  organization  is  so  fully  absorbed  in 
the  discussion  of  matters  relative  to  dental  legislation,  intercol- 
legiate relations  and  school  governance  as  to  leave  but  little,  if 
any,  opportunity  for  the  more  purely  pedagogical  features  of 
school  work. 

Hence  the  ''reason  for  being"  of  the  School  of  Technics  has 
been  clearly  manifested  and  its  existence  justified,  not  only  as 
having  a  purpose  to  fulfill,  biiit  as  having  well  fulfilled  a  pun:)Ose. 
Much  of  the  improvement  in  college  work  during  the  last  few 
years  is  unquestionably  due  to  the  efforts  of  the  School  of  Tech- 
nics, and  to  the  opportunity  for  the  examination,  comparison 
and  discussion  of  methods  of  teaching  which  its  meetings  have 
afforded. 

By  personal  conference  with  enthusiastic  teachers,  and  by 
demonstrative  evidence  of  the  results  which  they  have  cft'cctcd, 
the  most  laggard  conservatism  has  been  stimulated,  and  a  spirit 
of  wholesome  and  generous  emulation  aroused,  whose  intUionce 


I02  J > i:\TAL  liinilF. 

is  already  noteworthy,  and  is  destined  to  be  increasingly  mani- 
fest in  the  years  to  come. 

In  no  department  of  dental  technics  has  recent  advancement 
been  more  pronounced  than  in  the  development  of  anatomical 
knowledge  and  artistic  perception  of  tooth  forms  through  the 
system  of  tooth  dissection,  drawing  and  modeling  now  so  gen- 
erally adopted  as  a  part  of  the  regular  course  of  instruction  in 
dental  schools. 

In  view  of  the  obvious  importance  and  value  of  these  studies, 
from  the  artistic  as  well  as  the  scientific  standpoint,  it  seems 
inexplicable  that  such  elementary  training  of  the  eye  and  hand 
should  have  been  so  long  neglected,  and  that  even  now  there  are 
teachers  in  dental  schools  who  regard  drawing  and  modeling  as 
a  waste  of  time  which  might  more  profitably  be  directed  in  more 
"practical'*  directions. 

It  is  true  that  since  the  multiplication  in  the  number  and 
variety  of  tooth  molds,  and  the  vast  improvements  effected  of 
late  years  in  the  shapes  and  shades  of  molded  teeth,  there  is  not 
the  same  necessity  for  individual  skill  in  tooth  carving  and  model- 
ing that  existed  before  these  improvements  were  effected;  for 
in  that  earlier  period  dentists  were  largely  dependent  upon  a  per- 
sonal knowledge  of  that  art  for  the  attainment  of  the  best  results 
in  prosthodontia. 

Still  the  artistic  need  for  an  intimate  knowledge  of  tooth 
forms  is  not  lessened  by  the  ability  to  secure  what,  viewed  singly, 
are,  even  at  their  best,  but  imperfect  imitations  of  nature's  handi- 
work. The  artistic  excellence  of  a  denture  is  dependent  not 
alone  upon  the  beauty  of  the  individual  teeth  of  which  it  is  com- 
posed, but  upon  mass  effects.  Taken  singly  they  are  but  the 
stones  of  the  mosaic  or  the  pigments  of  the  painter  which  the 
artist  must  blend  into  harmony  of  design,  as  nature  blends  her 
tinted  tissues  in  that  marvelous  mosaic,  man. 

"Art  is  long,"  and  the  art  through  which  this  can  be  fully 
achieved  in  dental  prosthesis  is  not  to  be  acquired  in  the  fleet- 
ing time  of  a  college  course,  but,  in  its  highest  perfection,  is  the 


I 


EDITORIAL.  103 

outgrowth  of  years  of  study  and  practice.  Even  for  the  most 
experienced  and  the  most  skilled  there  always  remains  something 
to  be  learned,  so  inexhaustible  is  the  ''infinite  variety"  of  the 
combinations  through  which  nature  produces  her  effects. 

Not  only  is  the  artistic  reproduction  of  tooth  forms  a  long 
and  difficult,  but  also  a  special  art,  one  in  which  the  most  skilled 
sculptor,  draughtsman,  or  engraver  fails  to  produce  acceptable 
results  until  after  long  practice^,  directed  necessarily,  first,  to  the 
simple  recognition  of  the  infinitely  fine  lines  and  curves  which 
give  character  to  the  human  teeth,  and  then  to  their  representa- 
tion in  whatever  medium  may  be  employed. 

Although  porcelain  teeth  are  now  so  improved  as  to  be 
almost  universally  available  for  the  production  of  artistic  results, 
they  always  lack  something  of  sharpness  of  outline,  even  when 
they  have  received  it  from  the  mold;  well  defined  lines  often 
being  blurred  and  sharp  edges  and  angles  rounded  under  the 
process  of  vitrification  by  fusion. 

Indeed,  for  the  purposes  of  art,  porcelain  teeth,  however  ex- 
cellent, can  be  regarded  only  as  blanks  approximating  the  forms 
required  for  the  particular  case,  but  always  needing  the  touch  of 
the  artist  hand  to  perfect  their  shapes  and  blend  them  into  natural 
allignment  with  their  fellows,  and  into  harmonious  correspond- 
ence with  the  requirements  of  the  case  as  influenced  by  age,  sex 
and  temperament. 

The  School  of  Technics  has  largely  aided  in  securing  ad- 
vancement in  the  methods  of  teaching  not  only  in  this  and  other 
branches  relating  to  dental  prosthesis,  but  also  in  orthodontia 
and  general  operative  procedures,  and  much  of  the  time  of  the 
meeting  in  Philadelphia  was  devoted  to  the  reading  and  discus- 
sion of  papers  relating  to  these  subjects. 

Hitherto  the  annual  meetings  of  the  school  have  been  de- 
voted almost  exclusively  to  their  consideration,  but  this  year 
was  marked  by  an  advance  into  the  broader  field  of  general  ped- 
agogy as  applied  to  dental  schools,  and  there  was  much  discus- 
sion of  the  relative  merits  of  text-books,  svllabi,  lectures,  rccita- 


104  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

tions  and  quizes  as  aids  to  instruction  in  the  so-called  theoretical 
branches. 

In  concurrence  with  this  enlargement  of  the  scope  of  its 
work  the  name  of  the  association  has  been  changed  to  that  above 
given,  the  ''National  Institute  of  Dental  Pedagogy,"  and  there 
can  be  no  question  that  there  is  a  much  needed  work  to  be  done 
in  that  broader  field  of  activity  upon  which  it  has  now  entered. 


''Contract  Dental  Surgeons." 

Elsewhere  in  this  issue  of  the  Brief  is  reproduced  the  text 
of  a  bill  introduced  by  Mr.  Otey  in  the  House  of  Representa- 
tives, December  9th,  1899,  entitled  "A  bill  to  provide  for  the 
appointment  of  dental  surgeons  in  the  United  States  Army." 

This  measure  has  been  accepted  by  the  Committee  on  Legis- 
lation of  the  National  Dental  Association,  and  others  who  are 
cooperating  with  them,  as  a  substitute  for  the  Hull  bill,  which 
was  presented  at  the  last  session  of  Congress,  and  differs  from 
that  measure  in  the  fact  that  those  appointed  under  its  provisions 
do  not  receive  rank  as  commissioned  officers. 

The  proposed  enactment  provides  that  appointments  sliall 
be  made  by  the  Surgeon-General,  with  the  approval  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  war;  that  candidates  shall  be  graduates  of  standard 
medical  or  dental  colleges,  and  of  good  moral  and  professional 
character,  and  that  they  shall  pass  a  satisfactory  examination 
before  a  board  of  three  dental  surgeons  selected  by  the  Surgeon- 
General,  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  with  reference 
to  their  fitness  for  assignment  to  the  special  service  of  conducting 
the  examinations  and  supervising  the  operations  of  the  others. 

The  proposed  enactment,  while  not  fully  meeting  the  ex- 
pectations of  the  dental  profession,  is  certainly  a  vast  improve- 
ment upon  the  plan  which  has  been  proposed  and  advocated  in 
certain  quarters  for  the  organization  of  the  army  dental  service 
upon  the  basis  of  the  enlistment  of  dentists  as  non-commissioned 
officers,  a  measure  which  could  only  result  in  an  ignominious 


EDITORIAL.  105 

lowering  of  professional  status,  and  to  which  the  dental  profes- 
sion should  never  submit. 

Only  those  who  have  had  experience  in  military  life  fully 
realize  the  impassable  social  gulf  which,  either  in  the  army  or  in 
the  navy,  separates  the  commissioned  from  the  non-commis- 
sioned officer.  The  first  is  not  only  an  officer,  but,  construc- 
tively, a  gentleman;  the  latter  one  to  whom,  in  the  conventional 
sense,  the  term  gentleman  does  not  apply,  and  who  cannot  be  re- 
ceived on  terms  of  social  equality  by  commissioned  officers  until 
he  has  been  promoted  to  their  own  grade. 

The  official  title  of  the  so-called  ''contract  surgeon"  in  the 
medical  department  of  the  United  States  army  is  Acting  Assist- 
ant Surgeon;  that  is,  although  a  civilian,  he  assumes  the  duties 
and  has  the  social  status  of  a  regularly  commissioned  surgeon 
of  that  grade. 

The  latter  is  appointed  and  commissioned  by  the  President, 
with  the  approval  of  the  Senate  of  the  United  States ;  the  former 
is  appointed  by  the  Surgeon-General,  with  the  approval  of  the 
Secretary  of  War.  The  fo'rmer  appointment  is  for  life,  with  pro- 
gressively increased  rank  and  pay;  the  latter  is  for  a  period 
limited  by  the  terms  of  the  contract  which  the  appointee  makes 
with  the  government  to  render  certain  service  for  a  definite 
emolument. 

At  present  the  pay  of  an  Acting  Assistant  Surgeon  in  the 
United  States  Army  is  one  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  a  month. 
He  is  entitled  to  mileage  when  traveling  under  orders,  and  also 
to  quarters,  either  in  the  field  or  at  the  post  to  which  he  is 
assigned  for  duty. 

While,  as  already  intimated,  the  bill  under  consideration  is 
not  all  that  could  be  wished  for,  it  is  all  that  at  present  can 
reasonably  be  hoped  for.  It  is,  moreover,  a  legislative  possi- 
bility. Tlie  practical  efficiency  of  a  corps  of  trained  army  den- 
tists is  yet  to  be  proven.  If  when  subjected  to  an  actual  working 
test  in  garrison,  camp  and  field  army  dentists  demonstrate  their 
usefulness  to  the  forces  to  which  they  are  assigned,  there  will  be 


io6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

but  little  difficulty  in  securing  for  them  positions  as  a  branch  of 
the  medical  corps,  with  rank  and  pay  commensurate  with  the 
value  of  tlie  service  they  render  those  upon  whom  the  nation 
depends  for  security  in  the  piping  times  of  peace  and  for  defense 
in  the  troublous  days  of  war. 

In  the  July  issue  of  this  journal  the  need  for  skilled  den- 
tistry for  the  men  who  fight  our  battles  on  land  and  sea  was 
editorially  urged.  Additional  argument  in  favor  of  their  appoint- 
ment will  be  found  in  the  article  on  "Dentists  in  the  Army  and 
Navy/'  reproduced  from  The  Dentist,  of  London,  in  this  num- 
ber of  the  Brief.  From  this  it  appears  that  European  powers, 
as  well  as  our  own  government,  are  taking  mto  serious  consid- 
eration the  employment  of  skilled  dental  service  for  the  military 
and  naval  forces  of  their  respective  countries,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  understand  what  valid  objection  can  be  urged  against  a 
measure  so  necessary  to  that  physical  well-being  upon  which 
their  fighting  effectiveness  so  largely  depends. 

In  this  country,  however,  no  measure  of  this  character,  no 
matter  how  reasonable  in  its  provisions,  can  gain  the  attention 
of  Congress  or  secure  its  favorable  action  unless  strongly  and 
persistenly  urged  by  those  desiring  its  enactment,  and  the  com- 
mittee having  the  matter  in  charge  earnestly  request  all  who  be- 
lieve that  our  soldiers  have  "a  right  to  the  timely  and  suitable 
care  of  their  teeth,"  and  to  the  best  possible  surgical  appliances 
in  cases  of  maxillary  injuries  received  in  battle,  to  write  at  once 
to  the  representative  of  the  district  and  the  senators  of  the  State 
in  which  they  reside,  soliciting  their  vote  and  influence  for  the 
passage  of  House  Bill,  No.  972. 


^$i^$€€€ 


ARMY  DENTISTS.  107 

ARMY    DENTISTS. 

(Proposed   Congressional  Enactment.) 


A  BILL 

TO   TROVIDE   FOR  THE  APPOINTMENT   OF   DENTAL   SURGEONS   FOR 
SERVICE   IN    THE   UNITED    STATES    ARMY. 

Be  it  enacted  by  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives 
of  the  United  States  of  America  in  Congress  assembled,  Tliat 
the  Surgeon-General  of  the  Army,  with  the  approval  of  the  Sec- 
retary of  War,  be,  and  he  is  hereby,  authorized  to  employ  and 
appoint  dental  surgeons  to  serve  the  officers  and  enlisted  men 
of  the  Regular  and  Volunteer  Army  in  the  proportion  of  one 
dental  surgeon  to  every  one  thousand  of  said  Army.  Said  dental 
surgeons  shall  be  employed  as  contract  dental  surgeons,  under 
the  terms  and  conditions  applicable  tO'  army  contract  surgeons, 
and  shall  be  graduates  of  standard  medical  or  dental  colleges, 
trained  in  the  several  branches  of  dentistry,  of  good  moral  and 
professional  character,  and  shall  pass  a  satisfactory  professional 
examination;  Provided,  That  three  of  the  number  of  dental  sur- 
geons tO'  be  employed  shall  be  first  appointed  by  the  Surgeon- 
General,  with  the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  with  refer- 
ence to  their  fitness  for  assignment,  under  the  direction  of  the 
Surgeon-General,  tO'  the  special  service  of  conducting  the  ex- 
aminations and  supervising  the  operartions  of  the  others,  and  for 
such  special  service  an  extra  compensation  of  sixty  dollars  a 
month  shall  be  allowed;  Provided  further,  That  dental  college 
graduates  now  employed  in  the  Hospital  Corps,  who  have  been 
detailed  for  a  period  of  not  less  than  twelve  months  to  render 
dental  service  tO'  the  Army,  and  who'  are  shown  by  the  reports 
of  their  superior  officers  to  have  rendered  such  service  satisfac- 
torily, may  be  appointed  contract  dental  surgeons  without  ex- 
amination. 


THE  ARMY  AND  DENTISTRY.* 

The  alteration,  in  the  wrong  direction,  in  the  proportion 
borne  by  extractions  to  fillings  during  the  past  year,  and  its 
alleged  cause  in  an  annual  deterioration  of  the  nation's  teeth,  was 
far  from  being  the  only  subject  of  supreme  interest  to  dentists 
brought  up  at  the  annual  dinner  of  the  Dental  Hospital,  reported 

^Editorial  from  The  Dentist  (lyoudon),  Dec.  sSth,  1899. 


loS  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

in  our  issue  of  December  7th.  Most  of  the  speakers  made  some 
mention  of  the  war  in  which  England  is  now  engaged,  and,  as  a 
matter  of  course,  reference  was  also  made  to  the  "close  connec- 
tion between  dentistry  and  good  fighting,"  and  to  the  numerous 
"rejections  of  would-be  soldiers  because  their  teeth  were  defec- 
tive," to  which  attention  has  so  often  been  called  of  late,  not  only 
in  the  columns  of  this  journal  and  at  the  meetings  of  the  dental 
societies  throughout  the  country,  but  even  in  official  speeches  of 
members  of  the  Government  in  Parliament  itself.  Much  has  been 
said;  but,  unless  we  are  very  much  mistaken,  little  or  nothing 
has  been  done. 

No  time  could  be  more  opportune  than  the  present,  while 
the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  the  public  are  sO'  largely  occupied 
with  the  prowess  of  our  soldiers  and  with  considerations  of  the 
welfare  of  "the  absent-minded  beggar,"  on  whom  the  protection 
of  our  country's  honor  and  wealth  depends,  for  again  calling  to 
mind  the  importance  of  providing  him  with  regular  dental  attend- 
ance. It  is,  moreover,  the  dentists — those  who  know  best  the 
necessities  of  the  case  and  their  causes — on  whom  the  duty  de- 
volves of  making  strong  representations  to  the  authorities  on  the 
subject.  Now,  moreover,  is  the  time  when  the  British  Dental 
Association  might  well  make  some  effort  to  obtain  from  the  seat 
of  war  some  statistics  as  to  the  results  to  our  troops  in  South 
Africa  of  there  being  no  adequate  and  official  provision  for  the 
dental  treatment  of  our  troops  in  the  field  and  of  our  wounded. 

In  a  recent  issue  of  the  Zahn'drztliche  Wochenschrift  (the 
German  Dental  Weekly)  there  is  an  article  by  Assistant  Professor 
Port,  of  Munich — Physician-in-Chief  to  the  Bavarian  Army  Re- 
serves— on  "Dentistry  in  the  Battlefield."  Dr.  Port  gives  some 
very  interesting  statistics  bearing  on  the  subject  from  the  "Sani- 
tary Official  Reports  over  the  Franco-German  War  of  1870-71." 
The  total  number  of  wounded  was  116,821.  Of  these  the 
number  wounded  in  the  jaws  was  no  less  than  1,154,  or  nearly 
one  per  cent.  Injuries  to  the  upper  jaw  alone  were  731,  to 
the  lower  jaw  alone  365,  and  to  both  jaws  58.  The  number 
of  those  who  were  cured  was  1,053,  while  loi  died  of  their 
wounds.  All  these  cases  received  suitable  medical  treatment; 
but,  "so  far  as  concerns  the  fitness  of  the  jaws  for  the  per- 
formance of  their  normal  functions,  the  results  were,  in  most 
cases,  very  unsatisfactory."  For  it  is,  of  course,  just  in  such  cases 
as  those  of  fracture  of  the  jaw,  that  surgery  needs  the  helping 


ARMY  DENTISTS.  109 

hand  of  dental  technique.  Dr.  Port  quotes  Bernhard  von  Lan- 
genbeck,  who,  as  the  result  of  his  exceptionally  great  experience 
of  surgery  in  war,  says:  "I  should  not  like  to  again  accompany 
an  army  in  a  campaign,  unless  I  had,  beforehand,  assured  myself 
of  having  the  assistance  of  technical  specialists  for  cases  of  injury 
to  the  jaws,  and  so  forth.  Every  hospital  practitioner  of  the 
present  day  has  by  his  side  a  dentist,  to  whom  he  entrusts  the 
dressing  of  fractures  of  the  jaw,  the  prosthetic  restoration  after 
resections,"  etc. 

The  need  of  such  help  will  no  doubt  be  more  acutely  felt  by 
our  army  in  the  war  with  the  Boers  than  in  war  either  with  sav- 
age tribes  who  use  the  assegai  or  rush  to  close  quarters,  or  with 
a  European  enemy  who,  like  our  own  soldiers,  fight  much  with 
sword  and  bayonet;  for  the  Boers  are,  before  everything,  marks- 
men, and,  as  the  evidence  of  the  statistics  from  the  Franco-Prus- 
sian War  show,  the  most  frequent  cause  of  injury  to  the  jaws  is 
from  gunshot  woimds.  In  these  the  lower  jaw  is  often  shattered 
so  as  to  necessitate  a  partial  resection.  As  Dr.  Port  point?  out, 
unless  a  suitable  prosthetic  appliance  (not  necessarily  a  perma- 
nent one)  is  inserted  immediately  the  remains  of  the  lower  jaw 
contract  and  fall  together  in  consequence  of  the  contraction  of  the 
muscles  in  the  direction  of  the  central  line,  and  the  way  in  which 
the  soft  parts  heal  over  often  makes  it  impossible,  later  on,  to 
bring  back  the  stumps  of  amputated  parts  to  their  normal  posi- 
tion. He  also  shows  how  the  time  of  detention  in  the  field  hospi- 
tals for  men  wounded  in  the  jaw^s  would  be  much  shortened  if  the 
troops  were  accompanied  by  dentists  provided  with  the  necessary 
appliances  for  properly  treating  the  cases  that  arise,  a  matter  of 
great  importance  where,  as  in  all  modern  war,  the  number  of  the 
wounded  in  a  single  engagement  is  very  large. 

The  suggestions  of  our  Bavarian  colleague  for  the  dental 
service  in  a  future  campaign  are  well  worth  considering  by  the 
British  military  authorities  as,  mutatis  mutandis,  not  unsuitable 
for  us.  For  every  army  corps  he  would  have  one  consulting 
dentist  appointed.  As  this  dentist  would  often  have  to  be  called 
in  consultation,  or  to  operate  together  with  the  consulting  sur- 
geon or  the  other  army  surgeons,  it  is  advisable  that  he  should 
be  a  dentist  with  the  double  qualification.  It  is  also  advisable 
that  such  dentists  should  be  chosen  as  have  been  accustomed  to 
working  together  with  surgeons  either  in  the  university  clinics 
or  in  the  hospitals,  so  that  they  may  have  experience  of  kinds  of 


no  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

prosthetic  work  rarely  required  in  ordinary  dental  practice.  These 
dentists  could  accompany  the  consulting  surgeons  on  their 
rounds  from  field  hospital  to  field  hospital,  and  in  each  place  pre- 
pare the  necessary  apparatus.  The  subsequent  treatment  could 
be  easily  carried  out  by  the  surgeon  in  charge.  The  men  could 
then  be  turned  out  of  hospital  at  a  relatively  early  date,  collected 
in  the  large  reserve  military  hospitals,  and  entrusted  for  further 
treatment  to  experienced  dentists. 

These  could,  after  the  healing  of  the  wounds  to  the  soft  parts, 
prepare  suitable  permanent  prosthetic  appliances  out  of  rubber 
(which,  of  course,  could  not  be  done  in  the  field  hospitals  on  ac- 
count of  the  need  of  having  apparatus,  such  as  vulcanizers,  etc.). 
The  instrumentarium  required  by  the  military  dentists  accom- 
panying an  army  in  the  field  is  small,  or,  at  any  rate,  not  too  large 
to  be  carried  on  horseback. 

There  is  already  almost  perfect  provision  for  the  dental  needs 
of  the  army  in  Bavaria.  There  there  are  already  dental  courses 
held,  and  even  dentists  appointed  at  the  chief  garrisons. 

Surely  our  military  authorities  and  our  Government  might 
well  be  asked  to  add  strength  to^  our  army  for  war,  improve  the 
health  of  our  troops  in  peace,  and  minimize  the  terrible  sufferings 
of  our  wounded  in  the  field  by  making  some  regular  and  adequate 
provision  for  the  dental  needs  of  our  soldiers! 


^5$=$$  $►$:€;$: 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  ill 


Additional  replies  received  in  regard  to  methods  of  root  fill- 
ing are  as  follows : 

It  is  probable  that  no  phase  of  dental  practice  has  received 
more  attention  than  the  subject  of  root-canal  filling.  As  your 
inquiry  relates  especially  to  materials  used  for  this  purpose,  a  con- 
sideration of  methods  of  treatment  previous  to  filling  is  unneces- 
sary in  this  place,  further  than  to  say  that  the  most  thorough 
asepsis  is  an  absolute  requirement  in  all  such  operations.  After 
an  experience  with  almost  every  root-canal  filling  known  to  the 
dental  profession,  I  have  adopted,  for  the  majority  of  cases,  the 
use  of  balsamo  del  deserto,  which  is  introduced  into  the  canal  by 
means  of  an  electrically  heated  copper  point,  fine  enough  to  pen- 
etrate wherever  a  very  fine  broach  can  be  used.  After  a  canal 
has  been  sterilized  and  dried  by  ordinary  methods  the  heated 
copper  wire  is  introduced  until  a  slight  sensation  of  heat  is  per- 
ceptible tO'  the  patent.  The  balsamo  del  deserto  is  then  con- 
veyed to  the  cavity  upon  a  suitable  instrument,  and  pumped  into 
the  canals  with  the  copper  point,  the  heat  softening  it  so  that  it 
flows  readily  to  all  points.  The  excess  is  removed  by  wiping  the 
cavity  with  cotton  saturated  with  chloroform  and  the  mouths 
of  the  canals  covered  with  gutta-percha,  over  which  is  placed 
phosphate-cement,  and  the  cavity  is  ready  for  filling. 

The  following  advantages  are  claimed  for  this  method :  The 
drying  and  sterilizing  effect  of  heat  in  the  canal;  the  antiseptic 
qualities  of  the  balsamo  and  its  ability  to  perfectly  fill  the  canal 
and  penetrate  the  tubuli;  and,  finally,  that  in  case  of  necessity 
it  is  easily  removed.  John  M.  Fogg,  Philadelphia. 

In  large  or  medium  sized  pulp  canals  I  prefer  to  fill  with 
medium  grade  gutta-percha  (softened  by  heat),  introducing  it  in 
very  small  pellets.  In  exceptional  cases  I  may  fill  the  apex  of  a 
large  canal  with  gold  and  the  remainder  with  the  gutta-percha. 
In  smaller  canals  I  fill  the  apices  with  cotton  impregnated  with 
thin  oxychlorid,  and  the  remainder  with  gutta-percha,  so  that 

*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  corrcspondeucc  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  1420  Chestnut  St.,  Phila. 


112  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

in  case  of  fracture  or  any  condition  rccjuiring-  the  use  of  a  porce- 
lain crown  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  clearing  the  canal  for 
the  reception  of  a  dowel.  In  still  smaller  canals,  as  in  molars, 
I  may  fill  entirely  with  the  cotton  and  oxychlorid,  while  in  canals 
so  small  that  there  is  difficulty  in  introducing  the  finest  broach 
I  pump  a  little  thin  oxychlorid  in  the  entrance  to  such  canal, 
and  endeavor  to  crowd  it  toward  the  apex  with  a  pellet  of  gutta- 
percha placed  behind  it  and  used  as  a  piston,  forcing  the  gutta- 
percha into  the  entrance  of  the  canal  if  possible,  or  in  case  there 
is  difficulty  in  so  doing  I  fill  the  pulp  chamber  with  the  gutta- 
percha, and  then  make  pressure  upon  it  with  a  large  burnisher, 
hoping  by  this  means  to  force  the  thin  oxychlorid  into  the  small 
canal.  Alfred  R.  Starr,  8  East  p2d  St.,  New  York  City. 

I  use  gutta-percha  almost  exclusively  in  filling  root-canals 
in  general,  making  use  of  that  known  as  ''temporary  stopping." 
I  find  that  it  can  be  packed  into  very  minute  canals  with  com- 
parative ease  and  to  better  advantage  than  the  higher  heat  grades. 

Robert  Huey,  Philadelphia. 

Before  taking  up  my  specialty  of  surgery  of  the  mouth  I, 
of  course,  filled  root-canals,  and  occasionally  do  so  yet.  In  this, 
as  in  other  things,  however,  I  have  no  hobby  as  to  one  method 
or  material.  I  select  from  three  materials,  cement,  gutta  and 
chloro-percha  and  paraffin,  whichever  in  my  judgment  is  best 
suited  to  the  given  case,  keeping  always  in  mind  the  size  of  the 
canal,  its  tortuosity,  its  accessibility  and  also  my  ability  tO'  manip- 
ulate certain  preparations  under  certain  conditions.  The  results 
are  equally  good  with  either  of  the  three  materials  when  proper 
aseptic  precautions  are  taken.     M.  I.  Sehamberg,  Philadelphia. 

It  is  my  custom  to  enlarge  the  root-canals  with  Gates-Gid- 
den  drills.  If  the  apex  foramina  are  more  or  less  opened  by  dis- 
ease or  accident  they  are  closed  with  carbolized  orange  wood, 
being  particular  to  exactly  gauge  the  diameter  and  length.  In 
ordinary  cases  the  apical  end  of  the  canal  is  filled  with  oxyphos- 
phate  cement,  iodoform  mixed  with  the  liquid.  I  think  the  fill- 
ing material  is  of  little  importance  compared  to  sterilization  of 
root-canal  and  removal  by  enlargement  of  canal  of  septic  ma- 
terial, or  material  susceptible  of  becoming  so.  This  plan  also 
makes  the  apex  more  accessible  and  affords  a  better  opportunity 
of  thoroughly  sealing  the  same.  Mechanical  asepsis  first,  medical 
asepsis  next.  J  ides  J.  Sarrazin,  Nezc  Orleans,  La. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  113 

I  have  been  deeply  interested  in  the  repHes  published  in  an- 
swer to  your  inquiry  as  the  preferred  methods  of  filling  root- 
canals;  the  answers  have  not  only  been  interesting  but  of  much 
practical  value.  The  methods  employed,  however,  appear  to  be 
as  varied  as  the  number  of  the  replies,  and  as  a  result  would  be 
most  perplexing  to  a  beginner.  One  man  appears  to  have  as  his 
foremost  object  the  filling  of  the  canal  in  such  a  way  that  he  is 
prepared  for  future  trouble,  apparently  to  the  detriment  of  a  per- 
manent result.  This  appeals  to  me  as  a  timid  method,  one  in 
which  the  operator  lacks  confidence  in  his  ability  to  so  perform 
the  work  that  the  possibility  of  after  disturbances  are  reduced 
to  the  minimum. 

Another  speaks  of  using  sterilized  cotton  without  designat- 
ing what  part  or  how  much  of  the  canal  is  filled  in  this  way,  but 
one  would  assume  that  the  entire  canal  and  chamber  were  filled 
with  this  material,  another  method  which  appears  to  carry  with  it 
a  lack  of  confidence  to  more  thoroughly  perform  the  work.  Clos- 
ing the  foramen  with  tin  foil  is  also  given  as  a  preferred  method ; 
would  it  not  have  been  better  if  the  gentleman  had  said  I  attempt 
to  close  the  foramen  with  tin  foil?  This  is  practically  what  he  does, 
and  I  will  venture  tO'  say  that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  the  tin  foil 
is  not  very  closely  associated  with  the  foramen.  I  am  anxiously 
waiting  to  learn  other  methods  which  have  been  promised,  for 
I  must  confess  that  while  those  already  given  are  of  value,  be- 
cause something  may  be  learned  from  each  one.  I  do  not  possess 
nor  have  I  yet  been  informed  of  an  ideal  method  of  closing  and 
filling  root-canals.  JV.  W.  L. 

Question  72.  I  present  the  following  case  for  advise.  A 
gentleman,  twenty-seven  years  of  age  still  retains  his  upper  left 
deciduous  cuspid.  The  tooth  has  been  forced  somewhat  out  of 
place  by  the  forces  of  occlusion,  and  is  bad  in  color.  I  can  locate 
the  crown  of  permanent  cuspid  above,  but  there  is  barely  suf- 
ficient space  in  the  arch  for  the  deciduous  tooth.  Would  it  be 
wise  to  attempt  to  bring  the  permanent  cuspid  to  its  normal  posi- 
tion, and  if  so  what  would  be  the  best  method  to  pursue? 

C.  N.  Hoaglaiid,  Elgin,  III. 

Question  73.  Could  the  presence  of  a  dental  plate  in  the 
mouth  in  any  way  interfere  with  the  flow  of  saliva?      B.  S.  B. 

There  is  little  doubt  but  that  the  presence  of  a  plate  in  the 
mouth  might  in  a  measure  interfere  with  the  free  flow  of  saliva. 
This  would  refer  particularly  to  the  lower  jaw.  in  which  case  the 
rim  of  the  plate  might  be  so  constructed  that  it  would  cause  pres- 


TI4  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

sure  upon  the  ducts  from  the  submaxiUarv  and  subhngual  glands. 
Generally  considered,  however,  the  presence  of  a  plate  in  the 
mouth  is  inclined  to  act  as  a  stimulus  to  the  salivary  secretion, 
causing,  particularly  in  the  beginning,  an  increase  in  the  amount 
of  saliva. 

Question  74.  Mr.  G. ;  aged  fifty  years;  merchant;  syphilitic; 
has  erupted  but  two  of  his  permanent  teeth  (superior  centrals); 
has  had  several  of  his  deciduous  teeth  extracted;  those  remain- 
ing are  of  good  quality  and  well  formed.  There  are  spaces  be- 
tween all  teeth  of  from  one-sixteenth  to  one-eighth  of  an  inch. 
On  September  15th  he  complained  of  pain  in  the  right  inferior 
second  molar.  Upon  examination  I  found  an  apparently  sound 
tooth  elongated  and  loose  (occluding  tooth  above  had  been  ex- 
tracted) and  extracted  it.  No'  relief.  Upon  his  return  in  a  day 
or  two  I  painted  gums  with  aconite  and  iodin,  this  gave  tern- 
j)orary  relief.  On  October  12th  I  lanced  the  gums  through  to 
process,  and  cauterized  with  carbolic  acid.  On  October  15th 
the  patient  returned  saying  he  had  been  unable  to-  sleep  on 
account  of  pain  in  the  side  of  his  head  and  face.  My  diagnosis 
is:  an  unerupted  first  permanent  molar  with  a  layer  of  alveolar 
process  over  it,  causing  pressure  on  third  division  of  fifth  nerve. 
I  advised  removal  of  process  over  tooth,  was  I  right?  Patient 
is  now  waiting  to  see  if  it  "wont"  get  better,  and  if  not,  will 
probably  take  my  advice.  6^.  Locke,  Taos,  N.  M. 


RECENT  PATENTS  OF  INTEREST  TO  DENTISTS. 

638973,  Dental  matrix  retainer,  Charles  F.  C.  Mehlig,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

639536,  Dental  plugger,  Charles  H.  Davis,  Worcester,  Mass. 

639585,  Dental  filling  material,  Charles  H.  Land,  Detroit, 
Mich. 

639595,  Cleaning  pad  for  dentists'  tools,  Josephine  A. 
Mitchell,  Lewiston,  Maine. 

32005,  Design,  fountam  cuspidor,  Henry  E.  Weber,  Canton, 
Ohio. 

640551,  Artificial  tooth  crown,  Charles  A.  Fones,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

340930,  Attachment  for  dental  dams,  Martin  O.  Nelson, 
Natick,  Mass. 

641 170,  Dental  appliance,  Walter  J.  Thurmond  and  E.  W. 
Clark,  Macon,  Ga. 


I 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  115 

practical  i^oints.* 

To  Cleanse  the  Cement  Slab. — Keep  a  bottle  of  ammonia 
water  convenient  for  cleansing  your  cement  slab  and  instru- 
ments. A.  M.  Jackson,  Dental  World. 

Pulp  Protection  Under  Oxyphosphate  Fillings. — Oxyphos- 
phate  will  destroy  the  life  of  the  pulp  when  placed  in  a  deep  cavity. 
To  prevent  this  line  the  entire  cavity  with  gold  foil. 

E.  D.  Downs,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Protection  of  the  Eyes  while  Soldering. — Vvhen  engaged  in 
soldering,  relief  from  the  glare  of  the  flame  will  be  derived  from 
the  use  of  plain  smoked  glasses,  which  should  be  quite  dark. 

W.  T.  Jackman,  Ohio  Dent.  Journal. 

Cavity  Lining. — ^A  good  clear  varnish  for  lining  the  bottom 
of  cavities  is  made  by  dissolving  pure  clear  copal  gum  in  equal 
parts  of  alcohol  and  ether.  To  protect  the  pulp  from  thermal 
changes,  place  a  thin  pad  of  asbestos  paper  on  the  bottom  of  the 
cavity  while  the  varnish  is  still  soft. 

A.  M.  Jackson,  Dental  World. 

Vegetol,  a  Prophylactic  Dentifrice. — In  this  new  preparation 
the  powder  is  made  from  the  hard  parts  of  cereals  as  a  mechanical 
cleanser  and  as  a  menstruum  for  carrying  potassium  chlorate  and 
sodium  borate.  This  powder,  which  is  sweetened  with  saccharin 
and  flavored  with  menthol,  serves  to  cleanse  the  teeth  and  arrest 
decay,  purifying  the  mouth  and  keeping  the  saliva  alkaline.  It 
is  remedial  in  tonsilitis  and  pharyngitis,  and  may  also'  be  used 
internally  for  fermentive  and  putrefactive  indigestion,  allowing  a 
five-grain  tablet  to^  dissolve  slowly  in  the  mouth. 

M.  JJ.  Fletcher,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Gold  Solder. — For  repairing  broken  metal,  fine  instruments, 
etc.,  when  heat  would  be  injurious: 

FivUX.  —Metallic  sodium i  part. 

Murcury 50  parts. 

(Keep  in  glass-stoppered  bottle.) 

SoivDER. — Silver 8  parts. 

Tin 10  parts. 

Bismuth  i  part . 

Platinum i  part. 

Melt  together  and  cast  an  ingot;  rasp  to  filings.  Mix  filings 
3  parts  and  flux  i  part  to  a  smooth  paste  when  about  to  use. 
Smooth  and  plastic  as  potter's  clay;  makes  joints  that  are  almost 
inseparable.  Omitting  the  bismuth  gives  a  granular  mass  suit- 
able for  filling  crevices.  Omitting  the  platinum  reduces  the 
strength  and  requires  an  hour  to  harden. 

Old  Book  of  Formulas. 

♦Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedin.ers,  Waveland, 
Mississippi. 


Ii6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Consideration  for  the  Patient. — The  compouiul  tincture  of 
aconite  and  iodin,  applied  to  the  gums  after  the  removal  of  the 
rubber-dam,  will  serve  in  a  measure  to  ameliorate  that  "used-up" 
feeling  of  the  mouth  which  too  frequently  follows  oral  manipu- 
lations. L.  Van  Ordcn,  Pa.  Med.  Dental  Gazette. 

To  Cut  Gold  Foil  in  the  Form  of  Ribbons. — Lay  a  sheet  of 
gold  on  a  sheet  of  white  writing  paper;  cover  with  another  sheet 
of  paper  and  a  piece  of  gold  on  that,  and  so^  on,  until  there  are 
as  many  sheets  of  gold  as  required.  Fold  the  whole  over  twice, 
as  in  folding  a  letter,  and  cut  through  gold  and  paper.  There  will 
be  no  torn  edges,  and  the  gold  will  not  come  in  contact  with  the 
hands.  Henry  Barms,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Preparation  of  Amalgam. — When  the  alloy  is  as  usually 
called  ready  for  the  cavity,  place  the  mass  on  a  slab  and  pound 
it  thoroughly,  using  a  mandrel  with  head  the  size  of  a  pea,  and 
hand  mallet.  Pound  it  until  it  w^orks  tough  and  sharp.  Then 
place  it  in  the  cavity  in  little  smooth  blocks  and  pack  with  smooth 
burnishers,  removing  excess  of  mercury  from  each  piece. 
Pluggers  do  not  condense  or  pack  the  alloy,  but  rather  cut  up 
and  push  about  that  which  has  been  placed  in  position.  More 
alloy  and  less  mercury  remains  in  the  filling  by  this  method. 

/.  R.  Sims,  Dental  World. 

Treatment  of  Abscessed  Teeth. — I  find  it  of  vital  importance 
to  influence,  medicinally,  when  and  where  inflammation  exists, 
either  acute  or  chronic.  I  prefer  a  non-coagulating  antiseptic, 
which  will  penetrate  beyond  the  tooth  or  root.  I  invariably  use 
the  oil  of  cinnamon,  with  the  most  satisfactory  results.  To  insure 
success,  however,  I  always  seal  medicines  with  a  cement  filling. 
If  a  tooth  or  root  is  worth  saving  for  future  usefulness  it  certainly 
is  worthy  the  most  painstaking  attention  in  every  detail  of  the 
operation.  Unless  a  root  is  split,  perforated,  or  necrosis  exists, 
success  is  certain.  Theo.  Siqueland,  Items  of  Interest. 

Reproduction  of  Gum  Tissue. — Where  resorption  has  fol- 
lowed extraction,  the  gum  festoon  may  be  reproduced  by  taking 
the  mucous  and  submucous  tissue,  with  some  fibre,  from  the 
palatal  or  lingual  portion  of  the  jaw,  in  the  form  of  flaps  cut  in 
festoons  as  wide  as  the  teeth  where  they  join  at  the  interprox- 
imal spaces,  and  stretching  it  over  the  faces  of  the  teeth,  allowing 
the  flaps  larger  than  required  to  provide  against  shrinkage.  The 
cutting  can  be  done  with  but  little  pain  with  cocain  or  eucain 
hypodermically  injected.  The  granulating  surface  from  which 
the  flaps  are  taken  may  be  packed  with  iodoform  gauze  and 
cleansed  with  some  antiseptic.  With  that  class  of  patients  show- 
ing the  gum  line  of  tooth  contact  this  plastic  operation  opens  up 
a  new  line  of  operations,  giving  most  pleasing  results. 

//.  C.  Register,  International  Dental  Journal. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  117 

Polishing  a  Gold  Crown. — To  prevent  marring  a  gold  rrown 
when  polishing,  fill  it  with  modeling  compound,  and  while  it  is 
still  soft  insert  the  end  of  a  stick  or  instrument  handle  into  it. 
When  finished,  soften  the  composition  and  remove. 

Dental  Hints. 

To   Remove   the   Odor   of   Iodoform   from   the   Hands. — Dr. 

Ricketts  is  authority  for  the  statement  that  vinegar,  applied  freely 
to  the  hands  after  they  have  been  cleansed  with  soap  and  water, 
will  effectually  remove  the  odor  of  iodoform. 

Medical  Review. 

Removal  of  Old  Amalgam  Fillings. — The  galvanic  current 
will  eliminate  the  mercury  from  an  old  filling.  Remove  the 
mercury  as  it  sweats  from  the  metal,  and  there  will  only  remain 
so  much  powder  or  alloy,  which  is  readily  removed  with  chip- 
blower  and  spoons.        B.  J.  Cigrand  (Trans.),  Dental  Digest. 

Root-canal  Filling — Carbonized  Cotton. — This  porous,  soft 
and  flexible  carbon,  in  itself  a  disinfectant,  is  also  an  excellent 
antiseptic,  every  fibre  being  impregnated  with  anhydrous  boracic 
acid.  All  septic  masses,  which  may  appear  in  spite  of  careful 
treatment,  are  readily  taken  up  by  it  and  made  harmless.  It  can 
be  brought  to  red  heat  before  using.  No  irritation  ever  results 
within  the  tooth,  nor  in  surrounding  parts. 

Elof  Fdrberg,  The  Dentist. 

The  Essentials  in  the  Treatment  of  Pyorrhea. — i.  Thorough 
removal  of  all  deposits. 

2.  Application  of  remedies  (use  that  which  in  your  own  ex- 
perience has  produced  the  best  results). 

3.  Correction  of  mal-occlusion. 

4.  Fixation  (these  teeth  need  absolute  rest). 

5.  Massage;  instruct  the  patient  to  stimulate  the  gums  by 
finger  massage  several  times  a  day. 

6.  An  astringent  and  antiseptic  mouthwash  to  be  used  sev- 
eral times  a  day.  W.  A.  Barrozvs,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Swiss  Pivot  Broaches. — These  broaches,  found  at  any  dealer's 
in  jeweler's  findings,  are  five-sided,  with  sharp  edges.  As  ob- 
tained they  are  hard-tempered  and  break  readily,  but  when  the 
temper  is  entirely  drawn  they  are  very  pliable  and  can  be  tied  in 
a  knot  without  breaking.  To  render  them  soft  and  pliable,  put  a 
layer  of  fine  asbestos  fibre*  on  a  piece  of  sheet  iron;  lay  the 
broaches  on  this,  spread  out  so  as  to  avoid  much  contact,  cover 
with  another  layer  of  asbestos  and  a  plate  of  sheet  iron  over  all. 
Heat  for  an  hour  or  more;  then  allow  the  asbestos  to  become  en- 
tirely cool.  J  as.  G.  Palmer,  International  Dental  Jour. 

*No.  305,  sold  by  H.  W.  John,  100  William  St.,  is  well  adapted  to  this 
purpose. 


Ii8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

To  Repair  Broken  Pin  in  Logan  Crown. — File  the  portion  re- 
maining: ii^  the  crown  square  across;  invest  as  preferred,  and 
solder  to  it  another  piece  of  platinum  pin,  using  a  low  grade  of 
solder  to  avoid  raising  to  a  high  temperature.  Fourteen  K.  is 
perfectly  satisfactory.  Pins  that  are  too  soft  may  be  strengthened 
in  this  way.  P.  G.  Wood,  Ohio  Dental  Journal 

Pulp  Mummification  in  Deciduous  Molars. — When  a  child  pre- 
sents itself  with  an  aching  deciduous  molar  with  exposed  pulp, 
destroy  and  remove  pulp  from  chamber  only,  and  fill  the  chamber 
with  Soderberg's  paste,  filling  cavity  with  oxyphosphate.  You 
will  find  this  a  successful  method. 

0.  E.  Houghton,  Items  of  hit er est. 

Swaged  Cusps. — Press  the  plaster  model  of  cusps  into  moldine 
and  cast  a  cusp  button  of  pure  Watt's  metal.  When  cool  carbon- 
ize the  surface  by  igniting  a  small  piece  of  gum  camphor,  which 
deposits  a  beautiful  layer  of  carbon.  Run  the  counter  die  of 
Melatte's  metal.  Swage  the  gold  into  the  counter  die  with  lead 
and  then  use  the  button  to  bring  out  the  fine  lines. 

H,  J.  Goslee,  Dental  Review. 

"Extension  for  Prevention" — Extending  the  Cervical  Wall 
Beneath  the  Gum. — The  question  is,  first,  whether  we  are  justified 
in  doing  the  cutting,  and,  secondly,  whether  the  patient  will  sub- 
mit to  it.  Again,  the  patient  may  think  that,  instead  of  practicing 
"extension  for  prevention,"  we  are  practicing  extension  for  remu- 
neration, and  be  dissatisfied. 

vS'.  H.  Guilford,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Why  Some  Gold  Fillings  Become  Loose. — When  a  gold  filling 
is  subjected  to  the  impact  of  mastication  for  a  time  it  will  un- 
doubtedly change  its  shape,  so  that  the  fillings  in  a  good  many 
teeth  will  become  loose — not  because  they  are  improperly  shaped, 
not  because  the  tooth  has  been  improperly  filled,  but  because  of 
the  impact  brought  to  bear  upon  the  gold.  In  time  it  is  forced 
from  position  by  means  of  a  change  in  its  shape. 

W.  H.  Trueman,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Application  of  the  Rubber-dam. — Difficulty  is  often  ex- 
perienced in  securing  the  rubber-dam  over  the  cervical  edge  of 
cavities  extending  far  below  the  gum,  the  gum  margin  assuming 
an  irregular  line  while  the  ligature,  whether  silk  or  rubber,  when 
taut,  makes  a  straight  line.  The  difficulty  may  be  overcome  by 
using  binding  wire,  twisting  the  ends  with  pliers,  and  pushing  it 
down  into  position  with  a  blunt  instrument.  It  will  carry  the 
rubber  before  it  and  maintain  its  shape  in  a  most  satisfactory 
manner.  The  wire  may  also  be  used  for  ordinary  distal  cavities, 
utilizing  the  twisted  ends  to  hold  the  dam  away  from  the  back  of 
the  tooth.  W.  M.  Gabriel  Jour.  Brit.  Dental  Ass'n. 


I 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  119 

Pulp  Devitalization. — A  caustic  paste  that  is  painless  and 
ansethetic : 

JR.    Arsenous  acid i.o, 

Nirvanin i  .0. 

Robert  Marcus,  Dental  Register. 
To  Separate  Cast  and  Impression. — Drop  the  piece  into  hot 
water  for  a  minute  or  two  when  they  will  separate  without  trouble, 
leaving  the  cast  much  smoother  than  if  the  impression  was  cut 
away.  If  desired  another  cast  can  be  made  from  the  same  im- 
pression. Dental  Office  and  Laboratory. 

To  Lessen  Pain  from  Arsenical  Applications. — Having  a  free 
exposure  of  the  pulp,  mix  equal  parts  of  antipyrin  and  arsenic 
and  apply.  The  antipyrin  diminishes  blood  pressure  and  relieves 
congestion  caused  by  the  arsenic,  thus  diminishing  pain. 

Items  of  Interest. 

Eucain  B. — I  make  the  solution  in  liquid  vaselin  by  boil- 
ing. I  have  never  had  an  abscess  result  when  the  solution  has 
been  thus  prepared.  I  believe  we  get  a  more  certain  and  pro- 
found anaeesthesia  with  eucain  B  than  with  eucain  A,  and  it  is 
less  irritating.  A.  W.  Harlan,  Dental  Review. 

The  Articulation  After  Extraction. — I  will  present  five  hun- 
dred dollars  to  any  one  who'  will  give  me,  from  any  source  what- 
ever, one  single  case  where  the  articulation  of  the  teeth  is  perfect 
after  the  loss  of  one  single  tooth. 

E.  A.  Bogue,  International  Dental  Jour. 

Consideration  for  the  Patient. — In  using  the  chip-blower, 
patients  sometimes  sneeze  from  the  inhalation  of  dust.  The  hand 
of  the  operator,  habitually  placed  before  the  nostrils,  palm  out- 
ward, will  obviate  this,  and  will  also  prevent  the  access  of  bad 
odors  to  the  patient's  nose. 

L.  Van  Orden,  Pa.  Med.  Dental  Gazette. 

To  Give  a  Smooth,  Finished  Surface  to  Vulcanite. — After  in- 
vesting in  the  f^ask,  remove  the  wax  absolutely  and  paint  the 
palatal  and  lingual  surfaces  with  a  mixture  of  liquid  glass  and 
silver  bronze.  When  hard,  cover  with  soapsuds  to  prevent  ad- 
hesion to  the  vulcanite.  The  case  will  come  out  smooth,  with 
a  glistening  appearance. 

(Trans.)    B.  J.  Cigrand,  Dental  Digest. 

Investment  for  Gold  Casting  in  Bridge-work. — 

Plaster>f  Paris 5  parts. 

Plumbago 3  parts. 

^"^  Asbestos  (grade  3) 6  parts. 

Soapstone  (pulv.) i  part. 

This  gives  a  good  heat-resisting  investment  for  a  modeling 
compound  model,  for  occlusal  castings,  cusp  buttons,  etc.  The 
plumbago  gives  a  fine  surface  to  the  casting. 

Cephas  Whitney,  Items  of  Interest. 


I20  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Painless  Dentistry.— Dryness,  keen,  high-tempered,  well- 
adapted  instruments  deftly  liandled  contain  more  of  promise,  as 
far  as  safely  minimizing  pain  is  concerned,  than  all  the  medica- 
ments of  the  pharmacopiae. 

A.  T.  Bigelozv,  Items  of  Interest. 

Antiseptic  Varnish  for  Cavity  Lining.— Dissolve  copal  in 
equal  parts  alcohol  and  chloroform;  add  equal  volume  hydro- 
napthol.  The  product  will  be  very  adhesive  and  strongly  anti- 
septic varnish,  free  from  all  caustic  properties. 

Dental  Office  and  Laboratory. 

The  Disk  in  Finishing  Fillings. — A  proximal  contour  filling 
can  be  finished  very  rapidly  by  using  a  very  thin  disk,  holding 
the  finger  against  the  back  of  the  disk  and  giving  a  wiping  mo- 
tion, making  the  contour,  instead  of  cutting  it  off  as  in  the  use 
of  a  thick,  stiff  disk,  running  straight  without  the  wiping  motion.. 
W.  M.  Megginson,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Abscessed  Deciduous  Teeth. — Force  oil  of  cloves  through  the 
sinus*  then  flood  the  cavity  with  a  solution  of  gutta-percha  in 
eucalyptol,  and  force  slightly  warmed  temporary  stopping  into 
each  canal  until  the  eucalyptol  appears  at  the  opening  of  the 
fistula.  Fill  the  cavity,  and  they  will  rarely  give  further  trouble. 
C.  N.  Johnson,  National  Dent.  Association,  i8pp. 

To  Reduce  Inflammation  of  Pulp  Previous  to  Arsenical  Appli- 
cation.— Apply  peroxid  of  hydrogen  to  the  pulp ;  then,  on  a  wisp 
of  cotton,  take  up  as  much  as  is  convenient  of  bicarbonate  of 
soda  and  place  loosely  in  cavity,  saturating  with  chloric  ether. 
Protect  the  cotton  as  preferred.  After  this  treatment  the  pulp  is 
less  liable  to  give  pain  from  application  of  arsenic. 

Dr.  Williams,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Permanent  Fillings  in  Young  Teeth. — The  pulps  in  young 
teeth  have  much  more  vitality  before  their  function  is  completed 
than  they  have  later,  and  consequently  will  tolerate  metal  fillings 
which  are  separated  from  them  by  only  a  thin  layer  of  dentin  bet- 
ter than  they  will  after  the  normal  formation  of  dentin  is  com- 
pleted, the  new  formation  rapidly  interposes  a  non-conductor  of 
natural  origin.  F.  B.  Noyes,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Antidote  for  Tincture  of  Aconite  Root. — In  a  case  of  acci- 
dental poisoning,  the  patient  having  swallowed  tincture  of  aconite 
with  which  the  gum  over  the  roots  of  a  large  molar  was  being 
painted,  twenty  drops  of  laudanum,  the  dose  repeated  after  a  few 
moments — with  ammonia  by  inhalation — the  patient  being  laid 
on  the  floor,  brought  him  around  all  right  in  about  thirty  minutes. 
This  antidote  is  not  given  in  the  books. 

A.  W.  Harlan,  Dental  Review. 


MISCELLANY.  12  [ 

iWiieJceUang. 

Hungarian  Punishment  for  Bigamy. — Bigamists  in  Hungarx- 
are  compelled  to  submit  to  a  queer  punishment.  The  man  who 
has  been  foolish  enough  tO'  marry  two  wives  is  obliged  by  law 
to  live  with  both  of  them  in  the  same  house. 

Aconit  Poisoning. — W.  A.  Potts,  in  the  Edinburgh  Medical 
Journal,  reports  the  case  of  a  man  who  swallowed  half  an  ounce 
of  liniment  of  aconit,  and  reco'vered  under  treatment  with  strych- 
nin and  whiskey. 

Christian  Science  Did  Not  Save. — The  faith  in  Christian 
Science  of  the  family  of  Judge  J.  W.  Eller,  of  Omaha,  Neb.,  is 
being  thoroughly  tested.  A  gasoline  stove  exploded  and  burned 
several  members  of  the  family.  Two^  "healers"  were  called  in. 
who'  prayed  at  length.  When  the  victims  were  being  told  they 
were  not  in  pain  the  flesh  was  dropping  from  their  bodies.  Mrs. 
Eller  died,  but  the  other  sufferers  declared  that  if  they  could  not 
be  saved  through  prayer  it  was  not  worth  while  to  call  for 
physicians. 

Conflict  Over  Evans'  Museum. — Differences  have  arisen  be- 
tween the  city  of  Philadelphia  and  the  executors  of  the  late  Dr. 
Thomas  W.  Evans,  who  recently  bequeathed  tO'  the  city  an  estate 
valued  at  over  $3,500,000  to  establish  a  free  museum  and  dental 
institute.  A  series  of  protests  have  been  filed  by  Dr.  Evans'  heirs 
to  this  disposition  of  his  estate,  and  although  rumors  of  an  ami- 
cable settlement  between  all  concerned  are  being  bruited  about, 
those  qualified  to  know  state  that  a  lively  legal  fight  must  ensue 
before  the  matter  is  definitely  settled  by  the  courts. 

Med.  Nezi's. 

No  Cow's  Milk  in  Japan. — In  regard  to  the  absence  of  cow's 
milk  from  Japan  and  its  beneficial  consequences  Dr.  A.  S.  Ash- 
mead  says:  *'One  of  the  most  striking  features  of  that  most  curious 
of  countries,  Japan,  is  the  singular  scarcity  of  domestic  animals. 
Horses  and  cattle  are  only  seen  in  cities  and  on  the  road  as  pack 
animals.  The  cow  in  Japan  is  not  wanted  for  her  milk.  Being 
an  animal  product,  milk  falls  under  the  general  condemnation 
which  excludes  everything  that  has  pertained  to  a  living  body 
from  the  alimentation  of  man.  Thus  it  happens  that  as  Japan 
may  not  use  cow's  milk  the  Japanese  mothers  are  compelled  by 
stress  of  circumstances  to  suckle  their  babies  themselves.  Arti- 
ficial lactation  is  altogether  unknown.  The  children  are  suckled 
until  their  sixth  year.  1  he  great  reward  which  Japan  reaps  from 
this  mysterious  care  of  motherhood  is  the  absence  of  rachitism. 
All  observers  have  referred  to  the  fact,  and  to  the  absence  of 
rachitic  pelves.  I  think  I  am  not  wrong  in  saying  that  the  chief 
and  central  source  of  these  great  sanitary  blessings  is  the  absence 
of  cow's  milk."  Medical  Record. 


122  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Tincture  of  lodin  Stains. — To  remove  the  stains  of  tincture 
of  iodin  from  clothing,  towels  or  napkins,  immerse  the  parts 
stained  in  sweet  milk  and  let  it  remain  a  short  time;  after  which 
rinse  with  clear  water.  By  this  process  every  trace  of  iodin  can  be 
removed.  T.  Lester  Hale,  D.D.S. 

Copper  in  Peas. — William  Elliff,  grocer,  Yarmouth,  was 
summoned  at  the  County  Petty  Sessions  for  selling  presei-ved 
peas  containing  copper  sulphate  to  the  extent  of  half  a  grain  of 
copper  to  the  tin.  The  magistrates  said  that  as  it  had  been  de- 
cided that  copper  was  injurious  to  health,  they  had  no  option 
but  to  convict.  Though  defendant  had  not  himself  put  the 
copper  in  the  peas,  still  he  was  the  person  responsible  under  the 
act.    Fined  is.,  and  9s.  6d.  costs.  Pharmaceutical  Journal. 

Student-rule. — The  Faculty  of  the  Jefferson  Medical  College 
has  inaugurated  a  system  of  student-rule  at  this  institution,  sim- 
ilar to  that  prevailing  at  other  institutions  of  learning,  notably 
at  Cornell,  Princeton  and  Columbia  Universities.  In  comipliance 
with  the  desires  of  the  Faculty,  a  Student's  Committee  has  been 
formed,  composed  of  the  four  class  presidents  and  sixteen  other 
members  chosen  to  represent  the  different  classes.  To  this  com- 
mittee the  Faculty  is  to  refer  for  adjustment  all  questions  of  dis- 
orderly conduct  among  the  students,  questions  of  damage  to  col- 
lege property,  and  other  infractions  of  the  rules. 

Med.  News. 

Sir  Thomas  Browne. — The  proposed  erection  of  a  statue  to 
Sir  Thomas  Browne,  author  of  the  famous  "Religio  Medici,"  in 
his  native  town  of  Norwich,  has  called  attention  to  the  fact  that 
his  skull  now  occupies  a  place  of  honor  in  the  Norwich  Hospital 
Museum,  where  the  writer  had  an  opportunity  of  examining  it 
a  short  time  ago.  It  is  of  a  beautiful,  well-balanced  dolicho- 
cephalic type,  now  recognized  by  ethnologists  as  that  of  the 
highest  races,  rather  low  in  the  frontal,  but  very  broad  and  full 
in  the  parietal  and  occipital  regions.  His  grave  was  opened  by 
accident  while  repairing  the  foundations  of  the  church  in  1840, 
and  his  skull  and  cofffn-plate,  with  rather  irreverent  enterprise, 
were  secured  by  the  museum.  So  well  preserved  were  his  re- 
mains that  the  hair  was  nearly  perfect,  and  of  a  bright  red-brown 
color,  closely  corresponding  to  the  descriptions  given  in  his  biog- 
raphies. The  gentle  Sir  Thomas,  in  spite  of  his  shrewd  and 
scientific  turn  of  mind,  evidently  shared  one  of  the  pleasing  de- 
lusions of  his  age,  for  the  quaint  Latin  inscription  on  his  coffin- 
plate  states  that  the  casket  is  filled  with  a  powder  "corporis 
Spagyrici" — whatever  that  may  be — which  will  turn  its  leaden 
shell  into  gold,  though  what  satisfaction  he  expected  to  get  from 
such  a  post-mortem  triumph  puzzles  one  tO'  imagine,  unless  he 
expected  to  wear  it  as  a  sort  of  "golden  slipper"  on  Resurrection 
Day.  Medical  Nezvs. 


MISCELLANY. 


123 


Nitrous  Oxid  and  Ether  by  the  Open  Method. — A.  H.  Miller, 
in  Annals  of  Surgery,  advocates  the  commencement  of  anaes- 
thesia with  nitrous  oxid,  and,  as  soon  as  anaesthesia  is  complete, 
the  removal  of  the  inhaler  and  the  substitution  of  the  ether  cone. 
He  has  notes  of  one  hundred  and  sixty  cases  in  which  no  one 
has  been  conscious  when  the  change  was  made,  or  has  experi- 
enced any  thing  disagreeable  from  the  anaesthetic.  The  average 
time  required  in  his  cases  for  anaesthesia  has  been  3.05  minutes. 

Haemostatic  Anaesthetic  Solution. — A  solution  which  com- 
bines the  haemostatic  properties  of  gelatin  with  the  anaesthetic 
action  of  cocain  and  eucain  is  prepared  by  A.  Legrand  as  follows : 
Pure  gelatin,  2  gm. ;  pure  sodium  chlorid,  70  centigrammes; 
eucain  B-hydrochlorid,  70  centigrammes;  cocain  hydrochlorid, 
30  centigrammes;  pure  phenol;,  10  centigrammes;  distilled  water 
to  produce  100  C.c.  The  preparation  is  poured  while  v>^arm  into 
sterilized  tubes;  when  cold  it  sets  to  a  jelly,  which  liquefies  again 
at  20°  to  25°  C,  and  may  in  this  state  be  used  for  injection.  It 
has  been  found  to  give  excellent  results  in  dental  practice,  pro- 
ducing good  anaesthesia  and  preventing  hemorrhage. 

Nouv.  Rem. 

The  Liverpool  Malaria  Commission  Returns. — The  steamer 
"Fantee"  from  Lagos  has  recently  touched  at  Plymouth,  Eng- 
land, with  Major  Ross  and  the  other  members  of  the  Liverpool 
Malaria  Commission  on  board.  Dr.  Ross  speaks  most  hope- 
fully of  the  prospects  for  complete  extermination  of  anopheles. 
It  has  been  found  to  be  a  shy  and  fastidious  breeder,  using  only 
those  pools  and  puddles  which  are  permanent  in  character, 
whereas  culex  will  breed  in  any  rain  puddle,  barrel,  or  even 
sardine-tin  which  remains  full  of  water  for  a  few  weeks.  And 
as  neither  of  these  pests  can  breed  successfully  in  pools  or 
streams  large  enough  to  be  stocked  with  minnows  or  into  which 
fish  can  even  penetrate  at  high-water,  their  larvae  being  the 
favorite  food  of  these  useful  little  ''shiners,"  the  anopheles  pools 
are  both  limited  in  number  and  can  be  picked  out  in  any  given 
area  with  comparative  ease.  Still  another  requisite  must  be 
present,  and  that  is  a  free  growth  of  algae  as  the  larvae  feed  chiefly 
upon  these  in  this  intermediate  stage  of  their  development.  By 
an  interesting  and,  for  everybody  but  the  victim,  most  fortunate 
accident,  one  member  of  the  party  slept  a  single  night  without 
mosquito  curtains  and  promptly  developed  a  sharp  attack  of 
malaria  in  consequence,  while  not  another  individual  was  at- 
tacked. This  is  confirmatoiry  of  the  experience  of  Grassi,  as 
previously  described  in  our  columns.  It  will  be  remembered 
that  Grassi,  together  with  a  young  couple  with  five  children, 
slept  with  open  windows  for  eight  nights  during  the  dangerous 
season  in  the  Roman  Campagna,  protecting  themselves  with 
fine  mosquito  netting,  and  none  of  them  was  infected  with 
malaria.  Medical  Ncii's. 


124  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

No  Indian  Lunatics. — Coiiiniissioiier  W  illiani  A.  Jones,  after 
careful  study  of  the  subject,  has  come  to  the  conclusion  that  "a 
full  blooded  Indian  lunatic  never  lived."  He  holds  that  insanity 
v^as  not  knoun  to  the  red  man  until  he  began  mixing-  with  the 
whites. 


Necrosis  from  Local  Anaesthetic. — At  a  meeting  of  the  Scot- 
tish Branch  of  the  British  Dental  Association  held  November 
24th,  1899,  Mr.  W.  D.  Anderson  gave  a  short  account  of  a  case 
of  ''Necrosis  of  the  External  Alveolar  Plate,  Due  to  the  Injec- 
tion of  a  Local  Anaesthetic."  This  was  very  interesting,  as 
showing  the  danger  of  experimenting  with  preparations  of  un- 
known formulae.  Mr.  Anderson  had  fortunately,  perhaps,  elected 
to  try  the  effect  on  himself,  and  though  he  had  to  record  con- 
siderable suffering  and  discomfort  extending  over  some  eight 
months,  he  stated  that  except  for  a  very  slight  looseness  the  teeth 
affected  were  now  quite  comfortable.  The  condition  of  the 
syringe  used  was  above  suspicion.     Jour.  British  Dental  Asso. 


Climate  of  the  Philippines. — By  some  writers,  and  of  course 
by  a  certain  school  of  American  politicians,  the  Philippines  have 
been  described  as  excessively  unhealthy — a  sort  of  eastern  Bight 
of  Benin,  with  the  addition  of  constant  earthquakes,  periodic 
typhoons,  and  occasional  epidemics  of  cholera.  It  is  a  common 
cry,  familiar  enough  to  Englishmen;  but  America  need  not  be 
afraid  that  her  new  possessions  will  prove  a  white  man's  grave. 
Professor  Worcester,  it  is  true,  complains  much  of  the  climate 
in  his  book,  but  in  spite  of  his  wide  experience  he  does  not 
appear — if  he  will  pardon  this  expression  of  our  opinion — to 
have  acquired  the  rudiments  of  the  art  of  travel.  Without  Euro- 
pean food,  without  even  flour,  living  on  rice,  oats,  or  anything 
he  could  find,  often  with  no  servants  and  insufficient  means  of 
protection  against  the  weather,  he  naturally  undermined  his 
health  and  undoubtedly  came  very  near  his  death  from  a  severe 
attack  of  typhoid.  It  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  similar  exposure 
in  a  European  climate  would  probably  have  been  fatal.  Mr. 
Foreman,  undoubtedly  one  of  the  best  authorities,  gives  it  as  his 
opinion  that  the  climate  of  Luzon  is  excellent.  Mr.  Stevens  de- 
scribes the  climate  of  Manila  as  much  better  than  that  of  Hong 
Kong.  Perhaps  the  best  proof  of  these  statements  lies  in  the 
comparatively  light  mortality  among  the  American  troops  in  the 
present  campaign.  Beri-beri  and  cholera  rarely  attacks  Euro- 
peans, and  the  type  of  malaria  fever  is  not  a  severe  one.  On 
the  whole,  for  tropical  islands  they  may  be  considered  unusually 
healthy;  less  healthy,  no  doubt,  than  the  islets  of  the  Pacific, 
but  far  healthier  than  Borneo  or  New  Guinea. 

English  Quarterly  Review. 


MISCELLANY.  125 

Allows  a  Big  Dentist's  Bill. — In  view  of  the  character  of  some 
■of  the  communications  pubHshed  in  the  columns  of  the  Journal, 
with  regard  to  the  reluctance  of  a  former  probate 'judge  of  Cook 
county  to  allow  proper  claims  for  medical  attendance,  it  is  of 
double  interest  to  note  that  the  present  acting  judge  of  the  court 
is  reported  to  have  just  allowed  a  claim  of  $1,605,  against  the 
estate  of  the  late  George  M.  Pullman,  palace  car  magnate,  for 
dentistry.  The  account  is  said  to  run  from  1893,  and  to  be  made 
out  of  charges  aggregating  $1,161  for  work  done  for  Mr.  Pull- 
man, and  $444  for  work,  etc.,  for  one  of  his  sons.  The  dentist 
•charged  $10  an  hour  for  his  services.  In  September,  1895,  the 
account  was  swelled  $275.  The  largest  charge  for  a  single  day 
during  that  month  was  $60;  the  smallest,  $20.  On  the  son's 
-account,  $25  was  charged  two  occasions  for  *'lost  time."  One 
item  was  $250  for  ''regulating"  the  teeth  and  gums. 

Jour.  Amer.  Med.  As  so. 

Sulphurous  Acid  as  a  Preservative. — Referring  to  the  use  of 
sulphurous  acid  and  its  compounds  for  preserving  meat  and 
meat  preparations,  Dr.  Bernhard  Fischer,  Director  of  the  Mu- 
nicipal Laboratory  of  Breslau,  in  his  annual  report  remarks  that 
the  maximum  amount  of  sulphur  dioxid  to  be  allowed  is  fixed 
at  0.1  per  cent.,  and  that  this  limit  was  laid  down  in  1894  upon 
medical  authority.  The  researches  of  Kionha  demonstrated 
that  sulphurous  acid  is  not  to  be  regarded  as  an  innocuous  sub- 
stance for  food  preservation,  inasmuch  as  it  acts  as  a  blood 
poison.  Relatively  small  quantities  may  be  injurious  to  the 
human  organism,  in  that  it  induces  bleeding  from  the  capillaries. 
Dr.  Jakobi  laid  it  down  that  the  amount  of  sulphurous  acid  must 
not  be  allowed  to  exceed  0.06  per  cent.,  which  corresponds  to  an 
addition  of  -J  gm.  of  crystallized  sodium  sulphite  to  i  pound  of 
meat.  British  Food  Journal. 

The  Color  of  Water. — Professor  Spring  reports  on  his  exper- 
iments of  many  years  to  explain  the  color  of  the  water.  He  has 
come  to  the  conclusion  that  a  pure  blue  is  the  natural  color  of 
water,  for  when  we  look  through  a  long  tube  filled  with  distilled 
water  against  a  brilliant  white  surface,  a  pure  blue  is  seen,  such 
as  shown  by  the  lake  of  Geneva  in  quiet  weather,  a  color  which 
is  not  influenced  by  superficial  or  interior  reflection.  When  pure 
water  becomes  slightly  turbid  by  extremely  finely  divided  white 
or  colorless  particles  floating  therein,  they  reflect  even  in  the 
case  of  ground  mountain  crystal  a  yellow  light,  which  unites  ^vith 
the  natural  blue  into  a  brilliant  green  color,  such  as  is  exhibited 
by  the  Neuenburg  and  Boden  lakes.  The  peculiar  fact  estab- 
lished by  various  observers  that  the  water  of  ordinarily  green 
lakes  turns  pefectly  colorless  at  times  is  not  due  to  a  clarification^ 
but,  on  the  contrary,  to  an  influx  of  a  reddish  mud.  colored  by 
ferric  oxid,  which  completely  neutralizes  the  green. 


126  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

An  Attractive  Nurse. — A  soldier  "at  the  front,"  referring  to 
the  tact  that  many  of  the  women  army  nurses  are  young  and 
good  looking,  writes:  "The  nurse  attending  me  was  a  distract- 
ingly  handsome  girl  with  a  pure  Greek  prohle,  reddish-brown 
hair — the  kind  that  seems  full  of  little  golden  tendrils  in  the  sun- 
light— and  eyes  as  liquid  as  a  fawn's.  The  first  time  she  put  her 
finger  on  my  wrist  my  pulse  ran  up  to  at  least  175,  and  she  took 
it  for  granted  that  I  had  a  high  fever  and  dosed  me  accordingly, 
I  tried  repeatedly  to  lure  her  into  conversation,  but  she  wouldn't 
be  lured.  She  was  strictly  business.  When  I  started  to  pay  her 
compliments  she  would  ask  me  to  put  out  my  tongue,  which  was 
an  insurmountable  obstacle  to  conversation.  1  used  to  lie  there 
with  my  tongue  hanging  out  trying  to  put  my  whole  soul  into 
my  eyes,  but  it  was  no  go.  No  man  can  look  romantic  with 
half  a  foot  of  furry  red  tongue  protruding  from  his  coimtenance. 
Another  way  she  had  of  gagging  me  was  by  putting  the  ther- 
mometer in  my  mouth.  The  last  week  I  proposed  to  her  five 
times,  or,  rather,  I  tried  to,  but  she  invariably  choked  off  my 
declarations  by  thrusting  a  thermometer  mto  my  mouth.  I  got  so 
excited  one  time  that  I  came  near  swallowing  a  thermometer 
worth  several  dollars.  She  was  a  most  excellent  young  woman, 
and  had  lots  of  sound  common  sense,  as  was  evidenced  by  the 
fact  that  she  gave  me  no  encouragement  whatever." 

Army  and  Navy  Journal. 

Degeneracy  of  Pitcairn  Islanders.^ — One  of  the  principal  ex- 
amples quoted  in  favor  of  the  innocuousness  of  consanguineous 
marriages  has  been  the  little  community  of  Pitcairn  islanders, 
descendants  of  a  few  surviving  mutineers  of  the  British  ship 
Bounty,  and  a  dozen  or  so  Tahitian  women.  Notwithstanding 
the  fact  that  their  original  stock  could  hardly  be  called  good, 
that  they  were  all  closely  related,  and  that  intermarriage  must, 
therefore,  have  been  very  close  among  them,  they  have  been 
always  described  as  splendid  specimens  of  the  race,  physically, 
morally  and  mentally.  Quite  recently,  however,  a  totally  dif- 
ferent account  of  this  isolated  community  has  been  given.  Mr. 
Hamilton  Hunter,  who  visited  the  islands  in  the  official  capacity 
of  commissioner,  on  the  British  ship  of  war  Comus,  reports  that 
he  found  the  islanders  '*lax  in  morals,  weak  in  intellect,  lazy  and 
rapidly  degenerating,"  and  this,  it  is  said,  is  also  the  verdict  of 
the  British  naval  officers  who  accompanied  him.  Pitcairn 
Island  is  well  off  the  ordinary  ocean  routes  and  is  only  rarely 
visited,  even  by  whalers  and  traders.  It  has  no  harbor  and  its 
residents  have  little  chance  of  corruption  by  outsiders;  its  de- 
generacy, therefore,  may  be  presumed  to  be  inherent  or  self- 
caused.  The  fact  that  it  exists  spoils  a  neat  illustration  and 
argument  against  the  evil  effects  of  close  interbreeding  in  the 
human  species. — Med.  News. 


THE 


DENTAL   BRIEF. 


Vol.  V.  PHILADEI.PHIA,  MARCH,  1900.  No.  3 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


CARVING  OF  BLOCK  TEETH. 
By  F.  A.  Coney,  D.D.S. 

Carved  blocks  have  the  merit  of  being  the  most  natural  look- 
ing, and  at  the  same  time,  when  well  mounted,  the  strongest 
artificial  teeth  made.  When  the  best  results  are  desired,  and 
neither  time  nor  cost  need  be  considered,  carved  blocks  are  the 
best  recourse  of  the  dentist. 

It  is  here  that  the  carver  has  an  opportunity  to  carry  out 
his  conception  of  any  very  difficult  and  peculiar  case.  The  teeth 
can  be  placed  in  any  position  or  inclined  at  any  angle  deemed 
desirable.  A  close  observer  will  discover  wherein  lies  the  differ- 
ence between  carved  blocks  and  molded  blocks;  the  natural  ex- 
pression of  the  former  is  seen  in  those  bolder  curves  and  con- 
tours made  by  the  skilful  hand,  which  it  is  impossible  to  produce 
from  molds.  The  following  is  a  description  in  detail  of  the  carv- 
ing process  in  general  use,  from  about  the  year  1850  to  the 
present  time: 

The  first  step  is  to  get  a  perfect  impression  and  bite.  The 
simplest  and  shortest  method  for  small  partial  cases,  say,  of  two, 
four  or  six  teeth,  is  the  following:  Take  a  roll  of  bees'  wax  from 
one  to  two  inches  long,  according  to  the  number  of  missing 
teeth,  and  about  three-fourths  of  an  inch  thick;  or  modeling  com- 
pound may  be  used,  and  is,  I  think,  preferable.  Soften  in  hot 
water,  dry  upon  a  towel,  and  bend  into  a  semi-circle;  press  it 
against  the  teeth  on  each  side  of  the  space  or  spaces  requiring 
substitutes;  then  direct  the  patient  to  bite  through  the  wax  until 
the  cutting  edge  and  cusps  touch  and  occlude  naturally;  then, 
after  pressing  the  wax  or  modeling  compound  against  the  labial 


)I28  DEXTAL  BRIEF, 

or  buccal  surfaces  of  the  teeth,  carefully  remove   it  from   the 
mouth,  and  harden  it  in  cold  water. 

For  the  cast  mix  plaster  quite  thin;  first  fill  the  im- 
prints of  the  teeth  in  the  wax  or  modeling  compound  care- 
fully, working  the  plaster  into  them;  as  the  plaster  stiffens,  build 
it  up  and  extend  it  back  over  the  palatal  surface  and  about  one 
and  a  half  or  two  inches  beyond  the  impression,  to  give  a  suffi- 
cient length  and  thickness  to  the  model.  Trim  it  to  the  desired 
shape  to  handle  conveniently,  and  varnish  with  sandarac  or 
shellac  the  plaster  exposed  to  view;  then  oil  the  model  and  bite 
with  sweet  oil. 

Next  run  the  articulating  model  in  plaster,  and  when  the 
plaster  has  set  put  the  model  in  hot  water  to  soften  the  wax  or 
modeling  compound.  When  soft,  part  the  articulator  from  the 
cast,  and  the  model  is  ready  for  the  next  step,  which  is  to  en- 
large in  the  cast  the  space  for  which  the  block  is  to  be  made.  If 
the  block  is  to  have  two  teeth,  cut  from  the  proximate  surface  of 
each  plaster  tooth,  on  either  side  of  the  space  to  be  filled,  about 
one  thirty-second  of  an  inch;  this  is  to  allow  for  the  shrinkage 
of  the  block  in  fusing. 

For  a  block  of  four  teeth,  proceed  in  the  same  manner  as  for 
a  block  of  two,  with  the  exception  that  one-sixteenth  of  an  inch 
is  taken  from  the  proximate  surface  of  each  plaster  tooth,  thus 
allowing  for  a  greater  shrinkage.  For  a  block  of  six  teeth,  a 
proportionately  still  greater  shrinkage  is  of  course  allowed  for. 
Fig.  I  shows  the  model  thus  prepared  for  a  block  of  six  teeth. 

The  cast  being  ready,  prepare  some  spermaceti  by  melting 
in  a  small  tin  cup  over  a  spirit  lamp,  adding  enough  vermilion 
to  color  it  a  cherry  red.  With  this  mixture,  using  a  camel's-hai:' 
brush,  paint  that  surface  of  the  model  to  which  the  material  for 
the  tooth  is  to  be  molded.  Apply  with  a  camel's-hair  brush  sweet 
oil  to  the  antagonizing  model  or  bite,  so  that  it  will  separate  from 
the  body  without  disturbing  it.  The  cast  and  bite  are  then  ready 
for  the  body. 

I  use  a  body  made  from  the  formula  of  Dr.  Lukens,  and 
prepared  by  the  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Co.  It  is 
very  strong  and  fuses  at  a  high  heat.  This  body  should  be  mixed 
in  a  porcelain  bowl  or  wedgewood  mortar,  adding  to  it  sufficient 
water  to  make  it  the  consistency  of  putty;  it  is  then  ready  to  be 
packed  or  worked  into  position  on  the  model.  This  should  be 
done  with  care,  to  make  the  mass  homogenous  and  free  from  air 


ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS.  129 

bubbles.  When  sufficient  body  has  been  packed  in  place,  absorb 
the  surplus  moisture  by  means  of  a  dry  napkin  until  the  body 
becomes  dry  and  firm.     It  is  then  ready  for  carving. 


Fig.  I. 

Fig.  I.     Model  prepared  for  a  block  of  six  teeth.    The  articulating  model  trimmed 

to  the  proper  contour  is  in  position. 

The  carving-  instruments  required  are  simple  and  few  in 
number;  a  string  bov^,  carving  knives  of  different  shapes,  dividers, 
a  bone  spatula,  pin  tweezers,  and  camel's-hair  pencils  make  up 
the  outfit. 

Before  commencing  the  carving  process,  the  contour  of  the 
block  must  be  formed  and  the  size  and  shape  of  the  teeth  decided 
upon.  The  perfect  form  of  the  teeth  should  be  in  the  mind's  eye 
of  the  carver.  The  desired  width  and  length  of  the  teeth  is 
marked  off  on  the  block,  beginning  at  the  central  or  median  line, 
with  the  straight  carving  knife,  and  by  cutting  an  inverted  V- 
shaped  space  between  the  teeth.  These  should  incline  toward  the 
center  equally  on  both  sides.  The  necks  are  formed  by  a  shallow 
semicircular  groove. 

The  model  is  then  reversed,  and  the  gum  festoons  are  carved 
to  the  desired  shape.  If  needed,  additional  body  may  be  added 
to  each  tooth  to  bring  it  to  the  desired  shape  and  size.  (See 
Figs.  2  and  3.)  The  gum  is  then  trimmed  to  the  desired  dimen- 
sions as  to  width,  length  and  thickness,  and  is  so  shaped  as  to 
produce  a  natural  effect  when  the  gum  enamel  is  applied. 

The  palatine  surface  of  each  tooth  must  be  carved  so  as  to 
antagonize  correctly  with  the  opposing  teeth.  A  recess  is  usually 
made  in  the  block  for  the  pins,  which  are  placed  in  holes  of  suit- 


I30 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


able  size  drilled  in  the  body,  some  of  which,  in  a  semi-fluid  state, 
must  be  worked  in  around  them  to  secure  them  in  position. 

A  detail  of  some  difficulty  is  the  removal  of  the  block  from 
the  model.  To  do  this,  heat  the  block  over  the  flame  of  an  alcohol 
lamp,  a  large  one  preferred,  until  the  spermaceti  coating  on  the 


Fig.  2. 


Fig-  3. 

Figs.   2  and  3.     Block  carved   ready  f^r  biscuiting.    The  teeth   are  sufficiently 

enlarged  to  allow  for  their  shrinkage  in  the  final  baking  to  the  size  seen  in 

the  finished  block,  F'g.  4.    In  Fig.  2  the  combined  articulation 

and  contour  guide  is  removed. 

cast  beneath  the  block  is  melted.  The  greater  part  of  the  sper- 
maceti will  be  absorbed  by  the  block,  which  will  then  be  loose 
on  the  model,  from  which  it  should  be  carefully  dropped  on  a 
cushion  of  raw  cotton.  To  do'  this  safely,  hold  the  model  as  close 
as  possible  to  the  cotton,  sO'  that  it  shall  not  have  toO'  great  a  fall. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  131 

While  the  block  is  cooling,  which  takes  about  five  minutes, 
take  a  fire-clay  slide  and  put  on  it  a  sufficient  amount  of  kaolin 
to  form  a  bed  on  which  the  block  can  rest  during  the  biscuiting 
process.  This  bed  should  be  about  one  inch  in  thickness,  and  in 
other  dimensions  correspond  tO'  the  size  of  the  block.  After  cool- 
ing, pick  up  the  block  with  the  thumb  and  forefinger,  and  place 
it  with  the  palatine  surface  or  pin  side  on  the  kaolin.  Then  make 
from  the  body  half  a  dozen  cone-shaped  pieces  about  one  inch 
high.    These  are  tO'  be  used  as  trial  pieces. 

The  block  is  now  ready  for  biscuiting.  Biscuiting  is  the 
hardening  or  partial  vitrification  of  the  block  in  a  red  hot  mufifle. 
The  furnace  best  adapted  for  biscuiting  and  baking  is  the  two- 
muffled  furnace,  obtainable  at  any  of  the  dental  depots.  Kindling- 
wood  is  first  placed  in  the  furnace;  then  the  slide  carrying  the 
block  is  put  in  the  back  part  of  the  lower  muffle,  the  door  of 
which  should  be  left  open  for  the  escape  of  the  smoke  which 
arises  from  the  spermaceti  and  oil  which  has  been  absorbed  by 
the  block.  Ignite  the  wood,  and  put  on  sufficient  coal  or  coke 
to  fill  the  furnace.  When  well  heated,  the  block  will  become 
black,  owing  to  the  carbonization  of  the  fatty  matter  it  has  ab- 
sorbed; but  as  the  heat  increases  the  muffle  becomes  red;  the 
-carbon  will  undergo-  combustion,  and  the  block  will  resume  its 
former  shade.  At  this  stage  close  the  muffle  door,  and  wait  until 
the  muffle  comes  to  a  bright  red  heat;  then  take  out  a  trial  piece, 
and  with  a  penknife  test  it  for  hardness,  which  should  be  about 
that  of  pipe-clay.  If  the  test  piece  is  found  sufficiently  hardened, 
remove  the  slide  from  the  muffle.  Check  the  fire  by  removing 
the  stoppers  on  the  sides  and  top  of  furnace  and  partially  shutting 
off  the  draught.  When  the  block  is  cool,  remove  it  from  the 
slide,  brush  off  the  kaolin  and  transfer  it  to  the  model.  It  is  then 
ready  for  enameling. 

Enamels  are  technically  termed  neck,  point,  stain  and  gum 
enamel.  Enamels  are  applied  to  the  block  with  a  camel's-hair 
pencils.  They  should  be  mixed  with  clean  water  in  a  small  glass 
or  porcelain  cup,  making  a  cream-like  mixture.  The  neck  enamel 
is  applied  first  at  the  necks  of  the  teeth  and  then  extended  half 
way  to  the  cutting  edge  or  point.  The  neck  enamels  vary  in 
color  from  light  yellow  to  dark  brown. 

The  point  enamel  is  next  applied  to  the  cutting  edges  of  the 
teeth,  and  is  brought  down  over  the  neck  enamel  so  as  to  overlap 


132  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

and  thus  produce  a  graded  blending  of  their  respective  shades. 
In  color  the  point  enamels  vary  from  white  to  different  tints  of 
blue,  gray  and  yellow. 

The  gum  enamel  is  applied  to  the  points  between  the  teeth 
with  the  carving  knife;  elsewhere  it  is  applied  with  a  camel's-hair 
pencil.  Care  should  be  taken  tO'  place  the  gum  enamel  close  to 
the  necks  of  the  teeth,  but  not  to  overlap  the  neck  enamels.  It  is 
best  not  to  make  the  gum  enamel  very  smooth;  it  fuses  at  a  little 
lower  heat  than  the  point  and  neck  enamels,  and  unless  left  some- 
what roughened  is  apt  to  become  glassy  in  appearance.  The 
festoons  around  the  necks  of  the  teeth  should  be  ridged,  so  as  to 
give  a  certain  prominence  and  individuality  of  effect.  The  teeth 
should  look  as  though  they  had  grown  out  of  the  gum;  and  to 
secure  this  result,  nature's  outlines  and  contour  must  be  studied 
and  reproduced.  Many  blocks  are  ruined  by  having  the  gum 
enamel  applied  in  such  a  manner  as  to  produce  entirely  unnatural 
and  inartistic  effects. 

After  the  enameling  is  completed,  the  block  is  ready  to  be 
transferred  to  the  slide  for  its  final  burning.  Prepare  the  slide 
as  directed  for  biscuiting,  with  this  exception — instead  of  placing 
the  block  pin  side  down  on  the  kaolin,  place  it  with  the  cutting 
edges  of  the  teeth  upward.  Enamel  the  biscuited  trial  pieces  at 
the  points  with  gum  enamel  and  place  them  on  the  slide  in  front 
of  the  block. 

All  being  ready  for  the  final  baking,  place  in  the  furnace  the 
side  stoppers,  and  fill  the  furnace  with  fresh  coal;  then  put  in  the 
upper  stoppers.  Seal  all  openings  around  the  stoppers  with  a 
mortar-like  mass  of  fire-clay  mixed  with  water.  When  the  lower 
muffle  is  at  a  white  heat,  the  slide  is  securely  grasped  with  a  pair 
of  long  tongs  with  ends  flattened  for  this  purpose.  The  slide  is 
lifted  and  held  before  the  muffle  for  about  two  or  three  minutes, 
or  until  the  block  is  thoroughly  dry,  and  then  is  placed  in  the 
forepart  of  the  lower  muffle  and  gradually  moved  toward  the 
back  part  of  the  muffle.  When  the  baking  part  is  reached,  which 
can  be  distinguished  by  the  intense  glow  or  white  heat,  close  the 
muffle  door  for  about  ten  minutes;  then  with  the  tongs  take  out 
a  trial  piece,  being  careful  to  close  the  muffle  door.  Examine  the 
trial  piece,  to  see  if  it  is  fused  or  glazed;  if  not,  bake  about  three 
minutes  longer.  Take  out  another  trial  piece,  and  if  it  is  suffi- 
ciently fused  and  glazed  the  block  is  done. 


I 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


133 


Draw  the  slide  from  the  lower  muffle  and  pass  it  quickly  into 
the  back  part  of  the  upper  muffle.  Close  up  the  muffle  with  the 
stopper,  and  close  all  openings  with  fire-clay.  Draw  the  fire,  and 
let  the  block  remain  in  the  annealing  or  cooling  muffle  until  cold. 
When  cold,  the  block  is  ready  for  grinding,  a  process  which, 
owing  tO'  warpage,  is  necessary  with  all  porcelain  teeth,  whether 
carved  or  molded.  For  fitting  the  block,  the  original  cast  having 
been  trimmed  for  shrinkage,  a  new  impression  and  cast  are  neces- 
sary. For  the  grinding  use  corundum  wheels  and  points.  To 
facilitate  fitting,  the  prominent  parts  of  the  cast  are  coated  with 


■mmmt 


Fig.  4. 
Fig.  4.    Finished  block  fitted  to  position  on  the  model. 

a  mixture  of  vermilion  and  olive  oil,  which  will  spot  the  under 
side  of  the  block  and  show  the  exact  place  to  be  ground  off  in 
order  to  make  the  block  fit  solidly  on  the  cast.  After  proper 
fitting,  the  block  is  ready  to  be  mounted  upon  any  base  selected 
for  the  case.    (See  Fig.  3.) 

In  baking  porcelain  blocks,  various  furnaces  can  be  used. 
The  two-muffle  furnace,  mentioned  above,  is  used  by  the  writer 
for  baking  all  large  pieces.  For  small  pieces  of  porcelain  work 
the  electric,  oil,  and  gas  furnaces  are  convenient  and  efficient. 


i^S^rS-;.  $;^:$:^ 


134  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

MODERN    DENTAL   ABSORBENTS   AND    THE    "OLD 
RELIABLE"  RUBBER-DAM. 

Some  points  in  the  uses,  merits  and  abuses  of  each. 

By  B.  G.  Simmons,  D.D.S. 

"Many  persons  might  have  attained  to  wisdom  had  they  not  assumed 
that  they  already  possessed  it." — Seneca. 

To  "keep  in  step"  in  modern  dentistry  it  is  necessary  to  be 
fairly  familiar  with  all  modern  improvements.  Many  of  the  ar- 
ticles and  appliances  to  which  our  attention  is  called,  upon  in- 
vestigation prove  to  be  but  slight  improvements  on  older  meth- 
ods, some  are  absolutely  worthless,  and  are  so  recognized  and 
avoided  in  the  first  place ;  others  are  tried  and  soon  cast  aside.  A 
few  prove  to  be  practical  improvements  that  hold  their  place  in 
the  onward  march  of  progressive  dentistry.  The  writer  distinctly 
remembers  when  the  rubber-dam  first  came  into  use.  A  little 
slowly  at  first,  particularly  with  those  whose  hobby  was  soft  foil, 
then  there  was  a  mad  rush  to  the  extreme,  with  many  operators 
absolutely  discarding  all  other  methods  of  keeping  the  work  dry. 
The  rubber-dam  has  undoubtedly  been  the  most  useful  of  any  one 
appliance  in  operative  dentistry.  It  enables  us  to  do  work  that  it 
would  be  impossible  to  accomplish  in  any  other  way,  yet  its  use 
may  be  abused.  At  one  period,  and  that  not  many  years  ago,  it 
was  not  an  uncommon  thing  to  hear  the  statement  made,  "I  never 
put  in  a  filling  of  any  kind  without  the  rubber-dam."  One  would 
rarely,  if  ever,  hear  that  statement  made  to-day.  The  reaction 
came,  and  we  have  now  settled  down  to  that  happy  medium 
which,  though  fully  recognizing  the  absolute  necessity  of  the  rub- 
ber-dam, does  not  hold  it  as  all  supreme  by  any  means.  There 
have  been  some  very  great  improvements  in  the  way  of  dentai 
absorbents  since  the  days  when  the  rubber-dam  supplanted  our 
old  "birds*-eye-linen"  napkins  that  we  used  to  put  into  the  wash 
along  with  the  rest  of  the  soiled  clothes.  Not  a  nice  thing  to  do, 
I  now  admit,  but  we  thought  they  were  clean  in  those  days. 

Cottonoid,  a  felted  absorbent  cotton,  has  been  invented,  and 
a  most  useful  general  absorbent  it  is.  Aside  from  being  an  im- 
provement for  all  purposes  where  bibulous  paper  was  formerly 
used,  it  is  a  most  satisfactory  substitute  for  the  napkin  and  is  far 
more  absorbent.  Cotton  rolls,  both  absorbent  and  non-absorb- 
ent, have  been  suggested  and  made  in  several  different  styles, 
and  aseptic  napkins  of  sterilized  absorbent  cotton  cloth,  to  be 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  135 

used  but  once  and  thrown  away,  have  come  into  very  general 
use.  The  latter,  though  vastly  cleaner  and  preferable  from  the 
standpoint  of  neatness,  which  is  no  small  item  in  the  patient's 
estimation,  may  not  give  any  better  results  than  the  old  linen 
napkin.  Cottonoid  is  probably  the  most  largely  used  of  any 
dental  absorbent  and  will  continue  to  be,  but  it  is  my  purpose 
here  to  speak  more  particularly  of  cotton  dental  rolls.  It  is  nor 
only  that  they  are  all  ready  to  use,  that  of  course  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage, but  you  can  put  in  fillings  and  keep  your  work  dry  with 
them  that  you  would  be  unable  to  do  with  any  other  absorbent. 
Their  absorbent  bulk  is  so'  much  greater  and  their  adaptability  so 
superior,  that  the  older  manner  of  using  the  napkin  cannot  be 
compared  with  them.  There  are  many  different  ways  of  using 
them.  Tliey  may  be  applied  so  that  the  operator  will  have  both 
hands  free  for  work,  either  by  using  a  section  of  a  roll,  held  in 
place  by  a  wire  clamp  on  either  side  of  the  tooth  to  be  operated 
upon,  or  a  rubber-dam  clamp  may  be  used  and  a  long  roll  bent 
around  the  tooth  and  held  down  by  the  bulge  of  the  clamp.  In 
some  cases  it  is  advantageous  to  bend  a  roll  like  a  horse  shoe 
around  the  entire  outside  of  the  arch  or  in  under  the  tongue.  Up 
to  this  point  I  have  been  speaking  of  absorbent  rolls.  When  it 
comes  to  non-absorbent  rolls,  I  would  be  even  more  at  a  loss  to 
know  how  to  get  along  without  them.  The  point  about  a  non- 
absorbent  roll  is  right  here.  It  is  not  only  that  it  can  be  fre- 
quently used  as  a  substitute  for  the  rubber-dam  with  far  less 
trouble  and  vexation,  but  it  can  be  used  in  cases  where  it  is  irn- 
possible  tO'  use  the  rubber-dam.  Take  a  case  of  setting  a  crown 
for  example.  The  dam  cannot  be  applied,  but  you  must  have  the 
point  of  operation  dry.  If  you  use  an  absorbent  of  any  kind  at 
this  point,  it  becomes  loaded  with  saliva  to  flow  over  your  work 
at  the  slightest  pressure.  By  using  a  section  of  a  non-absorbent 
roll  on  either  side  of  the  point  of  operation  you  have  a  perfect 
dam,  and  instead  of  conducting  moisture  to  this  point,  you  keep 
the  work  dry  and  the  roll  itself  is  dry. 

In  connection  with  this  I  use  either  the  saliva  ejector  or  an 
absorbent  of  some  kind  that  can  be  changed  when  necessary,  back 
of  the  non-absorbent  roll.  It  will  be  seen  at  a  glance  that  the  non- 
absorbent  roll  is  simply  a  pliable  and  easily  adapted  dam  against 
moisture;  that  the  saliva  must  be  disposed  of  by  other  means,  and 
that  it  is  not  used  in  the  same  manner  as  the  absorbent  roll.  The 
saving  of  time  and  labor  in  the  use  of  these  aseptic  dental  ab- 


136  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

sorbcnts  is  a  very  important  feature.  They  are  all  ready  to  use, 
and  in  many  cases  one  may  successfully  complete  an  operation  in 
about  the  time  that  it  would  take  to  apply  the  dam.  In  addition 
to  this  they  are  clean,  and  the  patient  realizes  that  they  are  clean. 
The  rubber-dam,  unless  a  new  piece  is  used  each  time,  does  not 
impress  the  patient  as  being  clean,  and  if  there  are  a  number  of 
groups  of  holes  artistically  scattered  about  in  it,  it  is  apt  to  start 
a  train  of  thought  not  exactly  pleasant.  It  probably  can  be 
washed  clean,  but  is  it?  This  the  patient  cannot  know.  Probably 
the  reader  always  uses  a  new  piece  of  rubber-dam,  but  you  know 
very  well  that  the  "man  on  the  floor  above,"  or  /'across  the  hall," 
or  a  "block  down  the  street"  does  not  always  do  the  same,  and 
it  is  to  him  that  I  am  speaking  at  the  moment.  The  writer  heard 
one  who  stands  high  with  his  fellow  practitioners  in  the  dental 
profession  in  New  York  make  the  statement  to  a  group  of  den- 
tists recently,  that  in  his  opinion  "the  time  had  come  when  the 
dentist  should  give  as  much  attention  to  asepsis — the  aseptic  con- 
dition of  instruments — and  the  use  of  aseptic  absorbents  and  ap- 
pliances about  the  mouth,  as  did  the  general  surgeon  in  any  case 
in  surgery.  Although  the  immediate  success  of  the  operation 
might  not  always  require  it  to  the  same  extent,  the  result  of  care- 
lessness in  this  respect  through  contagion  and  disease  might  be 
quite  as  serious,"  and  this  opinion  was  concurred  in  by  all  present. 
He  said  "we  not  only  cannot  have  things  too  clean,  but  we  cannot 
be  too  careful  to  have  this  cleanliness  apparent  to  the  patient;" 
and  in  the  latter  remark,  though  perhaps  unintentionally,  he 
showed  a  clear  idea  of  the  business  side  of  the  proposition. 

Aside  from  extreme  cleanliness  being  required  for  other  rea- 
sons, we  know  too  much  of  germ  life  and  contagion  at  the  pres- 
ent day  to  use  anything  in  mouth  after  mouth  except  that  which  is 
absolutely  necessary,  as  in  the  case  of  instruments.  Fortunately 
the  latter  can  be  thoroughly  sterilized.  Let  me  suggest  here  how 
the  value  of  boiling  water  as  a  sterilizer  is  forgotten  by  many  in 
the  search  for  something  more  difficult.  'Tis  a  simple  thing  to 
immerse  a  handful  of  instruments  half  way  up  the  handles  in  boil- 
ing water  for  a  few  moments  and  quickly  dry  them,  yet  as  a  usual 
thing  this  is  all  that  is  necessary.  Steel  can  be  safely  and  easily 
cleaned.  This  is  neither  so  sure  nor  easy  with  rubber-dam,  and 
my  advice  is,  use  new  each  time.  When  it  comes  to  absorbents 
there  is  no  argument  for  anything  but  aseptic  absorbent.  Their 
use  entails  no  greater  expense  than  washing  napkins,  but  if  it 


ORIGINAL  C0MMUMCAT1(J.\S.  137 

were  five  times  as  great,  I  would  still  advocate  it,  and,  if  neces- 
sary, curtail  expenses  somewhere  besides  where  cleanliness  en- 
tered into  the  question.  But  as  a  fact  their  use  pays.  Nothing 
could  please  the  patient's  sense  of  cleanliness  more  than  to  see  the 
neat  boxes  containing  these  preparations  in  the  operating  case 
instead  of  the  pile  of  ragged-edged,  "medicine-stained''  napkins 
that  have  been  in  all  kinds  of  mouths  before,  and  are  just  back 
from  a  wash  of  ''questionable  character."  I  think  great  credit  is 
due  the  firm  that  introduced  these  aseptic  dental  absorbents,  and 
though  it  may  be  considered  out  of  place  by  some  in  this  kind  of 
an  article,  yet  I  propose  speaking  of  them  here. 

These  preparations  were  suggested  at  different  times  by  lead- 
ing dentists  of  the  country;  and  their  manufacture  at  the  sugges- 
tion of  these  dentists  was  taken  up  by  one  of  the  largest  and  prob- 
ably best  known  firms  manufacturing  absorbent  cotton,  surgical 
dressings  and  aseptic  preparations.  When  a  firm  originates  and 
introduces  a  certain  line  of  preparations  and  attains  as  well-nigh 
perfection  in  those  preparations  as  it  seems  possible  to  attain,  I 
see  no  harm  in  mentioning  the  fact.  Such  is  the  case  with 
Messrs.  Johnson  &  Johnson,  of  New  Brunswick,  N.  J.,  in  the 
manufacture  of  Red  Cross  Aseptic  Dental  Absorbents,  and  I  am 
glad  to  be  able  to  do  my  mite  toward  placing  credit  where  credit 
is  due.  However,  this  is  not  my  only  object  in  using  their  name 
here.  It  is  quite  as  much  because  I  find  it  necessary  in  properly 
describing  certain  qualities  in  some  of  the  absorbents  that  I  have 
alluded  to.  Without  wishing  to  do  injury  to  anyone,  I  find  cer- 
tain preferable  qualities  in  this  make  that  I  do  not  find  elsewhere. 
This  is  particularly  noticeable  in  cotton  rolls.  Some  cotton  rolls 
are  really  worthless,  because  of  being  too  stiff  and  harsh.  They 
must  be  soft  and  adaptable.  There  have  been  some  rolls  im- 
ported from  Germany  (a  strange  fact)  that  were  sufficiently  pli- 
able, but  this  point  was  gained  at  the  expense  of  absorbent  bulk, 
and  to  me  they  were  not  nearly  as  satisfactory.  Of  cottonoid  1 
believe  there  is  but  one  kind,  and  in  aseptic  napkins  there  really 
may  not  be  any  great  preference  as  to  make,  yet  to  me  the  de- 
pendence to  be  placed  on  thorough  asepsis  and  also  the  hinge-top 
boxes  are  no  small  consideration.  One  is  enabled  to  open  them 
and  get  what  he  wants  with  one  hand  when  the  other  is  neces- 
sarily kept  at  the  patient's  mouth.  In  closing  let  me  say  that  I 
am  at  least  thoroughly  conscientious  in  my  views  on  this  subject, 
and  what  I  have  learned  has  been  bv  no  short  experience. 


1 38  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 

TREATMENT  OF  CHILDREN'S  TEETH. 
C.  Edmund  Kclls,  Jr.,  D.D.S.,  New  Orleans,  La. 

A  five-minute  paper  upon  such  a  prolific  subject  must  of 
necessity  be  concise,  hence  to  the  practical  treatment  of  the  tem- 
porary teeth  at  once. 

These  will  be  divided,  from  a  clinical  standpoint,  into  classes: 
A,  good;  B,  bad;  C,  very  bad. 

Class  A. — Good  teeth,  of  course,  are  those  to  which,  profiting 
by  our  teachings,  the  mother  has  given  good  care  and  the  little 
patient  brought  to  us  at  an  early  age,  say  two  and  a  half  years. 
At  this  period  the  teeth  are  in  perfect  order,  clean,  and  pleasing 
in  appearance. 

The  patient  is  examined  every  three  or  four  months,  and 
from  time  to  time  a  spot  of  decay  may  appear  in  the  crowns  of 
the  molars,  which  is  filled  at  once  with  amalgam,  however  tiny 
the  cavity  may  be.  At  the  same  time,  whenever  necessary,  all 
the  exposed  surfaces  are  polished  with  orange-wood  and  pumice, 
or  the  engine  and  a  rubber  cup  may  be  used.  The  approximal 
surfaces  are  also  kept  bright  by  pumice  and  floss  silk. 

The  incisors,  under  this  care,  remain  perfect  until  shed. 

The  treatment  these  teeth  receive  is  mostly  preventive,  and 
the  time  (and  money)  so  spent  is  well  invested. 

Class  B. — These  patients  are  brought  to  us  probably  after  a 
night  of  suffering,  and  say  at  five  years  of  age,  and  bespeak  at 
once  the  neglect  they  have  endured  with  compound  approximal 
cavities  in  the  molars,  pulps  nearly  or  quite  exposed,  and  perhaps 
an  abscess  in  progress  of  formation.  The  incisors  also  may  be 
involved.  The  patient  is  not  a  type  of  good  health,  but  nervous 
andi  afraid  of  everything  in  the  office,  ourselves  included. 

The  first  step  to  be  taken  is  to  gain  the  child's  confidence, 
which  can  only  be  accomplished  by  inflicting  no  pain  at  the  first 
visit.  Some  small  crown  cavity  (usually  to  be  found)  is  slightly 
prepared  and  filled  with  cement,  and  the  patient  is  greatly  encour- 
aged by  the  idea  of  having  a  tooth  filled  without  pain.  By  the 
time  all  of  the  other  work  is  completed  this  filling  (?)  is  to  be  re- 
moved, the  cavity  properly  prepared  and  filled  with  amalgam. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  139 

The  large  compound  approximal  cavities  are  in  due  time 
prepared  as  thoroughly  as  possible,  care  being  taken  not  to  ex- 
'  pose  the  pulps;  they  are  cauterized  one  or  more  times  with  silver 
nitrate,  filled  with  amalgam  if  safe,  or,  if  not,  with  a  chlorid  of 
zinc  cement.  If  all  progresses  smoothly,  at  the  end  of  six  months 
or  a  year  they  may  be  refilled  with  amalgam. 

Sometimes,  when  the  teeth  are  crowded,  after  cauterization, 
gutta-percha  is  packed  into^  two  facing  compound  approximal 
cavities  and  allowed  to  remain  for  a  month  or  more,  when  a  filling 
can  be  more  satisfactorily  inserted. 

If  the  pulps  are  exposed  after  the  use  of  the  silver  nitrate,  a 
cream  of  oxid  of  zinc  and  creosote  is  flowed  over  the  exposed 
portion  prervious  to  the  insertion  of  the  filling. 

These  pulps,  if  thoroughly  exposed  will  die,  but  probably 
painlessly,  and  the  tooth  may  remain  comfortable  for  some  time. 
Any  tooth  in  this  condition  at  the  age  of  five  will  not  survive 
its  period  of  usefulness,  but  must  be  lost  sooner.  However,  if 
the  second  molars  can  be  held  in  place  at  almost  any  cost,  until 
the  first  permanent  molars  have  come  through  and  are  well  artic- 
ulated, this  should  be  done,  after  which  their  loss  is  not  so 
serious. 

It  is  not  my  practice  to  fill  the  root-canaJs  of  temporary  teeth, 
consequently  the  treatment  of  these  teeth  is  merely  palliative; 
^when  that  fails  tO'  give  relief,  extraction  is  resorted  to. 

Class  C. — Under  this  we  will  describe  a  poor  little  sufferer  of 
two  and  a  half  years  of  age,  with  all  the  teeth  "rotted  to  the 
g^Jms,"  as  we  are  told,  and  which  description  is  in  fact  more  accu- 
rate than  elegant.  True  enough,  the  crowns  are  gone,  but  in 
many  the  pulps  are  still  alive  and  exquisitely  sensitive.  Here 
nothing  can  equal  the  cauterization  by  silver  nitrate,  which,  re- 
peated at  intervals,  will  allay  the  sensitiveness,  and  is  all  that  can 
be  done  for  the  little  sufferer. 

When  a  girl  who  has  been  under  my  care  since  childhood 
marries,  she  is  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  caring  for  her 
children's  teeth.  She  is  taught  to  brush,  not  rub  with  a  rag,  the 
infant's  teeth  from  the  time  of  their  first  appearance ;  at  first  with 
clear  water,  and  later,  when  the  child  is  old  enough  not  to  attempt 
to  swallow  everything  that  is  put  in  its  mouth,  with  prepared 
chalk.  Floss  silk  should  also  be  passed  between  them  daily,  and 
when  the  child  is  old  enough  the  mouth  should  be  thoroughly 
rinsed  with  diluted  lime-water  night  and  morning.     This  consti- 


140  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

tiites  the  care  the  mother  is  instructed  to  give  the  temporary 
teeth,  besides  which  they  should  be  sent  to  me  for  an  examination 
three  times  annually. 

TJic  Pouianent  Set. — The  judicious  treatment  of  the  first  per- 
manent molars  is  of  paramount  importance.  In  my  practice  there 
is  a  tendency  to  crowded  arches,  and  very  frequently  the  extrac- 
tion of  four  teeth  becomes  advisable. 

If  the  first  permanent  moilars  erupt  in  a  defective  condition, 
which  they  very  frequently  do,  and  break  down  immediately,  they 
are  nursed  along  until  the  patient  reaches  the  age  of  eleven  and 
then  extracted.  Removing  them  at  this  age  leaves  the  twenty 
anterior  teeth  for  mastication,  and  allows  of  the  eruption  of  the 
second  molars  in  a  perpendicular  position  and  almost  in  the 
places  of  the  first  modars.  Meanwhile  the  bicuspids  have  dropped 
back  a  little,  and  the  entire  arch  at  the  age  of  fifteen  is  roomy  and 
in  good  condition. 

If  the  first  molars  are  removed  after  the  appearance  of  the 
second  molars,  these  are  sure  to  tip  forward  more  or  less,  and  the 
crowded  condition  of  the  anterior  teeth  is  not  so  readily  over- 
come, and,  altogether,  a  bad  result  is  sure  to  obtain. 

For  nearly  twenty  years  the  judicious  extraction  of  the  first 
permanent  molars  has  been  practiced  by  me,  and  the  satisfactory 
result  so  obtained  is  a  daily  object-lesson  among  those  patients 
who  are  still  in  my  care. 

When  the  first  molars  are  good,  one  set  of  the  bicuspids, 
either  the  first  or  second,  are  oftentimes  removed  with  the  best 
results. 

As  the  teeth  of  the  permanent  set  are  erupted  they  are 
watched  carefully,  at  least  two  visits  a  year  being  insisted  upon. 
The  smallest  pits  that  penetrate  through  the  enamel  are  filled  at 
once.  If  these  occur  before  the  teeth  are  fully  erupted,  they  are 
filled  with  oxychlorid  of  zinc  first,  and  later  with  amalgam  or 
gold.  If  the  teeth  are  soft,  gold  is  never  used.  Amalgam  is  a 
very  satisfactory  material  for  the  fissures  of  bicuspids  of  children. 

Sometimes  these  buccal  and  fissure  cavities  are  quite  deep, 
though  the  enamel-margins  are  quite  hard;  in  which  cases  the 
cavities  are  lined  with  either  gutta-percha  or  cement,  usually  the 
latter,  and  gold  or  amalgam  completes  the  filling. 

When  all  is  ready  for  the  filling  the  cavity  is  swabbed  out 
with  creosote  (Morson's  only),  and  then  dried  with  hot  air.  This 
will  leave  the  walls  in  a  glistening  condition;  and  if  any  spot  of 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  141 

decay  or  softened  tissue  remains  will  at  once  discolor  it,  and  it  is 
removed. 

When  very  deep  cavities  are  found,  the  enamel-borders  are 
prepared  thoroughly,  but  the  decay  over  the  pulp  is  not  entirely 
removed  for  fear  of  exposing  the  same.  This  is  coated  with  a 
cream  of  oxid  of  zinc  mixed  with  creosote,  and  dried  and  cov- 
ered with  oxychlorid.  Later  a  part  of  the  cement  is  cut  out, 
and  amalgam  or  gold  packed  over  the  remaining  protecting  layer. 

The  oxychlorid  of  zinc  is  a  treatment  of  the  tooth  under 
which  the  tooth  will  improve.  The  zinc  phosphate  is  a  filling 
material  only,  porous  to  a  certain  extent,  and  does  not  benefit  the 
tooth  otherwise  than  serving  as  a  filling  material. 

The  approximal  surfaces  are  watched  carefully,  and  upon  the 
slightest  suspicion  the  teeth  are  wedged  apart  and  the  discolora- 
tion removed  with  fine  polishing  strips;  after  which  the  surfaces 
are  brought  to  a  high  polish  by  the  use  of  lamp-wick  carrying 
moistened  pumice.  A  carrier  for  this  purpose  devised  by  my 
father  some  thirty  or  more  years  ago  I  have  never  seen  equaled, 
so  I  present  one  for  your  inspection. 

Approximal  cavities  in  children  under  fifteen  years  of  age 
are  never  filled  with  gold,  but  with  oxychlorid  of  zinc.  Usually 
the  dam  is  applied,  the  fillings  inserted,  patient  seated  in  another 
room  with  a  book  or  magazine  for  from  forty-five  to  sixty  min- 
utes, the  mean  time  being  employed  on  other  patients,  and  so  is 
not  wasted.  The  cement  is  then  carefully  finished,  and  parafifin 
burnished  on  with  a  hot  instrument. 

It  is  not  unusual  to  find  at  the  age  of  twelve  or  thirteen  years 
cavities  on  the  approximal  surfaces  of  all  the  lower  incisors,  and 
even  cuspids.  Experience  and  observation  have  taught  me  long 
since  that  gold  will  not  save  such  teeth  at  all,  while  the  above 
treatment  will.  I  have  during  this  past  month  filled  such  teeth 
with  g-old  for  a  miss  of  nineteen  years,  for  whom  they  were  filled 
with  cement  in  May,  1888,  or  ten  years  ago,  the  cement  fillings 
having  wasted  but  slightly  during  all  this  time,  and  the  teeth  in 
the  best  of  condition. 

It  is  essential  that  a  child  be  taught  how  to  brush,  the  teeth 
properly,  and  for  this  purpose  I  keep  in  my  cabinet  a  tooth-brush 
and  set  of  teeth  mounted  on  continuous  gum,  and  with  which  I 
give  a  careful  object-lesson. 

Finally,  when  all  other  work  is  completed,  the  teeth  are  thor- 


142  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

oiighly  cleansed  and  polished,  and  great  stress   laid  upon  the 
necessity  for  the  patient's  keeping  them  in  that  condition. 

I  am  told  that  the  teeth  of  children  in  this  section  will  not 
stand  the  same  treatment  as  those  in  the  North.  Of  this  I  know 
nothing  personally,  but  of  the  utter  failure  of  gold  in  children's 
teeth  I  do  not  judge  by  my  own  work  alone.  Scores  of  my  little 
patients  go  of¥  to  school,  and  have  gold  fillings  inserted  by  oper- 
ators of  the  best  reputations,  which,  however,  soon  fail.  So  my 
hearers  of  a  distant  clime  must  please  bear  climatic  considerations 
in  mind  when  criticising  my  methods,  and  also  my  work  when 
it  falls  under  their  view.  Dental  Cosmos. 


ANCIENT  JAPANESE  DENTAL  ART.* 
By  T.  A.  Long,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

It  is  but  a  few  years  since  the  Japanese  have  been  brought  ta 
our  notice  in  the  arts  and  sciences,  although  they,  as  a  nation,  are 
very  much  older  than  we,  and  in  the  dental  art  antedate  us  by 
more  than  a  century.  We  find  examples  of  their  skill  in  artificial 
plates,  older  than  this  nation — made  before  the  discovery  of 
America.  In  this  work  we  find  rare  skill  displayed,  and  an 
amount  of  patience  expended  that  seems  marvelous. 

When  we  consider  the  crude  materials  and  tools  with  which 
they  had  to  work,  and  consider  the  outcome  of  their  patient  labor, 
we  must  acknowledge  the  bright  intellect  that  produces  such  ex- 
quisite results. 

There  is  an  old  story  to^  the  effect  that  the  king,  to  show  the 
great  skill  of  his  people  in  the  arts,  sent  tO'  the  ruler  of  another 
country  a  fine  cambric  needle  as  a  sample  of  their  fine  workman- 
ship. This  needle  was  returned  to  the  sender  with  an  eye  drilled 
through  the  point,  into  which  was  inserted  another  finer  needle, 
showing  the  superior  workmanship  of  the  people  to  whom  the 
original  was  sent. 

We  have  almost  a  similar  example  before  us  in  the  collection 
of  Japanese  artificial  plates  on  exhibition  here,  in  a  case  of  a  cel- 
luloid plate  mounted  with  human  teeth.  This  Japanese  student^ 
educated  at  one  of  our  colleges,  was  taught  to  make  celluloid 
plates  mounted  with  porcelain  teeth  in  the  ordinary  way.     He 


♦Read  before  the  Ohio  State  Dental  Society,  December,  1899. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  143 

then  went  back  to  Japan,  and  sent  us,  as  a  specimen  of  his  skill,  a 
celluloid  plate  mounted  with  human  teeth.  It  is  quite  doubtful 
whether  this  specimen  could  be  duplicated  in  this  country. 

It  is  only  within  a  comparatively  few  years  that  the  Japanese 
have  made  much  progress  in  the  dental  art;  but  the  progress  has 
been  rapid,  and  an  exhibit  of  modern  Japanese  dentistry  would 
compare  favorably  with  any  American  or  European  collection. 

There  are  two  colleges  of  dentistry  in  Tokio,  the  professors 
all  being  natives.  Some  graduated  here,  others  in  Europe  and 
Japan.  Each  school  is  largely  attended,  and  all  their  methods 
and  appliances  are  modern — such  as  are  used  and  taught  in 
Europe  and  America. 

I  have  here  specimens  of  four  dental  journals,  which  are  now 
published  in  the  Japanese  language,  and  to  aid  you  in  reading 
them,  I  would  say  that  the  title  page  is  on  the  back  cover,  and 
you  commence  to  read  from  the  top  downward  like  a  column  of 
figures,  commencing  at  the  upper  right  hand  corner. 

We  have  lately  received  through  our  Japanese  dealers,  speci- 
mens of  artificial  teeth  which  are  fairly  good  imitations  of  our 
forms  and  colors,  and  it  is  only  a  matter  of  time  when  the  Jap- 
anese will  compete  with  the  world  in  almost  every  line  of  manu- 
facture. 

The  company  which  I  have  the  honor  to  represent  have,  after 
years  of  patient  work,  made  a  collection  of  specimens  of  Japanese 
artificial  dentures  and  instruments,  woodworking  tools,  etc.,  per- 
taining to  the  dental  art,  which  I  herewith  present.  This  will 
give  you  a  better  idea  of  the  rapid  strides  made  by  them  in  the 
pursuit  of  your  profession  than  pages  of  history  could  convey. 

First  on  the  list  is  a  wax  model  of  a  partial  case  for  the 
upper  jaw.  You  will  notice  that  the  model  and  impression  are 
both  of  wax.  They  used  no-  plaster.  The  operation  of  making 
an  artificial  plate  is  as  follows: 

After  having  obtained  the  model  of  hard  wax,  a  block  of 
wood  is  selected  of  the  proper  size,  into  which  holes  are  made  to 
make  spaces  for  any  teeth  that  remain  in  the  mouth.  (This  is  for 
a  partial  denture.)  The  operator  cuts  away  a  portion  of  the  wood 
to  roughly  approximate  the  shape  of  the  model,  then  covers  it 
with  a  coating  of  thick  glutinous  water  color  paint  (usually  red) ; 
then  presses  this  model  lightly  against  the  block  of  wood. 

Wherever  the  model  touches  the  wood  it  leaves  a  portion  of 
the  paint.     After  removing  the  model,  the  painted  portions  on 


144 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


the  block  of  wood  are  cut  away,  and  this  operation  is  repeated 
until  a  perfect  fit  is  obtained. 

Before  finishing  the  carving,  the  model  is  placed  in  the  artic- 
ulator, which  consists  of  a  wooden  box  with  a  sliding  shelf,  on  to 
which  the  model  is  placed,  and  to  which  the  block  is  also  fastened 
temporarily.  This  is  to  ensure  closure  of  the  model  and  block  of 
wood  in  the  same  position  every  time. 

The  articulator  is  also  brought  into  use,  after  the  plate  is 
carved  tO'  a  fit,  to  articulate  the  teeth  when  being  carved  into 
their  places  on  the  wooden  plate. 

The  wood  used  in  making  teeth  plates  is  a  species  of  plum 
tree,  very  hard  and  close  grained,  and  resembles  our  apple  tree 
wood.    The  tree  grows  tO'  about  six  inches  in  diameter. 

The  teeth  used  were  of  various  kinds.  Many  human  teeth 
were  used,  but  ivory  and  stone  seemed  to  be  the  most  popular. 
Many  plates  are  made  with  the  teeth  carved  from  the  same  block, 
making  the  plate  and  teeth  all  of  one  piece.  The  stone  teeth  used 
are  made  from  a  grayish  kind  of  stone,  somewhat  resembling 
our  soapstone,  but  harder,  and  is  not  a  bad  imitation  for  color  of 
some  of  our  dark  shades  of  porcelain  teeth.  Some  plates  are 
carved  in  one  piece  in  ivory,  and  are  beautiful  examples  of  art  in 
that  line.  ^  i  ' 

We  do  not  find  any  carved  molars  or  bicuspids  in  the  collec- 
tion, except  for  small  partial  cases,  the  grinding  surfaces  being 
covered  with  little  nails  with  large  heads,  like  hob-nails  used  in 
the  soles  of  coarse  shoes.  Some  of  the  plates  shown  have  been 
worn,  so  long  that  the  heads  of  these  nails  have  been  worn  en- 
tirely off. 

We  have  also  specimens  of  crowns  and  bridges  made  prob- 
ably a  hundred  years  ago.  One,  an  ivory  carving  of  front  teeth 
attached  to  the  natural  roots  of  wooden  pegs.  Another,  a  single 
lateral  upper  incisor — a  human  tooth — set  in  ivory,  with  a  large 
hole  made  through  it  laterally,  into  which  cotton  is  packed. 
When  the  cotton  is  moistened  it  swells  and  presses  against  the 
adjoining  teeth,  and  by  this  means  is  kept  in  place.  A  very  in- 
genious device. 

When  we  examine  these  artificial  plates,  we  are  at  a  loss  to 
know  how  some  of  them  could  ever  have  been  retained  in  the 
mouth;  but  they  show  unmistakable  evidence  of  having  been 
worn  for  years.  There  are  no  suction  or  air  chambers  to  be  seen, 
yet  some  of  the  mouths  must  have  had  no  arch  at  all. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  145 

One  thing  noticeable  is  the  closeness  of  the  joints  where  the 
teeth  are  joined  to  the  plate.  This  is  done  by  carving  a  socket 
into  the  plate,  into  which  the  tooth  fits  perfectly.  A  hole  is  made 
laterally  through  these  sockets,  running  from  one  side  of  the 
plate  (as  far  as  the  teeth  extend)  to  the  other.  Then  a  string  is 
drawn  through  these  sockets  and  through  corresponding  holes 
made  through  the  teeth  laterally,  thus  securing  them  in  position. 
No  trace  of  this  string  can  be  seen  when  the  piece  is  finished,  and! 
the  string  seems  to  last  as  long  as  the  rest  of  the  piece. 

BLACK    TEETH. 

You  will  see  many  black  teeth  among  the  collection.  These 
are  for  married  women,  and  have  been  made  by  the  S.  S.  White 
Company  for  many  years  for  the  Japanese  market. 

There  is  a  legend  to  the  effect  that  a  beautiful  princess,  whose 
husband  lost  his  life  in  battle,  was  so  grieved  at  her  loss  that,  in 
order  tO'  repel  the  advances  of  the  many  suitors  for  her  hand,  she 
stained  her  teeth  black,  in  order  to  mar  her  beauty.  She  being 
of  high  rank  was  a  model  for  the  rest  of  the  high-born  ladies  in 
the  kingdom,  so  far  as  appearance  went.  The  custom  was  adopted 
by  the  high  caste  ladies  in  sympathy  with  the  princess,  and  came 
into  general  use,  until  the  original  cause  was  lost  sight  of,  and  it 
came  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  mark  of  beauty  and  aristocratic 
style.  These  black  teeth  were  worn  by  married  ladies  only.  The 
custom  is  now  almost  obsolete. 

EXTRACTING. 

In  the  collection  is  a  hammer  or  mallet  used  in  extracting 
teeth;  it  is  a  piece  of  lead  wrapped  in  cloth,  and  held  in  the  palm 
of  the  hand,  and  is  used  for  striking  the  end  of  the  steel  punches. 
These  punches  are  concave  on  their  smaller  ends,  forming  an 
edge,  which  is  placed  at  an  angle  against  the  neck  of  the  tooth 
to  be  extracted,  and  a  blow  from  the  mallet  forces  it  upward  out 
of  its  socket. 

There  are  also  other  extracting  instruments.  A  piece  of 
narrow  iron  bent  upon  itself  like  the  letter  u,  formed  over  a  piece 
of  wood,  and  wrapped  with  twine.  The  iron  loop  is  placed  over 
the  tooth,  and  a  twisting  motion  of  the  hand  removes  the  tooth. 
You  will  notice  that  the  instruments  are  very  short  and  could 
easily  be  concealed  in  the  hand  of  the  operator. 


146  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

You  have  heard  the  fairy  tale  about  the  Japanese  dentist 
extracting  teeth  with  the  thumb  and  finger,  unaided  by  any  in- 
strument. Some  tourist,  who  spent  six  weeks  in  Japan,  went 
home  to  write  up  a  history  of  that  country,  has  seen  a  tooth 
extracted  in  that  manner  and  with  this  instrument,  but  the  Jap 
was  too  smart  to  let  him  see  the  instrument. 

In  woodworking  tools  you  will  see  that  the  saws  are  all 
draw  cut  and  very  thin.  The  Japanese  woodworkers  work  toward 
them  in  sawing  and  planing.  This  enables  them  to  use  much 
thinner  saw  blades  than  we  do,  without  danger  of  bending  or 
buckling  them. 

In  the  collection  you  will  notice  a  lady's  outfit  for  staining 
her  teeth  and  stenciling  her  eyebrows  and  face.  The  various 
paper  packages  are  filled  with  black  powder,  intO'  which  is  dipped 
the  brushes  made  of  wood,  after  being  moistened  with  warm 
water  and  acid.  The  teeth  are  rubbed  in  this  way  until  the  de- 
sired color  and  polish  is  obtained.  This  operation,  like  hair  dress- 
ing, must  be  repeated  as  often  as  appearance  would  necessitate. 

I  will  not  tire  you  with  any  further  description  of  the  speci- 
mens on  exhibition,  but  would  say  that  with  the  aid  of  the  cata- 
logue accompanying  the  exhibit  you  will  be  well  repaid  for  your 
time  by  making  a  careful  study  of  the  collection. 

Ohio  Dental  Journal. 


MUMMIFICATION  OF  PULPS.* 
By  R.  C.  Gebhardt,  D.D.S.,  Black  River  Falls,  Wis. 

My  attempts  in  the  line  of  mummification  ol  pulps  have,  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  been  failures.  I  do  not  know  whether  it 
was  the  fault  of  the  method  pursued,  or  whether  it  was  a  natural 
sequence.  In  the  Cosmos  of  1895,  Dr.  Soderberg  gives  his  method 
of  procedure,  and  it  was  this  that  I  pursued.  In  substance  it  is 
as  follows :  The  pulp  is  devitalized,  using  equal  parts  of  arsenic, 
cocain,  alum  and  glycerol,  q.  s.  to  make  paste.  When  devitalized 
the  main  pulp  chamber  is  opened  up  and  its  dead  contents  are 
drilled  out,  leaving  that  part  of  pulp  in  root-canals  untouched. 
Then  fill  pulp  chamber  with  the  paste,  pricking  the  paste  into 
remains  of  pulp  in  the  canals,  although  this  last  is  not  necessary. 

*Read  before  the  Wisconsin  State  Dental  Society,  at  Madison,  July 
I 8th  to  20th,  1899. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  147 

Then  seal  with  cement,  and  over  this  insert  the  permanent  filhng. 
The  mummifying  paste  is  composed  of  the  following: 

Dried  alum  i  ounce. 

Thymol i  ounce. 

Glycerol  i  ounce. 

Zinc  oxid  q.  s.  to  make  stifif  paste. 

In  December  of  1895  I  commenced  to  experiment  with  this 
method,  thinking  what  a  boon  to  suffering  humanity  it  would  be, 
and  also  what  a  load  would  be  lifted  from  the  shoulders  of  the 
dental  profession  in  the  time  saved  and  the  relief  from  nervous 
strain  incident  to  the  removal  of  obscure  pulps.  I  doubt  if  I  ever 
treated  and  filled  the  roots  of  a  tooth  by  the  old  method  but  what 
I  dismissed  the  patient,  for  the  time  being,  with  fear  that  I  should 
see  him  return  with  a  swollen  face  or  perhaps  worse.  Of  the 
thirty-five  or  more  cases  treated  with  the  mummification  process 
during  three  years,  a  few  returned  tO'  me  inside  of  six  months. 

One  peculiarity  noticed  in  those  that  returned  was  the  seem- 
ing disintegration  of  the  cement,  a  bulging  out  as  it  were,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  there  was  expansion  to  such  an  extent  as  to  throw 
out  the  filling  or  fracture  the  walls  of  the  cavity.  In  opening  up 
several  of  these  after  being  treated  by  the  mummification  process, 
I  found  the  pulps  white,  very  tough,  and  they  appeared  desiccated 
<and  shriveled,  and  bathed  in  moisture.  In  several  others,  ex- 
tracted 00  account  of  soreness,  I  found  pulp  in  two  of  the  canals 
perfectly  dry,  very  tough  and  of  whitish  color;  in  the  third  canal, 
which  no  doubt  caused  the  trouble,  found  remains  of  pulp  sur- 
rounded with  moisture  but  tough  and  white.  One  case,  which  I 
frequently  see,  has  often  slight  soreness. 

When  examining  these  cases,  I  concluded  that  to  mummify 
a  pulp  thoroughly,  so  as  t©'  give  nO'  trouble  afterwards,  we  must 
have  some  remedy  that  will  not  shrink  the  pulp  or  shrivel  it  to 
such  an  extent  that  there  will  be  a  space  between  it  and  the  walls 
of  the  canal.  Otherwise,  secretions  of  some  kind  will  find  their 
way  intO'  the  canals,  and  sooner  or  later  give  trouble. 

Another  reason  why  I  feared  to  continue  the  mummification 
was  that  after  applying  the  paste  the  pulp  remnants  were  shriv- 
eled or  drawn  from  the  apex  of  the  root,  thereby  leaving  an  open- 
ing at  apex,  through  which  moisture  found  an  entrance.  If  the 
apex  could  be  tightly  sealed  or  encysted  at  the  very  beginning, 
before  the  drawing  away  of  pulp,  we  might  avoid  this. 


148  DENTAL  BlfllJF. 

Thymol,  which  is  reUed  upon  as  the  principal  antiseptic,  is 
slow  in  action,  and  whether  a  pulp  would  remain  sterile  indefi- 
nitely under  its  antiseptic  action  is  doubtful. 

Dr.  Soderberg  mentions  alum  as  one  of  the  properties  of  an 
ideal  mummification  agent,  an  ingredient  that  will  quickly  cause 
mummification  by  drying  or  shriveling  of  the  pulp  tissues.  In 
that  alone  we  can  look  for  future  trouble.  The  pulp  being  shriv- 
eled will  naturally  draw  away  from  the  walls  of  the  root-canals, 
and  secretions  will  eventually  fill  this  space,  and  it  is  doubtful  if 
thymol  will  indefinitely  keep  this  moisture  in  an  antiseptic  condi- 
tion. Furthermore,  the  majority  of  cements  are  not  impervious 
to  moisture,  and  in  several  of  the  cases  opened  up  the  cement 
looked  as  though  it  were  disintegrated,  perhaps  by  action  of  the 
mummification  paste.  Although  I  have  about  twenty  cases  in 
which  the  mummification  has  been  a  success,  if  after  three  years 
one  can  call  the  treatment  a  success,  I  feel  that  with  50  per  cent. 
of  the  cases  a  failure,  it  does  not  warrant  a  continuance  of  this 
method  of  treating  teeth. 

DISCUSSION. 

Dr.  J.  H.  Woolley,  Chicago:  I  have  never  mummified 
pulps,  because  I  think  the  treatment  unscientific.  In  root  filling 
the  canal  should  be  thoroughly  aseptic,  absolutely  dry,  and  the 
filling  should  fill  the  canal  throughout  the  entire  length,  and 
should  not  disintegrate.  Mummification  meets  none  of  these  re- 
quirements. I  had  one  case  where  the  pulp  had  been  mummified, 
and  it  was  necessary  to^  treat  the  tooth  for  nine  months  before  it 
was  serviceable.  In  speaking  of  pulps  and  fillings  I  wish  to 
emphasize  the  necessity  for  proper  occlusion  of  filled  teeth.  Many 
scientific  operations  fail  through  poor  articulation,  and  I  have 
found  cases  where  the  pulps  died  from  malocclusion. 

Dr.  W.  H.  Cudworth,  Milwaukee:  I  took  up  this  practice 
about  the  same  time  Dr.  Gebhardt  did,  soon  after  reading  the 
article  in  the  Cosmos.  From  about  150  mummified  pulps  I  had 
more  trouble  than  with  all  the  pulps  otherwise  treated  in  eighteen 
years'  practice.  It  is  impossible  to  successfully  treat  such  teeth 
when  ulceration  occurs. 

Dr.  F.  L.  Barney,  Viroqua:  My  experience  has  been  that  if 
much  of  the  pulp  is  left  in  position  the  tooth  must  be  treated 
afterward,  but  when  the  most  of  it  is  removed  the  balance  can 
be  successfully  mummified.  Dental  Digest. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  149 

SYPHILIS  FROM  DENTAL  INSTRUMENTS.* 
By  William  L.  Baiim,  M.D. 

My  interest  was  particularly  attracted  by  experience  with 
the  following  cases: 

Case  I. — On  October  9th,  1896,  there  appeared  at  my  office 
a  young-  man,  twenty-eight  years  of  age,  who^  came  to  consult  me 
about  a  peculiar  skin  eruption  which  had  caused  him  much  an- 
noyance, not  because  of  any  irritation  at  the  site  of  the  lesions, 
but  rather  because  of  the  consequent  disfiguration. 

He  gave  the  following  history:     He  was  an  American;  had 
been  practicing  dentistry  for  four  years;  was  married  and  the 
father  of  two  children;  had  never  suffered  from  any  serious  dis- 
ease, and  had  never  had  a  skin  eruption  before;  there  was  no 
history  of  gonorrhoea  or  chancre.    The  present  eruption  occurred 
about  two  weeks  previously  in  the  form  of  small  red  blotches, 
erythematous  in  appearance.     It  was  accompanied  with  violent 
headache  and  a  feeling  of  general  debility.     Since  then  small 
papules  appeared  on  the  chest,  back,  face  and  extremities,  and 
also  on  the  scalp.     There  was  general  indolent  adenitis  present. 
The  patient  could  not  remember  any  particular  lesion  preceding 
these,  except  a  very  stubborn  small  sore  upon  the  index  finger 
of  the  right  hand,  near  the  matrix  of  the  nail.    This  he  explained 
by  saying  that  he  had  accidentally  scratched  himself  in  this  place 
with  a  dental  instrument  while  filling  some  teeth  for  one  of  his 
patients.     The  epitrochlear  and  axillary  glands  upon  the  right 
side  were  much  enlarged  and  somewhat  tender  to  the  touch. 
There  was  no  doubt  that  this  dentist  had  syphilis,  and  that  his 
infection  was  either  from  a  scratch  with  one  of  his  instruments 
previously  used  upon  a  patient  with  syphilis  or  infection  of  the 
wound  from  the  patient  upon  whose  teeth  he  was  working  at  the 
time.     The  latter  theory  he  scouted,  saying  that  she  was  a  very 
estimable  woman,  a  social  leader,  and  one  in  whom  it  would  be 
almost  a  crime  to  suspect  the  presence  of  disease.     This  last  re- 
mark only  toO'  frequently  presents  the  view  of  many  members  of 
our  profession,  as  well  as  dentists,  forgetting,  as  they  do,  that 
syphilis  is  a  widespread  disease,  and  that  it  is  not  necessarily  a 
reproach  to  its  unfortunate  victim,  but  often,  perhaps  more  often 
than  believed,  innocently  acquired. 

*Pres€nted  to  the  Section  on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fiftieth  Annual 
Meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  held  at  Columbus.  Ohio. 
June  6th  to  9th,  1899. 


I50  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Case  2. — A  man,  twenty-nine  years  of  age,  a  bookkeeper  by 
occupation,  appeared  at  my  office  in  December,  1894,  with  an 
erythematous  eruption  of  the  skin  and  complaining  of  some  sore- 
ness of  the  tongue  and  throat.  He  gave  the  following  history: 
During  the  last  week  of  September  and  the  first  week  of  October 
he  had  occasion  to  have  considerable  dental  work  done,  in  the 
course  of  which  his  tongue  was  slightly  injured  by  a  dental  in- 
strument. The  wound  apparently  healed  in  a  few  days,  but  ten 
days  later  a  small  nodule  was  perceptible  on  the  site  of  the  wound. 
This  became  somewhat  painful  and  increased  in  size.  At  the 
same  time  the  glands  of  the  neck  became  enlarged  and  painful; 
the  nodule  broke  down  in  the  center.  This  excavated  erosion 
was  surrounded  by  a  hard,  infiltrated  zone.  There  was  general 
enlargement  of  the  lymph  glands.  A  diagnosis  of  syphilis  was 
made,  and  the  patient  made  a  rather  uneventful  recovery. 

Case  J. — A  man,  aged  twenty-two  years,  came  to  the  clinic 
of  the  Post-Graduate  School  in  January,  1895,  with  a  large  papil- 
lary syphilide.  The  glands  in  the  neck  were  very  much  enlarged, 
and  there  was  a  sore  upon  the  lower  lip,  at  the  internal  border  of 
the  mucous  membrane  at  the  right  side.  He  had  not  been  ex- 
posed to  any  infection  that  he  knew  of.  He  had  been  under  the 
care  of  the  dentist  for  some  weeks,  and  remembered  sustaining  a 
slight  injury  during  the  course  of  the  dental  work. 

Case  4. — ^A  woman,  thirty-five  years,  married,  the  mother  of 
five  children,  in  October,  1895,  consulted  me  on  account  of  falling 
out  of  the  hair  and  a  slight  eruption,  typical  symptoms  of  syphilis 
being  present.  She  gave  a  history  of  a  sore  appearing  upon  the 
tongue,  and  of  having  received  an  injury  during  the  time  she  was 
under  the  care  of  her  dentist.     Her  husband  was  healthy. 

Case  5. — A  girl,  aged  fifteen,  had  frequent  attacks  of  tonsilitis 
with  subsequent  hypertrophy  of  the  tonsils.  They  were  removed 
by  a  laryngologist.  The  base  of  the  right  tonsil  remained  sore 
for  some  time.  It  became  quite  painful  and  hard.  Two  weeks 
later  all  the  glands,  submaxillary,  sublingual  and  cervical,  be- 
came much  enlarged  and  slightly  tender.  Eight  weeks  after  the 
removal  of  the  tonsils,  the  patient  noticed  the  first  eruption.  Con- 
sultation with  the  laryngologist  revealed  the  fact  that  he  had  not 
been  in  the  habit  of  boiling  his  instruments,  and  had,  according 
to  his  case-book,  removed  a  tonsil  a  few  days  before  the  above- 
mentioned  operation  with  the  same  tonsillotome. 

Case  6. — A  man,  aged  forty-seven,  an  express  driver,  in  Sep- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  151 

tember,  1897,  first  noticed  a  small,  hard  lump  on  the  edge  of  the 
upper  lip  on  the  left  side,  near  the  margin  of  the  mucous  mem- 
brane, which  became  hard  and  was  accompanied  by  considerable 
swelling.  The  patient  remembered  that  a  few  weeks  before  he 
had  received  an  injury  at  this  point  while  under  the  care  of  a 
dentist.  The  glands  generally  were  enlarged,  maculo  syphili 
present. 

It  must  be  remembered  that  in  all  these  cases  there  is  a  pos- 
sibility that  the  infection  might  have  occurred  from  the  transmis- 
sion of  syphilitic  virus  by  means  of  drinking  utensils,  pipes,  etc., 
soon  after  the  injuries  were  received,  although  this  is  scarcely 
probable. 

Fournier,  in  his  work,*  collected  1,124  cases  of  extra-genital 
chancre;  of  these,  847  appeared  in  the  region  of  the  head,  most 
of  them  being  localized  about  the  lips,  tongue,  tonsils,  etc.  The 
syphilitic  manifestations  in  the  mouth  may  be  divided  into  three 
kinds,  (i)  the  initial  effect  or  chancre;  (2)  the  secondary  lesion, 
such  as  erythema,  mucous  patches,  etc.;  (3)  the  tertiary  symp- 
toms, such  as  gumma. 

Chancre  of  the  Lips. — In  this  region  it  may  begin  as  a  fissure, 
or  as  a  small,  hard  papule.  In  a  few  days  this  lesion  becomes 
markedly  indurated,  and  in  about  two  weeks  the  sublingual  and 
maxillary  glands  become  enlarged,  those  nearest  the  chancre  be- 
coming most  enlarged. 

Chancre  of  the  Tongue. — This  is  not  so  frequent;  it  usually 
is  found  on  the  dorsal  surface,  the  sides,  or  the  tip.  It  generally 
consists  of  a  hard,  round  or  oval  lesion,  the  surface  later  under- 
going erosion,  being  surrounded  by  a  hard  or  indurated  zone. 
The  glandular  enlargement  occurs  the  same  as  in  the  labial 
chancre. 

Chancre  of  the  Tonsils  and  Fauces. — This  is  not  so  common, 
and  is  usally  recognized  late.  It  is  characterized  by  considerable 
swelling.  The  surface  is  covered  by  a  tenacious  yellowish-white 
secretion,  is  extremely  painful,  and  its  period  of  exulceration  is 
marked  by  a  decided  destructive  tendency,  since  it  is  usually  ac- 
companied by  streptococcus  and  staphylococcus  infection. 

The  secondary  lesions  have  the  following  course: 

Erythematous  Syphilide. — This  occurs  on  the  mucous  mem- 
brane, often  coincident  with  the  eruptive  fever.     The  mucous 


*Extrag;enital  chancres,  Paris,  1897. 


152  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

membrane  covering  the  soft  palate,  uvulae  and  tonsils — this  term- 
inates at  the  line  separating-  the  soft  from  the  hard  palate — is 
livid  in  color. 

Papular  Syphilidc. — This  syphilide  of  the  mucous  membrane 
usually  accompanies  the  secondary  papular  manifestations  of  the 
skin,  although  it  may  be  present  at  any  later  time.  It  appears  as 
an  erosion,  sometimes  as  an  ulceration,  at  others  as  a  scaly  patch. 
Those  papules  that  are  situated  on  the  anterior  surface  of  the 
velum  and  anterior  arch  of  the  palate  are  the  best  developed. 
They  undergo  degeneration  very  quickly,  causing  circular  turgid 
spots,  or,  where  the  degeneration  penetrates  deeper,  a  diphtheritic 
pseudomembrane  will  be  found  on  the  mucous  membrane  (Zeiss). 
Sometimes  conical  vegetations  form  upon  the  papules  that  are 
situated  on  the  uvulae  or  tonsils.  The  mucous  membrane  papules 
are  most  frequently  found  on  the  tongue.  Macular  syphilides 
also  frequently  occur  on  the  tongue. 

Gumma. — This  may  attack  the  tonsils,  soft  palate  and  uvulae, 
causing  much  sweUing,  but  little  pain.  Gumma  of  the  soft  palate 
may  escape  recognition  and  end  in  perforation.  Syphilitic  gumma 
of  the  tongue,  which  develops  without  causing  pain,  may  be  either 
in  the  mucous  membrane  or  in  the  muscular  structures.  If  it  re- 
mains untreated,  it  will  undergo  disintegration,  leaving  an  ex- 
cavated ulcer  behind. 

The  syphilitic  contagion  adheres  to  all  textural  elements,  and 
textural  detritus  produced  by  suppuration  or  bionecrosis  in  con- 
sequence of  syphilis.  It  is  most  abundant  in  disorganized  syphil- 
itic papules  and  the  sloughing  initial  chancre.  It  may  easily  be 
carried  by  instruments,  drinking  utensils,  knives,  forks,  cigar- 
holders,  pipes,  and  by  the  hands,  but  there  must  always  be  some 
abrasion  presenc  or  it  cannot  be  inoculated. 

Every  patient  in  whom  the  diagnosis  of  syphilis  is  made 
should,  before  the  inauguration  of  antisyphilitic  treatment  by 
mercurials,  be  sent  to^  his  dentist,  in  order  that  any  caries  of  the 
teeth  be  remedied,  and  gingivitis  treated.  These  precautions  are 
necessary,  and  when  properly  carried  out,  the  dangers  of  hydrar- 
gyric  stomatis  thus  are  greatly  lessened. 

It  is  necessary  that  the  dentist  and  oral  surgeon,  to  avoid 
being  the  carrier  of  the  contagion,  and  for  his  own  protection, 
should  possess  a  knowledge  of  the  characteristic  appearance  of 
the  different  syphilitic  lesions  met  with  on  the  mucous  surfaces 
of  the  mouth  and  fauces,  and  personally  supervise  the  disinfec- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  153 

tion  of  his  instruments  by  repeated  boiling  and  immersion  in 
formalin  or  creolin  solutions. 

It  might  even  be  well  to  keep  some  instruments  for  use  upon 
syphilitic  cases  only. 

This  paper  has  not  been  written  in  a  spirit  of  criticism  of  the 
dental  profession.  The  small  number  of  cases  reported  in  a  prac- 
tice covering  several  thousand  syphilitics,  is  rather  a  tribute  to 
the  care  and  asepsis  ordinarily  practiced  by  the  great  mass  of  the 
profession.  Jour.  Amer.  Med.  Ass'n. 


ON  EARLY  DECAY  OF  THE  TEETH. 
By  I.  Kingston  Bartm,  M.R.C.P.,  Lond. 

Seeing  that  the  enamel  and  dentin  of  the  permanent  teeth 
are  formed  so  early  in  life,  it  is  evident  the  factors  concerned  in 
the  sound  development  of  these  parts  of  the  teeth  must  produce 
their  effects  during  the  infancy  of  the  individual. 

The  six-year-old  molars,  or  first  permanent  molars,  are  far 
on  their  way  of  formation  even  before  birth,  but  the  incisors  and 
canines  do  not  begin  to  consolidate  until  a  few  weeks  after  the 
child  has  been  born.  At  three  years  of  age,  most  of  the  perma- 
nent teeth  are  well  advanced.  In  the  jaw  of  a  six-year-old  child 
all  the  permanent  teeth,  excepting  the  wisdom  (third  molars) 
are  fully  formed,  saving  the  fangs.  Hence,  whether  the  child's 
constitution,  or  its  infantile  diseases,  or  the  nature  of  its  food  be 
the  cause  of  good  or  bad  teeth,  in  any  case  the  effect  is  produced 
long  before  the  seventh  year. 

This  subject  comes  well  within  the  scope  of  the  department 
of  State  medicine,  prevention  being  the  guiding  principle  of  this 
section. 

It  has  been  urged  that  school  boards  should  take  the  matter 
up.  But  the  expense  of  treating  diseased  teeth  would  be  very 
great,  and  seems  entirely  for  the  well-to-do.  The  State  can  alone 
touch  the  subject  by  attending  to  the  question  of  prevention.  It 
would  be  far  better  and  cheaper  for  the  State  to  provide  good 
cow's  milk  for  all  infants  who  could  not  get  breast-feeding,  than 
tO'  deal  with  bad  teeth  in  children  and  young  adults. 

If  bad  teeth  could  be  prevented,  the  gain  to  the  State  and 
individual  would  be  of  enormous  value,  as  it  is  wonderful  how 
many  diseases  can  be  traced  indirectly  to  bad  tooth.     Tho  one 


154  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

condition  that  is  chiefly  responsible  for  bad  teeth  is  rickets.  The 
rich,  who  are  hand-fed,  all  have  rickets  in  a  mild  degree,  and  the 
poor  almost  all  have  it  more  or  less  severely.  In  the  well-to-do 
the  one  common  symptom  of  mild  rickets  is  delay  in  the  appear- 
ance of  the  milk  teeth,  and  very  few  children  cut  their  milk  teeth 
at  the  proper  time.  Among  the  poor  delayed  teething  and  con- 
vulsions, bronchitis,  diarrhoea,  bow-legs,  and  other  well-known 
manifestations  show  how  numerous  and  prevalent  are  its  symp- 
toms. 

Rickets  is  not  a  disease,  but  rather  a  diet  disorder,  almost 
entirely  due  to  improper  feeding;  and  the  early  use  of  starch, 
especially  if  insufficiently  cooked,  is  nearly  always  the  prime 
cause. 

In  India,  and  other  warm  climates  where  children  live  so 
much  in  the  air,  it  is  said  they  suffer  but  little  from  rickets.  On 
the  other  hand,  it  is  among  these  people  that  children  are  kept  at 
the  breast  nearly  two  years,  it  being  well  recognized  by  the 
natives  the  deadly  danger  of  infantile  diarrhoea  in  a  hot  climate, 
and  its  associations  with  the  use  of  animal  milk.  Soi  it  is  the 
breast  rather  than  the  sun  which  prevents  rickets. 

For  twenty  years  I  have  been  observing  the  history  of  milk 
and  permanent  teeth  in  infants  and  children  developing  under 
one's  care;  also,  inquiring  carefully  into  the  early  feeding  and 
health  of  growing  children,  young  adults  and  old  people.  Three 
facts  come  out  very  strongly  as  a  result  of  these  inquiries: 

1.  Breast-fed  children  always  have  the  best  milk  and  per- 
manent teeth. 

2.  Those  fed  from  the  beginning  with  cow's  milk,  ass'  or 
goat's  milk  come  off  second  best. 

3.  Directly  starch  or  any  patent  food  comes  to  be  added  to, 
or  given  in  place  of,  cow's  milk,  then  almost  for  certain  will  the 
milk  and  permanent  teeth  turn  out  badly. 

When  a  person  between  twenty  and  thirty  years  has  excel- 
lent teeth,  it  will  nearly  always  be  found  he  or  she  had  a  good 
period  of  t,..ckling,  followed  by  very  simple  feeding  in  the  first 
few  years  of  life. 

If  the  first  permanent  molars  are  the  only  bad  teeth,  it  is 
possible  that  the  mother's  health  at  the  end  of  pregnancy  was  at 
fault,  but  errors  in  diet  or  disease  in  the  very  first  months  after 
birth  will  usually  be  found  to  have  been  the  cause  of  such  teeth 
being  bad. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  155. 

If  the  second  or  third  molars  are  chiefly  effected,  then  errors 
of  health  and  diet  between  five  and  twelve  years  will  have  been 
noted.  In  every  case  where,  after  fifteen  years,  the  teeth  are  bad, 
then  it  is  invariably  found  the  child  had  neither  breast  nor  simple 
cow's  milk,  but  one  or  the  other  of  the  patent  foods  came  on  the 
scene.  Of  these  artificial  foods,  some  are  less  injurious  in  their 
effects  than  others,  but  none  are  good.  In  the  earlier  years  of 
condensed  milk  I  have  notes  which  show  that  in  a  few  cases  it 
did  not  produce  such  bad  teeth  as  one  would  have  expected,  but 
this  does  not  hold  good  with  most  of  the  modern  preparations. 
In  the  Westminster  Hospital  reports  of  this  year  appears  an  ex- 
cellent article  by  Dr.  W.  A.  Wills,  on  the  composition  of  modern 
Swiss  milk  and  other  infant  foods;  also  certain  statements  in 
Parliament  of  late  exposed  the  poverty  of  modern  Swiss  milk 
as  a  food  substitute. 

Many  a  modern  child  owes  its  life  to>  one  or  other  of  the 
humanized  foods,  but  I  am  sorry  tO'  say  that  the  teeth  of  these 
children  do-  not  bear  testimony  to  its  being  a  perfect  food.  So 
there  is  some  flaw  in  its  composition  the  chemists  have  not  yet 
satisfactorily  overcome.  Good  as  breast-feeding  is,  yet  it  is  not 
everything.  For  after  weaning  at  nine  months,  until  about  three 
years  of  age,  comes  the  critical  time  when  rickets  is  so  rife. 
Hence,  if  after  weaning  judicious  feeding  is  adopted,  then  the  last 
pre-molars  suffer,  as  also^  the  bicuspids,  with  second  and  third 
molars  of  the  permanent  set;  early  breast-feeding  having  gener- 
ally insured  the  success  of  the  permanent  incisors  and  canines. 

In  Scotland,  teeth  are  destroyed  by  too  early  use  of  oatmeal, 
some  of  the  worst  cases  I  have  ever  seen  occurring  in  children 
who  were  given  oatmeal  from  birth.  In  Ireland  teeth  are  spoiled 
by  too-  early  use  of  potatoes,  and  in  England  by  the  early  use  of 
badly-cooked  flour  and  of  bread.  Until  some  teeth  are  cut  the 
child  should  have  nothing  but  breast  or  some  animal's  milk,  the 
cow's  for  preference.  By  waiting  for  the  appearance  of  teeth,  the 
pernicious  system  of  pap  foods  can  be  avoided. 

As  each  set  of  teeth  (incisors,  pre-molars,  canines  and  sec- 
ond pre-molars)  appears,  then  further  additions  of  egg,  fish,  vege- 
tables and  selected  fruits  should  be  given,  until  the  milk  set  are 
complete,  when  meat  may  be  added. 

To  bear  out  the  above  statements,  100  consecutive  cases  of 
all  ages  have  been  taken  from  the  note-books.  A  further  separate 
account  was  taken  of  100  cases  over  the  age  of  twelve.    In  these, 


156  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

75  per  cent,  of  good  teeth  had  some  form  of  breast-feeding;  of 
hand-fed  cases,  75  per  cent,  had  bad  teeth,  the  remamder  being 
good  or  fairly  good.  In  only  one  case  was  there  loss  of  enamel 
where  the  history  showed  good  breast-feeding,  followed  by  fresh 
country  cow's  milk,  and  no  known  severe  infantile  disease.  How- 
ever, in  this  case  the  teeth  lasted  very  well  in  spite  of  the  loss  of 
enamel,  showing  the  value  of  the  early  breast-feeding. 

Medical  Press  {The  Dental  Record). 


ANKYLOSIS  OF  TEMPORO-MAXILLARY  JOINT. 

Mr.  Jackson  Clarke  recently  showed  a  girl,  aged  eight  years, 
who  had  complete  fixation  of  the  lower  jaw  for  over  three  years, 
dating  from  soon  after  an  attack  of  scarlet  fever  with  diphtheria. 
She  was  first  taken  to  a  London  hospital,  where,  after  an  unsuc- 
cessful attempt  to  break  down  adhesions,  the  molar  teeth  on  the 
left  side  were  removed  in  order  to  allow  her  to  be  fed.  Her 
appetite  during  the  three  years  had  been  very  large,  but  she  re- 
mained very  thin.  At  the  Northwest  London  Hospital,  in  No- 
vember last,  Mr.  Clarke  cut  down  over  the  right  temporo-maxil- 
lary  joint  through  an  incision  planned  to  avoid  the  trunk  of  the 
facial  nerve,  the  parotid  duct,  the  superficial  temporal  artery  and 
other  structures  near  the  joint,  and  removed  the  neck  of  the  bone. 
The  result  of  the  operation  was  entirely  satisfactory.  After  a  few 
days  the  patient  could  masticate  food.  On  leaving  the  hospital, 
fourteen  days  after  the  operation,  she  had  gained  six  pounds  in 
weight,  although  satisfied  with  a  smaller  quantity  of  food.  At 
present  she  could  open  the  mouth  for  more  than  an  inch  and  clos? 
it  perfectly.  Mr.  Clarke  referred  to  another  case,  in  which  he 
had  performed  similar  operations  on  both  sides,  in  an  adult,  for 
bilateral  ankylosis,  and  in  which  an  equally  good  result  was  ob- 
tained. Now,  nine  months  after  the  operation,  the  patient  had 
improved  rather  than  otherwise,  having  by  exercise  obtained  a 
greater  power  of  moving  the  jaw.  Mr.  Barker  remarked  that  it 
used  to  be  taught  that  such  operations  were  useless,  because  the 
condition  was  sure  to  recur,  probably  because  the  wounds  did  not 
heal  aseptically.  He  added  that  some  interference  with  growth 
affecting  the  symmetry  of  the  face  was  to  be  apprehended  after 
these  operations.  British  Jour,  of  Dental  Science. 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  157 

THE  X-RAYS  AND  ARTIFICIAL  TEETH. 

By  Henry  Blandy,.  L.D.S. 

In  the  Record  of  December,   1899,  is  an  extract  from  the 
British  Medical  Journal,  recounting  the  death  of  a  woman  in  Paris 
from  swallowing  a  portion  of  her  artificial  teeth.     It  states  that 
the  X-rays  were  of  nO'  use  in  locating  the  position  of  the  plate,  on 
which  were  two  teeth.    The  editor  of  the  Record  appends  the  note: 
"If  the  plate  were  made  of  vulcanite  it  would  be  transparent  to 
the  X-rays,  and  hence  could  not  be  localized."    I  have  the  honor 
and  pleasure  of  doing  the  X-ray  experiments  at  the   General 
Hospital,  Nottingham,  and  to  test  this  statement  was,  of  course, 
extremely  easy.    I  feel  sure  the  editor  will  forgive  me  for  doubt- 
ing the  accuracy  of  his  note,  and  in  the  interest  of  science  publish 
these  little  experiments.    Upon  a  Landall's  Rontgen  lo-inch  by 
8-inch  plate  I  arranged  eleven  old  vulcanite  plates,  one  metal 
one,  one  bit  of  India  rubber  tube,  and  one  elastic  band,  which 
encloses  my  numbering  device  (made  of  card  and  leather)  for 
negatives — this  is  223.    The  red  and  pink  vulcanite  plates  show 
as  distinctly  as  the  metal  one.    The  black  vulcanite  less  so.   -But 
in  all  cases  the  teeth  are  perfectly  defined,  with  their  platinum 
pins.    The  tube,  and  even  the  elastic  ring  surrounding  the  leather 
case,  are  also  plainly  visible.    I  then  bandaged  one  of  the  plates 
on  the  throat  of  a  boy — taking  the  negative  right  through  the 
neck,  from  front  to  back.     The  plate  of  vulcanite  appears  there 
distinctly  also'.    The  thickness  of  neck  or  part  is  merely  a  ques- 
tion of  length  of  exposure  and  development.    I  write  this  at  once, 
in  order  that  the  X-rays  may  not  be  discredited  by  the  failure  of 
the  Parisian  operator,  or  by  the  foot-note  of  our  esteemed  editor; 
or,  perhaps,  the  next  person  who  happens  to  swallow  artificial 
teeth  might  be  given  over  to  cuts  in  the  dark  and  exploratory 
incisions,  from  which  X-rays  now  save  many  patients,  in  cases 
of  foreign  bodies.  The  Dental  Record. 


»»»»€:€€€: 


158  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

DEATH  UNDER  CHLOROFORM  FOR  TEETH  EX- 
TRACTION. 

Mrs.  Helena  Rosetta  Goodwin  died  in  a  dentist's  office 
in  Canada  under  the  influence  of  chloroform.  She  was  a  young 
woman,  only  24  years  of  age.  She  wanted  her  family  physician 
to  extract  her  teeth,  but  he  advised  her  to  go  to  a  dentist,  which 
she  did.  The  usual  preparations  were  made,  and  before  taking 
breakfast  she  went  to  undergo  the  operation.  Her  doctor  knew 
her  constitution  well,  and  had  no  hesitation  about  administering 
the  anaesthetic,  as  she  had  no  organic  disease  of  the  heart,  and 
was  in  apparently  good  health.  All  the  customary  precautions 
and  preparations  were  made,  and  the  result  of  the  operation 
seemed  entirely  satisfactory  till  six  or  seven  teeth  were  extracted. 
Then  the  dentist  noticed  a  death-like  appearance  come  over  her 
face.  He  at  once  administered  the  usual  restoratives,  which 
failed  to  meet  with  the  slightest  response  from  the  patient.  An- 
other medical  man  was  called,  but  the  combined  skill  could  not 
restore  her  to  consciousness.  The  doctor  had  administered  such 
aneesthetics  400  times.  Dr.  J.  C.  Mitchell,  coroner,  came  in  re- 
sponse to  a  call  from  the  local  physician,  and,  after  making  full 
inquiries,  considered  that  there  were  no  grounds  for  an  inquest, 
saying  that  he  was  perfectly  satisfied  that  everything  possible  was 
done  before  and  after  discovery  of  the  collapse,  and  no  complaint 
could  be  made  against  anybody  connected  with  the  unfortunate 
occurrence.  British  Journal  Dental  Science. 


THE  NON-REMOVAL  OF  SOFTENED  DENTINE  BE- 
FORE FILLING. 

By  Dr.  J.  Leon  Williams. 

Remove  the  softer  portions  of  dentine  and  place  a  pledget 
of  cotton  wool,  saturated  with  absolute  alcohol,  in  the  cavity. 
Leave  this  for  one  minute,  then  remove,  dry  the  cavity,  and  flood 
it  with  oil  of  cloves,  which  also  leave  for  one  minute.  Any  one 
accustomed  to  histological  work  will  see  the  rationale  of  this  treat- 
ment at  a  glance.  Oil  of  cloves,  which  is  known  to  the  histologist 
as  one  of  the  most  powerful  clearing  agents  known — L  e.,  it  has 
the  property  of  very  rapidly  penetrating  any  tissue,  even  bone 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  159 

and  dentine,  that  has  previously  been  treated  with  strong  alcohol. 
It  is  a  sufficiently  good  germicide  for  the  purpose,  and  it  seems 
also  to  have  mechanical  effect  of  value  in  slight  congestion  of 
the  pulp.  Used  as  above  described,  it  will  penetrate  a  consider- 
able thickness  of  dentine,  and  thus  search  out  and  destroy  or 
render  inert  any  forms  of  bacteria  that  may  have  penetrated 
beyond  the  point  where  you  have  cut.  Dry  out  the  excess  of  oil 
of  cloves,  and  varnish  the  bottom  of  the  cavity  with  Canada  bal- 
sam, dissolved  in  chloroform,  to  which  has  been  added  ten  per 
cent,  of  the  solution  of  hydronaphthol  in  chloroform  previously 
spoken  of.  For  this  use,  the  balsam  is  dissolved  in  chloroform, 
instead  of  turpentine,  because  here  we  wish  it  to  dry  rapidly, 
while  in  the  treatment  of  the  root-canal  we  do  not  wish  it  to  dry 
rapidly.  Partially  dry  the  layer  of  varnish  in  the  bottom  of  the 
cavity  with  hot  air,  and  then  apply  to  the  floor  of  the  cavity  a 
piece  of  thick  asbestos  paper  cut  the  proper  size  and  shape.  The 
partially  dried  varnish  will  hold  the  asbestos  paper  firmly  in  place. 
Now  line  the  cavity  with  quick-setting  cement,  and  fill  with  gold 
or  amalgam.  Such  treatment  will  leave  the  tooth  reasonably  free 
from  sensitiveness  to  the  thermal  change,  even  when  the  pulp  is 
nearly  exposed.  International. 


»»f^$€€€ 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 
PUBUSHED  Monthly. 


WILBUR   F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


Pulp  ^'Mummification." 

The  paper  by  Dr.  Gebhardt,  on  ''Mummification  of  Pulps," 
reproduced  from  the  Dental  Digest  in  this  issue  of  the  Brief,  is 
probably  but  the  forerunner  of  many  similar  records  of  the  failure 
of  a  method  of  dealing  with  devitalized  pulps,  much  exploited 
during  the  latter  half  of  the  last  decade. 

The  salient  feature  of  this  method  is  the  removal  of  the 
coronal  portion  of  the  newly  devitalized  pulp  only,  leaving  the 
contents  of  the  root  canals  to  be  acted  upon  by  various  antiseptic 
and,  presumptively,  preservative  agents  placed  in  the  pulp  cham- 
ber in  lieu  of  the  usual  filling  materials. 

To  render  the  preservative  properties  of  these  antiseptics 
more  lasting,  they  are  re-enforced  by  hardening  or  "tanning" 
agents,  such  as  alum,  tannic  acid  or  formaldehyde,  the  object 
sought  being  to  render  the  pulp  more  resistent  tO'  putrefaction  by 
reducing  it  to'  a  leather-like  consistency,  through  their  chemical 
action  on  its  albuminoid  and  gelatinoid  constituents — in  short, 
to  "mummify"  it. 

The  fact  that  one  essential  factor  in  true  mummification  is 
■dryness,  and  that,  strictly  speaking,  animal  tissue  cannot  be  said 
to  be  mummified  unless  it  is  desiccated,  might  be  passed  without 
■comment,  were  it  not  for  the  pathological  significance  of  moisture 
as  associated  with  devitalized  pulp  tissue  in  the  roots  of  teeth, 
ivhere,  at  a  temperature  approximating  body  heat,  it  furnishes 
one  of  the  indispensable  elements  of  a  culture  medium  for  septic 
organisms;  so  that,  granting  that  the  "tanned"  tissue  is  a  mum- 

j6o 


EDITORIAL,  i6i 

mified  pulp,  its  dentinal  encasement  is  far  from  being  a  typical 
mummy  case  in  a  mummifying  environment. 

Not  less  significant  is  the  fact  that  the  fluids  derived  from 
the  blood  serum,  with  which  the  walls  of  a  root  are  bathed,  not 
only  supply  moisture,  but  are  endowed  with  a  solvent  quality 
under  which  almost  any  substance  susceptible  of  gastric  or  in- 
testinal digestion  is,  if  left  for  a  sufficient  length  of  time  in  a 
root-canal,  softened  and  generally  dissolved  and  absorbed.  This 
is  evidenced  by  the  ultimate  disintegration  and  partial  or  com- 
plete disappearance  of  vaseline,  wax,  praffin,  salol  and  allied  sub- 
stances when  employed  as  root  fillings.  Hence  the  assumption 
that  a  pulp  once  mummified  will  remain  a  constant  and  change- 
less quantity  in  a  pulp-canal  is  both  theoretically  and  practically 
fallacious. 

There  is  always  a  lurking  danger  in  the  presence  in  a  pulp- 
canal  of  dead  animal  tissue,  however  fortified  against  decay.  Its 
harmfulness  or  inocuousness  are  dependent  upon  a  complex  of 
conditions  difficult  to  formulate.  The  most  obvious  fact,  how- 
ever, is  that  the  danger  from  a  dead  pulp  is  directly  as  its  bulk 
and  inversely  as  its  resistance  to  decay;  inversely,  also,  as  the  re- 
sistance of  the  root  investments  to  the  morbific  products  of  its 
putrefaction  when  decay  does  occur.  The  less  the  mass  of  putres- 
cent matter,  the  less  the  volume  of  poisonous  principles  evolved, 
and  the  less  the  probability  that  the  forces  of  tissue  defense  will 
succumb  toi  their  toxic  power. 

Fortifying  pulp  tissue  against  putrefactive  organisms  by  an 
arsenal  of  antiseptics  stored  up  in  the  pulp  chamber  as  a  base 
of  supply  to  be  indefinitely  drawn  upon,  might  be  well  enough 
could  there  be  any  assurance  that  the  arsenal  will  not  be  captured 
by  a  flank  attack  around  a  leaky  filling,  or  by  invasion  through 
a  highly  permeable  apical  foramen.  But  even  if  this  highly 
probable  contingency  does  not  arise,  there  is  every  likelihood 
that  the  antiseptics  thus  far  declared  desirable  and  of  approved 
value  in  pulp  munmiification  will  all,  sooner  or  later,  undergo 
absorption  through  the  dentinal  and  ceniental  walls  of  the  tooth. 


i6a  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

The  idea  that  the  apical  foramen  once  sealed  those  walls 
form  an  impervious  barrier  ag-ainst  the  osmotic  ebb  and  flow  of 
solvent  fluids,  is  not  tenable;  on  the  contrary,  the  dentinal  tubuli 
and  cemental  cells,  by  their  direct  connection  with  the  circulatory 
current  of  the  peridental  membrane,  are  kept  charged  with  fluids 
in  ceaseless  molecular  activity  and  responsive  to  all  the  influences, 
chemical  or  physiological,  by  which,  through  endosmotic  and 
exosmotic  processes,  an  equilibrium  between  them  and  the  fluids 
of  the  pulp  chamber  is  maintained. 

Under  such  conditions,  only  such  antiseptics  as  are  highly 
resistent  to  solution  can  for  prolonged  periods  preserve  their 
molecular  integrity  and  antiseptic  power.  Of  these,  the  most 
powerful  are  of  inorganic  origin  and  undesirable  for  purposes  of 
root  antisepsis,  either  because  of  their  irritant  quality  or  their 
discoloring  effect. 

The  only  effective  way  in  which  a  pulp-canal  can  be  main- 
tained in  an  approximately  aseptic  condition,  is  by  sealing  it,  not 
only  at  both  ends,  but  for  its  entire  length.  For  the  average  case 
probably  nothing  more  effectively  accomplishes  this  than  gutta- 
percha, which,  by  the  aid  of  heated  instruments,  can  be  forced 
into  quite  minute  prolongations  of  the  pulp-canal,  and  can  be 
packed  firmly  against  the  orifices  of  the  dentinal  tubuli.  Others 
of  the  plastics,  when  thoroughly  packed,  are  also  excellent  for 
the  purpose.  Tightly  fitting  metallic  points,  such  as  those  of 
Weld,  are  likewise  effective,  and  have  the  advantage  of  being 
aseptic,  a  quality  in  which,  owing  to  their  porosity,  the  plastics 
are  lacking.  With  such  agents  at  our  command,  and  such  aids 
in  gaining  access  to  and  removing  the  contents  of  pulp-canals  as 
are  furnished  by  dental  engines,  electric  motors  and  improved 
burs  and  drills,  there  would  seem  to  be  little,  if  any,  excuse  for 
abandoning,  on  the  score  of  a  saving  of  time  and  labor,  methods 
of  approved  efficacy  for  one  at  best  but  experimental,  and  the 
percentage  of  failures  from*  which,  already  formidable,  is  sure 
to  increase  with  the  progress  of  time. 


EDITORIAL.  163 

The  Ottolengui  Amendment  to  the  Patent  Law. 

Two  years  ago,  during  the  second  session  of  the  Fifty-fifth 
Congress,  a  bill  was  presented  embodying  the  following  amend- 
ment to  the  patent  law: 

"But  no  patent  shall  be  granted  upon  any  art  of  treating 
human  disease,  ailment,  or  disability,  or  upon  any  device  adapted 
to  be  used  in  the  treatment  of  human  disease,  ailment,  or  disa- 
bility, or  attached  to  the  human  body  and  used  as  a  substitute 
for  any  lost  part  thereof,  or  upon  any  art  of  making  such  device, 
unless  such  device  is  adapted  to  be  put  on  the  market,  and  sold 
substantially  complete  and  ready  for  use  or  attachment." 

Owing  to  the  almost  entire  absorption  of  the  time  and  atten- 
tion of  Congress  in  legislation  relating  to  the  war  with  Spain,  in 
which  this  country  was  then  engaged,  this  bill  failed  to  secure 
consideration,  although  at  one  time  the  prospects  for  a  favorable 
report  from  the  Committee  on  Patents  of  both  the  Senate  and 
House  of  Representatives  appeared  to  be  encouraging. 

Through  the  efforts  of  the  originator  of  the  bill,  Dr.  R. 
Ottolengui,  acting  as  a  committee  of  the  New  York  State  Dental 
Society,  it  has  again  been  presented  in  both  Houses;  in  the 
Senate  by  Senator  Piatt,  of  New  York,  on  December  6th,  1899, 
and  in  the  House  by  Congressman  McClellan,  on  January  22d, 
1900.  The  Senate  bill  is  numbered  269.  The  number  of  the 
House  bill  is  7,017.  The  active  personal  interest  in  the  question 
of  dental  patents  which  has  been  forced  upon  thousands  of  den- 
tists in  this  country  by  the  renewed  aggressions  of  the  Inter- 
national Tooth  Crown  Company  makes  the  time  most  opportune 
for  an  appeal  to  the  dental  profession  to  bring  to  bear  all  possible 
personal  and  societary  influence  in  favor  of  the  adoption  of  this 
proposed  amendment. 

A  careful  reading  of  the  bill  will  show  that  it  has  been  framed 
in  a  wise  and  conservative  spirit.  Had  the  amendment  been 
made  radical  in  its  provisions,  interdictive  of  all  patent  monopoly 
on  any  apparatus  or  appliance  used  in  any  branch  of  medicine  or 
surgery,  there  would  not  have  been  the  slightest  possibility  of 


i64  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

securing  even  a  favorable  report  from  the  Committees  on  Patents, 
much  less  a  majority  vote  in  either  House. 

The  securing  by  dentists  of  patent  monopolies  on  articles 
which  can  "be  put  on  the  market  and  sold  substantially  complete 
and  ready  for  use  or  attachment"  may  or  may  not  be  justifiable; 
there  is  much  to  be  said  on  both  sides  of  that  question;  in  any 
case  while  the  exactions  imposed  by  such  monopolies  may  be 
considerable  they,  even  at  their  worst,  are  not  intolerable. 

When,  however,  a  patent  right  monopoly  is  granted  upon  an 
art  of  treating  disease,  or  disability,  or  upon  a  device  which  the 
user  must  himiself  make  and  adapt  to  each  individual  case,  the 
exactions  imposed  by  the  monopoly  become  truly  intolerable,  be- 
cause they  must  of  necessity  be  made  inquisitorial  if  they  are  to 
be  made  profitable. 

The  holder  of  such  a  patent  has  nothing  to  sell  but  an 
abstraction — ^the  right  to  the  use  of  an  idea;  his  profit  must 
accrue  fromi  such  use,  and  for  proof  of  the  using  he  must  have 
access  to  the  user's  books  of  account,  or  to  the  patient  to  whose 
case  the  idea  was  applied.  Thus  is  involved  a  double  invasion  of 
privacy — the  privacy  of  business  transactions,  and  the  privacy  of 
professional  relations. 

The  history  of  the  patents  on  crown  and  bridge  devices  fully 
illustrates  the  character  of  the  evils  from  which  Dr.  Ottolengui's 
bill  seeks  for  the  future  to  save  the  dental  profession.  Even  under 
existing  laws  the  crown  and  bridge  patents  were  of  doubtful  legal- 
ity; but  the  gain  from  the  proposed  amendment  is  that  by  it  the 
issuance  of  all  such  patents  is  expressly  inerdicted. 

It  is  true  that  so  far  as  crown  and  bridge  patents  are  con- 
cerned the  future  is  secure,  the  time  for  which  they  were  granted 
having  expired;  but  in  this  age  of  revolutionary  discoveries  it  is 
not  safe  to  assume  that  in  days  to  come  similar  monopolies  may 
not  spring  up  to  vex  us  with  their  harassing  exactions.  Hence, 
the  need  for  anticipating  the  future  and  guarding  against  a 
danger  the  formidable  nature  of  which  we  have  already  learned 
from  bitter  experience. 


EDITORIAL.  165 

To  this  end  no  better  means  of  defense  presents  itself  than  Dr. 
Ottolengui's  bill,  and  to  ensure  its  adoption  the  dental  profession 
should  devote  all  its  energies  and  bring  to  bear  upon  the  Sena- 
tors and  Representatives  of  the  several  States  every  legitimate  in- 
fluence by  which  their  support  of  the  measure  may  be  secured. 

It  is  to  be  hoped  too  that  the  medical  profession  may  be  in- 
duced to  give  the  measure  its  active  support;  the  provisions  of  the 
amendment  are  in  fullest  harmony  with  the  principles  of  the 
ethical  code  to  which  every  honorable  physician  acknowledges 
allegiance,  but  the  binding  character  of  which  as  a  rule  of  con- 
duct is  being  seriously  weakened  through  the  growing  com- 
mercialism of  the  age. 

S^ecret  remedies  and  patented  formulae,  although  both  forbid- 
den by  the  code,  are  in  constant  and  increasing  use,  and  with 
disastrous  results  not  only  to-  professional  morals  and  profes- 
sional standing,  but  to  professional  emolument  as  well.  The 
convenient  proprietary  preparation  with  its  catchey  trade-mark 
name,  once  endorsed  by  the  physician  sends  many  a  patient  to 
the  drug  clerk  for  the  remedy  rather  than  to  the  doctor  for  advice 
when  an  ailment  returns. 

Antitoxins,  too,  have  been  patented,  as  well  as  many  of  the 
instruments  and  apparatus  sO'  largely  used  in  modern  medicine 
and  surgery.  That  some  discovery  in  the  art  of  treating  human 
disease  so  effective  in  the  saving  of  human  life  as  tO'  be  indispens- 
able may  be  made  a  patented  monopoly,  with  all  which  that  im- 
plies, is  not  so  remote  a  contingency  that  it  can  be  safely  ignored, 
and  heedfulness  of  the  lessons  of  the  past  as  well  as  prevision  of 
the  possibilities  of  the  future,  alike  enforce  upon  physicians  and 
dentists  the  wisdoni  of  giving  to  the  Ottolengui  bill  earnest  and 
active  support;  for  while  that  measure  is  not  a  panacea  for  all 
the  evils  of  professional  commercialism^  it  at  least  furnlslies  a  safe- 
guard against  so'me  of  its  more  pernicious  manifestations. 


l66  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Dental  Surgeons  for  the  Army. 

The  Otey  bill  providing  for  the  appointment  of  contract  dental 
surgeons  for  the  army,  to  which  attention  was  called  in  the  last 
issue  of  the  Brief,  has  not  yet  been  acted  upon  by  the  House 
Committee  on  Military  Affairs;  its  final  consideration  having  been 
necessarily  postponed  because  of  the  immediate  urgency  of  other 
matters  before  the  committee. 

The  bill  now  bears  the  following  endorsement  from  the  Sur- 
geon-General of  the  Army: 

"War  Department,  Surgeon  General's  Office, 

January  i6th,  1900. 
"Respectfully  returned  to  th^  Honorable,  the  Secretary  of  War,  rec- 
ommending approval  of  the  bill.  The  large  number  of  troops  in  the  Phil- 
ippines, and  elsewhere,  where  the  services  of  competent  dentists  cannot 
be  secured,  makes  it  desirable  that  the  government  should  make  a  reason- 
able provision  for  emergency  dental  work  required  by  officers  and  enlisted 
men  of  the  army. 

(Signed)        "George  M.  Sternberg,  Surgeon  General  U.  S.  Army." 

This  endorsement  is  a  most  important  gain,  and  the  passage 
€>f  the  bill  is  so  strongly  urged  by  large  numbers  of  the  medical 
staff  of  the  army,  that  there  seems  to  be  but  little  doubt  of  a  favor- 
able report  from  the  committee  and  of  the  ultimate  enactment 
of  the  bill  by  both  Houses  of  Congress.  The  friends  of  the 
measure  should,  however,  by  no  means  relax  their  efforts  until 
the  law  is  finally  adopted. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


PENNSYLVANIA  BOARD  OF  DENTAL  EXAMINERS. 
The  Board  of  Dental  Examiners  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania 
will  hold  examinations  simultaneously  in  Philadelphia  and  Pitts- 
burg, May  8th,  9th  and  loth,  and  in  Philadelphia,  June  19th,  20th 
and  2 1  St.  Application  for  examination  must  be  made  to  Hon. 
James  W.  Latta,  Secretary  of  the  Dental  Council,  Harrisburg, 
Pa.  G.  W.  Klump,  Secretary,  Williamsport,  Pa. 


OKLAHOMA  BOARD  OE  DENTAL  EXAMINERS. 
The  Oklahoma  Board  of  Dental  Examiners  will  hold  their 
seventh  annual  meeting  at  Oklahoma  City,  May  ist,  1900.     All 
applications  should  be  made  before  the  15th  of  April. 

E.  E.  Kirkpatrick,  Secretary. 


ANN0UNCEME17T8.  iSj 

KENTUCKY  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 

Attention  is  called  to  the  change  of  date  of  the  meeting  of 
the  Kentucky  State  Dental  Association.  On  account  of  change 
of  meeting  of  Confederate  Association  and  for  the  purpose  of  get- 
ting railroad  rates,  we  too  have  changed  our  date  to  May  29th, 
30th  and  31st.  We  have  some  thirty  papers  promised  for  the 
meeting  and  nearly  as  many  clinics,  and  we  will  still  add  others 
to  the  list.  We  have  men  on  the  program  from  about  twelve 
States.  Don't  fail  to  come  and  meet  with  us,  and  we  promise 
you  a  fine  time.  F.  /.  Garditer,  D.DS.,  Secretary. 


NEBRASKA  STATE  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

The   twenty-fifth   annual   meeting   of   the   Nebraska  State 
Dental  Society  will  be  held  in  Omaha,  May  15th  to  i8th,  1900. 

Leah  Mills,  Car.  Secy. 


VERMONT  STATE  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

The  twenty-fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  Vermont  State 
Dental  Society  will  be  held  at  St.  Johnsburg,  March  21st  to  23d, 
1900.    A  cordial  invitation  is  extended  to  all. 

Thomas  Mound,  Rec.  Sec'y. 


INTERNATIONAL  DENTAL  CONGRESS. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Transportation. 

The  Sub-Committee  on  Transportation  has  completed  ar- 
rangements with  the  well-known  tourist  firm  of  Thomas  Cook 
&  Sons,  251  Broadway,  New  York,  so  that  dentists  who  expect 
to  attend  the  Congress  tO'  be  held  in  Paris,  commencing  August 
8th,  1900,  may  secure  for  themselves  and  families  steamship  and 
railroad  tickets  and  hotel  accommodations  at  the  minimum  of 
expense  and  trouble. 

In  making  these  arrangements,  the  committee  has  taken  into 
consideration  that  while  some  of  the  delegates  may  wish  to  secure 
only  transportation  from  New  York  to  Paris  and  back  to  New 
York,  many  delegates  will  wish  to  visit  other  parts  of  Europe 


i68  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

during  the  summer,  and  they  have  planned  the  following  tours,  to 
assist  such  in  the  selection  of  a  trip  that  the  time  at  their  disposal 
and  their  means  will  suggest. 

TOUR   I. 

A.  From  New  York  by  Red  Star  Line  Steamer  ''Friesland," 
on  July  i8th,  for  Antwerp;  thence  rail  via  Brussels  to  Paris,  re- 
turning same  way  to  New  York.  First  class  passage,  providing 
berth  at  minimum  rate  for  two-berthed  room,  $157.85. 

If  traveling  second  class  from  Antwerp  to  Paris  and  return, 
fare  would  be  $4.65  less. 

By  traveling  on  steamers  ''Kensington"  or  "Southwark,"  of 
same  line,  fare  would  be  reduced. 

B.  Via  Cherbourg  (North  German  Lloyd  Service). 

From  New  York  by  North  German  Lloyd  steamers  "Bar- 
barossa"  and  "Friederich  der  Grosse,"  sailing  July  12th  and  19th, 
respectively,  for  Cherbourg;  thence  rail  to  Paris,  and  return  same 
way  (twin-screw  service  only).  First  class  passage,  providing 
berth  in  room  for  two  persons  (minimum  rate),  $177.00. 

C.  Via  Cherbourg  (Hamburg- American  Line  Service). 

From  New  York  by  Hamburg-American  Line  steamers 
"Pennsylvania"  and  "Pretoria,"  sailing  July  14th  and  21st,  respec- 
tively, toi  Cherbourg,  rail  to  Paris,  and  return  via  Boulogne-sur- 
Mer,  and  Hamburg-American  steamer  (twin-screw  service)  to 
New  York.  First  class  passage,  providing  minimum  fare  for 
berth  in  room  for  two  persons  only,  $184.25. 

Lower  fares  can  be  obtained  if  occupying  berth  in  room  with 
two  or  three  other  occupants. 

D.  Via  Boulogne-sur-Mer  (Holland- American  Line). 

From  New  York  by  twin-screw  steamers  "Potsdam,"  "Sta- 
tendam"  and  "Rotterdam,"  sailing  July  7th,  14th  and  28th, 
respectively,  to  Boulogne-sur-Mer;  thence  rail  to  Paris,  and  re- 
turn same  way  tO'  New  York.  First  class  passage,  providing 
minimum  fare  for  berth  in  room  for  two  passengers,  $163.00. 

If  traveling  second  class  from  Boulogne  to  Paris  and  return, 
fare  would  be  $3.80  less. 

Lower  fares  can  be  made  by  leaving  on  steamer  "Sparndam," 
July  19th. 

Tickets  can  also  be  arranged  via  Southampton  or  Liverpool, 
at  proportionate  fares. 


ANNO  VN  CEMENT  a.  1 69 

TOUR   II. 

To  provide  hotel  accommodation  in  Paris  for  two  weeks  (14 
days  and  13  nights)  at  Grand  Hotel  du  Trocadero,  carriage  drives 
for  three  days,  including  excursion  to^  St.  Cloud  and  Versailles, 
20  tickets  of  admission  to  Exposition  and  transfer  to  and  from 
railway  station  to  hotel,  $65.00. 

TOUR   III. 

One  week's  tour  to  Switzerland  from  Paris,  visiting  Lucerne, 
Interlaken,  Thun,  Berne,  Lausanne,  Lake  Leman,  Geneva;  in- 
cluding hotel  accommodation,  sight-seeing,  etc.,  second  class 
R.  R.,  $50.00. 

TOUR   IV. 

One  week's  tour  from  Paris  to  Mayence;  thence  steamer  on 
Rhine  to  Cologne;  rail  to  Amsterdam,  The  Hague,  Rotterdam, 
Antwerp,  Brussels,  Antwerp,  Harwich,  London,  including  sec- 
ond class  railway  travel,  first  class  on  steamers,  hotel  coupons 
(three  meals  per  day,  with  lodging),  $42.50. 

Those  traveling  via  Cherbourg  can  return  by  steamers  of 
same  line  from  Southampton,  and  so  make  a  short  tour  from 
the  Continent  through  England  in  connection. 

There  is  a  United  States  revenue  tax  of  $5.00  upon  each 
ticket,  regardless  of  the  number  of  passengers  in  whose  name  it 
may  be  made  out. 

Should  any  one  wish  tO'  make  a  longer  tour  than  any  of  the 
foregoing,  or  one  with  a  different  route,  Messrs.  Cook  &  Sons 
have  such  a  large  variety  of  tours  already  planned  that  there  need 
be  no  difficulty  in  making  a  selection  to  suit  the  taste,  means  or 
the  time  at  the  disposal  of  any  one. 

The  war  in  South  Africa  has  caused  the  withdrawal  of  many 
of  the  English  steamships.  Passenger  accommodations  across 
the  Atlantic  will  be  less  than  usual  this  summer,  while  the  Paris 
Exposition  is  attracting  great  numbers,  so  that  the  committee 
wish  to  impress  upon  delegates  the  great  importance  of  securing 
their  steamship  accommodations  at  once. 

Address  all  communications  regarding  steamships,  railroads, 
hotels,  etc.,  to  Messrs.  Thomas  Cook  &  Sons,  No.  251  Broadway, 
New  York. 

William  Jervie,  Chairman, 
A.  W.  Harlan, 
'  I  W.  E.  Griswold, 

'  ,  ,  ;  W.  W.  Walker, 

1  \    ,    ^  '       '  Transportation  Committee. 


17©  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


Editor  Dental  Brief: — Will  you  kindly  permit  me  to  call 
attention  to  the  remarkable  report  of  Doctors  Brown,  Sanger  and 
Meeker,  given  in  the  Items  of  Interest  of  October  last  (page  749). 

This  report  is  an  attack  upon  the  Special  Committee  on 
Dental  Prophylaxis,  appointed  by  the  New  Jersey  State  Dental 
Society  to  investigate  and  report  upon  dentifrices  and  other  pro- 
phylactic agents. 

Every  thoughtful  dentist,  reading  the  criticism  of  Dr.  Brown 
and  his  committee,  and  their  indictment  of  the  integrity  and 
capacity  of  Doctors  Watkins,  Luckey,  Wilson,  Waas  and  Hob- 
litzell,  must  be  impressed  at  once,  not  only  with  its  unethical  and 
unprofessional,  but  also  with  its  superficial  and  inconclusive  char- 
acter. 

Without  attempting  to  give,  as  the  case  demands,  proofs 
of  the  most  cogent  description,  Dr.  Brown  and  his  committee 
deliberately  rob  their  confreres  of  their  reputations  as  sincere  and 
intelligent  investigators  by  practically  charging  them  with  having 
conspired  with  the  manufacturers  of  Dentacura  to  place  in  their 
report  that  article  at  the  head  of  prophylactic  agents. 

Dr.  Brown  and  his  committee  have  utterly  failed  to  show 
satisfactory  proof  for  their  charge,  or  good  reason  tO'  believe  that 
the  Committee  on  Dental  Prophylaxis  did  not  conscientiously 
report  the  results  of  an  honest  and  unbiased  investigation  of 
dentifrices,  etc. 

The  simple  duty  and  only  course  for  an  honest  dental  in- 
vestigator is  to  relate  the  results  derived  from  experiments  or 
clinical  observations,  and  to^  give  the  facts  as  found,  without  fear 
or  favor. 

This  the  Committee  on  Dental  Prophylaxis  claim  to  have 
done.  On  the  other  hand.  Dr.  Brown  and  his  committee,  with- 
out presenting  an  iota  of  evidence,  either  direct  or  indirect,  de- 
clare the  report  on  dental  prophylaxis  to  be  ''worthless  stuff," 
"entirely  useless"  and  "unworthy  of  a  place  in  the  archives  of 
the  society." 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  copy  of  the  report  on  dental  pro- 
phylaxis, and  have  most  carefully  examined  it,  and  I  find  that  it 
furnishes  positive  and  extrinsic  evidence  of  a  careful  and  con- 
scientious attempt  tO'  present  facts  based  upon  cogent  and  satis- 
factory proofs. 


OBITUARY.  171 

Indeed,  so  evident  is  this,  that  I  can  hardly  believe  that  Dr. 
Brown  and  his  committee  ever  read  the  report  they  criticise. 
They  charge  the  Committee  on  Dental  Prophylaxis  with  "careless 
and  unscientific  methods,"  apparently  without  knowing  the  man- 
ner or  method  followed  by  that  committee  in  their  investigations. 
The  only  proof  they  adduce,  and  to  which  they  give  great  weight, 
is  that  the  report  on  dental  prophylaxis  claimed  to  have  had 
chemical  and  comparative  analyses  made,  and  that  to  make  an 
analysis,  such  "as  was  claimed  was  done  in  the  report,  would  have 
cost,  at  the  lowest  estimate,  $1,000." 

They,  therefore,  argue  that,  "as  no  evidence  of  any  expense 
has  been  presented  to  the  society — of  course  these  tests  (claimed 
to  have  been  made  in  the  report)  are  absurd  and  useless" — con- 
sequently, the  report  on  dental  prophylaxis  is  "worthless  stuff," 
"unworthy  of  a  place  in  the  archives  of  the  society." 

But,  unfortunately  for  this  argument,  the  report  on  dental 
prophylaxis  does  not  in  any  way  claim,  mention  or  suggest  that 
the  committee  ever  had  a  chemical  or  comparative  analysis  made. 
There  is  not  even  a  hint  of  such  a  claim  in  the  report.  What 
must  be  thought,  then,  of  men  who  criticise  and  condemn  their 
colleagues,  members  of  their  own  society,  for  "careless  and  un- 
scientific methods"  of  investigation,  when  they  themselves  do  not 
even  take  the  trouble  tO'  carefully  read  the  report  which  they 
criticise,  or  to  investigate  the  methods  adopted  by  their  confreres, 
whom  they  condemn?  "Noblesse-oblige." 

Editor  Dental  Brief: — I  most  emphatically  disagree  with 
Dr.  Theo.  Siqueland's  recommendation  of  an  antiseptic  so  de- 
structive tO'  the  natural  teeth  in  its  discoloring  effect  as  oil  of 
cinnamon,  a  discoloration  almost  impossible  to  remove.  Campho- 
phenique  or  phenol-sodique  can  be  used  with  equal  advantage 
in  any  case,  and  with  no^  disastrous  results. 

F,  /.  Bethel,  D.DS.,  Stockton,  CaL 

OBITUARY. 


Edward  Stanley  Fenda,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  died  in  Jersey  City 
Heights,  New  Jersey,  on  Friday,  January  19th,  1900,  in  his  forty- 
fourth  year.  He  was  a  native  of  New  York  State,  and  was  for 
some  years  engaged  in  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Metuchen, 
N.  J.,  but  abandoned  that  pursuit  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  den- 
tistry in  the  New  York  College  of  Dentistry,  from  which  he 


172  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

graduated  in  the  same  class  as  myself,  in  the  year  1885.  He  was 
for  several  years  engaged,  in  partnership  with  me,  in  the  practice 
of  dentistry  in  New  York  City. 

Dr.  Fenda  was  a  man  possessing  many  excellent  traits  of 
character,  but  he  lacked  the  stability  of  purpose  essential  to  suc- 
cess in  any  pursuit.  He  was  easily  discouraged,  and  his  later 
years  were  darkened  by  poverty  and  ill  health.  Although  without 
family  ties  or  known  relatives,  he  did  not  lack  friends  to  give  him 
assistance  in  time  of  need.  His  death  was  sudden,  probably  from 
an  overdose  of  morphin  and  cocain,  to  the  use  of  which  he  had, 
unfortunately,  become  addicted. 

L.  Arndt,  Jersey  City  Heights,  N.  J. 


RECENT  DENTAL  PATENTS. 

641930,  Artificial  tooth,  Robert  Brewster,  Chicago,  111. 

641672,  Dental  clamp,  Walter  I.  Brigham,  South  Framing- 
ham,  Mass. 

6421 14,  Tooth  brush,  Charles  L.  Hall,  Oconto,  Wis. 

642536,  Combined  dental  engine  and  chair,  Charles  C. 
So'Uthwell,  Milwaukee,  Wis. 

642404,  Head-rest,  Basil  M.  Wilkerson,  Baltimore,  Md., 
assignor  tO'  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Co.,  Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

642405,  Dental  chair,  Basil  M.  Wilkerson,  Baltimore,  Md., 
assignor  to  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Co.,  Philadelphia, 
Pa. 

32154,  Design,  handle  for  dental  instruments,  Wm.  E.  Har- 
per, Chicago,  111. 

643038,  Dental  articulator,  James  W.  Bryan,  Russellville, 
Ky. 

643039,  Dental  plugger,  Cecil  L.  Calvert  and  E.  Anderson, 
Sundance,  Wyo. 

642959,  Head-rest,  Alexis  E.  Caron,  assignor  tO'  T.  E.  Caron, 
Kankakee,  111. 

TRADE-MARKS. 

33895,  Teething  remedy,  Johannes  B.  de  Beer,  New  York, 
N.  Y. 

33947,  Disinfectant,  Annie  Campbell,  Washington,  D.  C. 

34072,  Tooth  paste,  Thymo  Chemical  and  Manufacturing 
Co.,  Columbus,  Ohio. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  solicitor  of  patents,  Fendall  build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C.  ,        .    . 


A 


QUB8TI0NISI  A2fD  ANSWERS.  173 

<©ues5tion!3  anir  anstoets* 

Question  75.  I  am  a  young  man,  an4  have  for  the  past 
eighteen  months  been  trying  to  establish  a  dental  practice,  having 
received  my  diploma  nearly  two  years  ago.  So  far  I  consider  that 
I  have  made  a  complete  failure,  and  I  am^  very  much  discouraged. 
I  have  located  in  three  different  towns  in  different  parts  of  my 
native  State.  Out  of  these  eighteen  months'  trial  I  have  only  been 
able  to  make  my  expenses  one  month,  and  this  was  principally 
through  my  near  relatives. 

Can  you  tell  me  what  tO'  do  to  gain  favor  and  success?  I 
have  tried  every  plan  conceivable,  except  advertising,  and  unless 
things  go  better  I  am  afraid  I  shall  have  tO'  resort  to  this  latter 
method,  although  it  is  extremely  distasteful  tO'  me.  I  have  always 
been  very  careful  in  my  habits;  my  office  is  clean  and  attractive; 
I  am  particular  about  my  personal  appearance;  I  am  always  in 
my  office  from  eight  in  the  morning  until  five  in  the  afternoon; 
I  go  to  church  and  try  tobecome  acquainted  in  various  v^ys. 
I  have  tried  high  prices,  and  I  have  tried  low  prices,  and  in  some 
instances  I  have  attempted  to  get  a  start  by  making  no  charge  at 
all,  and  yet  I  do'  not  succeed.  In  connection  with  this,  so  many 
things  turn  up  tO'  discourage  me.  My  patients  are  sO'  few  in  num- 
ber that  with  each  ring  of  the  door  bell  I  am  seized  with  a  nervous 
chill,  which,  of  course,  I  try  to  suppress,  but  fear  I  am  not  always 
successful  in  doing  so.  To'  add  tO'  my  discomfort  I  occasionally 
receive  letters  froim^  my  former  classmates  in  which  they  say  how 
successful  they  have  been,  and  each  time  this  happens  I  am  again 
reminded  that  soimething  must  be  wrong.  I  hardly  think  that 
my  methods  of  operating  can  be  at  fault,  because  my  operations 
in  each  locality  have  been  so  few  that  they  could  do  me  neither 
harm  nor  good.  I  am  now  planning  tO'  make  one  more  move, 
and  before  starting  in  a  new  place  I  would  like  to  be  advised  as 
to  my  shortcomings.  If  after  making  another  effort  I  fail,  I  shall 
have  toi  give  it  up  and  go  at  something  else. 

I  infer  from  what  yon  say  that  you  are  over-estimating  the 
possibilities  of  practice  building.  Three  locations  within  eighteen 
months  wonld  mean  an  average  of  six  months  in  each  place,  en- 
tirely too>  short  a  time  toi  gain  a  footing  in  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry. I  am  free  tO'  express  the  opinion  that  liad  you  remained 
in  the  town  first  chosen  that  you  would  feel  much  more  en- 
couraged at  the  present  time.     It  may  be  safely  said  that  in  the 

*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  14.20  Chestnut  St.,  Phila. 


174  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

majority  of  instances  at  least  five  years  should  be  devoted  to 
"waiting-"  for  a  practice,  notwithstanding  the  nature  of  the  letters 
received  from  your  fomier  classmates,  who  may  be  inclined  to 
exaggerate.  Your  restlessness  and  changeable  nature,  together 
with  the  nervousness  to  which  you  refer,  are  undoubtedly  the 
primary  cause  of  what  you  inappropriately  term  your  failure. 
You  have  not  "failed." 

Question  76.  Will  you  please  give  me  the  method  of  making 
a  Cofftn  split  plate,  and  in  what  class  of  cases  is  it  applicable? 

The  manner  of  making  such  an  appliance  is  pretty  thor- 
oughly described  in  the  modem  text-books,  but  as  these  may  not 
be  at  your  disposal  I  will  briefly  gO'  over  the  method.  The  primary- 
object  for  which  a  Coffin  split  plate  is  made  is  that  of  expanding 
the  arch,  and  as  a  more  or  less  contracted  condition  of  the  arch 
usually  accompanies  malposed  teeth,  it  is  most  frequently  used 
in  connection  with  regulating  cases.  After  making  the  cast, 
which  should  include  a  faithful  reproduction  of  the  occlusal  sur- 
faces of  the  teeth,  a  thin  wax  base  plate  is  made  to  cover  the 
palate,  and  pass  over  and  include  the  posterior  teeth.  If  it  is 
desired  to  expand  the  upper  arch,  a  spring  is  made  of  piano  wire, 
but  something  after  the  form  of  the  letter  W,  the  free  ends 
of  which  are  so  constructed  that  they  may  be  imbedded  in 
the  base  plate  in  such  a  manner  that  they  will  cause  expansion 
of  the  plate,  which,  after  being  vulcanized,  is  sawed  in  twO'  at  the 
median  line.  With  a  proper  adjustment  of  the  spring,  considerable 
lateral  pressure  may  be  brought  to  bear  upon  each  lateral  half 
of  the  arch,  the  amount  of  force  being  readily  controlled  by  the 
adjustment  of  the  spring. 

Question  77.  What  is  Soderberg's  paste  for  pulp  mummi- 
fication? 

Dried  alum,  glycerol  and  thymol  in  equal  parts,  to  which  is 
added  zinc  oxid  in  sufficient  quantity  to  make  a  stiff  paste. 

Question  78.  Can  you  furnish  me  with  full  directions  for 
gold  and  nickel  plating? 

Geo.  P.  Lux,  D.D.S.,  Topcka,  Kansas. 

Ammonia  Gold  Cyanid  Solution. — Dissolve  in  a  Florence  flask 
one  and  a  half  dwt.  of  pure  gold  in  two  or  three  parts  of  hydro- 
chloric acid  and  one  part  nitric  acid  (aqua  regia),  applying  gentle 
heat.  When  all  is  dissolved  pour  the  chlorid  of  gold  into  an 
evaporating  dish  and  place  it  in  a  sand  bath  to  evaporate  to  dry- 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  175 

ness,  by  the  application  of  heat.  This  mass  is  next  dissolved  in  a 
half  pint  of  distilled  water.  Then  precipitate  this  yellow  chlorid 
of  gold  solution  with  aqua  ammonia,  by  adding  it  drop  by  drop 
until  all  is  down.  Next  pour  off  the  clear  liquid  and  wash  the 
precipitate,  which  is  ammonia-gold,  several  times  in  distilled 
water.  Following  this  make  a  strong  solution  of  pK>tassium 
cyanid,  using  two  ounces  to  a  quart  of  distilled  water.  Then  dis- 
solve the  amrrionia-gold  precipitate  in  it,  stirring  with  a  glass  rod. 
Next  filter  the  mixture.  It  must  must  be  worked  hot  (130  F.). 
All  work  to  be  plated  must  first  be  passed  through  a  hot  solu- 
tion of  caustic  potassa. 

Double  Sulphate  of  Nickel  and  Ammonia. — To  make  a  solu- 
tion of  double  sulphate  of  nickel  and  ammonia,  cube  or  grain 
nickel  is  dissolved  in  sulphuric  acid  one  part  and  water  two  parts, 
after  adding  a  little  nitric  acid  and  applying  heat  it  is  set  aside 
to  crystallize.  To'  each  ounce  of  these  crystals  add  one  ounce  of 
sulphate  of  ammonia.  The  two  salts  are  dissolved  in  water,  then 
filtered  and  evaporated  to  crystals.  In  making  up  a  bath  twelve 
ounces  of  these  crystals  to  one  gallon  of  water  is  used.  The 
nickel  solution  must  be  neutral,  and  worked  hot  at  about  130  F. 
In  plating  brass  or  copper  the  piece  to  be  plated  is  first  dipped 
in  a  weak  solution  of  potassium  cyanid,  then  washed  m  running 
water  before  going  intO'  the  nickel  solution.  Iron  or  steel  are 
dipped  in  a  pickle  of  hydrochloric  acid,  one-half  pound  to  a  gal- 
lon of  water.  These  metals  must  also^  be  washed  before  being 
placed  in  the  plating  solution.  The  surface  of  all  metals  to  be 
plated  must  be  chemically  clean,  to  accomplish  which  pass 
through  a  hot  solution  of  caustic  potassa;  next  dip  into  running 
water,  then  into  the  nickeling  solution. 

E.  A.  Krctsclwian,  Philadelphia. 

Question  79.  What  is  the  prevailing  opinion  at  the  present 
time  as  to  the  effect  of  diet  upon  the  tissues  of  the  teeth? 

/.  G.  McK.,  Toledo,  Ohio. 

Question  80.  What  are  the  most  pronounced  symptoms  of 
acute  and  chronic  lead  poisoning,  and  do  both  conditions  make 
their  presence  known  by  colored  lines  upon  the  gums? 

Lead  and  its  compounds  are  gastro-intcstinal  irritants.  It 
is  only  the  chronic  form  which  makes  itself  manifest  by  a  blue 
line  at  the  gingival  margins.  The  symptoms  of  acute  lead  poison- 
ing are  a  pronounced  metallic  taste,  a  dryness  of  the  mouth  and 
throat  accompanied  by  unusual  thirst,  colic,  drawing  pains  in  the 


176  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

lower  extremities,  and  frequently  convulsions  and  paralysis, 
coma  and  collapse.  The  treatment  consists  in  thorough  evacu- 
aition,  and  the  employment  of  one  or  more  of  the  following  reme- 
dies: Epsom  or  Glauber  salts,  which  are  antidotal;  morphin; 
milk;  and,  to  eliminate  the  poison,  potassium,  iodid. 

Question  81.  Can  you  give  a  method  of  using  gutta-percha 
in  connection  with  oxyphosphate  in  setting  crowns? 

Gutta-percha  is  sometimes  employed  in  addition  to  the 
cement  as  a  mediumi  to  prevent  the  deterioration  of  the  cement. 
When  used  for  this  purpose  it  must  be  so  placed  that  it  seals  that 
part  of  the  cap  which  communicates  with  the  exterior,  or  in  other 
words  it  makes  the  joint.  When  it  is  desired  to  thus  use  it  the 
gutta-percha  is  first  placed  in  the  cap  in  sufficient  quantity  and 
in  the  proper  location  to  perfectly  seal  the  band.  This  is  then 
warmed  and  pressed  home,  after  which  the  entire  crown  is  with- 
drawn and  all  surplus  gutta-percha  removed.  The  balance  of  the 
work,  that  is,  the  use  of  the  oxyphosphate  is  afterward  proceeded 
with  in  the  usual  manner. 

Question  82.     In  using  an  arsenic  paste,  as  of  arsenic  and 
iodoform  in  equal  parts,  saturated  with  carbolic  acid,  what  frac- 
tion of  a  grain  would  you  use?    I  have  been  using  pieces  the  size 
of  a  pin  head.    The  text-books  direct  i/ioo  to  25/100  of  a  grain. 
Dr.  Ira  B.  Archer,  North  San  Juan,  Cat. 

Your  question  may  best  be  answered  by  referring  to  an  article 
written  by  Dr.  Jamies  Truman,  and  published  in  the  Dental  Cos- 
mos for  November,  1887,  page  678.  You  may  be  still  more  fully 
informed  by  referring  to  an  article  by  Dr.  E.  C.  Kirk,  in  the  same 
journal,  issue  of  March,  1887. 

Question  83.  Would  it  be  considered  an  infringment  of  the 
rules  governing  professional  etiquette  to  engage  in  conversation 
with  a  traveling  co^mpanion,  a  total  stranger,  but  a  resident  of  the 
same  city,  and  so  wording  the  conversation  that  it  might  influ- 
ence the  stranger  tO'  call  and  see  you  when  in  need  of  dental 
services?  One  of  my  colleagues  insists  that  this  may  be  done 
with  propriety,  and  boasts  of  having  successfully  carried  it  out 
in  a  number  of  instances.  I  contend  that  it  is  a  disreputable 
method  of  gaining  favor.    Am  I  right?       /.  B.  K.,  Ft.  Wayne. 

Some  years  agO'  the  LOdontologie  published  an  account  of 
such  an  occurrence  which  took  place  on  top  of  an  omnibus.  The 
dentist,  a  clinician  in  a  French  college,  was  said  to  be  on  his  way 
to  that  institution  tO'  give  a  clinic  at  the  time,  and  was  already 
seated.     Presently  a  well  dressed,  prosperous  looking  gentleman 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  177 

boarded  the  coach,  and  took  a  seat  beside  him.  The  dentist  began 
a  conversation,  which  was  soon  entirely  directed  to  his  vocation. 
The  subject  of  the  teeth  appeared  to  be  extremely  interesting  to 
the  gentleman,  and  the  conversation  appeared  to  be  mutually 
pleasant.  Before  dismounting  the  dentist  referred  with  emphasis 
to  his  superior  qualifications  and  tendered  his  card,  which  was 
accepted.  The  same  journal  in  commenting  on  this  incident 
characterized  it  as  an  act  of  gross  impropriety,  and  so  it  is  con- 
sidered at  the  present  day,  belonging  only  to  the  charlatan. 


practical  joints,* 

The  Care  of  the  Teeth. — 'Tn  caring  for  the  temporary  teeth 
the  heart  should  be  full  of  love;  in  managing  the  permanent  ones 
the  head  should  be  full  of  wisdom." 

Fred.  J.  Capon,  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 

To  Prevent  Plaster  from  Adhering  to  Flask. — Dr.  Buckland 
paints  the  inner  surface  of  flasks  for  vulcanite  work  with  a  solu- 
tion of  whiting,  which  allows  the  plaster  to  be  removed  easily  and 
protects  the  flask  froim  corrosion.  Dental  Digest. 

Prevention  of  Decay. — In  my  own  practice  I  rely  chiefly  upon 
a  strong  solution  of  hydronapthol  in  oil  of  cassia.  This  I  use 
freely  in  all  cavities,  and  before  filling  I  use  a  varnish  of  Canada 
balsam  in  chloroform  in  which  there  is  ten  per  cent,  of  hydro- 
napthol.  /.  Leon  Williams,  Items  of  Interest. 

Solidified  Formaldehyde  in  the  Treatment  of  Blind  Abscess. 
— The  ability  of  this  gas  to  work  beyond  the  apex  of  the  root; 
toi  follow  the  tubuli  of  the  dentin  to  the  cementum;  its  ease  of 
application  (in  the  pulp"  chamber);  the  absence  of  strangling 
fumes  as  with  the  aqueous  solution,  and  my  success  with  every 
tooth  so  treated,  compel  me  to  believe  that  in  solidified  formal- 
dehyde is  found  the  most  efifective  agent  for  the  treatment  of 
pulpless  teeth  in  all  stages  and  in  all  environments. 

F.  B.  Lazvrenee,  Western  Dental  Journal. 

Reciprocity  Between  Dentists  and  Medical  Men;  the  Question 
of  Fees. — The  non-acceptance  of  fees  appears  to  be  based  upon 
the  idea  of  reciprocity  of  service,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that 
the  consumption  of  the  dentist's  time  is  much  more  considerable 
than  that  of  the  medical  man.  Modern  dental  methods  entail 
an  even  greater  expenditure  of  time  than  was  formerly  the  case. 
*  "*'  *  It  appears  to  us,  therefore,  not  to  be  a  question  of 
rights,  but  to  be  a  matter  essentially  between  man  and  man,  in 
which  it  is  for  each  to  take  the  course  which  conimends  itself  to 
him.  British  Medieal  Journal, 


•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedingt,  Waveland, 
MlsBiasippi. 


178  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Extracting  Badly  Decayed  and  Broken  Off  Upper  Molars. — 

Cut  through  with  a  bur,  separating  the  Hngual  from  the  buccal 
roots,  which  can  then  be  removed  singly. 

G.  H.  Kittcll,  Western  Dental  Journal. 

Preparation  of  Steel  for  Regulating  Appliances. — When 
formed  to  the  desired  shape,  steep  in  chlorid  of  zinc  and  then  in 
pure  molten  tin.  No  oxidation  will. then  take  place;  its  tension 
is  improved,  and  it  can  be  united  to  any  other  metal  by  pure  tin, 
using  the  chlorid  of  zinc  as  a  flux.  If  imbedded  in  vulcanite  it 
will  not  cause  disintegration.        D.  Genese,  Ohio  Dental  Jour. 

To  Sharpen  the  Points  of  Hypodermic  Needles. — With  the 
cleansing  wire  in  place  sharpen  on  a  fine  corundum  stone  in  the 
dental  engine.  The  wire  will  be  ground  at  the  same  time,  and  on 
being  pushed  through  will  carry  with  it  any  debris  made  in  grind- 
ing and  prevent  any  burr  being  turned  inward. 

Fred.  B.  Spooner,  Items  of  Interest. 

Pulp  Removal  in  Badly  Broken  Down  Molars. — In  the  use  of 

cocain  under  pressure,  to  avoid  forcing  the  cocain  out  of  a  tooth 
which  is  badly  broken  down,  fit  a  matrix  of  thin  German  silver 
closely  to  the  tooth  and  apply  the  unvulcanized  rubber  over  that. 
I      .       '  I  Dr,  Crosby. 

When  the  cavity  is  large,  black  rubber  will  be  found  better 
on  account  of  its  tenacious  quality. 

/.  /.  Wright,  Dental  Digest. 

Extension  to  Prevent  Displacement. — I  cannot  bring  myseU 
to  believe  that  it  is  right,  even  if  the  patient  submits  to  it,  to  con- 
vert a  small  cavity  into  a  large  one  in  order  to  make  it  more 
secure.  *  *  *  If,  in  the  course  of  time,  decay  recurs,  it  is  not  a 
difficult  matter  tO'  cut  out  the  injured  portion  and  add  to  the  fill- 
ing. If  made  large  at  first,  and  in  the  course  of  time  the  filling 
has  to  be  renewed,  it  is  a  very  difficult  matter  to  make  another 
filling  larger  than  before. 

S.  H.  Guilford,  International  Dental  Journal. 

To  Prevent  Shrinkage  of  the  Gums  and  to  Preserve  the  Fes- 
toons While  a  Denture  is  Being  Made. — The  sockets  must  be  kept 
open,  for  which  purpose  a  model,  including  the  roots,  is  made 
as  follows:  Take  an  impression  in  plaster  before  the  teeth  are 
removed.  Then  extract  the  teeth,  smooth  the  roots  and  insert 
them  in  the  impression,  which  is  then  poured.  Remove  the 
natural  teeth  from  the  cast  and  make  a  plate  of  vulcanite,  which 
w^ill  carry  points  corresponding  to>  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  and 
which  will  fill  the  sockets.  This  can  be  worn  without  irritation, 
and  there  will  be  no  hemorrhage.  Facings  having  long  necks 
are  to  be  used  for  the  denture,  entering  the  sockets  as  high  up 
as  possible,  say  three-eighths  of  an  inch. 

.S.  /.  Hagnmn,  Journal  of  the  British  Dental  Association. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  179 

Hemorrhage  After  Pulp  Extirpation. — Wind  cotton  on  a 
broach,  dip  in  25  per  cent,  pyrozone  and  put  up  the  canal,  and  the 
bleeding  will  stop  instantly.  The  canal  can  be  dried  and  filled  at 
once.  L.  West,  Items  of  Interest. 

Acetanelid  in  Toothache. — A  saturated  solution  of  acetanelid 
in  alcohol  with  a  few  drops  of  oil  of  cloves  forms  an  elegant 
preparation  and  meets  many  a  demand. 

M.  G.  Price,  M.D.,  Medical  Summary. 

Chloro-percha  as  a  Root-canal  Filling. — The  shrinkage  of 
chloro-percha  can  be  almost,  if  not  wholly,  overcome  by  packing 
cotton  fibre  with  the  chloro-percha  before  it  has  hardened,  giving 
an  almost  ideal  root-canal  filling. 

/.  IV .  Hagey,  Dominion  Dental  I  our  rial. 

Separating  Cast  and  Model. — If  the  impression  material  is 
modeling  compound,  use  a  small  quantity  of  machine  or  other 
convenient  oil  on  the  surface  of  the  impression;  if  it  is  plaster, 
mix  a  small  quantity  of  common  laundry  bluing  in  the  plaster 
for  the  cast,  and  the  line  of  separation  cannot  be  mistaken. 

/.  R.  Warren,  Dental  Hints. 

Pulp  Capping. — Dry  the  cavity  thoroughly,  insert  a  little 
thin  chloro-percha,  distributing  to  all  the  walls.  Wipe  out  ex- 
cess, leaving  only  a  thin  coat  from  which  the  chloroform  should 
be  thoroughly  evaporated.  Then  flow  in  some  thin  oxyphos- 
phate  cement  and  let  it  harden.  By  this  method  no  pressure  is 
made  upon  the  pulp  and  the  oxyphosphate  cement  is  not 
brought  into  co^ntact  with  thin  dentin.  Any  inflammation  of  the 
pulp  should  be  reduced  previous  tO'  insertion  of  filling. 

G.  H.  Kiftell,  Western  Dental  loiirnal. 

The  Electric  Current  in  Fusing  Platinum. — When  it  is  de- 
sired to  melt  platinumi  scraps  and  retain  its  ductility  the  positive 
electrode  should  terminate  in  a  short  pin  of  heavy  platinum  wire 
resting  upon  a  block  of  lime,  upon  which  the  platinum  scraps 
are  heaped.  The  negative  terminal  is  a  rod  of  brass  half  an  inch 
or  so  in  diameter  and  four  inches  long,  mounted  in  a  w^ooden 
handle,  and  which  is  tipped  with  a  solid  nugget  of  platinum  the 
size  of  a  thimble.  Platinum  fused  by  this  method  is  as  soft  and 
ductile  as  new  platinum.  L.  E.  Custer,  Dental  Century. 

Electric  Fusion  of  Platinum  to  Secure  Stiffness. — Scrap  plati- 
num is  placed  upon  a  carbon  block  forming  one  terminal  of  an 
electric  current,  an  arc  light  carbon  forming  the  other.  Upon 
touching  the  platinum  with  the  carbon  pencil  the  circuit  is  closed 
and  the  current  is  established  in  the  form  of  an  electric  arc.  The 
heat  is  estimated  at  6,000  degrees,  which  will  fuse  platinum. 
Platinum  thus  fused  on  carbon  possesses  all  the  characteristics  of 
platino-iridium,  and  will  be  found  useful  for  many  purposes — for 
backings,  crown-posts,  regulating  apparatus,  etc. 

L.  E.  Custer,  Dental  Ccnturw 


l8o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Hypodermic  Injections. — All  hypodermic  injections  are  ren- 
dered less  painful,  and  will  be  more  readily  absorbed  if  the  active 
substance  is  dissolved  in  saline  solution  instead  of  plain  water. 

International  Jour,  of  Surgery. 

The  Matrix  for  Porcelain  Inlays. — In  1887  Dr.  C.  H.  Land 
made  mechanically  perfect  edges  possible  by  devising  the  metal 
matrix,  platinum  preferably  because,  while  it  can  be  adapted  with 
a  facility  equal  to  gold  it  allows  the  use  of  high  fusing  tooth-body. 
Dr.  Land  deserves  the  thanks  of  the  profession  for  this  discov- 
ery. Joseph  Head,  Items  of  Interest. 

Vegetol,  a  New  Tooth  Powder. — Vegetol  is  a  combination  of 
vegetable  matter  taken  from  the  hard  portions  of  cereals,  and  the 
antiseptic  chemicals  sodium  borate  and  potassium  chlorate.  It 
is  soluble  in  saliva,  and  contains  no  materials  which  are  injuri- 
ous to  the  teeth.  It  possesses  great  healing  properties  for  ulcer- 
ated mouth  or  throat,  hardening  and  strengthening  the  gums  by 
continued  use.  Dental  Register. 

To  Remove  Teeth  from  Rubber  Plate  Without  Danger  of 
Cracking  or  Etching  the  Teeth. — Boil  the  plate  in  glycerin,  in  a 
porcelain  pan,  till  it  smokes,  and  the  teeth  will  come  away  clean 
and  free  from  discoloration.  Put  them  back  in  the  glycerin  to 
anneal  them,  and  when  cool  wash  in  warm  water.  They  will  be 
as  bright  as  when  new.  The  glycerin  can  be  bottled  for  future 
use.  Dr.  Genese,  Ohio  Dental  Jouriml. 

Carbolized  Resin. — 

R.    Carbolic  acid  crystals, 

Resin aa  .^i. 

Chloroform .Is^s. 

M. 
The  application  of  carbolized  resin  usually  relieves  aching  in 
a  tooth  having  an  exposed  or  inflamed  pulp.  Applied  on  cotton  it 
protects  it  from  thermal  changes  and  gives  rest  to  the  pulp  from 
the  exercise  of  its  function.  The  combination  of  carbolic  acid 
and  resin  also  inhibits  the  growth  of  microorganisms. 

L.  G.  Noel,  Dental  Headlight. 

Spectacles  for  Dental  Work. — Professor  Laudolt's  convex 
prismatic  spectacles  supply  a  want  acutely  felt  by  many  dentists. 
The  watchmaker's  lens  is  inconvenient,  and  as  it  assists  the  sight 
of  one  eye  only,  loses  the  stereoscopic  effect  obtained  by  the  use 
of  both  eyes.  Strong  convex  glasses  enlarge  the  object,  but 
cause  eyestrain  from  the  effort  ciecessary  to  convergence.  In  Pro^ 
fessor  Laudolt's  spectacles  a  convex  surface  is  ground  on  the  sur- 
face of  each  of  a  pair  of  prisms,  which  are  set  in  a  spectacle  frame. 
The  convex  surfaces  focus,  and  as  a  prism  refracts  light  toward 
its  base  accommodation  and  convergence  are  simultaneously  re- 
lieved; the  object  is  brought  near  the  face  and  seen  comfortably. 
W.  Booth  Pearsall,  British  Dental  Journal. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  i8i 

The  Essentials  of  a  Successful  Practitioner. — First,  health; 
second,  tact;  third,  professional  skill,  conscientiousness  and 
ability;  fourth,  integrity  and  moral  and  personal  purity;  fifth,  a 
high  aim.  Fred.  J.  Capon,  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 

Aluminum  Solder. — Six  parts  aluminum,  two  parts  zinc,  four 
parts  phosphor  tin.  Flux — stearic  acid.  This  solder  is  sluggish 
and  is  pushed  along  the  seam  by  means  of  a  piece  of  iron  wire 
in  the  form  of  a  loop.  Office  and  Laboratory. 

Pulp  Protection. — Dip  a  sheet  of  asbestos  foil  into  sandarac 
or  balsam^  varnish;  when  dry,  dip  again,  repeating  until  well 
glazed.  From  this  punch  small  disks  of  different  sizes.  When 
about  to  use,  dip  again  in  varnish,  and  place  in  position  over  ex- 
pMDsed  pulp,  covering  with  cement  (first  drying  the  pulp  and  ap- 
plying carbolic  acid).  /.  D.  Whitman,  Ohio  Dental  four. 

Pulp  Removal. — Dip  a  small  piece  of  spunk  into  a  mixture  of 
5  parts  alcohol  and  i  part  formaldehyde,  then  into-  finely  pulver- 
ized cocain.  Place  over  the  exposed  pulp  and  press  gently  with 
a  ball  burnisher  over  a  piece  of  unvulcanized  rubber.  The  formal- 
dehyde toughens  the  tissues  causing  the  pulp  to  shrink,  making 
its  removal  easier.  Dr.  Wesscls,  Western  Dental  Jonnml. 

Pulp  Mummification. — If  asked  to  name  the  best  drugs  for 
miUmmifying  pulp  tissue,  whether  fresh  and  vital  or  necrotic  and 
septic,  I  should  unhesitatingly  mention  silver  nitrate  first  of  all, 
placing  some  cotton  well  charged  with  powdered  silver  nitrate 
in  the  canals,  covering  it  over  with  cement  of  gutta-percha  until 
it  should  dissolve  and  permeate  the  entire  substance  of  the  tooth. 

L.  G.  Noel,  Dental  Headlight. 

Restoring  Broken  Down  Molars  and  Bicuspids. — Many  badly 
broken  down  teeth  can  be  filled  and  rendered  useful  for  years  if 
screws  are  properly  placed  in  the  roots,  and  the  tooth  contoured 
with  amalgam.  This  also  puts  them  -in  the  best  condition  for 
crowning.  A  healthy,  strong  foundation  should  always  bo  the 
first  condition  to  be  brought  about.  Upon  that  thii  structure 
may  be  built  as  circumstances  require. 

A.  Rcttev,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Softened  Dentin  Over  the  Pulp. — The  superficial  layers  of 
softened  dentin  are  filled  with  bacterial  forms.  The  deeper  layers 
are  not  infected;  the  decalcification  precedes  the  invasion  of  the 
bacteria  within  the  dentinal  tubuli.  '  Such  dentin  has  evidently 
not  lost  its  entire  vitality;  it  is  often  hypersensitive.  A  thin  layer 
of  such  dentin,  if  left  over  the  pulp,  impregnated  with  some  strong 
antiseptic  will  not  cause  recurrence  of  decay.  It  might  even  be, 
as  seems  to  be  verified  by  clinical  demonstration,  that  the  once 
softened  but  disinfected  dentin  may  reconstruct  itself. 

H.  Print::,  Dental  Kez'iczi'. 


i82  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Neuralgia. — Equal  parts  of  benzoin  and  oil  of  peppermint 
rubbed  on  the  afifected  part,  or  sprinkled  on  a  cloth  wrung  out  of 
hot  water,  in  many  cases  acts  like  a  charm. 

Pacific  Medical  Gazette. 

Sensitive  Teeth  and  Dental  Operations. — Advise  your  patients 
to  avoid  acids  and  to  use  an  alkaline  wash  for  a  couple  of  weeks 
before  and  while  undergoing  dental  operations,  and  they  will 
sufifer  much  less  from  sensitive  dentin. 

C.  C.  Harris,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Plaster  of  Paris  Impressions. — Let  the  patient  thoroughly 
rinse  out  the  mouth  with  a  little  milk  immediately  before  the  tray 
is  inserted  instead  of  using  vaselin  or  glycerin,  either  of  which  is 
objectionable  tO'  many  patients. 

H.  IV.  Greenfield,  Ash's  Quarterly. 

Root-canal  Filling,  Sandarac  Varnish  and  Gutta-percha 
Points. — Work  the  varnish  into  the  canals,  which  is  done  more 
easily  than  with  chloro-percha.  In  contracting  it  sticks  to  the 
walls  of  the  canal.  Complete  filling  with  gutta-percha  points  not 
softened.  B.  J.  Cigrand,  Dental  Review. 

Pure  Drinking  Water. — To  give  distilled  water  the  proper 
proportions  and  make  it  a  safe  and  healthy  drink,  Thams  has 
recommended  tablets  containing  each  J  grain  sodium  sulphate, 
J  grain  sodium  chlorate,  f  grain  sodium  carbonate,  i  grain  mag- 
nesium carbonate  and  3 J  grains  calcium  bicarbonate. 

Northzvestern  Lancet. 

Orthoform. — In  cases  of  violent  pains  from  inflamed  pulp 
lying  free,  the  effect  of  the  application  of  orthoform  is  instantane- 
ous, the  pain  being  at  once  relieved.  Orthoformi  is  absolutely 
without  smell  or  taste,  and  in  its  application  no  precaution  of 
any  kind  need  be  observed,  as  it  has  no  effect  upon  the  intact 
mucous  membrane.       Wm.  Rotenberger,  Therapeutic  Progress. 

Treatment  of  Alveolar  Abscess  by  Electrolysis. — The  fluids 
of  the  body  being  saline,  mainly  chlorid  of  sodium,  the  applica- 
tion of  a  point  of  zinc  wire  into  a  sinus  or  fistula  with  the  aid 
of  the  electric  current,  chlorid  of  zinc  is  formed  in  situ,  which 
is  forced  into  the  tissues — an  ideal  method  of  infusing  an  es- 
charotic  into  a  confined  area. 

W.  J.  Morton,  Items  of  Interest. 

The  Countersunk  Nut  in  Orthodontia. — The  teeth  being 
banded  and  a  bar  soldered  on  the  outside  of  the  teeth,  a  hole  is 
drilled  through  the  bar  opposite  the  tooth  to  be  moved,  and 
counterbored  to  allow  the  nut  tO'  enter  flush  with  the  face  of  the 
bar.  A  bolt  is  then  soldered  to  the  band  around  the  tooth  to  be 
moved,  passing  through  the  hole  drilled  in  the  bar,  and  the  nut 
turned  on.  As  the  bolt  comes  through  the  nut  by  the  movement 
of  the  tooth,  the  end  is  ground  down  smooth.  There  is  no  limit 
to  its  use  except  the  ingenuity  of  the  operator. 

W.  IV.  Shryock,  Items  of  Interest. 


MISCELLANY.  183 

Protargol. — ^This  is  better  than  any  inorganic  silver  salt  yet 
used.  It  is  a  proteid  compound,  containing  about  8  per  cent,  of 
silver.  Bactericidal  power  as  great  as  silver  nitrate;  penetrates 
deeper;  much  less  painful,  not  so  dangerous  to  epithelium;  can 
be  used  much  more  frequently;  not  so  affected  by  light;  its  brown 
color  an  advantage  for  local  application.  Perhaps  the  silver 
nitrate  is  better  for  direct  action  on  gonococcus,  but  for  all  other 
inflammations  or  irritations  of  ocular  mucous  membranes,  pro- 
targol  in  a  five  to  ten  per  cent,  watery  solution  is  much  better  for 
the  general  practitioner. — Med.  News. 

Calcium  Carbide. — An  improvement  in  the  manufacture  of 
calcium  carbide  has  been  made  by  a  Russian  engineer,  named 
Orlowsky,  of  St.  Petersburg,  in  which  the  carbide,  while  still  hot 
from  the  electric  furnace,  is  placed  in  a  mixture  of  one  part  of  tar 
and  forty  parts  of  petroleum  residues.  The  object  of  this  treat- 
ment is  to  prevent  the  absorption  of  damp  and  make  more  regular 
and  slower  the  generation  of  the  acetylene  when  in  contact  with 
the  water.  Another  process  that  is  also  reported  in  the  foreign 
press,  is  one  that  does  away  with  the  electric  furnace  and  makes 
use  of  the  high  temperature  occasioned  by  the  combination  of 
aluminium  with  oxygen.  This  process  is  the  invention  of  Herr 
Wolff,  of  Berlin,  and  consists  of  igniting  a  mixture  of  lime, 
carbon  and  powdered  aluminium.  The  temperature  is  so  high 
as  to  melt  the  lime  and  cause  it  to  combine  with  the  carbon. 

Aluminum  Alloys. — Experiments  with  aluminum  alloys  are 
now  being  made  with  considerable  success  by  metallurgists  in 
both  Europe  and  the  United  States.  There  seems  to  be  a  wide 
range  of  practical  applications  for  many  of  these  substances.  Mr. 
W.  A.  McAdams,  of  Brooklyn,  has  succeeded  in  making  castings 
from  an  alloy  of  aluminum,  copper  and  tin,  which,  while  having 
the  appearance  of  aluminum,  possess  many  different  and  valu- 
able characteristics.  The  castings  from  this  material  are  much 
stronger  than  the  best  gray  iron  castings,  and  have  a  much  higher 
elastic  limit.  The  new  metal  has  a  specific  gravity  of  3.39,  or  less 
than  half  that  of  brass  or  cast  iron,  and  melts  at  a  temperature  of 
525  degrees  centigrade  or  977  Fahrenheit.  It  can  be  worked  with 
facility  in  a  lathe,  and  is  about  as  malleable  as  brass,  while  it 
polishes  well,  and  is  a  good  conductor  of  heat  and  electricity.  It 
has  a  small  shrinkage  and  can  be  welded  by  electricity,  while  it 
resists  nitric  and  sulphuric  acids  and  mercury.  The  inventor  does 
not  consider  that  the  alloy  is  as  yet  perfect,  and  will  continue  his 
experiments,  but  the  tests  already  made  seem  to  indicate  that  the 
material  will  prove  very  useful  in  certain  lines  of  machine  con- 
struction.— A^.  Y.  Evening  Post. 


l84  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Pormalin  as  a  Preservative. — In  addition  to  its  many  other 
uses  as  a  preservative,  formalin  can  be  employed  in  photographic 
processes  with  considerable  advantage.  It  is  used  to  harden  the 
gelatin  of  films,  and  it  has  recently  been  suggested  to  prevent  the 
attacks  of  the  mildew  fungus  on  carbon  prints.  For  this  purpose 
a  sheet  of  blotting-paper  is  dipped  in  formalin  and  placed  at  the 
back  of  the  print  before  putting  on  the  backboard  of  the  frame. 
The  vapor  will  permeate  throughout  the  interior  of  the  frame, 
and  will  kill  effectually  any  mildew  germs. 

Utilizing  Carbonic  Acid  Gas. — A  plant  has  recently  been  in- 
stalled at  Rouen,  in  which  use  will  be  made  of  the  carbonic  acid 
gas  given  off  during  fermentation  in  breweries  and  distilleries. 
M.  Louis  Meeus,  of  Wynghem,  has  devised  a  plan  to  make  use 
of  this  waste  product,  which,  in  the  case  of  one  distillery,  where 
8,000  gallons  of  alcohol  are  manufactured  daily,  amounts  to 
nearly  62,000  pounds  in  twenty-four  hours.  This  gas  is  now  col- 
lected by  a  system  of  exhausters,  and  by  means  of  compressing 
pumps  is  liquefied  under  a  pressure  of  55  atmospheres,  and  stored 
in  steel  cylinders,  carrying  10  kilogrammes  each.  With  these  cyl- 
inders the  gas  can  be  used  for  any  of  the  familiar  processes,  such 
as  charging  soda  water  siphons,  or  producing  intense  cold,  and 
its  manufacture  promises  to  be  a  valuable  adjunct  to  the  factories 
where  the  system  has  been  installed. 

Snake  Bites  and  Their  Treatment. — In  an  interesting  article 
on  the  above  subject,  the  following  are  some  of  the  most  im- 
portant conclusions  reached  by  the  author.  Dr.  B.  M.  Ricketts, 
as  results  of  his  studies:  The  copperhead,  coral  snake  and  rattle 
snake  are  the  only  serpents  in  the  United  States  which  possess 
fangs,  at  the  base  of  which  is  a  sac  containing  a  poisonous  fluid. 
The  authentic  cases  of  death  resulting  from  these  serpents  have 
been  among  children.  The  result  of  inoculation  depends  upon 
the  dose  and  size  of  the  human  being  or  animal.  If  the  death 
does  not  occur  in  a  few  hours  it  is  the  result  of  other  causes  and 
not  directly  the  result  of  the  venom.  Over-stimulation  from  alco- 
hol and  other  agencies  is  oftener  the  cause  of  death  than  virus 
inoculation.  The  treatment  recommended  is  both  general  and 
local.  Strychnin  nitrate,  hypodermatically  every  twenty  min- 
utes, until  its  physiological  effects  are  produced,  or  until  coma 
is  overcome.  The  administration  of  alcohol,  digitalis,  atropin 
or  nitroglycerin  is  also  regarded  as  beneficial.  The  writer 
advises  the  local  use  of  a  i  per  cent,  solution  of  chromic  acid; 
chlorid  of  gold  or  permanganate  of  potassium  may  be  substi- 
tuted for  chromic  acid.  Among  other  drugs  he  believes  jabo- 
randi,  administered  internally,  to  be  of  benefit.  Massage  of  the 
swollen  parts  and  washing  of  the  stomach  are  great  aids  in  com- 
bating the  poisoning.  Cincin.  Lancet  Clinic. 


MISCELLANY.  185 

Scruple  is  supposed  by  some,  says  the  Chemist  and  Druggist, 
to  be  the  diminutive  of  scrupus,  a  sharp  stone,  from  which  its 
meaning  as  **a  scruple  of  conscience"  would  also  be  indicated; 
but  it  is  more  generally  traced  to  scripuhim,  something  written, 
which  was  exactly  the  meaning  of  the  Greek  small  weight 
gramma  (from  which  the  French  gramme  was  adopted),  although 
it  is  not  easy  to  see  the  connection  between  "something  written" 
and  a  small  weight. 

Dentistry  in  Belgium. — The  Government  of  Belgium  is  con- 
sidering a  bill  advocated  by  the  majority  of  physicians,  to  sup- 
press the  diploma  of  dentistry,  and  only  allow  the  practice  of 
dentistry  tO'  qualified  physicians  as  a  branch  of  the  medical 
sciences,  like  laryngology,  opthalmology,  etc.  Beco,  the  chair- 
man of  the  special  committee,  enumerates,  among  the  reasons 
for  this  step,  the  overcrowding  of  the  medical  profession  and  the 
necessity  for  considering  dentistry  as  an  important  and  lucrative 
specialty  in  the  domain  of  general  medicine.  The  standard  that 
has  hitherto  been  required  of  dentists  has  been  so  low  that  some 
change  is  imperative,  and  suppression  of  special  diplomas  to 
dentists  seems  the  simplest  and  most  practical  solution  of  the 
question  under  the  present  circumstances. 

Jour.  Amcr.  Med.  As  so. 

Lead  Poisoning. — A  curious  survival  of  an  ancient,  but  we 
had  supposed  practically  extinct,  cause  of  lead  poisoning,  has 
recently  put  in  an  appearance  in  Paris.  Symptoms  of  mild 
plumbism  have  been  rather  common  and  wide-spread  of  late  in 
the  French  capital,  and  for  some  time  the  profession  was  quite 
at  a  loss  as  to  either  the  character  or  cause.  A  few,  however, 
proved  sO'  strikingly  characteristic,  that  an  energetic  investiga- 
tion was  set  on  foot  as  tO'  the  source  of  the  lead  salts,  and  it  was 
found  that  the  bakers  of  the  city  were  in  the  habit  of  using  old 
building  timber,  floors,  etc.,  for  the  purpose  of  heating  their 
great  ovens,  and  by  the  persistent 'use  of  large  quantities  of  this 
sort  of  dust-coiitaining  material  it  is  believed  not  merely  lead, 
but  also  copper  and  creosote  has  found  its  way  into  the  interior 
of  the  ovens.  Loaves  which  are  then  placed  in  the  ovens  man- 
age toi  rub  of¥  enough  of  these  deposited  materials  from  the 
floor  and  walls  to,  by  long-continued  ingestion,  set  up  accumu- 
lation poisonings  in  those  who  eat  them.  The  older  form  of  this 
sort  of  contamination,  it  will  be  remembered,  used  to  be  the 
ancient  Dutch  oven,  where  the  fire  was  lighted  in  the  oven  itself, 
and  then  after  a  sufficient  heat  had  been  obtained,  the  ashes 
swept  out  and  the  loaves  put  in  their  place.  In  this  way  nuich 
larger  amounts  of  lead  and  copper  were  introduced  and  some  of 
the  poisonings  were  very  severe,  so  nutch  so  that  the  use  of  such 
fuel  was  forbidden  by  law  in  many  Continental  cities.  The  reg- 
ulation has  now  been  revived  by  the  Paris  Council  and  extended 
to  the  use  of  such  wood  or  boards  anywhere  about  ovens  or 
furnaces.  Journal  American  Medical  Association. 


1 86  l)i:STAL   nh'lIJF. 

To  His  Delinquent  Patient. — 

If  I  should  die  to-night — 

And  you  should  come  to  my  cold  corpse  and  say. 

Weeping  and  heart-sick  o'er  my  hfeless  clay; 

If  I  should  die  to-night — 

And  you  should  come  in  deepest  grief  and  woe, 

And  say,  "Here's  that  $io  that  I  owe," 

I  might  arise  in  my  great  white  cravat 

And  say,  "What's  that?" 


If  I  should  die  to-night — 

And  you  should  come  beside  my  corpse  to  kneel, 

Clasping  my  bier  to  show  the  grief  you  feel; 

I  say,  if  I  should  die  to-night — 

And  you  should  come  to  me,  and  there  and  then 

Just  even  hint  'bout  paying  me  that  ten, 

I  might  arise  a  while— but  I'd  drop  dead  again. 

— Gross  Medical  College  Bulletin. 


Bacteria  in  Aseptic  Operations.  Doederlein. — Instead  of 
estimating  by  the  results  of  the  operations,  the  degree  of  asepsis 
secured,  this  Tubingen  professor  made  comprehensive  tests  in 
''aseptic  operations"  lasting  over  half  an  hour,  sowing  scrapings 
of  the  wound,  etc.,  at  intervals.  Cultures  constantly  developed, 
even  when  extreme  efforts  were  used  to  realize  asepsis,  such  as 
a  damp  sheet  spread  above  the  operating  table,  to  collect  the 
germs  in  the  air,  etc.,  and  the  operator  in  hood,  mask,  and  gloves 
on,  his  hands  like  a  negro's  from  the  effects  of  permanganate. 
His  conclusions  are  that  the  bacteria  in  the  wounds  are  derived 
from  the  hands  of  the  operator,  from  the  underlying  skin,  as  the 
disinfected  epidermis  scales  off  in  the  course  of  the  operation 
proved  among  other  facts  by  the  almost  complete  absence  of 
bacteria  in  tricot  gloves  after  a  long  operation,  if  thin  rubber 
gloves  are  worn  under  them.  But  instead  of  advocating  the 
wearing  of  impermeable  gloves  during  aseptic  operations,  he 
asserts  that  absolute  freedom  from  bacteria  is  an  unattainable 
ideal,  and  we  might  as  well  abandon  our  attempts  to  realize  it 
beyond  what  is  already  accomplished  in  the  ordinary  well-man- 
aged aseptic  operating  room.  On  the  other  hand,  we  must  bend 
every  effort  to  keep  our  hands  free  from  pathogenic  germs,  wear- 
ing impermeable  gloves  in  operating  and  examining  septic  or 
infected  cases,  and  supplementing  this  precaution  by  assisting 
the  organism  to  resist  the  ordinary  germs  that  are  constantly 
present,  by  every  measure  known  to  date,  or  that  is  yet  to  be 
discovered.  In  this  direction  lies  the  field  for  future  achieve- 
ments. Jour.  A.  M.  A. 


MI8CELLAN7.  187 

Laborde's  Method  of  Artificial  Respiration. — At  the  session 
of  the  French  Academny  of  Medicine,  October  3d,  Labcrde  men- 
tioned fourteen  new  cases  of  the  restoration  of  persons  appar- 
ently dead  by  long  repeated  tractions  upon  the  tongue.  In 
one-half  of  these  instances  the  tractions  were  kept  up  from  twenty 
to  sixty  minutes.  One  patient  was  worked  over  in  this  manner  for 
three  hours  before  he  could  be  brought  back  to  life.  The  exact 
time  during  which  a  patient  may  remain  apparently  dead  and  then 
be  resuscitated  has  never  been  determined,  either  by  experiments 
upon  animals  or  by  the  treatment  of  the  living,  but  from  the  re- 
sults here  quoted  it  is  evident  that  resuscitation  is  possible  after  a 
much  longer  interval  than  one  might  at  first  suppose.  By  the  old 
methods,  when  asphyxia  had  lasted  more  than  five  or  six  minutes, 
respiration  could  not  be  reestablished.  By  tractions  upon  the 
tongue,  however,  persons  have  been  brought  back  to  life  who 
were  thirty  or  even  forty  minutes  under  water. 

The  Food  Preservative  Danger. — Referring  to  the  fact  that 
for  some  time  past  the  dangers  of  the  use  of  antiseptics  in  the 
preservation  of  food  have  been  increasingly  apparent,  and  that 
boric  acid,  salicylic  acid,  and  many  other  chemicals  of  a  more 
or  less  potent  nature  have  been  discovered  in  food  stufifs  of  vari- 
ous kinds,  and  have  in  several  instances  formed  the  subject  of 
prosecutions,  the  Medical  Press  remarks  that  it  can  hardly  be 
said  that  the  judicial  attitude  with  regard  tO'  this  form  of  adul- 
teration has  been  yet  clearly  and  authoritatively  defined.  The 
scientific  knowledge  of  the  agency  of  bacteria  in  putrefaction  is 
of  recent  growth,  and  the  subsequent  practical  applications  of 
the  newly-born  science  have,  in  many  instances,  introduced  into 
the  ethical  life  of  the  community  problems  that  await  a  satis- 
factory solution.  Soi  far  as  the  addition  of  chemical  preserva- 
tives is  concerned  the  greatest  offenders  have  hitherto  been  the 
milk  and  the  butter  man.  As  a  general  rule  the  drug  chosen 
for  their  purpose  is  comparatively  harmless,  but  a  report  comes 
from  New  York  of  the  use  of  a  deadly  poison,  arsenic.  The  fact 
was  brought  to  light  by  the  poisoning,  in  Brooklyn,  of  nine  per- 
sons, two  of  whom  are  not  expected  to  live.  The  occurrence  was 
traced  to  milk,  an  analysis  of  which  revealed  the  presence  of 
arsenic.  As  the  outcome  of  further  investigation  the  dairyman 
confessed  that  he  used  the  poison  systematically  in  order  to 
keep  the  milk  sweet.  Medical  men  generally,  observes  our  con- 
temporary, will  do'  well  to  bear  in  mind  the  fact  that  some  cases 
of  obscure  illness  may  be  due  to  food  preservatives.  If  the  milk 
man  is  going  to  embark  in  a  wholesale  round  of  chemical  experi- 
mentation the  community  will  find  a  fresh  terror  added  to  their 
daily  life.  Pharmaceutical  Journal 


i88  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Toxic  Action  of  Chemically  Pure  Water. — Absolutely  pure 
water  is  a  poison.  Hans  Kocppc,  in  the  Deutsche  Medicinische 
JVochniscJirift  of  September  29th,  discusses  the  subject  fully.  It 
has  been  noticed  that  quenching-  one's  thirst  with  ice  or  snow  in 
the  very  high  altitudes  has  been  disastrous,  and  this  it  is  claimed 
is  because  the  ice  when  dissolved  is  pure  water.  Absolutely  pure 
water  contains  no  salts.  Koeppe  tells  us  that  the  water  from 
dissolved  ice  in  high  altitudes  is  purer  than  distilled  water.  The 
poisonous  character  of  perfectly  pure  water  comes  from  its  prop- 
erty of  extracting  salts  from  animal  tissues  and  causing  them  to 
swell  up  by  inhibition.  Koeppe  mentions  spring  at  Gastein 
which  has  always  been  known  as  a  poison  spring,  the  water  of 
wdiich  on  analysis  is  proved  to  be  absolutely  pure,  more  so 
than  distilled  water.  But  if  these  claims  are  true,  and  they  prob- 
ably are  to  some  extent,  there  is  no  cause  for  worry,  as  abso- 
lutely pure  water  is  a  thing  which  is  not  likely  to  cause  us 
trouble.  The  practice  recommended  by  some,  of  washing  out 
the  stomach  with  distilled  water,  or  drinking  it,  might  be  in- 
jurious, although  the  latter,  if  taken  with  meals,  would  not  do 
harm  since  the  salts  eaten  would  supply  the  deficiency. 

Journal  American  Medical  Association. 

The  Influence  of  Alcohol  on  Muscular  Work. — Destree  (Quar. 
Jour,  of  Jnebr.,  January,  1899)  has  made  a  number  of  experi- 
ments  to  determine  whether  more  work  can  be  accomplished 
with  alcohol  than  without  it.  The  results  obtained  were  uniform, 
and  clearly  showed  that: 

1.  Alcohol  has  favorable  effect  on  the  work  product  whether 
the  muscle  is  weary  or  not. 

2.  This  favorable  efTect  appears  almost  immediately,  but  is 
very  transitory. 

3.  Immediately  afterward  alcohol  has  a  very  decided  para- 
lyzing effect.  About  a  half-hour  after  taking  alcohol  the  muscu- 
lar power  reaches  a  maximum  that  subsequent  doses  increases 
with  difficulty. 

4.  The  paralyzing  effect  of  alcohol  outweights  the  momen- 
tary stimulation,  so  that  the  total  work-product  obtained  with 
the  use  of  alcohol  is  less  than  that  obtained  without.  In  other 
words,  alcohol  is  a  deceptive  means  of  dulling  the  sense  of 
fatigue,  but  its  action  is  momentary,  and  in  the  end  injurious,  the 
paralyzing  efi'ect  upon  the  nervous  system  increasing  rapidly, 
and  with  such  force  that  any  momentary  good  effect  cannot 
counterbalance  them.  Similar  experiments  with  tea,  cofYee,  and 
kola  showed  that  the  stimulating  effect  of  these  drugs,  while  less 
marked  than  that  of  alcohol,  is  continued  longer,  and  is  not  fol- 
lowed by  a  paralyzing-  efifect,  as  is  the  case  with  alcohol. 


i 


THE 

DENTAL   BRIEF. 

Vol..  V.  PHIIvADELPHIA,  APRIL,  1900.  No.  4 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


THE  USE  OF  TRICHLORACETIC  ACID.* 
By  J.  S.  Ashbrook,  D.DS. 

Derivation. — Trichloracetic  acid  (C2HCI3O2)  is  prepared  by 
the  oxidation  of  chloral  hydrate  by  means  of  nitric  acid.  It  con- 
sists of  colorless,  rhombic  dehquescent  crystals.  It  belongs  to  a 
group  of  three  acids,  the  other  two  being  the  monochloracetic 
and  the  dichloracetic  acids,  and  the  difference  in  their  composi- 
tion is  due  to  the  proportions  of  chlorine  they  contain.  They 
have  similar  properties. 

Dental  Uses, — Trichloracetic  acid  is  employed  in  dental  prac- 
tice as  an  escharotic  in  the  treatment  of  pyorrhoea  alveolaris,  on 
account  of  its  destructive  effect  on  pus  secreting  surfaces  of  the 
alveoli  of  teeth,  for  which  purpose  a  10  per  cent,  solution  is  ap- 
plied. It  is  also  employed  for  the  removal  of  vascular  tumors  of 
the  pulp,  and  hypertrophy  of  the  margins  of  the  gums  and  epulis. 
Dr.  Kirk  speaks  of  using  this  acid  in  the  strong  solution  of  about 
90  per  cent,  for  the  removal  of  such  growths.  Trichloracetic  acid 
has  also  a  solvent  eflect  on  calculi  upon  the  roots  of  teeth,  a  10 
per  cent,  solution  in  water  being  recommended,  and  has  also  been 
employed  on  the  overhanging  and  resistant  gum  of  third  molars. 
A  I  per  cent,  solution  has  been  successfully  employed  as  a  mouth 
wash  for  its  astringent  and  stimulating  action  in  inflammations 
and  ulcerations.  It  is  also  used  in  combination  with  pyrozone  in 
the  treatment  of  alveolar  pyorrhoea, and  in  such  a  solution,  as  well 
as  alone,  its  effects  have  been  remarkably  satisfactory.    Trichlor- 

*Read  before  the  Odontological  Society  of  Western  Peuusylvauia, 
December  12,  1899. 

1S9 


I90  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

acetic  acid  may  be  combined  with  any  suitable  alkaline  solution, 
such  as  soda  or  magnesia,  when  it  is  desirable  to  limit  its  action. 
It  has  a  peculiar  power  to  soften  and  remove  sanguinary  de- 
posits, and  it  acts  without  injury  to  the  teeth  or  soft  tissues. 

Diluted  with  water  to  a  3  per  cent,  solution  it  is  an  excellent 
local  astringent  and  stimulant.  Dr.  Harlan  recommends  it  for 
removing  the  overlying  gum  for  third  molars,  as  it  destroys  the 
tissue  without  hemorrhage  or  subsequent  soreness.  Trichlor- 
acetic acid  is  also  employed  to  gain  access  to  roots  of 
abscessed  teeth  through  a  fistulous  opening,  one  crystal,  fol- 
lowed by  more,  being  placed  in  the  fistula;  it  is  also  used  foi 
removing  hypertrophied  gums  and  gum  polypi. 

Trichloracetic  acid  is  a  stimulant,  refrigerant,  antiseptic, 
astringent,  alterative  and  an  escharotic. 

As  a  stimulant  it  is  most  useful  in  treatment  of  receding 
gums;  some  claim  it  will  cause  the  gum  to  recede.  This  has  not 
been  my  experience.  I  know  of  one  case  in  particular  where  the 
g.um  had  receded  fully  one-eighth  of  an  inch;  after  two  weeks' 
treatment  the  gum  was  almost  in  its  normal  position,  and  has 
remained  so  for  eight  months.  In  the  treating  of  gum  overhang- 
ing lower  wisdom  teeth  it  is  most  valuable,  as  you  know  these 
cases  often  cause  great  trouble,  becoming  so  inflamed  that  the 
face  is  swollen,  making  mastication  difficult.  Two  or  three  appli- 
cations of  this  acid  will,  in  most  cases,  cure  this  severe  condition, 
the  first  appHcation  giving  instant  relief.  In  this  case  it  acts  as  a 
refrigerant,  antiseptic,  astringent  and  escharotic. 

After  the  removing  of  salivary  calculus,  which  collects  in 
such  large  quantities  on  the  lower  anterior  teeth,  causing  them 
to  become  very  loose  in  their  sockets,  one  application  in  most 
cases  will  harden  the  gums  and  prevent  the  accumulation  of  the 
calculi  for  a  long  period. 

In  the  treatment  of  devitalized  pulps  it  is  especially  useful  as 
an  antiseptic,  applied  on  the  end  of  a  broach  just  before  filling 
permanently.  In  cases  where  you  have  a  large  apical  foramen, 
you  can  readily  see  its  value. 

In  the  filling  of  cavities,  where  the  gum  overhangs  the  cavity, 
making  it  difficult  to  prepare  on  account  of  the  bleeding,  apply 
a  Httle  acid,  and  proceed  without  further  trouble. 

Last,  but  not  least  important,  is  its  use  in  the  treatment  of  a 
fistula  from  alveolar  abscess.  With  cotton  carefully  placed  around 
a  Donaldson  broach,  saturated  with  the  acid,  vou  can  reach  the 


i 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  191 

bottom,  and  in  most  cases  the  fistula  disappears  after  two  appli- 
cations. 

In  all  the  above  cases  I  use  the  pure  acid,  in  small  quantities. 
In  forty-eight  hours  all  trace  of  its  action  has  gone,  except  the 
good  results;  the  mucous  membrane  peeling  off,  as  it  were,  and 
a  new  layer  formed. 

A  number  of  physicians  have  informed  me  that  they  use  it, 
and  find  it  valuable  in  all  the  properties  I  have  mentioned. 

Trusting  that  some  of  you  have  had  as  good  results  as  these 
above-mentioned,  I  leave  the  subject  with  the  Society  for  dis- 
cussion. 


CARE  OF  THE  DECIDUOUS  TEETH.* 
By  Dr.  J.  A.  Calhoon. 

In  presenting  this  subject,  I  make  no  pretense  to  original 
investigation  of  the  scientific  questions  connected  with  it.  My 
subject  is  "Care  of  the  Deciduous  Teeth."  In  addition  to  the 
scientific  term,  deciduous,  applied  to  the  teeth,  we  have  the 
names,  milk  teeth,  baby  teeth,  first  teeth  and  temporary  teeth. 
Personally,  I  prefer  the  latter,  as  being  the  most  appropriate 
term  of  comparison  with  the  permanent  teeth. 

To  be  systematic,  the  subject  is  divided  into  three  primary 
topics,  each  having  two  subdivisions,  as  follows: 

First. — Development.  Formative  period  and  eruptive  period. 

Second. — Use.  Mastication;  preservation  of  the  proper  re- 
lation of  the  jaws  for  their  development  and  the  reception  of 
the  permanent  teeth. 

Third. — Care.    During  eruptive  period;  during  useful  period. 

This  arrangement  may  seem  too  comprehensive  for  a  brief 
paper.  To  exhaustively  treat  each  division  would  certainly  take 
more  time  than  can  be  given  to  one  paper,  as  well  as  demand 
much  greater  ability  than  is  possessed  by  the  writer. 

The  first  subdivision  of  the  primary  topic,  development,  is 
the  formative  period,  which  begins  about  the  seventh  week  after 
conception.  From  the  time  of  conception  the  mother  should 
devote  herself  to  securing  the  perfect  pliysical  and  mental  devel- 

*  Read  before  the  Odontological  Society  ni  Western  Pennsylvania, 
at  Pittsburg,  December  12,  1809. 


192 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


opment  of  her  offspring.  On  the  mother,  in  a  very  great  meas- 
ure, depends  the  future  well-being  of  the  child.  The  food  she 
eats  should  be  such  as  will  replace  the  drain  on  her  own  system, 
and  also  supply  the  necessary  material  for  the  development  of  the 
growing  embryo. 

While  the  great  majority  of  people  may  think  that  it  is  not 
the  business  of  the  dentist,  yet  I  believe  it  to  be  within  the  sphere, 
and  also  to  be  the  duty  of  the  family  dentist,  when  asked  by 
mothers  to  advise  them  as  to  the  diet  best  suited  to  secure  the 
development  and  perfection  of  the  teeth. 

The  second  phase  of  development  is  the  eruptive  period, 
which  begins  with  the  eruption  of  the  first  tooth  and  continues 
until  the  last  temporary  tooth  has  made  its  appearance  through 
the  gum.  This,  as  all  know,  is  a  most  critical  period  in  a 
child's  life.  The  nervous  system  is  under  high  tension,  this  in- 
creasing the  little  one's  susceptibility  to  disease  and  any  physical 
disturbance.  The  greatest  mortality  among  infants  occurs  during 
this  period. 

At  the  beginning  of  this  period  the  practical  services  of  the 
dental  surgeon  should  begin.  It  will  never  be  known  how  many 
infants  have  suffered  and  died  for  lack  of  a  few  judicious  strokes 
of  the  lance  by  a  competent  dentist  or  physician:. 

The  Uses  of  the  Temporary  Teeth. — First,  for  mastication. 
Although  not  so  many,  so'  large,  nor  so  strong,  as  the  permanent 
teeth,  still  the  temporary  teeth  are  sufficiently  numerous,  and 
strong  enough,  to  masticate  the  food  proper  for  a  child,  and  are 
as  necessary  for  the  accomplishment  of  the  purposes  of  nature 
as  the  permanent  teeth  are  toi  supply  the  demands  of  more  mature 
years. 

Toi  have  perfect  health,  it  is  necessary  to  have  perfect  diges- 
tion ;  to  have  perfect  digestion,  it  is  necessary  to  have  the  proper 
food  thoroughly  masticated,  in  order  that  the  digestive  organs 
and  fluids  may  prepare  the  food  for  assimilation.  If  the  teeth 
decay  and  break  down,  cr  are  extracted  too  soon,  the  child  is 
deprived  ol  organs  whose  integrity  is  one  of  the  first  require- 
ments for  the  promotion  of  perfect  health. 

A  second  use  of  the  deciduous  teeth  is  the  preservation  of 
the  proper  anatomical  relations  of  the  jaws  to  secure  their  har- 
monious development,  and  sufficient  space  for  the  eruption  of 
the  permanent  teeth.  The  early  loss,  by  decay  or  extraction,  of 
the  temporary  teeth  is  a  very  frequent  cause  of  irregularity  of 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  193 

the  permanent  teeth,  with  the  evil  effects  which  follow.  Hence 
the  great  importance  of  preserving  the  temporary  teeth*  until  the 
permanent  ones  are  ready  to  take  their  places. 

This  brings  us  to  the  third  primary  division,  which  is  the 
subject  proper  of  the  paper. 

Care  of  the  Deciduous  Teeth. — Perhaps  our  brethren  of  the 
medical  profession  will  think  we  are  intruding  on  their  domain 
when  we  assume  to  treat  the  dental  disorders  of  infancy  and  early 
childhood,  but  I  believe  the  time  is  coming,  perhaps  it  has  already 
come  to  some  present,  when  the  dental  surgeon  will  be  called  in 
to  reHeve  the  pain  and  general  systemic  disturbances  caused  by 
the  persistent  refusal  of  the  overlying  tissues  to  absorb  as  rapidly 
as  the  pulp  deposits  the  dentine  of  the  roots.  The  treatment  of 
these  conditions  must  often  be  systemic,  as  well  as  surgical. 
While  the  systemic  treatment  may  more  properly  come  under 
the  care  of  the  physician,  a  dentist  should  be  able  to  give  relief 
by  proper  local  treatment ;  but  especially  is  a  dentist  in  his  sphere 
when  he  gives  relief  surgically  by  lancing  the  gums.  In  those 
frequent  cases,  where  tumefaction  and  inflammation  of  the  gum 
result  in  systemic  disturbance,  the  services  of  a  competent  den- 
tist, able  to  judge  of  the  needs  of  the  c^se,  are  invaluable.  Lanc- 
ing gums  often  relieves  the  pressure  on  the  highly  vascular  organ, 
the  pulp,  which  is  building  up  the  root  of  the  tooth  faster  than 
the  gum  tissue  can  be  absorbed.  When  I  speak  of  lancing,  I  do 
not  mean  a  mere  scarifying  of  the  gums,  but  a  cut  or  cuts  suffi- 
ciently deep  to  reach  the  imprisoned  tooth,  and  long  enough  to 
relieve  the  whole  crown.  There  are  many  cases  on  record  where 
judicious  lancing  has  given  immediate  relief;  babes  with  a  high 
fever,  and  in  a  restless,  sleepless  condition,  after  lancing,  often 
become  quiet  and  fall  intoi  a  sound,  refreshing  sleep,  with  an  en- 
tire abatement  of  febrile  symptoms.  Hence  I  believe  in  judicious 
lancing,  notwithstanding  the  theory  of  some  that  it  is  contra- 
indicated  in  cases  where  the  gums  are  liable  to  heal  before  the 
tooth  presents,  for  the  assigned  reason  that  the  cicatricial  tissue 
forming  the  scar  will  be  harder  to  absorb  than  the  original  gum. 
I  was  considerably  surprised,  as  well  as  amused,  by  the  objection 
to  deep  lancing  offered  by  a  prominent  physician,  with  whom  I 
was  conversing  upon  this  subject;  namely,  that  the  crown  of  the 
temporary  tooth,  being  soft,  the  contact  of  the  lance  would  in- 
jure it. 

For  a  more  extensive  and  specific  treatment  on  the  subject 


194  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

of  the  use  of  the  lance  in  this  class  of  cases  I  refer  you  to  an 
illustrated  article  by  Dr.  E.  C.  Kirk,  in  the  Dental  Cosmos. 

We  now  come  to  the  last  subdivision,  the  care  of  the  tem- 
porary teeth  during  the  useful  period,  or  after  eruption. 

Here  we  cannot  be  accused  of  encroaching  on  the  physician's 
territory. 

The  one  popular  idea  among  parents,  that  there  is  no  use  to 
do  anything  to  save  the  first  teeth,  as  they  must  soon  be  replaced 
by  others,  is,  I  am  glad  to  know,  disappearing,  and  parents  are 
becoming  more  enlightened  as  to  the  use  of  the  temporary  teeth 
and  the  necessity  for  saving,  them  in  as  good  a  condition  as  pos- 
sible until  they  are  supplanted  by  the  permanent  set.  We  should 
not  stop  with  the  parents  in  the  matter  of  education,  but  teach 
the  children  also  the  importance  of  taking  care  of  the  first,  as  well 
as  the  second  teeth,  and  how  to  do  it.  That  it  will  need  some- 
thing more  than  the  meagre  information  contained  in  the  school 
physiologies  is  evident  to  any  dentist  who  has  examined  them. 

The  use  of  the  tooth  brush  should  be  taught  as  early  as 
possible,  the  nurse  or  mother  applying  it  until  the  child  can  do 
so  for  itself.  Of  course,  we  all  advise  parents  to  bring  their  chil- 
dren early  for  examination^  even  before  there  is  any  sign  of  decay, 
especially  before  there  has  been  toothache. 

For  many  ideas  on  the  practical  care  of  the  teeth  I  am  in- 
debted to  an  excellent  article  in  the  Dental  Cosmos  of  February, 
1884,  by  Dr.  S.  G.  Perry,  on  "The  Care  of  the  Teeth  to  the  Fif- 
teenth Year." 

When  a  little  patient  is  brought  into  the  office  for  the  first 
time,  it  is  usually  with  a  great  deal  of  fear  from  the  numerous 
accounts  they  have  heard  about  what  a  horribly  painful  thing  it 
is  to  have  anything  done  to  the  teeth.  The  first  thing  we  need  to 
do,  is  to  gain  their  confidence,  using  no  deception,  but  by  our 
gentle,  assuring  manner.  When  it  is  possible,  the  first  sitting 
should  consist  of  little  more  than  an  examination,  and  nothing 
that  will  give  pain.  When  filling  becomes  necessary,  there  should 
be  no  pain  when  possible  to  avoid  it,  even  though  the  cavity  be 
imperfectly  excavated.  I  always  dread  to  have  a  little  patient, 
from  three  to  five  years  old,  with  an  aching  tooth;  for  in  perhaps 
the  majority  of  those  cases  the  only  remedy  is  extraction,  al- 
though I  use  my  utmost  effort  to  preserve  them  until  the  per- 
manent teeth  are  sufficiently  advanced  to  preserve  the  necessary 
space  for  their  regular  eruption.    Especially  should  we  try  to  save 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  195 

the  second  molars  until  the  first  permanent  molars  are  in  place. 
If  the  crowns  cannot  be  saved,  allow  the  roots  to  remain  as  long- 
as  they  will,  or  as  long  as  is  necessary  to  keep  one  permanent 
tooth  from  crowding  into  the  space  that  should  be  occupied  by 
another. 

We  should  use  our  utmost  effort  also  to  save  the  pulps  alive, 
for  the  roots  of  pulpless  teeth  do  not  absorb,  and  hence  interfere 
with  the  physiological  process  of  disposing  of  the  temporary 
teeth,  and  thus  hinder  the  free  eruption  of  the  permanent  ones. 
Dr.  Perry  speaks  of  destroying  the  pulps,  when  necessary,  in  the 
usual  way.  I  suppose  he  means  by  the  use  of  arsenic.  I  have 
always  considered  that  a  rather  dangerous  practice,  on  account  of 
the  large  apical  foramen  of  the  temporary  teeth  and  the  danger 
that  the  arsenic  may  go  beyond  the  limits  of  the  roots. 

Where  there  are  cavities  on  adjoining  proximal  surfaces  that 
are  broad  and  shallow,  and  sufficient  excavation  to  retain  each 
filling  separate  would  cause  pain  or  endanger  exposure  of  the 
pulp,  I  do  not  hesitate  to  fill  them  both  as  one  cavity.  In  this 
kind  of  a  filling  gutta-percha  is  perhaps  the  best  filling  material, 
on  account  of  its  elasticity. 

The  materials  most  suitable  for  filling  the  temporary  teeth 
are  those  most  easily  and  quickly  manipulated;  those,  of  course, 
are  the  plastics,  amalgam,  gutta-percha  and  the  oxyphosphates. 
Probably  I  have  made  a  mistake  in  not  including  tin ;  but  in  most 
cases  I  find  it  a  sufficient  tax  on  my  skill  to  get  the  cavities  filled 
with  one  of  the  plastics  before  they  are  flooded  with  saliva. 

Before  closing,  I  will  simply  refer  to  an  article  in  the  October, 
1891,  International  Dental  Journal,  by  Dr.  E.  A.  Stebbins,  on  the 
"Value  of  Argenti  Nitras  as  a  Therapeutic  Agent  in  Dentistry," 
in  which  he  records  excellent  results  from  the  use  of  this  agent. 
It  should  be  a  great  help  in  the  treatment  and  preservation  of  the 
temporary  teeth. 

RANDOM  THOUGHTS  AND  PICKINGS.* 

By  R.  B.  Cummins,  D.D.S. 

Few  of  us  reahze  the  wonderful  privilege  of  living,  the 
blessings  we  possess,  the  extent  to  which  we  can  make  our- 
selves what  we  wish  to  be.  We  can  own  the  Universe  if  we  de- 
sire and  the  first  thing  for  a  member  of  the  dental  profession  to 

*Rea(l  at  December.  1899.  niccling:  of  the  Odontological  Society  of 
Western  Pennsvlvania. 


196  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

do,  is  to  fall  in  love  with  his  work,  and  all  things  shall  be  added 
tmto  him. 

Who  ever  heard  of  an  artist  producing  a  great  picture  who 
did  not  fall  in  love  with  his  ideal,  who  did  not  dream  of  it  at 
night,  did  not  constantly  see  the  vision  during  his  waking 
hours,  did  not  return  again  and  again  to  his  canvas  each  time 
iinding  room  for  improvement,  adding  a  touch  here  and  there, 
working  with  tireless  zeal  to  reproduce  the  beauty  of  the  pic- 
ture photographed  on  his  brain  ? 

Walk  fast  and  the  crowd  will  make  way  for  you ;  but  in  or- 
der to  do  so  easily,  we  must  lay  aside  every  weight  and  habit 
that  hinders,  and  press  forward  toward  the  goal  which  will  make 
us  eminently  practical. 

One  of  the  most  favorable  signs  of  the  future  prosperity 
and  usefulness  of  this  society  is  to  see  the  large  number  of 
young  graduates  who  are  joining  its  ranks.  We  bespeak  for 
you  a  broad-minded  and  liberal  policy  that  will  always  keep  you 
active  and  useful  in  its  transactions.  To  isolate  one's  self  from 
the  profession  is  to  stop  growing  and  lead  a  dull  as  well  as  a 
selfish  life.  Our  duty  is  to  make  ourselves  useful  and  thus  our 
lives  interesting.  Duty  embraces  man's  whole  existence. 
Don't  be  too  sensitive.  Don't  harbor  thoughts  of  being 
slighted  and  imagine  the  honors  of  office  are  not  coming  your 
v^ay  often  enough.  Politics  and  ambition  will  always  be  assert- 
ing themselves.  Remember  that  some  are  more  suited  to  be 
leaders  than  others,  and  that  we  can  help  to  fill  our  society  with 
life,  energy  and  interest,  and  yet  keep  the  cares  and  responsi- 
bilities of  office  outside.  Every  one  must  conquer  himself; 
and  we  may  do  so,  if  we  take  conscience  for  our  ^uide  and  gen- 
eral.   No  one  really  fails  who  does  his  best. 

When  joining  this  society  you  virtually  said  that  you  would 
regularly  and  faithfully  attend  the  meetings  and  make  it  a  matter 
of  conscience  to  take  part  in  the  meetings.  Now  when  the 
executive  committee  asks  you  to  perform  some  duty,  do  it,  and 
Ijanish  the  thought  that  they  are  doing  it  to  honor  or  flatter 
you.  That  is  not  their  mission.  If  we  understand  the  duties  of 
those  who  secure  papers,  talks  and  clinics,  arrange  program 
and  secure  place  of  meeting,  it  is  not  an  easy  task  by  any  means. 
You  can  lighten  their  burden  greatly  by  promptly  doing  w^hat 
they  ask  you,  no  matter  what  your  ability  or  experience. 

We  must  not  be  discouraged  if  a  lucrative  practice  be  slow 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  197 

-in  coming,  nor  puffed  up  if  it  comes  quickly.  We  often  com- 
plain of  the  nature  of  things  when  the  fault  is  all  in  ourselves. 
The  practice  of  dentistry  is  made  up  of  small  things.  Great 
operations  without  looking  well  to  the  smallest  things  about 
them  means  ultimate  failure.  One  secret  of  success  is  to  do  our 
best  without  one  thought  of  becoming  famous.  There  is  no 
substitute  for  thorough-going,  ardent  and  sincere  earnestness 
in  practice.  Without  this  divine  spark  of  enthusiasm  a  practi- 
tioner will  never  realize  the  pleasure  and  profit  that  there 
is  in  a  practice.  Scarcely  any  of  us  have  lived  up  to  the  highest 
point  of  our  knowledge  and  ability,  and  if  we  stimulate  one  an- 
other to  do  that,  we  have  accomplished,  perhaps,  as  much  as  if 
we  had  presented  new  ideas. 

In  this  the  smokiest  city  that  ever  smoked,  you  can,  by 
reading  and  thinking,  enjoy  the  pleasure  of  the  country.  The 
poet  can  transport  you,  as  if  by  enchantment,  to  the  fresh  air 
and  bright  sun,  to  the  murmur  of  woods  and  leaves  and  water, 
to  the  ripple  of  waves  upon  the  sand,  and  enable  you,  as  in  some 
•delightful  dream,  to  cast  off  the  cares  and  troubles  of  life. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


THE  STORAGE  BATTERY  IN  THE  DENTAL  OFFICE.* 

By  G.  E.  Lob,  M.  E.,  Chicago,  III. 

The  storage  battery !  A  doubting  smile  will  cross  a  good 
many  dentists'  faces  when  they  hear  any  one  advocating  the 
use  of  such  cells  after  the  disappointment  it  has  caused  to  many 
of  them.  Leaking  jars,  burned  carpets,  broken  plates  and  lack 
of  current  just  at  the  instant  when  it  is  mostly  needed,  have  at 
times  exasperated  even  the  best  natured  operator  and  made  him 
go  back  to  his  old  foot  engine,  because  it  is  always  ready  for 
work  and  will  not  give  out  at  the  most  inopportune  moment. 
Nevertheless,  since  electricity  has  become  such  an  important 
factor  in  the  dental  office  and  its  use  being  bound  to  spread 
more  and  more,  so  that  even  the  practitioner  in  the  sinall 
country  town,  where  no  light  or  power  circuit  is  available,  wants 
to  use  it,  the  storage  battery  should  deserve  some  attention 
especially  since  its  form  has  been  improved  an<l  through  better 
knowledge  ways  have  been  devised  to  simplify  its  handling. 

^  Read  before  the  Chicago  Dental  Society. 


198  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Naturally,  men  handling  electric  machines  and  apparatus 
should  want  to  understand  the  construction  of  the  different  ap- 
paratus and  the  principles  of  their  working — the  "how  and 
why."  Having  this  knowledge,  success  depends  upon  watching 
and  doing,  or,  more  simply,  "know  how"  and  "do  it." 

Therefore,  a  brief  description  of  the  construction  of  the 
storage  cell,  or  accumulator,  and  the  principle  upon  which  it 
works,  will  be  in  order.  Electric  cells,  or  when  combined  in 
anv  number  so  as  to  form  a  single  source  called  electric  bat- 
teries, are  divided  in  two  great  classes: 

I.  Primary  batteries. 

II.  Secondary,  or  storage  batteries. 

Primary  batteries  are  generators  of  electricity  through  the 
chemical  action  which  takes  place  between  certain  different 
substances  when  brought  into  contact  with  each  other,  and  in- 
dependently from  any  outside  electric  current.  To  make  this 
plainer,  take  the  simplest  form  of  a  primary  cell,  a  glass  beaker 
filled  with  water,  to  which  has  been  added  a  certain  quantity  of 
sulphuric  acid,  into  which  a  strip  of  copper  and  one  of  zinc  has 
been  set,  and  connect  these  two  metal  strips  by  a  copper  wire. 
Immediately  a  strong  chemical  action  will  take  place,  showing 
an  electric  current  flowing  from  the  copper  strip  to  the  zinc 
through  the  conducting  wire.  The  chemical  action  is  as  fol- 
lows:  The  water  is  decomposed  into  hydrogen  and  oxygen. 
The  hydrogen  collecting  on  the  surface  of  the  copper  and  the 
oxygen  combining  with  the  zinc,  forming  oxide  of  zinc,  which 
then  combines  with  the  sulphuric  acid,  forming  sulphate  of  zinc. 
The  principal  seat  of  chemical  reaction  is  at  the  surface  of  the 
zinc,  which  is  consumed  by  oxidation,  while  the  copper  acts  as 
a  conductor  and  is  not  consumed.  Hence,  electric  movement 
is  from  higher  to  lower  potential,  and  the  same  law  applies  to 
the  energy  of  chemical  reaction,  in  common  with  other  forms 
of  physical  energy,  and  since  the  electrical  energy  of  the  cell 
is  found  to  be  strictly  proportionate  to  its  chemical  reaction, 
it  is  assumed  that  the  electric  current  originates  at  the  surface 
of  the  zinc  and  flows  through  the  fluid  to  the  copper. 

In  the  absence  of  external  connection  between  the  metal 
strips  it  is  evident  that  the  difference  of  electric  potential  would 
immediately  become  equalized  and  the  current  cease,  but  when 
they  are  connected  by  a  conductor  the  current  finds  an  outlet 
through  the  copper  and  flows  back  to  the  zinc  through  the  ex- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


199 


ternal  circuit;  chemical  action  is  thus  sustained  and  the  current 
becomes  continuous.  The  law  of  the  conservation  of  energy 
requires  the  expenditure  of  energy  in  one  form  as  a  condition 
of  the  production  of  the  same  amount  in  another  form.  Hence 
as  chemical  energy  is  the  only  energy  expended  in  the  battery 
the  natural  conclusion  is  that  it  is  the  source  of  the  electric 
energy  or  current  generated. 

Secondary  or  storage  batteries  are  not  generators  of  elec- 
tricity itself,  but,  as  their  name  indicates,  only  receptacles  of 
electric  energy,  which  is  carried  to  them  from  an  outside  gen- 
erator and  stored  in  the  cells  in  the  same  way  as  we  store  up 
solids  or  liquids  in  cans  or  bottles.  Thus  electricity  is  stored 
in  a  manner  which  is  impossible  with  any  other  power.  Whik 
stored,  the  energy  is  dormant,,  and  can  be  retained  for  long 
periods  with  very  little  loss. 

A  storage  cell  consists  of  three  principal  parts — the  plates, 
the  electrolyte  or  liquid  and  the  containing  jar  or  box.  The 
plates  are  divided  into  two  kinds,  positive  and  negative,  and  a 
set  or  group  of  these  is  commonly  known  as  an  element.  The 
element  is  placed  in  a  containing  jar  or  box,  which  is  then  lilled 
with  a  solution  or  electrolyte.  The  storage  of  energy  in  electric 
accumulators  is  accomplished  by  means  of  chemical  action,  pro- 
duced in  this  case  by  the  passage  of  an  electric  current  througli 
the  element  and  electrolyte.  The  lead  plates  which  form  the 
element  must  be  so  constructed  as  to  present  a  large  surface 
upon  which  the  chemical  action  may  take  place,  as  the  amount 
of  energy  which  can  be  stored  in  a  cell  depends  upon  the 
capability  of  the  plates  to  take  up  the  chemical  action.  This  is 
termed  the  capacity  of  a  cell. 

The  positive  plates  consist  of  lead  upon  which  a  coating  or 
covering  of  peroxide  of  lead  has  been  formed,  while  the  nega- 
tive plate  is  pure  lead,  the  surface  of  which  is  of  porous  or 
spongy  formation.  The  peroxide  of  lead  and  the  spongy  lead, 
respectively  are  the  portions  of  the  plates  which  are  subjected 
to  the  chemical  action,  and  are  consequently  called  the  active 
material.  The  electrolyte  used  with  all  storage  batteries  is  sul- 
phuric acid  diluted  with  water  in  the  proportion  of  one  part  oi 
acid  to  from  five  to  ten  parts  of  water,  according  to  the  type  of 
cell. 

The  positive  and  negative  plates  of  each  cell  are  arranged 
alternately  in  a  group,  all  the  plates  of  like  denomination  being 


200  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

connected  together  in  multiple.  Insulating  pieces  or  separators 
are  provided  to  keep  the  plates  apart,  so  that  when  they  are  con- 
nected respectively  to  the  positive  and  negative  poles  of  a 
source  of  electricity,  the  current  can  only  pass  from  one  to  the 
other  by  flowing  through  the  electrolyte. 

As  to  the  chemical  reaction  that  takes  place  in  a  storage 
cell  many  different  theories  have  been  advanced,  which  would 
be  too  long  to  enumerate  here.  Joseph  Appleton,  in  his  "Stor- 
age Battery  Engineering  Practice"  explains  it  in  the  most  con- 
cise and  simple  form,  by  saying:  'The  chemical  condition  of 
the  plates  and  electrolyte  differs  when  charged  and  discharged. 
When  the  cell  is  fully  charged  the  positive  plates  have  a  coating 
of  peroxide  of  lead,  the  negative  being  porous  or  spongy  lead 
as  described  before,  and  the  electrolyte  is  of  its  full  strength 
or  specific  gravity.  During  discharge,  that  is  when  the  positive 
and  negative  poles  of  a  cell  are  connected  through  an  external 
circuit,  an  E.  M.  F.  is  set  up  in  the  cell,  a  current  flowing  into 
the  circuit  from  the  positive  plate. 

The  chemical  action  which  takes  place  during  discharge 
is  as  follows :  The  sulphur  radical  in  the  electrolyte  enters  into 
combination  with  the  active  material  on  both  plates  forming 
sulphate  of  lead,  the  specific  gravity  of  the  electrolyte  being 
correspondingly  reduced.  When  all  the  active  material  has  been 
acted  upon  in  this  manner  the  cell  is  discharged,  for  an  equi- 
librium has  been  created  between  the  two  plates  and  the  electro- 
motive force  has  fallen  to  zero. 

When  a  cell  is  being  charged  the  chemical  action  is  reversed. 
The  current  enters  the  cell  at  the  positive  plate,  passing  through 
the  electrolyte  to  the  negative.  The  passage  of  the  current 
through  the  electrolyte  decomposes  it,  oxygen  and  hydrogen 
gas  being  given  off.  The  oxygen  is  given  off  at  the  positive 
plate  and  converts  the  sulphate  of  lead  into  peroxide  of  lead 
again,  the  sulphur  going  'back  into  the  electrolyte ;  the  hydrogen 
which  is  given  off  at  the  negative  plate  enters  into  combination 
with  the  sulphate  of  lead,  reducing  it  to  pure  lead,  the  sulphur 
returning  to  the  electrolyte  and  increasing  its  specific  gravity. 
This  action  restores  both  plates  and  electrolyte  to  the  original 
condition  of  full  charge.  If  the  charging  current  is  continued 
after  the  cell  is  fully  charged,  that  is  when  all  the  active  ma- 
terial has  been  converted  to  peroxide  of  lead  and  spongy  lead 
respectively,  no  further  effect  will  be  produced  except  to  decom- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  20 r 

pose  the  water,  the  resulting  gases  pass  off  through  the  water^ 
giving  it  a  milky  appearance.  This  indicates  that  the  cell  is  fully 
charged.  Continuing  the  charging  current  beyond  this  point, 
that  is  over-charging  the  cells  at  the  proper  rate,  does  no  harm 
to  the  plates,  but  the  energy  represented  by  the  current  is 
wasted. 

When  the  cell  has  been  properly  charged  the  positive  plate 
is  of  a  brown  or  deep  red  color, while  the  negative  is  a  slaty  gray. 
Naturally  the  chemical  action  can  take  place  only  at  a  certain 
rate,  depending  on  the  amount  of  active  material  and  the  con- 
struction of  the  plates.  If  it  is  attempted  to  give  to  or  take 
from  a  cell  too  much  current,  the  efidciency  and  durability  are 
affected. 

Generally  speaking,  there  are  two  distinct  methods  of 
preparing  the  active  material  of  storage  battery  plates.  One  of 
these  consists  in  applying  mechanically  some  material  to  the 
surface  or  exterior  of  a  lead  conducting  plate  or  grid,  which  is 
either  active  itself  or  can  be  converted  into  active  material  by 
a  process  of  electrical  or  chemical  formation ;  the  second  method 
consists  in  treating  or  forming  electrically  or  chemically  tiie 
surface  of  a  lead  plate,  which  has  been  designed  to  present  a  large 
area  to  the  electrolyte,  whereby  the  surface  is  converted  into  ac- 
tive material. 

The  first  method  is  commonly  known  as  the  pasted  type  of 
cell,  although  the  active  material  is  not  always  supplied  in  the 
form  of  paste.  The  second  method  is  known  as  the  Plante  type, 
so  called  because  Gustave  Plante,  a  French  electrician,  was  the 
first  to  utilize  practically  the  electrical  method  of  forming  the 
plates  without  the  use  of  applied  material. 

The  larger  proportion  of  storage  cells  now  in  use  are  of  the 
lead  accumulator  type  mentioned  so  far,  but  there  is  a  second 
class  of  storage  cells  made,  which  are  called  bimetallic  accunui- 
lators,  and  whose  elements  consist  of  two  different  metals,  the 
electrolyte  being  a  salt  of  one  of  the  metals.  The  principle 
upon  which  the  work  is  the  same  as  in  the  lead  cells. 

Naturally,  lead  accumulators  are  very  heavy,  and  this  being 
a  great  objection  to  their  use  in  certain  instances,  a  combination 
of  elements  of  less  weight  was  sought  for,  and  the  bimetallic 
cells  were  produced,  but  they  never  have  been  used  to  any  great 
extent.  The  electro-motive  force  in  them  is  somewhat  higher 
than  that  of  the  lead  accumulator,  but  owing  to  the  danger  of 


ao2  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

local  action  on  open  circuit  they  will  not  retain  their  charge  for 
more  than  a  few  days,  while  a  lead  accumulator  will  scarcely 
lose  twenty-five  per  cent  of  its  charge  in  as  many  months ;  be- 
sides,  the  tendency  of  reducing  the  weight  of  these  cells  must 
necessarily  weaken  their  construction,  and  on  this  account  their 
life  will  be  much  shorter.  About  two  years  ago  a  small  battery 
of  this  class  was  shown  at  the  different  dental  meetings  in  con- 
nection with  a  small  mouth  lamp,  and  special  stress  was  laid 
upon  its  high  electro-motive  force  and  its  small  weight.  The 
battery  has  disappeared  from  the  market,  and  those  who  invest- 
ed money  in  buying  it  have  probably  found  out  by  this  time  that 
the  whole  appliance  was  a  failure. 

It  will  be  seen  from  the  aforegiven  description  that  the  stor- 
age of  electrical  energy  is  entirely  different  from  the  storage 
of  any  other  form  of  energy.  A  quantity  of  electricity  cannot  be 
stored  or  accumulated  in  a  vessel  or  reservoir,  because  it  does 
not  exist  in  a  tangible  form.  We  are  able,  however,  to  make 
the  electric  current  perform  work  in  shape  of  chemical  action 
and  afterward  by  setting  up  certain  reactions  can  reproduce  the 
current  stored.  As  long  as  the  materials  used  are  free  from  im- 
purities and  the  chemical  action  is  continued  until  completed, 
there  is  practically  no  limit  to  the  time  which  may  elapse  be- 
tween the  storage  of  electricity  with  its  contingent  chemical 
action  and  the  reaction,  which,  practically  speaking,  sets  free 
again  the  electrical  current. 

Having  considered  the  principles  upon  which  the  storage 
of  electrical  energy  depends  and  noted  the  various  elements 
which  are  necessary  to  make  up  the  complete  cell  or  storage 
battery,  we  will  examine  its  application  with  special  reference 
to  dental  practice. 

The  first  and  most  common  application  of  the  storage  cell 
in  dental  offices  is  to  furnish  the  necessary  power  to  run  the 
dental  motor,  where  no  other  current  or  no  day  current  can  be 
obtained.  In  order  to  keep  the  number  of  cells  necessary  to 
produce  a  certain  amount  of  power,  required  for  this  kind  of 
work,  as  low  as  possible,  special  wound  motors  must  be  used, 
which  will  work  under  a  very  small  pressure.  The  unit  of  power 
in  all  electrical  problems  is  the  watt,  which  is  equal  to  the  volt- 
age of  electro-motive  force  multipHed  by  the  amperes  or  in- 
tensity of  current.  746  watts  represent  an  electrical  horse- 
power.    To  produce  such  a  horse-power,  or  any  fraction  of  it, 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  203 

it  will  not  make  any  difference  if  the  voltage  is  high  and  tiie 
amperage  low,  or  vice  versa.  93.25  watts  or  J  horse-power 
may  be  produced  by  a  current  of  no  volt  pressure  with  only 
0.85  amperes  or  by  4  volts  with  23.34  amperes,  or  any  other 
combination  giving  the  total  of  93.25  watts,  provided  a  motor 
can  be  constructed  whose  windings  will  be  able  to  carry  the  cur- 
rent and  in  the  same  time  offer  sufficient  resistence  to  the 
presure,  without  being  too  clumsy  in  appearance. 

Therefore,  the  resistance  and  carrying  capacitv  of  the  wire 
on  the  motor  are  the  main  points  to  be  considered.  Necessarily 
with  a  low  voltage  the  wire  must  have  a  large  cross  sectional 
area  in  order  to  carry  a  current  of  high  intensity  without  over- 
heating the  conductor,  but  as  such  a  heavy  wire  has  also  a  ^^ery 
low  resistance  and  quite  a  large  number  of  feet  will  be  required 
even  for  the  lowest  voltage,  practical  reasons  forbid  to  go  in  the 
construction  of  a  battery  motor  beyond  certain  limits.  Now  the 
question  arises,  what  power  is  actually  needed  to  run  a  dental 
engine?  I  know,  from  everyday  experience,  that  the  large  ma- 
jority of  dentists  are  laboring  under  a  very  wronq-  impression 
with  regard  to  this  point.  Their  judgment  being  based  on  the 
ratings  and  sizes  of  the  ordinary  motors  coming  under  their 
eyes,  most  of  them  think  that  about  one-fourth  horse-power 
would  be  needed  for  a  cord  outfit  and  laboratory  work  and  pe:- 
haps  one-eighth  horse-power  where  the  power  is  taken  direcch' 
from  the  armature  shaft.  The  reason  for  this  is,  that  nearly 
all  the  small  motors  on  the  market  are  highly  overrated  and 
when  it  comes  to  an  actual  test  the  power  developed  will  pro- 
duce only  fifty  per  cent  or  less  of  the  indicated  power.  If  the 
electrical  motor  is  properly  constructed  about  one-sixteenth 
horse-power  will  be  sufficient  for  cord  outfits  and  the  running 
of  a  lathe  head  and  one-fiftieth  horse-power  for  a  motor  con 
nected  directly  to  the  cable  and  handpiece.  Of  course  the  lat- 
ter form  will  be  the  most  preferred  where  a  storage  battery  has 
to  be  used,  as  being  the  most  economical  on  acct.unt  of  tlie 
smaller  number  of  cells  needed. 

The  next  application  of  the  storage  battery  in  dentistry 
is  to  furnish  light  and  heat,  and  in  both  cases  more  satisfactory 
results  are  obtained  than  from  any  other  source  of  electricity. 

The  small  mouth  lamp  or  the  somewhat  larger  mouth  illu- 
minator will  give  a  steadier  light  and  will  last  longer  than  when 
operated  from  an  incandescent  light  circuit  through  a  rheostat, 


204  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

or  from  primary  cells,  as  the  current  is  of  absolute  uniform  flow 
and  no  burning  out  of  the  lamps  and  going  down  of  the  light 
can  occur  through  variation  of  pressure. 

Heating  instruments,  such  as  root  driers  or  hot  air  syringes 
where  with  a  low  voltage  a  current  intensity  of  not  over  two  or 
three  amperes  is  required,  may  be  as  well  operated  from  the 
incandescent  light  current  through  a  rheostat  as  from  the  stor- 
age battery,  but  the  electro-cautery  where  with  the  low  pressure 
a  current  intensty  of  from  eight  to  twenty  or  more  amperes  is 
needed  no  rheostat  can  perform  this,  and  only  a  motor  genera- 
tor— a  quite  expensive  machine — or  the  storage  battery  will 
answer  the  purpose. 

Outside  of  the  before  mentioned  apparatus  and  instru- 
ments the  storage  battery  can  be  used  for  any  other  purpose 
where  the  electric  current  is  wanted,  provided  its  cost  is  not  too 
high  and  the  same  result  can  be  obtained  in  a  cheaper  way,  as 
for  instance  in  cataphoresis. 

.  The  efficiency  of  a  storage  battery  depends  to  a  great  ex- 
tent upon  the  proper  selection  of  the  cell,  best  suited  for  the 
work  required,  its  care  and  maintenance.  In  early  days  of 
storage  battery  work  this  was  ignored  and  many  of  the  failures 
which  have  been  recorded  are  traceable  to  this  account.  The 
general  practice  was  to  consider  a  storage  battery  simply  as  a 
piece  of  apparatus  to  store  up  electrical  energy  for  any  pur- 
pose, irrespective  of  the  character  of  the  work,  the  classification 
being  nothing  more  than  good,  bad  or  indifferent,  with  very  little 
of  the  first.  Modern  practice  has,  however,  changed  this  and  it 
is  at  last  understood  that  there  are  many  types  of  cells,  and  that 
a  cell  which  can  run  a  small  motor  need  not  of  necessity  be  the 
one  which  should  be  used  for  heavy  cautery  work  or  to  run  a 
large  motor. 

In  the  dental  office  the  selection  of  the  cell  depends  in  a 
large  measure  upon  the  way  it  can  be  charged.  Where  a  com- 
mercial current  is  available  which  can  be  brought  right  in  the 
office  and  the  charging  can  be  done  as  often  as  desired  a  cell 
of  fifty  ampere  hour  capacity  will  be  sufficient  for  small  motor 
work.  If  a  larger  lathe  motor  and  heating  instruments  are  used 
larger  cells  of  about  double  the  ampere  hour  capacity  will  be 
needed.  Usually  portable  batteries  in  covered  wooden  boxes 
are  preferred  on  account  of  their  neater  appearance,  but  from  a 
practical  point  of  view  the  open  glass  jar  is  by  far  the  better, 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  205 

because  its  contents  are  always  open  to  inspection  and  the  con- 
dition of  the  plates  and  electrolyte  can  be  watched. 

The  cells  should  be  placed  in  a  dry,  well  ventilated  place, 
not  too  near  any  heater  and  not  too  far — that  is  over  twenty 
feet — from  the  apparatus  operated  by  them  and  the  conducting 
wires  used  must  be  as  heavy  as  possible  to  reduce  their  resist- 
ance to  the  flow  of  current.  This  is  a  very  important  point  to  be 
observed,  as  many  batteries  which  did  not  furnish  sufficient 
current  to  give  the  motor  its  full  speed,  were  found  upon  in- 
spection to  be  placed  in  a  distant  cellar  or  laboratory  con- 
nected to  the  motor  with  ordinary  No.  16  or  No.  18  lamp  wire, 
while  when  this  was  replaced  by  No.  10  or  No.  12  wire  the 
motor  worked  perfectly. 

In  dental  practice  the  storage  battery  should  always  re- 
main in  its  original  place,  and  not  be  removed  at  all.  The  old 
method  of  sending  out  storage  cells  to  be  recharged  at  the  elec- 
tric Hght  station  or  any  other  electric  plant  is  impracticable  and 
in  most  cases  disastrous  to  the  jar  and  plates.  If  the  express- 
man handling  the  cells  does  not  break  them  on  his  way  to  the 
charging  place  the  local  electrician,  or  as  he  prefers  to  be  called 
the  expert  electrician,  in  a  large  majority  of  cases,  especially 
in  small  towns,  has  very  little,  if  any  knowledge  of  the  charging 
of  storage  cells,  and  either  by  reversing  the  poles  or  by  sending 
too  strong  a  current  through  them,  will  destroy  a  battery  that 
with  proper  care  and  attention  probably  would  have  done  good 
service  for  several  years. 

For  the  above  reason  storage  batteries  should  be  charged 
right  in  the  place  where  they  stand,  and  the  charging  current 
brought  to  them,  so  that  it  can  be  done  without  their  removal. 
This  brings  us  to  the  question  which  current  is  suitable  for 
charging  storage  cells  and  how  it  is  to  be  done.  Only  a  direct 
continuous  current  can  be  used  for  this  purpose,  such  as  fur- 
nished from  a  direct  incandescent  or  arc  light  circuit,  from  a 
small  dynamo,  a  primary  battery  or  a  thermo  generator. 

No  charging  can  be  done  from  alternating  currents.  In 
charging  an  accumulator  only  a  small  part  of  the  E.  M.  F.  re- 
quired to  force  the  current  through  the  cell  is  expended  in 
overcoming  the  resistance  of  the  plates  and  electrolyte;  the  re- 
mainder is  expended  in  overcoming  the  E.  M.  F.  of  the  chemical 
action  of  the  cell.  It  follows  then  that  if  the  applied  E.  M.  F. 
be  just  equal  to  the  E.  M.  F.  of  the  cell  no  current  will  flow,  so 


2o6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

that  the  E.  M.  F.  of  the  cell  itself  may  be  considered  as  a 
counter  E.  M.  F.  opposing  that  of  the  charging  current — in 
other  words  the  E.  M.  F.  of  the  charging  current  should  be 
about  twice  as  high  as  that  of  the  cells  to  be  charged.  On  the 
other  hand  the  amount  of  current  charged  per  hour  should  not 
exceed  what  is  called  the  normal  charging  rate,  and  which 
differs  according  to  the  size  of  cells.  The  normal  rate  of  charge 
for  small  accumulators  is  about  ten  hours,  and  if  the  cell  has  a 
capacity  of  fifty  ampere  hours  not  more  than  five  amperes 
should  be  charged,  or  ten  amperes  for  a  lOO  ampere  hour  cell. 
Thus  in  using  a  direct  incandescent  light  circuit  its  voltage  must 
be  cut  down  by  interposing  the  proper  resistance  in  order  to 
bring  the  current  to  the  normal  rate.  This  can  be  done  either 
by  a  rheostat  or  by  a  bank  of  incandescent  lamps  connected 
in  parallel,  in  series  with  the  main  circuit.  Every  sixteen  C.  P. 
lamp  will  allow  about  one-half  ampere  of  current  to  flow  and  ten 
such  lamps  connected  in  parallel  will  furnish  a  charging  current 
of  five  amperes.  Of  course  there  is  no  harm  in  charging  at  a 
lower  rate  than  the  normal,  if  the  great  number  of  lamps  should 
be  any  objection  to  the  operator,  or  to  use  fewer  lamps  of 
higher  candle  power. 

With  the  arc  light  circuit,  where  the  arc  lights  are  con- 
nected in  series  with  the  main  line  and  only  a  fixed  amount  of 
current  is  flowing  no  special  resistance  is  needed,  as  the  storage 
battery  is  simply  connected  in  series  with  the  line  the  same  as 
all  the  arc  lamps. 

In  case  the  current  on  such  a  line  should  be  hi  excess  of 
the  normal  charging  rate,  which  would  be  damaging  to  the 
plates,  the  battery  should  be  connected  in  multiple;  that  is,  all 
its  positive  plates  to  one  end  of  the  line  and  all  its  negative 
plates  to  the  other  end.  Thus  the  large  current  is  divided 
through  the  battery  and  each  cell  instead  of  receiving  the  full 
amount  of  current  will  only  receive  its  pro  rata. 

Very  few  dentists  will  ever  use  small  dynamos  to  charge 
their  storage  cells  with,  as  the  first  outlay  for  such  an  equip- 
ment is  quite  expensive  and  requires  a  good  deal  of  attention. 

To  charge  accumulators  from  primary  cells,  where  no  com- 
mercial current  is  available,  is  perhaps  one  of  the  simplest  and 
also  cheapest  ways  of  doing.  Only  primary  cells,  which  will  be 
able  to  deliver  a  steady  continuous  current  for  any  length  of 
time  can  be  used  for  this  purpose,  and  among  them  the  so-called 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  207 

gravity  cell  in  its  different  forms  is  the  best.  This  cell  will  de- 
liver a  very  steady  current  of  a  low  intensity  as  long  as  the 
chemical  action  is  kept  going,  and  therefore  it  can  be  left  con- 
nected permanently  to  the  storage  battery.  All  the  attention 
needed  is  the  replacing  of  the  absorbed  copper  sulphate  about 
once  a  month  and  of  the  zincs  about  every  six  or  eight  months 
according  to  the  type  of  cell  used.  When  white  salts  begin  to 
creep  out  on  top  of  the  cells  this  is  a  sign  that  the  solution  is 
oversaturated  with  zinc  sulphate  and  part  of  it  should  be  taken 
out  from  the  top  of  the  cell,  without  disturbing  the  solution 
too  much,  and  be  replaced  by  clean  water.  If  these  points  arc 
carefully  observed  the  primary  battery  will  furnish  a  very  satis- 
factory charging  medium,  which  renders  the  dentist  absolutely 
independent  from  the  exactions  of  electric  companies,  especially 
in  small  towns. 

The  gravity  cells  deliver  a  current  of  about  three-eighths 
ampere,  and  when  connected  permanently  to  the  storage  battery 
will  charge  about  nine  ampere  hours  in  twenty-four  hours'  time. 
If  this  should  not  be  sufficient  for  the  work  to  be  done,  another 
series  of  primary  cells  of  the  required  voltage  can  be  added, 
which  will  double  the  amount  of  current  charged. 

The  use  of  thermo-generators  in  connection  with  the  stor- 
age battery  is  comparatively  new  in  this  country,  although  they 
have  been  used  quite  successfully  in  Europe  for  this  purpose  for 
the  last  ten  or  twelve  years  As  the  name  indicates,  in  such  ap- 
paratus the  current  is  generated  by  heat,  the  instrument  con- 
sisting of  a  large  number  of  thermo-electrical  pairs  (strips  of 
two  metals  of  different  coeflicint  of  expansion  and  electric 
affinity),  connected  together  in  series  in  such  a  way  as  to  ex- 
pose the  inside  or  half  of  all  the  joints  to  heat,  while  the  other 
half  or  outside  is  kept  cool.  Thus  by  the  difference  of  tem- 
perature between  the  two  joints  of  each  pair  a  small  electro- 
motive force  is  generated,  which  will  increase  with  the  ninnber 
of  pairs  or  elements  connected  together.  Owing  to  the  very 
small  E.  M.  F.  generated  at  each  joint  and  the  high  internal 
resistance,  quite  a  large  number  of  pairs  will  be  required  to  pro- 
duce pressure  sufficiently  strong  to  charge  three  or  four  storage 
cells.  Naturally  the  cost  of  such  thermo-generators  will  be 
high  and  their  use  limited  to  small  batteries.  On  the  other 
hand,  the  electric  mallet,  mouth  lamp  and  even  a  small  fan  motor 
may  be  operated  successfnlly  direct  from  the  apparatus,  while 


2o8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

the  amount  of  current  flowing  will  not  be  strong  enough  to 
drive  a  power  motor  direct,  and  the  accumulation  of  current 
in  the  storage  battery  needed. 

In  charging  a  battery  the  following  point  should  be 
watched:  Special  care  must  be  taken  that  the  polarity  of  the 
charging  current  is  right.  The  positive  pole  of  the  battery  must 
always  be  connected  with  the  positive  pole  of  the  charging 
source.  The  voltage  required  to  charge  should  be  at  least  fifty 
per  cent,  higher  than  the  combined  voltage  of  all  the  cells 
in  the  battery,  assuming  for  each  cell  an  E.  M.  F.  of  two  volts. 

The  rate  of  charge  should  be  preferably  kept  at  normal 
or  under,  as  continuous  charging  at  a  higher  rate  than  the 
normal  will  damage  the  plates. 

In  dental  practice  discharging  until  complete  exhaustion 
is  not  advisable.  Repeated  recharging  only  for  a  few  hours 
every  few  days  will  keep  the  battery  in  much  better  condition 
and  preserve  the  plates  much  longer  than  a  complete  discharge 
and  then  a  recharge.  Besides,  the  operator  being  hable  to  for- 
get that  this  battery  is  exhausted  will  let  it  stand  so  for  a  length 
of  time  and  the  plates  will  soon  become  seriously  injured.  A 
long  series  of  tests  has  shown  that  the  continuous  discharging 
of  storage  cells  below  one  and  nine-tenths  volts  is  liable  to 
produce  sulphating  of  the  plates ;  and  the  nature  of  the  chemical 
action  being  changed,  it  also  leads  to  the  distortion  of  the 
positive  plate,  which  is  known  as  ''buckling." 

As  the  plates  are  located  very  close  together  in  the  cells  to 
reduce  the  internal  resistance,  buckling  is  hable  to  cause  die 
plates  to  touch,  thus  short-circuiting  the  cell. 

The  plates  should  always  be  completely  immersed  in  the 
■electrolyte.  Evaporation  will  cause  the  electrolyte  to  fall  below 
the  level  of  the  plates;  this  is  detrimental  and  must  be  compen- 
sated for  by  the  addition  of  water,  as  it  is  only  the  water  which 
evaporates,  the  acid  remaining  in  the  solution.  When  adding 
water  to  a  cell  to  make  up  for  this  evaporation  it  should  be  put 
into  the  cell  through  a  hose  or  funnel  reaching  to  the  bottom, 
otherwise  the  water  being  lighter  than  the  acid  will  remain  in 
a  layer  on  the  top. 

With  a  good  modern  storage  battery  very  few  troubles  are 
liable  to  occur,  provided  proper  attention  is  given  to  keep  the 
regulation  of  the  charge  and  discharge  within  proper  limits  and 
if  the  cells  are  properly  supplied  with  electrolyte.     The  only 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  209 

thing  likely  to  happen  and  cause  trouble  is  the  formation  of  short 
circuit  between  the  plates,  causing  the  cell  to  discharge  through 
itself.  The  short  circuit  may  occur  either  in  the  cells  through 
the  scaling  or  peeling  of  the  active  material,  the  pieces  which 
become  detached  lodging  between  the  positive  and  negative 
plates,  or  in  the  apparatus  operated  from  the  battery. 

As  soon  as  it  is  noticed  that  the  battery  will  not  hold  its 
charge  it  should  be  immediately  examined  for  short  circuits. 
The  best  way  to  do  this  is  to  probe  between  the  plates  with  a 
thin  piece  of  hard  rubber,  thus  removing  any  material  which 
may  have  formed  a  connection  between  the  plates.  If  this  will 
not  stop  the  trouble  and  the  electrolyte  is  covering  the  plates 
entirely,  in  most  of  the  cases  the  short  circuit  will  be  found  in 
the  apparatus.  One  or  two  charges  and  discharges  will  soon 
bring  the  cells  back  to  their  original  condition. 

To  sum  up  what  has  been  said  before,  all  there  is  needed  to 
keep  a  storage  battery  in  good  condition,  is  a  proper  installa- 
tion, a  judicious  charging  with  due  consideration  for  the  amount 
of  the  current  taken  out  and  a  careful  maintenance  of  the  cells. 

The  storage  battery  of  to-day  is  a  practical  and  mechanical 
piece  of  apparatus.  Engineers  have  come  to  the  assistance  of 
the  chemist,  the  result  being  a  well  designed  and  constructed 
apparatus,  free  from  the  weak  points  which  were  inherent  in  all 
early  types  of  cells  and  which  necessitated  the  constant  attention 
of  a  skilled  doctor  or  nurse.  Dental  Reviciv. 


THE  ANESTHETIC  PROPERTIES  OF  NIRVANIN. 
By  Charles  A.  Elsberg,  M.D, 

In  analyzing  some  of  the  products  obtained  in  the  synthetic 
formation  of  orthoform,  Einhorn  and  Heinz  discovered  and 
described  a  new  substance,  which  they  called  nirvanin,  and  for 
which  they  claimed  anaesthetic  properties.  This  substance  is  a 
white  salt  that  has  no  odor,  a  strong  bitter  taste,  and  is  very  solu- 
ble in  water.  Luxenberger  studied  its  effects  on  animals  and  on 
the  human  subject,  and  concluded  that  nirvanin  was  a  very  good 
local  anaesthetic.  According  to  Luxenberger,  nirvanin  is  ten 
times  less  poisonous  than  cocain;  it  acts  as  an  antiseptic  in  a  one 
per  cent,  solution;  it  is  very  stable. 


2IO  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

In  order  to  determine  the  niaximnni  amount  of  this  sub- 
stance that  can  be  used  with  safety  in  the  human  subject,  I  in- 
jected different  quantities  of  a  ten  per  cent,  solution  of  nirvanin, 
dissolved  in  four  per  cent,  saline  solution,  under  the  skin  of  six 
rabbits. 

The  animals  with  slight  symptoms  of  poisoning  showed  signs 
of  weakness  in  their  limbs  ten  to  twenty  minutes  after  the  injec- 
tion. The  animal  lay  on  its  belly,  its  whole  body  trembling.  These 
symptoms  disappeared  after  one  to  two  hours. 

In  the  rabbits  in  which  symptoms  of  severe  poisoning  ap- 
peared, these  came  on  ten  to  twenty  minutes  after  the  injection. 
The  animal  seemed  to  be  very  weak;  it  lay  on  its  abdomen,  un- 
able to  support  itself  on  its  limbs,  which  continually  slipped  out 
from  under  its  body.  The  hind  legs  were  especially  affected,  and 
sometimes  they  seemed  to  be  partially  paralyzed.  The  animals 
trembled  violently  whenever -they  were  disturbed,  and  this  was 
often  follow^ed  by  general  convulsions.  After  these  attacks  the 
ar^imal  sometimes  rolled  on  its  side  as  if  too  weak  to  support 
itself.  Respiration  and  pulse  were  very  rapid.  After  three  to 
twelve  hours  the  animals  seemed  to  have  fully  recovered.  None 
of  them  died. 

As  a  result  of  these  experiments,  it  would  appear  that  0.22 
gram  of  nirvanin  is  the  toxic  dose  for  every  kilogram  of  rabbit. 
As  0.02  gram  of  cocain  is  the  poisonous  dose  for  a  corresponding 
weight  of  animal,  it  follows  that  nirvanin  is  ten  times  less  poison- 
ous than  cocain.  Luxenberger  arrived  at  the  same  result.  Ten 
times  as  much  of  nirvanin  as  of  cocain  can  therefore  be  used  in 
the  human  subject.  The  poisonous  dose  of  nirvanin  is  therefore 
0.5  gram,  as  compared  with  0.05  gram  of  cocain. 

Regarding  the  antiseptic  properties  of  nirvanin,  I  must  quote 
briefly  from  the  work  of  Luxenberger.  I  have  kept  solutions  of 
various  strengths  (one,  two,  five,  ten  per  cent.)  for  several  months, 
and  although  the  bottles  containing  them  were  frequently  opened 
and  portions  of  the  contents  removed,  the  solutions  remained 
clear.  Luxenberger  added  two,  three  and  four  per  cent,  of  nir- 
vanin to  culture  tubes  of  peptone-gelatin  which  had  been  in- 
fected with  bacillus  pyocyaneus  and  with  staphylococcus  albus 
and  citreus.  In  one-half  per  cent,  solutions  bacillus  pyocyaneus 
grew  luxuriantly,  but  the  staphylococci  grew  poorly. 

A  half  per  cent,  solution  still  contained  live  bacilli  at  the 
end  of  thirty-six  hours.     A  one  per  cent,  solution  became  sterile 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  211 

in  twelve  hours.  A  two  per  cent,  solution  became  sterile  in  six 
hours.  A  three  per  cent,  solution  became  sterile  in  three  hours. 
A  four  per  cent,  solution  became  sterile  in  three  hours. 

Luxenberger  concluded  that  one  can  keep  a  one  per  cent, 
or  twO'  per  cent,  solution  of  nirvanin  in  stock,  and  it  will  remain 
sterile. 

The  solution  deteriorates  very  slowly  when  boiled.  Thus  I 
boiled  a  one  per  cent,  solution  for  five  minutes — anaesthesia  lasted 
twenty-one  minutes.  It  was  boiled  twice  for  five  minutes,  at  in- 
tervals of  twenty-four  hours — anaesthesia  lasted  twenty-two  min- 
utes. It  was  boiled  three  times  for  five  minutes,  at  intervals  of 
twenty-four  hours — anaesthesia  lasted  twenty-one  minutes.  It 
was  boiled  four  times  for  five  minutes,  at  intervals  of  twenty-four 
hours — anaesthesia  lasted  twenty-one  minutes.  It  was  boiled  five 
times  for  five  minutes,  at  intervals  of  twenty-four  hours — anaes- 
thesia lasted  twenty  minutes.  It  was  boiled  six  times  for  five 
minutes,  at  intervals  of  twenty-four  hours — anaesthesia  lasted 
seventeen  minutes.  It  is  desirable  to  keep  a  one  per  cent,  and  a 
ten  per  cent,  solution  in  stock,  and  to  dilute  one  of  these  with  0.4 
per  cent,  saline  solution  before  using.  In  general,  the  i  to  500 
solution  should  be  used.  Of  this,  five  times  as  much  can  be  used 
as  of  Schleich's  solution  No.  2.  The  anaesthesia  is  immediate, 
comes  on  painlessly,  and  lasts  for  from  fifteen  to  forty  minutes. 
In  incising  abscesses,  carbuncles  and  other  such  painful  affec- 
tions, the  one  per  cent,  solution  should  be  used,  of  which  as  much 
can  be  used  as  of  Schleich's  No.  2. 

In  an  experience  extending  over  eight  months,  I  have  never 
seen  a  case  of  poisoning  from  this  substance. 

The  technique  of  infiltration  with  nirvanin  differs  in  no  man- 
ner from  that  with  Schleich's  solution.  The  anaesthesia  is  limited 
strictly  to  the  infiltrated  area.  Outside  of  this  area  there  is  a 
narrow  zone  of  hyperalgesia  and  outside  this  normal  sensation. 
This  necessitates  a  scrupulous  adherence  to  the  rule  which  holds 
good  for  all  operations  in  infiltrated  tissues — i.  r.,  never  to  cut 
beyond  the  infiltrated  area.  It  is  generally  possible,  and  always 
advisable,  tO'  infiltrate  the  entire  field  of  operation  from  the  sur- 
face toi  the  depth  before  making  the  first  incision.  It  is  much 
more  difBcult  to  infiltrate  tissues  where  there  is  already  an  open 
wound,  as  considerable  of  the  fluid  will  then  escape.  The  best 
procedure  is  that  of  Mikulicz.  He  first  makes  a  scries  of  wheals 
in  the  skin,  pushing  the  needle  along  as  each  wheal  is  formed; 


2  12  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

then  the  needle  is  drawn  out  ahnost  to  its  end,  then  pushed  some- 
Avhat  deeper,  and  then  pushed  forward  as  before.  This  is  re- 
peated as  often  as  necessary. 

In  the  painful  affections,  such  as  abscesses,  furuncles,  and 
the  like,  one  must  begin  tO'  infiltrate  in  the  healthy  tissues,  and 
gradually  approach  the  inflamed  areas.  Even  with  the  utmost 
care,  the  ansesthetization  of  these  areas  is  often  painful  on  account 
of  the  increase  of  tension  caused  by  the  injection.  Schleich 
recommended  that  the  tension  should  first  be  relieved  by  empty- 
ing the  abscess  through  a  small  incision.  But  even  a  small  inci- 
sion may  interfere  with  the  success  of  the  infiltration,  by  allowing 
some  of  the  infiltrating  solution  to  escape.  In  operating  on  ab- 
scesses, I  have  recently  proceeded  in  the  following  manner:  A 
small  wheal  is  made  in  the  healthy  tissue  in  the  neighborhood 
of  the  abscess,  with  a  syringe  containing  a  small  quantity  of 
nirvanin  solution ;  the  needle  is  then  pushed  forward,  and  another 
wheal  is  made  in  the  depth;  through  the  area  thus  infiltrated  the 
needle  is  pushed  intO'  the  abscess  cavity  and  some  of  the  pus 
aspirated;  the  needle  is  then  withdrawn  and  another  needle  in- 
serted^ and  with  another  syringe  the  infiltration  is  then  pro- 
ceeded with.  The  first  needle  puncture  is  so  small  that  none  of 
the  infiltrating  fluid  will  escape  through  it.  In  this  manner  I 
have  opened  many  abscesses  painlessly  with  one  per  cent,  nir- 
vanin solution. 

A  large  field  for  infiltration  anaesthesia  lies  in  the  possibility 
of  removing  new  growths  by  its  means.  For  this  purpose  i  to 
I, GOO  or  I  tO'  500  solution  of  nirvanin  was  generally  used.  Fibro- 
mata, lipomata,  enlarged  glands,  ganglia,  etc.,  were  successfully 
extirpated;  foreign  bodies  were  found  and  removed  with  ease. 
By  means  of  the  i  to  500  solution  injected  beneath  the  periosteum, 
sequestra  were  painlessly  removed  from  the  bones  of  the  hand, 
the  foot  and  the  fore-arm.  Amputation  and  exarticulation  of  the 
fingers  were  done  without  trouble.  Teeth  were  drawn  without 
pain  by  means  of  injections  of  two  per  cent,  solution.  I  gen- 
erally hesitate  before  making  use  of  infiltration  anaesthesia  in  the 
mouth.  Cases  of  severe  infections  after  infiltration  of  the  tongue 
or  of  the  mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth  have  been  reported, 
"where  bacteria  must  have  been  forced  into  the  deeper  tissues  by 
the  injection.  Mikulicz  had  a  case  of  severe  glossitis  after  the 
removal  of  a  small  tumor  of  the  tongue  under  Schleich's  solution, 
•and  others  have  reported  similar  cases. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  213 

Nirvanin  has  no  irritating  effect  upon  the  tissues,  and  never 
interfered,  in  my  cases,  with  healing-  by  primary  union. 

Wherever  there  are  contraindications  to*  the  use  of  the  in- 
filtration method,  such  as  extensive  inflammatory  affections, 
malignant  new  growths  of  large  size  with  ill-defined  limits,  etc., 
there  obviously  nirvanin  will  also  be  contraindicated. 

In  conclusion,  I  may  be  permitted  to  sum  up  my  results  in 
the  following: 

1.  Nirvanin  has  distinct  and  valuable  anaesthetic  properties 
when  injected  intO'  the  tissues  according  to  the  infiltration  method. 

2.  Nirvanin  is  ten  times  less  poisonous  than  cocain,  and 
more  than  three  times  less  poisonous  than  eucain. 

3.  It  has  distinct  antiseptic  properties;  a  solution  of  one  per 
cent,  or  more  can  be  kept  as  a  stock  solution,  and  will  remain 
sterile. 

4.  It  is  a  stable  compound,  and  can  be  boiled  a  number  of 
times  without  diminishing  tO'  any  degree  its  anaesthetic  properties. 

New  York  Med.  Jour. 


THE  THERAPEUTIC  USE  OF  WATER. 

By  George  P.  Sprague,  M.D. 

To  use  water  scientifically,  its  physiological  action  in  health 
and  disease  must  be  studied  as  have  those  of  all  others  of  our 
standard  remedies.  This  has  been  largely  done  by  such  men  as 
Winternitz,  Brand,  Erb,  Vogl,  Liebermeister,  and  others  in  Ger- 
many, and  Baruch  in  the  United  States,  and  many  men  through- 
out the  world  are  now  testing,  weighing,  counting  and  measur- 
ing the  results  of  the  use  of  water  in  disease.  In  doing  this,  too, 
they  are  bringing  forth  new  physiologic  data  which  compels  us 
to  alter  some  of  our  most  important  preconceived  ideas  on  such 
matters  as  the  causes  of  heart-failure,  the  importance  of  reflex 
action,  and  the  manner  of  heat-regulation.  We  sometimes  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  skin  (through  whose  20  square  feet  of 
surface  we  secure  the  benefits  of  hydrotherapy)  is  really  an 
enormous  gland  richly  endowed  with  nerves,  secreting  and  ex- 
creting organs,  and  a  network  of  bloodvessels  which  can  contain 
at  one  time  about  35  per  cent,  of  the  entire  blood-supply  of  the 
body.    The  nerves  which  supply  the  skin  are  composed  of  medu- 


214  DE'STAL  niilEF. 

lated  and  nonniedulatcd  fibres,  the  functions  of  sensation,  secre- 
tion, and  heat-reg-ulation  reciuiring  a  large  supply  of  nerves  from 
both  the  sympathetic  and  cerebrospinal  systems.    The  function 
of    sensation    requires  a  most    complex  system  of    nerves  of 
general  sense,  nerves  of  tactile  sense  and  the  specialized  nerves 
of  the  latter  group  for  the  appreciation  of  heat  and  cold.     In 
the  words  of  Baruch,  "the  cutaneous  nerve-endings  stand  guard, 
as  it  were,  over  most  of  the  functions  of  the  human  body ;  they 
are  constantly  exposed  to  irritation  by  heat  and  cold,  which  they 
convey  to  the  vasomotor,  respiratory  and  cardiac  centers,  and 
to  the  muscles,  in  order    to    arouse    them,  by  reflex    action, 
such  a  degree  of    enervation  as  may   be  required   to   ward   off 
any  damaging   influence    that    may    approach    from    without." 
When  these  nerve-endings  convey  their  message  to  the  cardiac 
center  the  heart  is  strengthened  and  slowed.    When  they  affect 
the  center  for  respiration,  breathing  is  slowed  and  deepened.  In 
securing  vasomotor  action  the  skin  may  be  emptied  of  its  blood, 
or  its  vessel  so  relaxed,  that  more  than  one-third  of  the  total 
volume  of  blood  may  be  within  it  according  to  the  wish  of  the 
physician.     The  anatomies  and  physiologies  of  even  ten  years 
ago  contain  a  strangely  vague  and  brief  account  of  the  sympa- 
thetic nerves,  and  of  reflex  action;  but  we  have  progressed  since 
then  so  that  we  now  know  that  the  proper  application  of  water 
to  the  skin  restores  the  heart  when  digitaHs  and  strychnia  will 
not;  expands  the  lungs  and  increases  the  chest-measurements 
when  exercise  and  tonics  fail ;  brings  color  to  the  cheeks  of  the 
chlorotic  girl  more  rapidly  than  does  ferrous  carbonate,  and  that 
it  will  often  check  the  advance  of  phthisis  after  drugs  and  cli- 
mate have  been  used  in  vain.    These  are  broad  claims,  but  they 
have  been  amply  substantiated,  and  we  know  why  they  are  facts. 
We  have  been  taught  that  the  terminal  arteries  have  no  in- 
herent  power   to    change   their    own    calibers,    but    Professor 
Woods  Hutchinson,  in  the  Boston  Medical  and  Surgical  Journal, 
defends  the  claim  that  the  bloodvessels  have  a  rhythmic  contrac- 
tion and  expansion  of  their  own,  in  addition  to  the  contraction 
caused  by  action  of  the  vasomotor  nerves  and  the  relaxation 
caused  by  drugs,  heat,  etc.     This  theory  certainly  seems  more 
reasonable  than  that  all  blood-propulsion  depends  on  the  heart 
alone;  it  also  accounts,  as  no  other  theory  does,  for  the  circula- 
tory phenomena  noted  in  the  hydriatric  procedures.    He  gives  to 
this  the  expressive  name  of  the  ''skin-heart."'     Romberg  and 


ABHTRAGTS  AND  SELECTION.^.  215 

Paessler,  German  investigators,  found  that  the  failing  heart  hO 
justly  dreaded  in  febrile  conditions,  is  not  really  changed  in  ics 
muscular  quahty,  but  that  the  lack  of  tone  in  the  peripheral  ves- 
sels due  to  vasomotor  paralysis  is  the  real  cause  of  its  weakness. 
Restore  this  tone,  the  heart  is  better  filled  and  regains  its  force. 
Hare,  in  the  Therapeutic  Gazette,  illustrates  this  by  compar- 
ing the  heart  with  vasomotor  relaxation  to  a  locomotive  on  a 
slippery  track ;  th  e  rapidity   of  its   action   racks   the   heart   as 
the  revolving  wheels  do  the  engine ;  giving  digitalis  makes  it 
worse,  as  does  feeding  the  fire  of  the  engine  increase  the  strain 
on  it.    But  give  the  heart  the  normal  vasomotor  resistance  fpul 
sand  on  the  track),  and  a  slower,  stronger  action  is  the  resuit. 
Bearing  in  mind  that  all  increase  of  function  is  dependent  on 
increased  blood-supply,  and  that  increased  circulation  of  blood 
results  from  a  slow  heart  beating  strongly,  in  connection  with  a 
heightened  vascular  tension,  and  we  see  theoretically,  as  we  find 
in  practice,  that  the  lungs  absorb  more  oxygen,  that  the  kidneys 
secrete  more  urine  with  an  increased  percentage  of  toxic  solids, 
that  intestinal  peristalsis  is  increased,  and  that  the  skin  itself  be- 
comes more  active  as  the  result  of  hydrotherapy.     This  briefly 
covers   the  more  important   physiologic   factors    in    the  use  of 
water,  though    many    scarcely    less    important    points  must  ot 
necessity  in  this    brief   paper   be    left    untouched. — PhiladdpJiia 
Medical  Journal. 


SALIVARY  CALCULUS   FROM   THE  SUBMAXH.LARY 

GLAND. 

By  S.  //.  Dessau,  M.D. 

There  has  recently  occurred  in  my  practice  a  case  of  un- 
usual interest  to  me  from  the  fact  that  it  was  the  first  one  of  the 
kind  that  has  ever  come  under  my  observation. 

A  young  woman,  twenty  years  of  age.  had  complained  f')r 
three  days  of  pain  upon  movement  of  the  ton!:;uc  and  jaws,  and 
of  a  swelling  underneath  the  tongue  on  the  left  side,  (^n  ex- 
amination I  found  a  lymph  node,  enlarged,  tender,  and  movable, 
in  the  left  submaxillary  region.  A  portion  of  the  sublingual 
gland  of  the  same  side  was  also  swollen,  and  there  was  a  decayed 
molar  tooth  in  the  lower  jaw  on  that  side.  Xo  digital  cxaniina 
tion  of  the  mouth  was  made.    The  patient  had  had  a  mild  attack 


2i6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

of  influenza  during-  the  previous  week  and  it  was  thought  that 
some  infective  process  had  been  hghted  up  in  the  root  of  the  de- 
cayed tooth. 

The  following  day  the  inflammatory  process  had  progressed, 
causing  increased  enlargement  of  the  sublingual  gland,  the  sur- 
face of  which  was  excoriated.  There  was  also  increased  swell- 
ing with  tenderness  of  the  submaxillary  lymph  node  and  indura- 
tion of  the  floor  of  the  mouth.  There  was  a  free  flow  of  saliva. 
The  speech  was  thick,  and  there  was  inability  to  open  the  mouth 
to  any  extent.  Temperature  was  loi  degrees  F.  The  condition 
suggested  some  slight  suspicion  of  Ludwig's  angina. 

Suppuration,  with  spontaneous  rupture  of  the  ranula,  oc- 
curred the  same  night  and  a  calculus  was  passed  from  Wharton's 
duct.  The  calculus  was  eleven-sixteenths  of  an  inch  long  and 
two-sixteenths  of  an  inch  thick  at  the  central  portion,  tapering 
to  a  rounded  point  at  either  end.  A  fine  probe  passed  five  days 
later  showed  the  duct  free  from  further  calculi.  It  is  needless 
to  say  the  patient  promptly  recovered  from  her  unpleasant 
symptoms. — Medical  News. 


THE  BOER  AND  HIS  DENTIST. 

A  correspondent  who  has  lived  many  years  in  South  Africa, 
sends  us  the  following: — 

The  Boer  is  a  constant  sufferer  from  two  ills — these  are  in- 
digestion and  toothache,  and  the  one  is  the  outcome  of  the 
other.  He  endures  the  indigestion  with  comparative  cheerful- 
ness; his  father  and  mother  had  it  before  him,  and  why  should 
he  not  have  it  also?  But  when  the  toothache  arrives  and  gets  in 
its  fine  work,  his  philosophy  vanishes,  and  he  incontinently 
caves  in;  and  this  is  w^here  the  "traveling  dentist"  comes  in. 
It  is  a  peculiarity  of  the  Transvaal  that  most  professions  and 
trades  have  their  exponents  who  travel  from  one  end  of  the 
country  to  the  other  offering  their  services  to  all  who  may  re- 
quire them,  and  in  this  category  the  dentist  takes  a  prominent 
part.  The  men  who  follow  this  calling  embrace  in  their  ranks 
representatives  of  all  classes  of  industry ;  many  of  them  have  at 
times  served  in  Her  Majesty's  forces — none  of  them  have  any 
right  to  ally  themselves  with  the  profession ;  but  the  Boer  asks 
no  questions,  and  so  this  little  discrepancy  does  not  matter. 
These  men  travel  round  the  country  districts,  as  a  rule,  mounted 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  217 

on  some  ill-fed,  weedy  horse.  Their  stock-in-trade  consists  of 
some  pairs  of  forceps,  a  stock  of  remedies,  and  an  abnormal 
amount  of  what  our  American  cousins  denominate  "push." 
They  travel  from  farm  to  farm  until  their  services  are  required. 
When  a  Boer  gets  the  toothache  everyone  in  the  neighborhood 
knows  of  it.  The  news  is  generally  carried  round  by  the  Kaffir 
or  Hottentot  servants  who  have  sought  safety  in  flight,  for  on 
such  occasions  the  Boer  invariably  reheves  his  feelings  by 
knocking  smoke  out  of  everything  black  that  comes  within  his 
reach.  The  dentist  will  be  told  that  Oom  Jantze,  who  lives  be- 
hind the  little  red  kopje,  has  got  a  toothache  and  his  Kaffirs 
have  run  away.  On  the  receipt  of  this  news  the  professor  of  the 
healing  art  will  inquire  the  way,  and  set  off  post  haste  to  relieve 
the  afflicted  one.  On  his  arrival  at  the  farm  he  is  welcomed 
by  the  rest  of  the  family,  and  terms  are  arranged.  This  will 
take  some  time  because  there  are  no  standing  fees,  and  each 
side  would  endeavor  to  get  the  best  of  the  bargain.  The  victim 
himself  will  often  join  in  the  discussion  and  try  to  lower  the 
price  by  saying,  "It's  a  small  one,  and  the  pain  is  getting  better. 
Perhaps  I  need  not  have  it  taken  out."  This  talk,  however,  is 
always  recognized  as  mere  padding  by  the  dentist  and  little  no- 
tice is  taken  of  it.  After  the  bargain  is  struck  the  operator  ex- 
tracts the  tooth  (some  of  these  men  are  fairly  skilful),  and  the 
money  will  be  paid  over.  The  dentist's  work  is  not  over,  how- 
ever, when  he  has  pulled  out  the  offendng  molar  and  handed  it 
to  the  sufferer.  He  now  unpacks  his  wallet  and  produces  his 
stock  of  remedies,  and  dilates  on  the  fearfully  infectious  nature 
of  toothache.  "You  will  all  have  it,"  he  will  cheerfully  remark, 
"everyone  of  you.  You  (pointing  to  the  vrow)  will  be  lying 
in  that  chair  shrieking  with  pain  before  this  day  week.  You 
(turning  to  the  daughter)  will  have  your  face  swollen  to  the 
size  of  a  rotten  pumpkin  in  three  days'  time  unless  you  take 
something  to  drive  it  away;"  and  then  he  will  produce  the  one 
infallible  remedy,  and  as  a  rule  prevails  on  every  adult  mem- 
ber of  the  family  to  lay  in  a  supply.  If  the  day  is  still  young 
the  dentist  will  continue  his  journey;  if  it  is  verging  towards 
evening  he  remains  at  the  farm  for  the  night,  a  hospitality  which 
is  always  freely  accorded.  One  advantage  of  this  migratory  hie 
is  that  a  man  can  live  free  of  cost,  because  the  Boer  will  not 
accept  pay  for  entertaining  a  traveler.  He  will,  however, 
charge  for  any   supplies  the  horse  receives,  and  this  accounts 


21 8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

for  the  usual  well-fed  condition  of  the  man,  and  the  air  of  starva- 
tion which  invariably  hangs  over  his  steed.  Some  of  these 
men  have  regular  beats  which  they  visit  from  time  to  time  and 
where  they  are  well  known.  They  are  a  jovial,  happy-go-lucky 
crew.  They  make  money  easily  at  times  and  spend  it  equally 
freely.  When  "things  are  bad"  they  philosophically  incline  to 
the  old  saying  that  the  sun  cannot  shine  every  day,  and  hope  for 
better  luck  on  the  morrow.  There  is  not  much  doing  in  this 
particular  line  to-day,  but  they  will  turn  up  smiling  again  when 
the  war  is  over. — The  Medical  Record. 


DOES  GOLD  GROW? 

Strange  stories  are  being  told  of  the  manner  in  which  Colo- 
rado and  California  mines  are  renewing  their  youth,  and  science 
has  ceased  to  laugh  and  begun  to  investigate.  The  rafters  of 
old  shafts  have  been  discovered  coated  with  the  yellow  metal, 
and  there  are  those  who  find  in  this  a  proof  that  gold  is  not  an 
element,  and  that  some  day  soon  gold,  silver  and  platinum  will 
be  found  fundamentally  identical,  and  their  artificial  manufac- 
ture permanently  assured. 

Henry  G.  Hawkes,  the  United  States  mineral  commissioner 
for  the  Paris  Exposition  of  1878,  says :  'Tt  is  possible,  although 
I  will  not  say  it  is  probable,  that  gold  may  be  at  any  time  deter- 
mined to  be  a  compound  of  two  or  more  elements,  and  that  the 
process  of  reuniting  such  elements  may  be  discovered  in  turn, 
realizing  the  dreams  of  the  ancient  alchemists.  On  the  other 
hand,  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  gold  is  in  the  process  of 
manufacture,  or,  to  speak  more  correctly,  in  nature's  laboratory 
it  is  all  the  while  being  put  in  place.  In  certain  abandoned 
mines  in  Australia,  in  which  operations  have  been  resumed  after 
a  considerable  term  of  years,  not  only  have  rock  deposits  been 
found  to  have  become  enriched  during  the  period  of  inaction, 
but  old  beams  and  timbers  were  impregnated  with  gold." 

A.  S.  Cooper,  California  State  Mineralogist,  goes  even 
farther:  "We  know  that  gold  accumulates  from  solutions  and 
is  thereby  left  in  rock-veins.  In  other  words,  these  solutions 
rise  in  fissures  in  the  rocks,  and  the  other  elements  disappear 
or  are  decomposed,  leaving  the  gold  behind,  sometimes  in  actual 
crystals. 


i 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  219 

''Certainly  I  admit  that  gold  may  prove  to  be  a  combination 
of  elements  rather  than  the  simple  element  it  has  hitherto  been 
supposed  to  be.  For  that  matter  I  am  ready  to  admit  that  gold 
and  all  other  elements  may  yet  prove  to  be  one  and  the  same — 
different  forms  of  hydrogen,  perhaps,  which  possesses  the  light- 
est atomic  weight  of  all  known  substances,  and  may  therefore  be 
logically  supposed  to  be  caffable  of  being  converted  into  the 
greatest  variety  of  forms  and  substances  through  strictly  me- 
chanical metamorphoses,  along  lines  in  which  men  of  science 
are  now  studying  and  experimenting." 

Louis  Falkenau,  one  of  the  best  known  assayers  in  the 
country,  says  that  he  admits  not  only  the  possibility  that  gold 
may  grow,  but  also  the  probability  that  it  is  not  a  simple  ele- 
ment, while  Henry  S.  Darden,  Secretary  of  the  California  State 
Mining  Bureau,  adds:  ''Gold  not  only  grows,  but  it  is  being 
deposited  in  California  to-day  by  the  hot  solfatarras  at  Sulphur 
Creek,  in  Colusa  County,  where  any  one  who  pleases  may  see  it. 
It  occurs  with  cinnabar,  free  sulphur  and  bitumen,  a  combina- 
tion which  probably  has  not  a  parallel  elsewhere.  I  have  seen 
cinnabar  brought  down  from  there  with  crystals  of  gold  im- 
bedded in  it.  The  gold  is  deposited  on  the  outside  of  silicious 
rocks,  in  the  form  of  crystals,  and  is  plainly  formed  by  the 
evaporation  of  aqueous  deposits.  We  have  specimens  in  the 
State  Museum." 


PHYSIQUE  OF  THE  BOERS. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  Boers  have  displayed  much 
greater  prowess  and  power  as  men  of  war  than  was  ever  antici- 
pated. With  but  few  exceptions,  the  Boers  live  in  the  open 
country.  Indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  the  ambition  of  the  Boer 
is  to  be  surrounded  by  so  vast  a  tract  of  land  that  he  cannot 
see  the  dwelling  of  his  nearest  neighbor.  Then  his  occupations 
are  outdoor  occupations.  He  must  ride  enormous  distances  to 
go  to  church,  to  do  his  shopping,  to  fetch  a  medical  man,  or  to 
pay  a  visit.  For  his  food  supply  he  depends  to  some  extent  on 
hunting,  and  here  we  have  again  a  health-giving  occupation,  to 
say  nothing  of  the  incidental  fact  that  this  familiarizes  him  with 
the  use  of  a  gun  and  enables  him  to  become  an  excellent  marks- 
man. But,  over  and  above  all  these  considerations,  there  is  the 
all-important  fact  that  he  is  exempt  from  the  health-wearing 


220  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

trials  alike  of  wcallh  and  of  poverty.  Neither  surfeited  by  lux- 
urious living  nor  starved  for  want  of  the  necessaries  of  exist- 
ence, the  Boer  leads  a  life  of  true  temperance  free  from  over- 
indulgence and  from  the  excess  of  abstinence. 

But  what  in  the  long  run  often  proves  more  fatal  than, 
for  instance,  too  much  or  too  little  food,  is  the  terrible  strain  on 
the  nervous  system  due  to  the  want  of  leisure,  the  want  of  free- 
dom from  anxiety  caused  by  our  overwrought  civilization  and 
the  acuteness  of  the  struggle  for  existence.  The  Boer  mind  is 
not  torn  and  harassed  by  the  ambitious  hope  of  wealth  or  the 
constant  dread  of  bankruptcy,  of  poverty,  debt,  and  starvation. 
His  is  an  easy-going  life.  He  feels  quite  safe  as  to  the  morrow's 
existence.  His  land  is  not  over-populated,  but  under-populated. 
There  is  plenty  of  room  for  him  and  his  family,  however  numer- 
ous. He  has  no  fear  of  the  bailifif  or  of  the  debtors'  court.  He 
does  not  tremble  at  the  thought  that  he  may  be  discharged 
from  his  employment  or  that  the  formation  of  some  big  trust 
or-  syndicate  may  ruin  his  business.  He  has  but  little  ex- 
perience of  the  luxuries  and  the  extravagant  modes  of  living 
prevalent  in  our  Western  civilization ;  he  knows  nothing  either 
of  our  sordid  poverty,  of  our  overcrowdmg,  and  of  all  the  in- 
salubrious and  degrading  conditions  bred  of  niisery  that  accom- 
pany and  put  to  shame  our  wealth.  It  would  not  be  possible  lo 
find  a  ''submerged  tenth"  among  the  Boers.  Therefore  the 
Boers  are  free  from  those  nerve  disorders  that  so  largely  con- 
tribute to  destroy  the  health  of  the  populations  in  the  great 
commercial  centres. 

In  so  far  as  they  are  of  Dutch  descent,  the  Boers  should 
be  small.  The  French  blood  which  is  mingled  with  that  of  the 
Dutch  would  not  tend  very  considerably  to  increase  the  height 
of  the  Boer.  The  French,  though  taller  than  the  Dutch,  are  not 
so  tall  as  the  EngHsh.  Yet  the  Boers  of  to-day  are  taller, 
stronger,  and  possess  a  more  powerful  physique  than  the  Eng- 
lish. It  is  quite  a  common  occurrence  to  meet  a  Boer  six  feet 
six  inches  in  height.  Indeed,  it  has  been  said  that  the  average 
height  of  the  Boer  is  six  feet  two  inches.  This  is  undoubtedly 
a  gross  exaggeration,  but  that  such  an  exaggeration  is  possible 
tends  to  show  how  striking  is  the  impression  made  by  the  tall 
stature  of  the  Boers.  All  travellers  bear  witness  to  their  mag- 
nificent physque,  especially  those  who  have  been  among  the  real 
Boers,  that  is  to  say,  those  who  live  in  the  rural  districts  well 


I 


\ 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  221 

away  from  the  railway  lines.  The  Boer  who  has  taken ^to  town 
life  and  acquired  town  vices  may  degenerate  like  other  people, 
but  this  is  not  of  frequent  occurrence.  Even  those  who  do  live 
in  towns  often  preserve  their  primitive  and  snnple  methods  of 
existence.  President  Kruger  himself  is  a  good  example.  He 
still  keeps  up  the  pastoral  habit  of  going  to  bed  at  eight  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  and  he  is  up  by  five  o'clock  in  the  morning. 

But  apart  from  the  flesh  and  bone,  tlie  big,  strong  frames, 
and  the  hard  muscles  developed  by  the  healthy,  constant  out- 
door exercise,  the  Boers  have  practical  freedom  from  the 
diseases  due  to  alcoholism  and  vice.  They  are  not  total  ab- 
stainers, but  they  are  remarkably  sober,  and  drunkenness  is  rare 
among  them.  Equally  important  from  the  health  point  of  vievv^ 
is  the  fact  that  the  Boer  is  essentially  a  moral  man.  Indeed, 
even  were  it  otherwise,  his  isolated  life  in  far-ofit  farms  offers 
no  opportunities  for  contracting  the  diseases  connected  witii 
vice.  On  the  other  hand,  how  often  are  British  soldiers  pun- 
ished for  drunkenness  and  invalided  through  venereal  disease. 
Not  only  is  almost  every  Boer  physically  fit  to  take  the  field 
and  fight  for  his  country,  but  he  is  a  stronger,  healthier,  and 
bigger  man  than  even  those  who  have  been  selected  by  medical 
examination  as  fit  to  serve  in  the  British  army.  If  the  entire 
male  population  of  our  country,  without  any  sort  of  selection, 
from  the  age  of  fourteen  to  sixty  years,  w;ere  made  to  stand 
forth  they  would  present  a  sorry  spectacle  as  compared  witii  a 
similar  crowd  of  Boers.  Let  any  one,  for  instance,  take  his 
stand  in  a  crowded  street  in  the  centre  of  Glasgow  and  note 
how  many  men  will  pass  him  whose  backs  are  straight,  who  have 
expanded  chests  and  healthy  complexions.  Again,  in  Lanca- 
shire, let  the  observer  note  the  dwarfed  figures  and  pallid  faces 
of  the  thousands  of  factory  women  as  they  leave  the  mills.  And 
London,  with  its  west-end  slums,  festering  under  the  shadow 
of  neighboring  mansions,  and  its  boundless  stretch  of  east-end 
misery,  what  sort  of  army  would  this  huge  metropolis  produce 
if  every  male  inhabitant  were  called  under  arms?  In  dealing 
with  the  sanitary  aspect  of  the  question  it  would  be  most  mis- 
leading to  compare  the  British  army  with  the  Boers.  The  Brit- 
ish army  is  an  infinite  minority  of  the  British  nation,  and  is  com- 
posed of  men  specially  selected  for  their  physique.  With  the 
Boers  it  is  the  entire  nation  that  has  risen  to  fight  against  us ; 
and  the  fact  that  primarily  interests  sanitarians  is  that  there  has 


222  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

been  no-selection  among*  the  Boers,  for  all,  practically  speaking, 
are  physically  fit.  Surely  there  is  something-  in  this  marvellous 
fact  to  give  us  pause  and  to  make  us  think  seriously  as  to 
whether  we  are  doing  all  we  can  to  ensure  that  our  people  shall 
possess  and  preserve  those  physical  qualities  without  Vv^hich  our 
empire  cannot  be  maintained. 

The  moral  is  very  simple.  The  efforts  of  legislation  and  of 
philanthropy  should  be  directed  first  to  endeavor  to  get  as  large 
a  section  of  the  population  as  posible  back  on  to  the  land. 
Secondly,  we  should  strive  to  make  town  life  as  similar  to 
country  life  as  is  possible.  Therefore,  our  streets  should  be  as 
broad  and  our  houses  surrounded  with  as  much  open  space  as 
circumstances  will  admit.  All  accumulations  of  filth  which  cor- 
rupt the  atmosphere  of  towns  should  be  removed  with  the  ut- 
most celerity,  and  means  of  comunication  should  be  so  multi- 
plied and  reduced  in  cost  as  to  enable  townsfolk  to  enjoy  the 
maximum  of  exercise  in  the  open  country.  If  we  must  fight  for 
our  empire  such  measures  are  indispensable. — The  Lancet. 


DO  ANIMALS  FEEL  PAIN  LESS  THAN  MEN? 

What  we  call  an  ''ear  for  music"  is  almost  an  added  sense  in 
some  people  as  compared  with  others.  Even  in  animals  of  rela- 
tively high  intelligence,  such  as  dogs  and  monkeys,  there  seems 
to  be  reason  to  think  that  their  perception  of  pain  is  much  less 
acute  than  in  humans.  After  serious  operations  under  chloro- 
form they  are  often  frisking  about  a  few  minutes  after  recover- 
ing consciousness,  and  even  jumping  from  the  floor  on  to 
the  operating-table  in  a  way  that  forbids  the  notion  that  they  are 
in  suffering.  In  all  animals  the  skin  is  possibly  less  sensi- 
tive than  the  human  skin.  It  is  covered  with  insensitive  hair, 
and  though  no  doubt  more  sensitive  than  any  other  part  of  the 
body,  it  is  presumably  on  quite  a  'different  plane  of  sensitive- 
ness from  the  human  skin.  In  human  beings  the  sensitiveness 
of  the  internal  organs  is  very  small  compared  to  that  of  the  skin. 
Examples  of  this  are  familiar  to  every  one.  While  in  health,  no 
one  knows  anything  of  his  "inside;"  he  has  no  sensations  from  it. 
Even  disease  of  a  very  serious  kind  can,  and  often  does,  go  on 
for  years  in  the  internal  organs  without  causing  any  sensation. 

The  nerves  of  the  internal  organs  are  much  more  concerned 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  223 

with  regulating  functions  and  controlling  the  size  of  the  blood- 
vessels than  with  the  conveyance  of  sensory  impressions  to  the 
brain.  Life  would,  in  fact,  be  unbearable  if  the  functions  of 
animal  life  in  a  norrrfal  state  caused  sensation;  and  they  would 
cause  it  if  the  organs  were  richly  supplied  with  sensory  nerves. 
Every  surgeon  knows,  for  example,  that  the  human  intestine  is, 
when  its  muscular  coat  is  at  rest,  almost  as  insensitive  as  the  hair 
or  nails.  In  the  operation  of  opening  the  intestine,  often  required 
in  the  presence  of  malignant  disease,  the  cut  in  the  skin  and  the 
business  of  fixing  the  gut  to  the  skin  would  be  very  painful,  and 
deep  anaesthesia  is  required.  Two  days  later,  when  the  gut  in  its 
new  position  has  to  be  opened,  the  patient  is  told  to  shut  his  eyes, 
and  he  feels  nothing;  he  does  not  even  wince  while  a  wound 
nearly  two  inches  long  is  made  in  the  intestinal  wall  with  either 
knife  or  hot  iron.  This  has  been  proved  by  hundreds  of  cases, 
and  certainly  it  is  not  to  be  explained  as  due  tO'  stoicism  on  the 
part  of  the  patient.  Other  important  operations  have  been  done 
without  anaesthesia,  except  for  the  skin  cut,  and  without  giving 
rise  to  a  suffering  at  all  of  a  severe  kind.  It  is  most  improbable 
that  even  the  highest  of  the  lower  ainmals  would  feel  pain  where 
man  feels  none.  On  the  contrary,  from  their  smaller  brain  de- 
velopment they  probably  are  less  sensitive  than  man. 

Edinburgh  Rcviczu. 


ORAL  BACTERIA. 

Mr.  Kenneth  W.  Goadby,  L.D.S.,  has  found  and  isolated 
from  the  mouth  an  organism  belonging  to  a  species  not  hereto- 
fore described  as  inhabiting  the  buccal  cavity;  that  is,  a  clad- 
othrix,  which,  moreover,  is  fairly  constant  in  healthy  as  well  as 
unhealthy  conditions  of  the  mouth;  it  has  well  marked  characters, 
and  is  extremely  pleomorphic.  It  may  be  cultivated  upon  the 
ordinary  laboratory  media.  He  suggests  the  name  cladothrix 
buccalis.  He  has  worked  out  still  further  a  considerable  number 
of  microorganisms  which  are  found  fairly  constantly  in  the  mouth, 
and  which  have  a  distinct  relation  to  dental  caries.  Two  of  these 
organisms  have  been  found  pathogenic  for  guinea-pigs.  (Spril- 
lum  sputugenum,  B.  maximus  buccalis.)  He  has  also  isolated 
from  dental  caries,  after  observing  the  usual  precautions,  two  or- 
ganisms that  are  of  constant  occurrence:  (a)  Streptococcus  brevis 
of  Lingelsheim;  (b)  B.  necrodentalis  (Goadby),  an  organism  with 


224 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


cultural  and  inorphological  characters,  which  are  different  from 
other  known  organisms.  He  has  also  isolated  from  the  mouth 
certain  organisms  which  are  liquefiers  of  blood  serum,  and  which 
are  able  to  liquefy  entirely  decalcified  tooth  cartilage.  He  has 
also  found  that  in  the  process  of  dental  decay  the  deep  organisms 
are  for  the  most  part  anaerobic,  but  facultative  aerobic  and  also 
for  the  most  part  acid  producers;  the  surface  organisms  are  often 
liquefiers  (aerobic),  rarely  acid  producers,  from  which  it  follows 
that  the  process  of  dental  caries  is  originated  by  acid-forming 
organisms,  which  are  capable  of  anaerobic  existence,  and  that 
the  solution  of  the  lime  salt  allows  the  liquefying  organisms  to 
complete  the  destruction  of  the  tooth. 

British  Medical  Journal. 


THE  EFFECT  OF  COLORED  LIGHT  ON  THE 
NERVOUS  SYSTEM. 

It  has  long  been  claimed  that  colored  light  has  a  special  effect 
on  men  and  the  lower  animals.  It  has  been  asserted  by  some 
that  the  lower  animals  grow  more  rapidly  in  violet  than  in  white 
light.  On  the  other  hand,  Flammarion  has  found  that  silkworms 
grow  least  rapidly  in  the  violet  rays.  Experiments  on  the  nervous 
system  are  in  better  accord.  They  show,  according  to  Henri  de 
Parville,  writing  in  La  Nature,  Paris,  that  the  red  end  of  the 
spectrum  is  exciting  to  the  nerves,  while  violet,  blue  and  green 
are  calming.  It  is  well  known  that  turkeys  and  bulls  are  excited 
by  red;  on  the  other  hand,  blue  glasses  are  often  used  to  quiet 
horses.  In  the  photographic  establishment  of  the  Messrs.  Lu- 
miere,  in  Lyons,  France,  sensitive  plates  are  prepared  in  a  large 
room  by  green  light.  Formerly,  when  red  light  was  used,  the 
workmen  always  sang  or  gesticulated  at  their  work.  Now  they 
are  calm,  never  speak,  and  assert  that  they  are  much  less  tired  in 
the  evening  than  they  were  previously.  Every  sufferer  from 
nerves  knows  that  a  gloomy  day  affects  him  unfavorably,  while 
the  first  ray  of  sunshine  makes  him  gay  again.  It  has  been  sug- 
gested that  the  green  of  vegetation^  the  blue  of  the  sky,  and  the 
blue-green  of  the  ocean  may  thus  have  a  powerful  influence  in 
calming  the  spirits.  Parville,  however,  cautions  his  readers 
against  too  sweeping  conclusions.  All  that  we  can  say  is  that 
colors  certainly  appear  to  affect  the  organism,  and  that  the  sub- 
ject will  bear  further  investigation.  Public  Opinion. 


I 


ABSTiiACTS  AND   SELECTIONS.  225 

THE  NUMBER  MANIA. 

''The  'number  mania/  as  it  is  called,  is  very  easy  to  acquire. 
Roughly  stated,  it  is  an  impulse  to  perform  certain  trivial  acts 
a  certain  number  of  times,  coupled  with  an  indefinable  feeling 
that  some  calamity  will  occur  unless  the  impulse  is  obeyed.  For 
instance,  a  man  may  have  a  morbid  prompting-  to  touch  the 
knob  of  his  bedroom  door  four  times  before  he  retires  or  to 
touch  the  end  of  his  penholder  twice  every  time  he  lays  it  down. 

"Lots  of  people  have  the  number  mania  in  the  most  gro- 
tesque forms  all  their  lives  and  are  in  every  other  respect  per- 
fectly sane.  Emile  Zola  is  probably  the  best  known  example, 
and  his  case  is  frequently  referred  to  in  medical  prints.  There 
are  a  number  of  articles  about  his  house  that  he  must  touch  iust 
so  many  times  every  day;  if  he  doesn't  he  declares  he  is  op- 
pressed with  an  intolerable  foreboding,  a  vague,  haunting  sense 
of  impending  calamity.  Zola  is  well  aware  that  all  this  is  merely 
a  morbid  condition  of  the  nerves  and  laughs  about  it  to  his 
friends,  but  he  goes  through  the  ceremony  of  touching,  never- 
theless, as  the  shortest  way  to  get  rid  of  the  obsession. 

"I  know  a  man  who  can't  sleep  unless  he  taps  half-dozen 
different  toilet  articles  onhis  dresser  with  the  tip  of  his  right  fore- 
finger. No  other  finger  will  do,  and  this  individual,  by  the  way, 
is  the  hard-headed,  intensely  practical  manager  of  one  of  the 
biggest  business  concerns  in  town.  Another  gentleman 'of  my 
acquaintance  feels  himself  obliged  to  press  his  thumbs  togethci 
three  times  whenever  he  goes  out  of  doors.  Most  people  who 
have  the  mania  suppose  they  are  the  only  folks  in  the  world 
affiicted  with  that  particular  type  of  crankiness,  and  keep  it  a 
profound  secret.  When  they  find  out  that  'there  are  others,' 
as  the  phrase  goes,  they  are  invariably  surprised  and  delighted. 
Misery  loves  company." — N'ezv  Orleans  T'nucs-Dcniocrat. 


i$i$i$t$r€$$ 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 

PUBI^ISHED   MONTHI.Y. 


WILBUR   F.    LITCH,    M.D,,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


The  Didactic  Lecture. 
One  of  the  most  significant  features  of  modern  social  life  is 
the  enforced  submission  of  all  the  varied  phases  of  human  effort 
to  the  one  supreme  test  of  practicality  as  measured  by  results. 
Especially  is  this  true  of  educational  systems  and  methods ;  cul- 
ture for  culture's  sake,  once  the  aspiration  of  the  many,  is  now 
the  aim  of  but  the  few.  Scholarship  for  the  vast  mass  of  stu- 
dents of  to-day  is  but  the  acquisition  of  the  tools  of  a  trade — of 
knowledge  which  is  purposeful,  skill  which  is  masterful.  Those 
great  seats  of  classical  training  whose  studies  Bacon  said  were 
for  delight  and  ornament  as  well  as  for  use  have  become  work- 
shops in  which  study  should  be  a  delight  and  may  be  an  orna- 
ment, but  must  be  useful. 

Such  changes  in  the  needs  and  aims  of  the  scholar  have  en- 
forced corresponding  changes  in  the  methods  of  the  teacher. 
Pedagogy  has  become  a  science  whose  purpose  is  the  imparting 
of  knowledge  by  whatever  methods  are  most  direct  and  by  what- 
ever agencies  are  most  effective. 

One  obvious  result  is  the  greatly  diminished  importance 
attached  to  the  didactic  lecture  in  all  scientific  courses  of  in- 
struction. Professor  Butler,  Dean  of  the  School  of  Philosophy 
at  Columbia  University,  says  on  this  subject: 

The  lecture  system  has  been  imitated  in  this  country  from 

the  German  universities,  where  it  has,  in  many  instances,  been 

for  years  an  object  not  only  of  criticism  but  of  reproach.     The 

use  of  the  lecture  as  a  means  of  conveying  information  already 

226 


EDITORIAL.  227- 

printed  or  easily  accessible  in  printed  form  can  hardly  be  de- 
fended. It  lacks  all  of  tbe  essential  elements  of  good  teaching, 
and  is,  in  addition,  a  serious  waste  of  time.  The  real  function  of 
the  university  lecture  is  to  interpret  facts  already  accessible 
to  the  student  through  text  book,  book  of  reference,  or 
printed  syllabiis.  In  addition  to  these  aids  it  is  becoming  more 
and  more  advisable  to  connect  with  the  lecture  the  systematic 
quiz,  by  trained  assistants,  of  students  either  singly  or  in  groups. 
In  this  way  the  lecture  becomes  an  instrument  of  h^.gh  educa- 
tional value.  Without  these  aids,  it  is,  at  its  best,  a  very  imper- 
fect instrument  and  one  which  yields  every  year,  judged  from 
the  student's  point  of  view,  more  and  more  unsatisfactory 
results. 

The  old  recitation  system,  for  many  years  familiar  to  stu- 
dents and  teachers  in  American  colleges,  had  m.erits  peculiar  to 
itself  which  should  not  be  overlooked  because  of  its  obvious  de- 
ficiencies. It  is  not  unlikely  that  the  best  university  teaching 
of  the  future  will,  through  dependence  upon  text-books,  a  sylla- 
bus, and  the  systematic  quiz  by  assistants,  work  out  a  method 
of  its  own  which  will  combine  the  advantages  of  the  old  class 
recitation  with  those  of  an  interpretative  lecture  by  an  inspiring 
master  of  his  subject. 

This  is  a  forcible  and  at  the  same  time  a  conservative  state- 
ment regarding  the  question  at  issue.  Doctor  Huntington, 
Professor  of  Anatomy  at  Columbia,  declares  that  in  that  school 
"object  teaching  has  replaced  theory,"  and  that  demonstrations^ 
and  those  to  small  numbers  of  students,  so  that  personal  atten- 
tion can  be  given  to  each  one,  are  the  key  notes  of  the  modern 
method  of  teaching  anatomy.  Professor  Porter,  Associate  Pro- 
fessor of  Physiology  at  Harvard  University,  states  that  there 
"very  little  room  is  left  for  the  didactic  lecture,  practically  none 
for  the  lecture  as  a  lecture,  but  only  as  a  preparation  for  experi- 
ments or  sometimes  as  a  historical  resume  of  the  subject." 

Similar  quotations  from  other  sources  might  be  indefinitely 
multiplied,  but  those  given  indicate  with  sufficient  clearness  the 
present  trend  of  thought  in  educational  circles. 

As  regards  dental  pedagogy  the  fact  is  pretty  generally 
recognized  that  much  time  has  been  wasted  in  making  lectures 
upon  subjects  which  can  only  be  really  taught  in  detail  at  the 
work  bench  or  operating  chair;  for  while  something  can  be  ac- 
complished by  verbal  description,   aided   by  drawings,   models 


228  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

and  diagrams,  in  giving  a  general  idea  of  the  technique  of 
manipulative  procedures,  such  methods  can  by  no  means  secure 
actual  technical  skill  in  creative  work. 

Even  in  the  so-called  theoretical  branches  the  more  close, 
personal  and  individual  instruction  can  be  made  the  better  for 
the  student  as  well  as  for  the  teacher.  There  is,  of  course,  much 
necessary  information  v^hich  can  be  communicated  quite  as  well 
to  a  reasonably  large  number  of  students  as  to  an  individual  or 
a  small  group,  in  which  case  it  would  certainly  be  a  bad  economy 
of  the  teacher's  time  and  energy  not  to  avail  himself  of  the  less 
laborious  and  less  time-consuming  method.  A  lecture  does  not 
necessarily  cease  to  be  a  lecture  because  it  is  addressed  to  one, 
any  more  than  any  oral  instruction  becomes  a  lecture  because 
it  is  addressed  to  many. 

In  general  terms  the  field  for  lecture  room  instruction  is  in 
the  elucidation  of  general  principles  and  the  demonstration  or 
interpretation  of  the  facts  upon  which  they  are  based.  Such 
instruction  a  teacher  is  justified  in  imparting  to  as  large  a  class 
as  he  finds  he  can  hold.  This  power  of  holding  attention  is  one 
which  varies  with  the  nature  of  the  subject,  the  character  of  the 
class  and  the  personal  force  and  magnetism  of  the  teacher.  To 
whatever  extent  attention  is  lacking  in  any  hour's  instruction 
the  time  is  lost  and  the  lesson  a  failure. 

A  good  lecture  by  a  born  teacher  is  not  only  informing  but 
inspiring,  and  in  the  midst  of  an  arduous  course  comes  as  a  wel- 
come relaxation  from  text  book  and  laboratory  drudgery;  but 
just  in  proportion  as  it  supplants  rather  than  supplements  these 
it  becomes  an  element  of  weakness  rather  than  of  strength  in 
the  course  of  instruction. 

As  all  teachers  know,  students  of  undisciphned  minds  often 
appear  to  regard  lectures  as  a  sort  of  pill  or  potion  which  when 
taken  at  intervals  as  directed  will  make  knowledge  ''soak  in"  by 
some  mysterious  process  of  mental  osmosis — certainly  without 
the  necessity  for  active  mental  effort  on  their  part.  If  they  are 
allowed  to  cherish  this  artless  optimism  until  the  end  of  the 


I 


EDITORIAL.  229 

course  the  result  can  only  be  calamitous  to  the  student  an'l 
discreditable  to  the  teacher. 

Lecture  room  instruction  can  never  be  fully  effective  unless 
the  impression  made  upon  the  mind  of  the  student  is  strength- 
ened and  accentuated  by  subsequent  study ;  and  the  teacher  can 
by  no  possibility  have  an  adequate  knowledge  of  the  result  of 
his  work  except  by  quiz  and  examination,  w^hich  in  every  stage 
of  the  course  should  be  inseparably  associated  wdth  college  work 
and  constitute  an  important  part  of  every  day's  college  routine. 


The  Supervising  Board  of  Army  Dentists. 

The  passage  of  the  Otey  bill  providing  for  Contract  Dental 
Surgeons  in  the  Army  is  regarded  by  those  having  the  measure 
in  charge  as  assured,  and  as  the  provisions  of  the  bill  will 
become  operative  immediately  upon  its  passage,  the  personnel 
of  the  force  becomes  at  once  a  matter  of  paramount  interest  to 
all  desiring  the  success  of  the  movement  to  provide  in  peace 
and  war  efficient  dental  service  for  the  soldiers  of  our  army. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  one  of  the  provisions  of  the 
bill  is  ''That  three  of  the  number  of  dental  surgeons  to  be 
employed  shall  be  first  appointed  by  the  Surgeon-General,  with 
the  approval  of  the  Secretary  of  War,  wath  reference  to  their 
fitness  for  assignment,  under  the  direction  of  the  Surgeon- 
General,  to  the  special  service  of  conducting  the  examination 
and  supervising  the  operations  of  the  others.'' 

Upon  the  character  of  the  appointments  to  this  Supervising; 
Board  the  success  of  the  entire  movement  is  largely  dependent. 
In  addition  to  the  necessary  educational  and  piofessional  quali- 
fications they  must  possess  executive  ability  of  a  high  order, 
as  not  only  do  they  conduct  the  examinations  for  the  other 
appointments,  but  it  is  to  them  that  the  Surgeon-General  will 
look  for  the  organization  of  the  forces  whose  operations  they 
are  to  supervise.  They  will  recommend  for  assignment  the 
members  of  the  force  to  their  respective  posH  (^^  dnf\-.  nnrl  tivist 


230  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

in  addition  provide  the  working  details  of  a  system  by  which  the 
maximum  of  good  for  the  soldier  can  be  effected  with  a  mini- 
mum of  interference  with  established  military  routine. 

If  the  methods  they  institute  prove  cumbersome  and 
ineffective,  and  if  the  dentists  under  their  charge  are  found 
personally  obnoxious  or  professionally  unskilled,  the  perma- 
nency of  dental  service  for  the  army  will  be  seriously  imperilled ; 
hence  the  necessity  for  the  greatest  care  in  the  selection  of  men 
to  exercise  these  supervisory  powers. 

Two  names  have  already  been  suggested,  both  excellent. 
One  is  Dr.  Williams  Donnalh^,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  a  gentle- 
man who  is  held  in  the  highest  esteem  both  personally  and 
professionally  by  his  confreres  in  that  city,  and  who  as  local 
member  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the  National  Dental 
Association  to  secure  the  passage  of  the  Army  Dental  Bill  has 
shown  high  ability  as  an  organizer,  and  the  value  of  Avhose  ser- 
vices in  securing  the  success  of  the  bill  is  freely  attested  to  by 
Representative  Otey. 

Another  highly  meritorious  nomination  is  that  of  Dr. 
Robert  T.  Oliver,  of  IndianapoHs,  President  of  the  Indiana  State 
Board  of  Dental  Examiners  and  member  of  the  Faculty  of  the 
Department  of  Dental  Surgery  of  the  University  of  Indian- 
apolis. Dr.  Oliver  has  made  a  specialty  of  oral  surgery.  Me 
served  through  the  Spanish-American  war,  hence  has  already 
had  some  military  experience,  while  his  executive  ability  and 
powers  of  organization  are  well  known  to  his  friends.  Were 
only  names  such  as  these  presented  as  candidates  for  these 
important  offices  there  would  be  no  need  for  apprehension  as 
to  results.  It  is  to  be  feared,  however,  that  all  nominations  will 
not  be  of  the  same  high  character,  and  those  to  whom  applica- 
tion is  made  for  the  endorsement  of  candidates  should  exercise 
the  utmost  care  as  to  whom  they  give  their  support.  No  man 
should  be  endorsed  simply  because  he  is  a  good  fellow  whom  the 
office  w^ould  please,  or  one  whom  the  pay  would  help,  or  one 
who  as  an  active  party  worker  is  ''solid  with  the  boss"  and  is 


I 


EDITORIAL.  231 

therefore  to  be  provided  with  a  place.  The  interests  at  stake  are 
too  important  to  be  put  in  jeopardy  from  motives  such  as  these. 
Merit  and  abihty  are  the  only  considerations  which  should  have 
v^eight  in  the  selection  of  men  to  fill  places  so  important,  with 
duties  so  exacting  and  responsibilities  so  great. 


Dentistry  for  the  South  African  Forces. 
According  to  the  London  Dental  Record,  "Mr.  F.  Newland- 
Pedley,  who  volunteered  as  Dental  Surgeon  to  the  Imperial 
Yeomanry  Hospital,  has  taken  three  operating  chairs  with  him 
.and  also  a  sufftciency  of  appliances  and  materials  to  keep  two  or 
three  dental  mechanics  going  in  making  spHnts  for  fractured 
besides  oxygen,  so  no  wonder,"  says  the  Record,  ''that  his 
impedimenta  filled  a  pantechnicon  van  and  weighed  about  two 
tons  and  a  half." 

The  Record  further  states  that  Mr.  Newland-Pedley  ''Has 
arranged  for  a  supply  of  skilled  assistants  should  they  be 
required.  Some  15  men  have  volunteered  to  sail  at  short  notice 
if  wanted,  and  each  would  go  armed  with  his  set  of  dental 
instruments  and  dental  engine.  Some  are  students  and  some 
qualified  men,  but  they  are  all  able  to  do  a  good  day's  work, 
either  at  operating  or  mechanical  work.  As  regards  the 
students,  the  Royal  College  of  Surgeons  of  England  has  con 
sented  to  recognize  six  months'  service  in  hospital  at  the  seat 
of  war  as  the  equivalent  of  the  ordinary  curriculum,  provided 
that  the  student  can  show  that  he  has  been  properly  employing 
his  time. 

"Among  an  army  of  about  200,000  men,  I  fancy  that  Mr. 
Newland-Pedley  and  his  assistants  will  find  plenty  of  work. 
From  the  method  of  'taking  cover'  as  much  as  possible  while 
in  action,  the  head  of  the  soldier  is  the  most  exposed  part  of  his 
body,  and,  therefore,  injuries  to  the  jaws  must  be  of  frequent 
occurrence.  In  addition  to  attending  to  these  injuries,  I  am 
sure  that  amongst  the  various  divisions  of  our  army  there  is  a 
plentiful  number  of  cases  of  toothache  in  which  the  services  of 
the  skilled  dentist  will  be  gratefully  appreciated." 

Thus  far  the  dental  force  in  the  English  army  appears  to 

be  of  the  volunteer  civilian  character,  the  English  War  Office 

having  as  yet  taken  no  steps  to  provide  for  the  establishment 

and  maintenance  of  a  corps  of  dental  surgeons  for  army  service. 


232  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 
KENTUCKY  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  thirteenth  annual  meeting  of  the  Kentucky  State  Dental 
Association  will  be  held  at  Louisville,  beginning  May  29th,  1900, 
at  (J  A.  'M.,  and  continuing  three  days. 

Preliminary  Announcement. 

PAPERS. 

1.  Some  Advantages  of  Non-Cohesive  Gold,  Tin  and  Tin 
Gold,  Considered  from  an  Operative  a'nd  Prophylactic  Stand- 
point.   Dr.  J.  R.  Clayton,  Shelbyville,  Ind. 

2.  Amalgam:  Its  Preparation,  Instruments  and  Instrumen- 
tation in  Filling  Teeth.  Illustrated  by  models.  Dr.  W.  E. 
Harper,  Chicago,  111. 

3.  Oral  Manifestations  of  Syphilis.  Dr.  T.  C.  Evans,  Louis- 
ville. Ky. 

4.  X-Rays  in  Dentistry.    Dr.  L.  E.  Custer,  Dayton,  Ohio. 

*  5.  Subject  to  be  given.  Dr.  S.  A.  Donaldson,  Lexington,  Ky. 

6.  Malaria  as  a  Cause  of  Secondary  Llemorrhage  in  Extrac- 
tion of  Teeth.     Dr.  J.  P.  Shaw,  Russellville,  Ky. 

7.  Orthodontia.  Illustrated  by  lantern.  Dr.  C.  DeWitt 
Lukens,  St.  Louis,  ^lo. 

8.  Orthodontia.     Dr.  E.  D.  Rose,  Bowhng  Green,  Ky. 

9.  One  of  the  More  Esj)ecial  Duties  of  the  State  Dental 
Association.     Dr.  J.  L.  Sutphin,  Greensburg,  Ky. 

10.  Care  of  Deciduous  Teeth.  Dr.  J.  F.  Meadors,  Colum- 
bia, Tenn. 

11.  Subject  to  be  given.    Dr.  I.  B.  Howell,  Paducah,  Ky. 

12.  Dental  Education.     Dr.  Theo.  Menges,  Chicago,  111. 

13.  Practical  Dentistry.  Dr.  E.  T.  Barr,  Bowling  Green,  Ky. 

14.  Troublesome  Cases  in  Bridge-Work  via  Converging 
Teeth,  Broken  Facings,  Mal-Occlusion,  etc.  Dr.  U.  D.  Hulick, 
Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

15.  Teeth.     Dr.  W.  S.  Williams,  Unioutown. 

16.  Metallo-Plastic  Work  and  Backing  Porcelain  Teeth  with 
Gasoline.    Dr.  R.  C.  Brophy,  Chicago,  111. 

17.  The  Status  of  Mechanical  Dentistry;  Is  it  to  Become  a 
Lost  Art?    Dr.  O.  G.  Wilson,  Franklin,  Ky. 

18.  Disease  of  the  Antrum.  Dr.  Adolph  O.  Piingst,  Louis- 
ville. Kv. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS.  233 

19.  The  Reproduction  of  Gum  Tissue  in  the  Interproximal 
Space.    Dr.  Geo.  T.  Carpenter,  Chicago,  111. 

20.  Subject  to  be  given.    Dr.  J.  H.  Baldwin,  Louisville,  Ky. 

21.  Subject  to  be  given.     Dr.  A.  H.  Peck,  Chicago,  111. 

22.  The  Importance  of  Proper  Physical  Diagnosis  in  the 
Practice  of  Dental  Surgery.    Dr.  J.  Y.  Crawford,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

23.  Gold  Filling  vs.  Gold  Crow^ns.  Dr.  W.  T.  McLean,  Cin- 
cinnati, Ohio. 

24.  Antiseptics  and  Disinfectants.  Dr.  Geo.  W.  Cook,  Chi-* 
cago,  111. 

25.  What  Efforts  are  We  Using  to  Better  the  Profession? 
Dr.  M.  H.  Dailey,  Paris,  Ky. 

26.  Cast  Aluminum  Dental  Plates.  Dr.  Willard  Streetman, 
Cleburne,  Texas. 

CLINICS. 

1.  Oral  Surgery.     Dr.  Wm.  H.  G.  Logan,  Chicago,  111. 

2.  A  Method  of  Backing  Up  Porcelain  Crowns.  Dr.  E.  D. 
Rose,  Bowling  Green,  Ky. 

3.  Removal  of  Dental  Pulp  Surgically.  Dr.  J.  Y.  Craw- 
ford, Nashville,  Tenn. 

4.  Soft  Gold  Filling.    Dr.  P.  A.  Pennington,  Louisville,  Ky. 

5.  Metallo-Plastic  Work  and  Baking  Porcelain  with  Gaso- 
line.    Dr.  R.  C.  Brophy,  Chicago,  111. 

6.  A  Compound  Gold  Filling  Crown  and  Posterior  Prox- 
imal with  Matrix;  A  Combination  of  old  and  New  Methods.  Dr. 
B.  Oscar  Doyle,  Louisville,  Ky. 

7.  Porcelain.    Dr.  H.  J.  Goslee,  Chicago,  111. 

8.  Immediate  Nerve  Extraction  with  Eucaine  by  Pressure, 
and  Root  Filling.     Dr.  S.  A.  Donaldson,  Lexington,  Ky. 

9.  Orthodontia.     Dr.  C.  DeWitt  Lukens,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

10.  DeTrey's  Gold.     Dr.  C.  K.  Runyon,  JefTersonville,  Ind. 

11.  Orthodontia,  and  Exhibit.  Dr.  Frank  L.  Smith,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

12.  Contour  Fillings  with  Soft  Gold  on  Models.  Dr.  G.  S. 
Junkerman,  Cincinnati,  Ohio. 

13.  The  Use  of  Snow-Face  Bow  in  Taking  a  Base  Plate  Bite. 
Dr.  J.  Q.  Byram,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 

14.  Subject  to  be  given.    Dr.  H.  B.  Tileston,  Louisville,  Ky. 

15.  Non-Cohesive  Gold  Tin  and  Tin  Gold  on  ]\Iodels.  Dr. 
T.  R.  Clavton,  Shelbvvillc,  Ind. 


234  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

1 6.  A  Few  Cases  in  Orthodontia.  Dr.  J.  S.  McClurdy,  Ft. 
Wayne,  Ind. 

17.  Soft  Gold  Filling.     Dr.  Henry  Pirtle,  Louisville,  Ky. 

18.  Subject  to  be  given.     Dr.  W.  E.  Grant,  Louisville,  Ky. 

19.  Combination  Gold  Filling.  Dr.  E.  L,  Sanders,  Louis- 
ville, Ky. 

20.  Open-Faced  Crowns.    Dr.  B.  G.  Reese,  Louisville,  Ky. 

21.  Extraction  of  Teeth  Under  Local  Anaesthesia.  Dr.  F. 
R.  Wilder,  Louisville,  Ky. 

The  following  gentlemen  wall  give  clinics,  subjects  to  be 
stated:  Dr.  G.  C.  Roberts,  Chicago,  111.;  Dr.  F.  L.  Klingman, 
Louisville,  Ky. ;  Dr.  W.  W.  Barnes,  Louisville,  Ky. ;  Dr.  A.  B. 
Weaver,  Louisville,  Ky. 

Twelve  firms  have  secured  space  for  displays. 

The  committee,  in  addition,  have  under  arrangement  other 
important  clinics,  and  are  making  strenuous  efYorts  to  make  this 
the  best  meeting  ever  held  in  the  State  and  well  worthy  of 
attendance.    Members  of  the  profession  are  cordially  invited. 

F.  I.  Gardner,  D.D.S.,  Secretary. 


OKLAHOMA  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 
The  eighth  annual  meeting  of  the  Oklahoma  Dental  Asso- 
•ciation  will  be  held  in  the  parlors  of  the  Grand  Avenue  Hotel, 
at  Oklahoma  City,  O.  T.,  May  ist  and  2d.  An  interesting  pro- 
gramme, with  numerous  good  clinics,  will  be  carried  out,  and 
-every  effort  made,  both  to  entertain  and  benefit  those  present. 
The  profession  is  cordially  invited  to  attend.  Secure  receipts 
for  transportation  in  order  to  get  reduced  rates. 

A.  D.  Cage,  Secretary. 


LEBANON  VALLEY  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 
The  Lebanon  Valley  Dental  Society  will  be  in  annual  session 
•at  the  Allen  House,  Pottsville,  Pa.,  May  15th  and  i6th,   1900. 
All  Dentists  are  invited.  P.  H.  Filbert,  Chairman. 


TRI-STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION,  I.  K.  I. 
The  Tri-State  Dental  Association  of  Indiana,  Kentucky  and 
Illinois  meets  at  Evansville,  Ind.,  May  8th  to  loth,  1900. 

Elzvood  Smith,  President,  Mt.  Vernon,  Ind. 
W.  H.  Brosman,  Secretary,  Albion,  III. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS.  235 

MEETING  OF  THE  OHIO  BOARD  OF  DENTAL 
EXAMINERS. 

The  next  meeting  of  the  Ohio  Board  will  be  held  at  the 
Chittenden  Hotel,  Columbus,  Ohio,  beginning  Tuesday,  May 
29th,  1900.  Examination  will  be  both  theoretical  and  practical. 
AppHcants  are  requested  tO'  bring  instruments,  rubber-dam,  fill- 
ing materials,  etc.,  necessary  for  making  fillings  or  doing  such 
other  work  as  may  be  required.  Engines  will  be  supplied  by  the 
Board. 

For  further  particulars  or  application  for  examination  write 
to  Dr.  L.  P.  Bethel,  Secretary,  Kent,  Ohio. 


RECENT  PATENTS  RELATING  TO  DENTISTRY. 

643443,  Dental  tool  for  expressing  mercury  from  amalgam, 
David  Aiken,  Winnsborough,  S.  C. 

643868,  Denture,  Willis  H.  Dwight,  Le  Mars,  Iowa. 

643898,  Dental  oven,  Harry  M.  Hill,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

644355,  Fountain  cuspidor,  George  B.  Haycock,  Chicago, 
111. 

644970,  Dental  flask,  Thomas  G.  Donaldson,  Baltimore,  Md. 

644583,  Artificial  denture,  John  H.  Doyle,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

644705,  Impression  band  for  dentistry,  George  Evans,  as- 
signor to  Evans  Company,  New  York,  N.  Y. 

644803,  Artificial  tooth  crown,  Henry  D.  Justi,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

644932,  Dental  tool,  Clinton  W.  Miller,  Chicago,  111. 

644640,  Dental  chair,  Gideon  Sibley,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

644641,  Dental  chair,  Gideon  Sibley,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

644642,  Dental  chair,  Gideon  Sibley,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

644643,  Arm  rest  for  dental  chairs,  Gideon  Sibley  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

644644,  Back  rest  for  dental  chairs,  Gideon  Sibley,  Phila- 
delphia, Pa. 

LABELS. 

7379,  'Thymol-Myrrh"  for  Tooth  Paste,  Charles  Wright 
Company,  Detroit,  Mich. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  Solicitor  of  Patents,  Fendall  Bldg., 
Washington,  D.  C. 


236  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Question  84.  Does  the  New  Jersey  State  Examining  Board 
differ  in  any  particular  from  other  State  boards,  and  if  so  what 
is  the  difference?  Students  appear  to  have  a  special  fear  of  com- 
ing before  this  board.  Have  any  measures  been  taken  to 
bring  about  an  interchange  of  licenses  between  New  Jersey  and 
other  States?  Student. 

New  York  and  New  Jersey  have  at  last  provided  for  an  in- 
terchange of  licenses  between  the  two  States.  New  York  has 
put  in  a  practical  prosthetic  examination  and  New  Jersey,  while 
retaining  this  feature,  which  we  have  found  to  be  a  very  import- 
ant one,  has  cut  off  the  operating  department  of  our  practical 
examination,  as  we  have  found  that  there  is  very  little  fault  10 
be  found  with  the  preparation  the  students  receive  in  this 
branch.  As  to  the  theoretical  examination  ot  which  so  much 
has  been  said  there  is  practically  no  difference  whatever  between 
it  and  the  New  York  examination,  both  of  which  are  probably 
of  Ihe  same  standard  as  the  Pennsylvania  examination.  We 
have  ten  questions  on  each  subject  and  I  do  not  think  there  has 
ever  been  an  unfair  or  catch  question  in  any  of  our  examina- 
tions. We  get  the  reputation  of  being  so  stiff  in  our  examina- 
tions because  we  were  really  the  first  State  to  give  an  examina- 
tion of  the  character  now  in  force  in  nearly  all  the  States  where 
licenses  are  granted  through  examinations. 

By  reference  to  the  table  on  page  5  of  our  report  for  1899 
you  will  see  that  the  percentage  of  failures  is  now  very  small. 
I  trust  that  Pennsylvania  will  do  her  best  to  help  along  the  m- 
terchange  between  Pennsylvania  and  the  other  two  States ;  with 
this  as  a  nucleus  we  could  soon  be  able  to  bring  in  many  m.ore 
of  the  States  and  accomplish  a  great  good  for  the  whole  pro- 
fession. 

As  you  know,  I  have  been  strongly  in  favor  of  the  States 
interchanging  licenses  ever  since  I  have  been  on  our  board,  and 
believe  that  it  is  the  only  solution  of  a  very  difficult  problem. 

G.  Car  let  071  Brown,  Elizabeth,  N.  J. 

*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  1420  Chestnut  St.,  Phila. 


QUSaTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  237 

Question  85.  I  have  a  patient  for  vvhom  I  am  treating  a 
right  inferior  first  bicuspid.  I  began  treatment  about  three 
weeks  ago.  The  tooth  had  a  large  amalgam  filling  in  the  distal 
side.  The  tooth  was  loose  and  the  gum  around  was  alwayi> 
highly  inflamed.  I  removed  the  filling  and  found  the  tooth  had 
been  previously  treated,  but  I  found  pus  at  the  apex.  I  began 
treatment  first  with  oil  of  eucalyptus,  then  oil  of  cassia.  The 
tooth  soon  tightened  and  gave  every  evidence  of  a  successful 
treatment  when  I  carefully  refilled  the  canal,  and  filled  the  tooih 
with  temporary  stopping  to  await  results.  About  two  days  after 
the  patient  again  began  to  suffer,  experiencing  no  rehef  until  I 
removed  the  filling  from  the  canals.  The  tooth  was  painful  and 
swelHng  was  soon  noticeable.  I  was  very  careful  not  to  force  any 
fining  material  through  the  apical  end  of  the  root.  I  have 
been  led  to  beheve  that  perhaps  when  the  tooth  was  previously 
treated  some  years  ago  that  the  end  of  a  broach  might  have 
gone  through  and  broken  off.  Do  you  think  such  a  thing  prob- 
able ?  Will  some  one  kindly  advise  me  as  to  the  best  treatment 
in  the  future  ?  I  will  say,  however,  that  since  I  surmised  such  a 
probability  I  have  been  treating  with  iodin. 

C.  E.  K.,  Philadelphia. 

In  question  No.  74  February  Dental  Brief  the  writer  re- 
lates rather  an  unusual  condition,  a  condition  which  certainly 
may  be  considered  out  of  the  ordinary.  It  is  not  unusual  at  the 
present  age  to  find  an  adult  with  one  or  two  permanent  teeth 
missing,  or  at  least  unerupted,  but  the  case  of  a  man  50  years  of 
age  with  but  two  permanent  teeth  presents  an  extraordinary 
feature.  This  unusual  complication  no  doubt  is  the  result  of  the 
constitutional  taint  referred  to  by  the  writer.  The  spaces  be- 
tween the  teeth  are  readily  accounted  for,  being  occasioned  by 
the  growth  or  elongation  of  the  jaws  to  probably  their  normal 
dimensions.  In  view  of  the  fact  that  nearly  all  the  permanent 
teeth  remain  unerupted,  it  would  seem  that  there  had  been 
almost  a  wholesale  destruction  of  their  germs,  and  this  would 
result  in  a  diagnosis  different  from  the  one  arrived  at  by  Dv. 
Locke.  While  it  is  an  easy  matter  to  differ  with  the  Doctor  vn 
regard  to  his  opinion,  it  is  not  so  clear  just  what  the  diagnosis 
should  be.  I  would  suggest,  however,  watching  the  case,  and 
noting  if  the  pain  complained  of  does  not  shift  about  after  a 
time,  the  change  in  location  being  accompanied  with  probably 
a  diminution  or  increase  in  its  intensity.  I  would  much  appre- 
ciate a  further  report  of  the  case. 

ir.  jr.  P. 


238  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Question  86.  Can  you  suggest  some  quick  and  effective 
metliod  of  removing  hardened  cements  from  the  mixing  slab? 

The  methods  of  removing  hardened  cements  from  the  mix- 
ing slab  depends  very  much  upon  the  kind  of  slab  employed.  I 
take  it  for  granted,  however,  that  when  no  particular  kind  of 
slab  is  mentioned,  it  is  a  glass  one,  or  some  substance  of  a 
similar  nature.  The  ideal  glass  slab  is  one  similar  to  those  in- 
tended for  paper-weights,  selecting  one  fully  an  inch  and  a  half 
or  even  two  inches  in  thickness,  thus  affording  a  -firm  grip  on 
your  block  while  using  it.  The  simplest  and  most  effective 
method  of  removing  the  cement  is  to  wait  until  it  has  thorough- 
ly hardened,  and  then  by  the  aid  of  another  slab  of  similar  pro- 
portions, rub  the  two  together,  interposing  between  the  two 
surfaces  some  abrasive  substance  such  as  pulverized  pumice 
or  sand.  Aqua  ammonia  or  any  other  alkaline  solution  acts  as 
a  solvent  and  much  facilitates  the  process.  The  most  satisfac- 
tory mixing  slab  with  which  the  editor  of  this  department  is  ac- 
quainted is  that  known  as  Spooner's  pad  or  tablet.  This  con- 
sists of  a  series  of  specially  prepared  paper  slips,  the  surface  of 
the  paper  closely  resembling  glass,  and  answering  in  every 
respect  as  well  as  that  substance.  These  are  in  successive  layers 
and  are  torn  off  and  thrown  away  as  used.  The  under  surface 
of  the  tablet  is  covered  with  a  layer  of  sand-paper,  to  prevent 
its  moving  about  during  the  mixing  process.  Try  these  and  I 
think  you  will  be  well  pleased. 

Question  87.  Can  I  obtain  information  in  your  department 
in  regard  to  the  following:  A  young  man  of  good  habits  is 
under  my  care  suffering  periodically  with  what  appears  to  be  in 
the  beginning  of  the  attack  a  simple  case  of  sore  tongue.  In 
the  course  of  a  few  days  a  similar  condition  makes  its  appear- 
ance upon  the  lips,  and  they  remain  thus  affected  for  some  time. 
In  the  beginning  the  inflammation  is  present  only  on  the  mar- 
gins of  the  tongue,  or  that  portion  coming  in  direct  contact  with 
the  teeth ;  the  irritation  but  slight  at  first  gradually  increases 
until  a  certain  amount  of  sloughing  results,  this  gradually  pass- 
ing across  the  dorsum  of  the  organ,  and  to  the  Hps.  Certain 
foods,  particularly  those  containing  much  acid,  cause  pain  and 
smarting  of  the  parts.  After  a  time  the  indisposition  gradually 
disappears,  and  several  weeks  or  months  may  elapse  before  it 
recurs.  There  are  a  number  of  large  amalgam  fillings  in  the 
mouth.  Could  these  in  any  way  be  the  exciting  cause  of  the 
disturbance? 

F.  C.  Noycs,  D.D.S.,  Mt.  Sterling,  III 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  239 

^Practical  ^ointj^.* 

sterilization  of  Rubber-Dam,  etc. — Rubber  stands  boiling 
best  if  it  is  in  a  boric  acid  solution.        Jour.  Am.  Med.  Ass'n. 

The  Oil  Stone. — Ordinary  glycerin  makes  an  elegant  lubri- 
cator for  the  oil  stone.  It  does  not  dry  in  and  harden  as  oil  does, 
and  is  easily  cleaned  off  with  water.  The  Dental  Nezvs. 

A  Cement  Syringe  to  be  Used  in  Setting  Crowns  and  Bridges. 

— After  mixing  the  cement  to  the  right  consistency,  place  in 
syringe  and  inject  into  the  canal.  (Exhibited  at  chnic,  and  pro- 
nounced to  be  "just  the  thing.") 

H.  L.  Crittenden,  Dental  Reviezv. 

Formalin. — Dr.  Jack  recommends  formalin  very  highly  in 
exposure  of  pulp  preparatory  to  conservative  treatment.  He 
says:  "I  have  frequently  used,  and  have  found  good  results  from, 
a  5  per  cent,  solution  when  there  had  long  been  caries  with  a 
rather  broad  exposure.  For  recent  exposure,  when  bacterial  in- 
vasion in  the  dentin  was  less,  I  used  a  2^  per  cent,  solution. 

A.  S.  Eschleman/ Dental  Cosmos. 

Cocain  Intoxication  Caution. — A  tampon  moistened  with  a 
solution  of  cocain  was  placed  in  a  right  upper  molar  in  a  young 
man  of  twenty.  In  about  twenty-nine  hours  the  right  hand  be- 
came paralyzed,  and  aphasia  developed  with  a  few  hallucina- 
tions. The  lower  members  were  not  afTected.  The  aphasia  sub- 
sided in  three  days,  and  the  hemiplegia  in  eight,  but  the  hand 
was  stiff  for  a  month.  Bulletin  Medicate  (Paris). 

The  Protection  of  Nearly  Exposed  Pulps. — After  the  removal 
of  the  leathery,  decomposed  dentin,  the  layer  of  softened  dentin 
nearest  the  pulp  probably  contains  lactic  acid,  which  should  be 
neutralized  by  saturating  with  mild  solution  sodium  bicarbonate, 
or  weak  ammonia  water,  or  5  per  cent,  sodium  dioxid.  Hydro- 
gen dioxid  in  10  per  cent,  neutral  solution  may  be  sufficient  for 
surface  disinfection,  but  it  is  well  to  saturate  the  layer  with  an 
antiseptic  which  may  remain  in  situ.  Dry  with  alcohol  and  warm 
air,  and  saturate  with  oil  of  cloves  or  engenol.  Wipe  out  excess, 
and  again  dry.  Varnish  with  the  following,  giving  second  or 
third  coat: 

R .     Beta  napthol  i  g^r. 

Methyl  alcohol 20  drops, 

Added  to  yi  oz,  bottle  of  "Cavitine"  varnish. 

The  acid  of  zinc  phosphate  cannot  pass  through  this  varnish. 
Place  asbestos  or  waxed  paper  over  floor  of  cavity  before  last 
coat  of  varnish  has  completely  dried.  Introduce  zinc  phosphate, 
and  if  doubtful,  complete  filling  with  temporary  stopping,  and 
wait  a  few  days.  Otto  E.  higlis,  Stomatologist. 

•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings,  Waveland, 
Mississippi. 


240  DEXTAL  BRIEF. 

The  'Tish  Line"  Method  of  Wedging.— In  difficult  cases, 
take  a  cambric  needle  No.  9,  draw  the  temper,  bend  it,  and 
thread  with  fine  silk,  attachino^  to  the  silk  the  line  to  be  used 
in  wedging.  Pass  the  needle  between  the  teeth,  next  the  gum, 
and  draw  the  line  through.  Instead  of  using  a  line  of  large 
size,  a  small  one  may  be  used,  making  it  into  a  chain  stitch. 
F.  Milton  Smith,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Amalgam  Cement  Fillings. — In  amalgamating  the  alloy, 
bring  to  ordinary  plastic  consistency,  and  then,  when  a  very 
small  quantity  of  cement  has  been  brougth  to  a  creamy,  sticky 
consistency,  thoroughly  incorporate  plastic  mass,  and  hasten  to 
cavity.  Coat  with  the  amalgam,  if  practicable,  though  without 
this  finish  it  will  do  better  service  than  cement  alone. 

A.  J.  Flanagan,  Dental  Digest. 

Why  Pulps  Die  Under  Metal  (browns. — This  may  occur  under 
tw^o  conditions;  decay  occurring  about  the  cervix  through  ill- 
fitting  of  the  crown,  or  through  thermal  changes  transmitted 
through  a  body  of  dentin  too  slight  in  extent  to  protect  the  pulp, 
and  this  only  in  cases  where  the  crown  has  been  too  liberally 
denuded  of  enamel  and  dentin.  For  this  there  is  certainly  no 
necessity.  6'.  H.  Guilford,  Stomatologist. 

Special  Care  of  the  Teeth  in  Sickness. — When  taking  drugs, 
especially  acids,  the  only  sure  method  of  preventing  injury  to 
the  teeth  is  the  use  of  an  alkaline  wash  after  swallowing  the  acid. 
In  case  of  sickness,  acids  are  formed  in  the  mouth  by  fermenta- 
tion, which  are  but  little  less  efifective  than  the  medicinal  acids. 
When  a  patient  suffers  from  any  disorder  affecting  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  mouth,  rinse  with  a  mild  antiseptic  wash  every 
few  hours,  and  brush  the  teeth  morning  and  evening.  It  would 
be  well  to  also  rinse  the  mouth  with  milk  of  magnesia,  or  use 
a  small  piece  of  lump  magnesia  soaked  in  a  3  per  cent,  solution 
of  pyrozone,  chew'ing  thoroughly  before  ejecting. 

Joseph  Head,  Therapeutic  Gazette. 

Abnormal  Space  Between  the  Superior  Central  Incisors. — This 
is  frequently  due  to  an  abnormal  attachment  of  the  frenum  lahii, 
which  will  be  found  to  be  thickened,  with  its  attachment  to  the 
gingivae  continued  through  betw^een  the  incisors.  Simply  sever- 
ing this  ligament  will  sometimes  be  sufficient,  but  a  deep  incision 
with  a  cautery  knife  at  white  heat,  splitting  the  cord,  offers  the 
advantages  of  contraction  of  tissue.  The  tissue  should  of  course 
be  anesthetized  before  making  the  incision,  carefully  avoiding 
wounding  the  peridental  membrane,  operating  only  upon  the  ab- 
normal tissue;  a  cleaning  should  precede  the  cautery.  The  teeth 
can  then  be  drawn  together  and  mechanically  supported  for 
several  weeks — or,  it  may  be,  months. 

E.  H.  Angle,  Dental  Cosmos. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  241 

Broken  Nerve  Broaches. — Nerve  broaches  broken  off  in  a 
root-canal  can  be  easily  removed  after  a  dressing  of  25  per  cent, 
pyrozone,  applied  on  cotton,  has  been  left  in  the  canal  for  a  few 
days.  S.  L.  Walton,  Items  of  Interest. 

Generating  Electricity. — "Would  it  not  be  better  to  speak 
of  batteries  as  developing  electricity?  They  do  not  'generate' 
the  electricity,  because  it  is  there  in  a  latent  state.  Electricity 
was  generated  when  the  world  was  made." 

/.  E.  Nyman,  Dental  Record. 

Formagen  Paste. — The  formaldehyde  in  this  paste  is  said  to 
have  a  peculiar  action  upon  septic  pulps,  and  to  destroy  germs 
in  infected  pulp  horns.  The  writer's  experiences,  thus  far,  are 
favorable  to  its  use  in  contact  with  softened  dentin.  Engenol  is 
an  ingredient  in  this  paste.  When  infection  is  suspected,  it  is 
worthy  of  trial.  Otto  E.  Inglis,  Stomatologist. 

Permanent  Fillings  in  Young  Teeth. — While  the  normal  de- 
velopment of  dentin  has  not  been  completed,  the  entire  external 
portion  of  the  tooth  has  been  fully  formed.  Continued  develop- 
ment produces  changes  in  amount,  not  in  character.  The  calci- 
fied dentin  does  not  change  perceptibly  after  it  is  once  formed. 
At  a  certain  period  the  dentin  may  be  only  one-half  as  thick  as 
it  will  be  later  on,  but  that  which  is  formed  is  perfectly  formed, 
and  as  capable  of  holding  a  gold  filling,  or  any  other  filling,  as 
it  will  ever  be.  F.  B.  Noyes  Dental  Cosmos. 

Fetal  Tooth  Nutrition. — Food  for  the  mother  should  be  rich 
in  phosphorus,  magnesia,  potash,  soda,  sulphur  and  lime.  With- 
out these  elements  in  sufficient  quantity  the  child  is  born  en- 
feebled in  brain,  nerve  and  bone  tissues,  and  particularly  the 
tissues  forming  the  teeth.  While  all  other  deficiencies  may  be 
improved  or  remedied  after  birth,  no  improvement  can  be  made  or 
defects  overcome  in  the  teeth  by  any  means  known  to  us.  As  the 
crowns  of  the  teeth  are  formed  before  the  child  becomes  a  breath- 
ing being,  if  lacking  in  mineral  salts,  so  they  remain  until  lost 
by  the  ravages  of  decay.  Wm.  A.  Mills,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Gold  and  Tin  in  Combination. — The  chemical  combination 

of  gold  and  tin  in  the  mouth,  long  after  the  work  has  been  done, 
seems  not  to  be  generally  understood.  By  electrolytic  action,  in- 
duced by  the  fluids  of  the  mouth,  there  is  an  interchange  of 
atoms.  By  mutual  induction  the  gold  and  tin  unite,  forming  an 
alloy  resembling  amalgam  in  hardness  and  color,  and  as  durable. 
As  the  hardening  depends  upon  moisture,  the  rubber-dam  is  not 
necessary.  For  those  who  do  not  wish  to  use  amalgam,  an  un- 
objectionable substitute  may  be  found  in  gold  and  tin  foil,  used 
in  alternate  layers  rolled  together,  the  alloy  does  not  extend  in 
either  metal  beyond  the  thickness  of  one  or  two  layers  of  foil. 

.9.  B.  Palmer,  Indiana  Dent.  Journal. 


242  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Hydronapthol  Wash  for  Pyorrhoea  Alveolaris. — 

U.     Hydronapthol fl-  5ij- 

Tiuct,  Calendula fl.  .'^iv. 

Aq.  dist.  q.  s.  ad .^viij. 

Grafton  Monroe,  Dental  Review. 

Porcelain  Inlays  in  Proximal  Surfaces  in  Front  Teeth. — It  is 
an  easy  matter,  after  the  cavity  is  prepared,  to  fill  with  oxyphos- 
phate,  using  the  porcelain  only  as  a  thin  veneer.  Then  the  teeth 
need  not  he  wedged  so  far  apart,  and  scarcely  any  undercut  is 
required.  vS.  G.  Perry,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Aluminum  Lining  for  Rubber  Plates. — Dissolve  unvulcanized 
rubber  in  chloroform  to  a  fluid  consistency  and  add  aluminum 
powder  until  the  original  rubber  color  is  lost  and  the  bright 
metallic  color  of  aluminum  prevails.  After  opening  flask,  paint 
the  model  with  the  aluminum  mixture  and  pack  as  usual.  Final 
effect  of  finished  plate  is  good,  and  process  prevents  so-called 
''rubber  sore  mouth."  W.  H.  Fox,  Dental  Review. 

Save  the  First  Permanent  Molars. — I  had  a  case  where  the 
crown  had  decayed,  leaving  the  roots  separated.  After  treating 
the  roots,  I  adjusted  a  gold  crown  to  each  root,  treating  each 
one  as  a  separate  bicuspid  root.  The  bite  was  extremely  short 
and  -brought  no  extra  strain  upon  each  root.  This  was  very 
effective.     The  patient  was  eight  or  nine  years  old. 

Edwin  E.  Davis,  International  Dental  Journal. 

To  Solder  Cusps  to  Backing  for  Porcelain  Facing. — Conveni- 
ent tweezers  are  made  from  wire  tweezers  with  ring  beaks. 
Flatten  one  of  the  rings  and  straighten  the  other,  bending  it  at 
right  angle  to  the  other  beak.  Catch  cusps  and  backing  with 
Parr's  flux,  and  remove  from  facing.  Cover  back  of  backing 
with  rouge  or  whiting  to  keep  solder  from  flowing  there.  Place 
the  backing  in  the  flattened  ring,  with  the  right  angle  point  on 
the  cusps;  pressure  will  make  perfect  contact  between  cusps  and 
backing.  Will  require  less  heat  in  final  soldering,  and  conse- 
quently less  liable  to  fracture  facings. 

H.  B.  Bull,  Items  of  Interest. 

Some  TJses  of  Hydronapthol  (Seabury  &  Johnson's). — Seven 
grs.  to  I  oz.  alcohol;  very  useful  in  cleaning  cavity  prior  to  inser- 
tion of  filling,  especially  in  posterior  teeth. 

Chloro-percha  solution  with  hydronapthol  forms  desirable 
root  filling;  oxychloride  with  hydronapthol  also  fine  for  root 
filling. 

Paste  of  hydronapthol  with  oxide  powder  and  couple  of 
drops  of  oil  of  cloves  and  creosote,  excellent  over  sensitive  pulp 
not  exposed,  to  prevent  irritation  following  filling. 

One-fourth  hydronapthol  bulk  in  oxyphosphate  fillings,  fine 
non-irritating  cement  for  tooth  previously  sore  from  leaky  filling. 

Grafton  Monroe,  Dental  Reviezv. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  245 

Sterilizing  Partially  Disorganized  Dentin  in  Deciduous  Teeth. 

— After  securing  immunity  from  invasion  of  moisture,  sterilize 
with  wood  creosote,  carbohc  acid  or  a  eugenol  sohition  of  iodo- 
form— preferably  the  latter.  Apply  a  bit  of  asbestos  paper  sat- 
urated with  the  sterilizing  solution,  and  over  this  an  oxysulphate 
filling.  L.  L.  Dunbar,  Pacific  Dent.  Gazette. 

Hypertrophied  Gum. — When  hypertrophied  gum  presents 
between  teeth  and  overlapping  edge  of  cavity  to  be  filled,  ethylate 
of  sodium,  applied  with  a  pellet  of  cotton,  will  destroy  the  tissue; 
melting  it  into  a  gelatinous  mass.  It  comes  in  the  form  of 
powder,  which,  dissolved  in  alcohol,  forms  a  red,  syrupy  liquid, 
exceedingly  corrosive.  vS.  George  Elliott,  Dental  Review. 

Mechanical  Root-Canal  Cleansing. — Apply  rubber-dam:  drill 
used  only  to  open  mouth  of  canals.  Soak  up  liquid  contents  of 
canal;  flood  with  20  vol.  solution  hydrogen  peroxid,  and  gently 
rake  upward  with  bristle,  avoiding  piston  action.  Bubbles  of 
gas  form  and  bring  debris  to  surface.  Dry  out,  and  repeat  until 
gas  ceases  to  come  away.  John  Ackery,  Dental  Record. 

Bridge  Abutments. — If  the  tooth  which  is  to  serve  as  abut- 
ment is  much  tipped  in  position,  instead  of  cutting  away  correct 
the  malposition  of  the  tooth,  as  is  done  in  regulating,  bringing 
it  into  an  upright  position,  thus  avoiding  excessive  cutting  and 
consequent  danger  to  pulp  vitality.  The  bridge,  when  inserted, 
will  hold  the  tooth  in  position.      6".  H.  Guilford,  Stomatologist. 

A  Simple  Water  Test. — Into  a  ground-glass  stoppered,  per- 
fectly clean  bottle  put  three  ounces  of  the  water  to-  be  tested,  and 
add  ten  grams  pure  granulated  white  sugar.  Cork  tightly  and 
place  in  window,  exposed  freely  to  light,  but  not  to  direct  rays 
of  sun.  Do'  not  disturb,  and  keep  at  temperature  or  near  70  de- 
grees Fahrenheit  as  possible.  If  water  contains  organic  matter, 
within  forty-eight  hours  whitish  specks  will  be  seen  floating 
about,  which  will  settle  in  flocculent  masses.  If  water  very  bad, 
odor  of  rancid  culture  in  a  week  or  ten  days.  Not  fit  for  potable 
purposes.  lozva  Health  Bulletin. 

Formalin  Cataphorically. — A  left,  upper,  first  molar  had  been 
under  treatment  intermittently  for  four  months.  Every  attempt 
to  fill  roots  and  seal  up  cavity,  symptoms  of  previous  trouble 
returned.  It  was  decided  to  try  formaldehyde  cataphorically. 
Rubber-dam  adjusted  and  root-canals  thoroughly  dried  by  hot 
air.  A  probe  electrode  was  wound  with  a  few  threads  of  cotton, 
dipped  in  formalin  full  strength,  inserted  in  one  of  the  root- 
canals,  and  current  turned  on  for  five  minutes.  All  the  canals 
treated  and  tooth  filled.  Everything  quiet  since  (February  to 
October).     Treatment  by  Dr.  Barrows.     Reported  bv 

Dr.  F.  W.  LoziJ,  Dental  Cosmos. 


244  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Securing  Certainty  in  Covering  Cervical  Margins. — Between 
matrix  and  tooth  place  a  mat  of  tin  and  gold  and  wedge  firmly 
to  place.  The  portion  of  the  mat  which  extends  into  the  cavity 
is  then  laid  against  the  cervical  wall,  and  forms  the  first  layer 
of  the  filling.  Also  overcomes  any  danger  of  checking  the 
margins  in  applying  matrix.      F.  W.  Stephan,  Dental  Review, 

Kecurrence  of  Decay. — No  tooth  may  be  considered  safe 
from  recurrence  of  decay  around  proximal  fillings  unless  the 
cervical  wall  has  been  carried  sufficiently  rootwise  to  bring  that 
portion  of  the  filling  under  the  gum,  and  the  cervico-labial  and 
cervico-lingual  angles  extended  to  a  point  where  these  margins 
of  the  filling  are  kept  clean  by  friction. 

C.  N.  Johnson,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Disinfection  of  the  Mouth. — Fifty  per  cent,  alcohol  is  not 
only  powerfully  bactericidal,  but  has  a  specific  healing  effect  on 
mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth,  producing  an  arterial  fluxion 
under  the  influence  of  which  the  venous  stasis  of  the  diseased 
gums  disappears,  and  they  return  gradually  to  normal.  Because 
of  smarting  it  is  impossible  to  rinse  efifectually,  but  the  gums 
being  less  sensitive,  it  can  be  applied  by  means  of  a  soft  tooth 
brush  dipped  in  the  alcohol.       C.  Roese,  Mtiench,  Med.  Woch. 

The  Countersunk  Molar  as  a  Composite  Crown. — Prepare  roots 
with  surface  of  stumps  ground  down  level  with  surface  of  gum. 
Fit  pins  to  root-canals,  having  projection  made  or  loop.  Burnish 
platinum  disc  to  surface  of  stump,  perforate  for  pins,  which  solder 
to  place.  Grind  a  countersunk  molar  to  as  good  a  joint  as 
possible,  adjust  and  wax  to  disc,  using  vulcanizable  rubber  to 
fill  all  interstices ;  pack  in  any  ordinary  flask,  vulcanize  and  finish 
up.  Vulcanite  fills  up  what  may  be  wanting  in  badly  decayed 
root.    Set  to  place  with  cement  or  gutta-percha  as  preferred. 

Jas.  B.  Hodgkin,  Items  of  Interest. 

"Alveolotomy"  in  Tooth  Regulation. — This  operation  consists 
in  dividing  the  alveolus  on  both  sides  of  the  tooth  which  is  tO'  be 
moved,  using  hand  saw,  and  cutting  through  the  cancellous  struc- 
ture which  forms  the  inner  portion  of  the  dental  septum,  as  far 
as  the  apex  of  the  tooth.  With  suitable  forceps  the  alveolus  is 
freed  with  the  tooth,  is  then  forcibly  bent  outward,  inward  or 
sideways,  as  the  case  may  be,  fixing  it  in  the  new  position  until 
the  divided  bone  shall  have  reunited.  A  metal  splint  struck  up 
over  the  teeth,  and  fixed  in  place  mith  cement,  is  preferable  to 
the  ordinary  retention  plate,  which  is  not  cleanly  unless  frequently 
removed,  each  removal  jarring  the  tooth  and  retarding  bony 
union.  To  insure  success,  the  operation  must  be  performed 
aseptically  and  the  wound  kept  aseptic. 

W.  H.  Dolomore,  Dental  Record. 


MISCELLANY.  245 

ilttigcellang. 


lodin  in  Fish. — Some  recent  tests  have  brought  to  hght  the 
fact  that  iodin  occurs  in  certain  articles  of  human  food  in  small 
quantities,  and  as  it  occurs  in  fish  and  shellfish,  it  has  recently 
been  suggested  that  this  fact  may  be  the  reason  why  fish  is  so 
valuable  a  food  for  invalids.  Traces  of  iodin  have  been  found  in 
cod-liver  oil,  and  it  is  possible  that  it,  together  with  the  bromine 
and  phosphorus,  contributes  tO'  its  tonic  effects. 

Ozone  by  a  New  Process. — M.  Henri  Moissan  has  recently 
devised  a  new  process  for  the  production  of  ozone,  which  he  has 
described  in  a  communication  to  the  Paris  Academy  of  Sciences. 
It  consists  of  the  decomposition  of  water  by  fluorine,  and  the 
operation  takes  place  when  the  water  is  at  the  freezing  point  and 
has  fluorine  passed  into  it  rapidly.  The  oxygen  is  set  free,  and 
when  analyzed  is  found  to  contain  a  percentage  of  ozone  which 
in  some  experiments  was  as  much  as  14  per  cent.  The  ozone  thus 
produced  is  said  to  be  practically  pure,  and  there  is  a  possibility 
that  the  new  process  will  be  available  on  a  commercial  scale. 

An  Embarrassing  Question.  —  Charles  Bradlaugh  once 
engaged  in  a  discussion  with  a  minister.  He  insisted  that  the 
minister  should  answer  a  question  by  a  simple  ''Yes"  or  "No," 
without  any  circumlocution,  asserting  that  every  question  could 
be  replied  to  in  that  manner. 

The  reverend  gentleman  rose,  and  said:.  Mr.  Bradlaugh, 
will  you  allow  me  to  ask  you  a  question  on  those  terms?" 

''Certainly,"  said  Bradlaugh. 

"Then,  may  I  ask,  have  you  given  up  beating  your  wife?" 

Woman's  Joiinial. 

The  Custom  of  Dharma. — The  science  of  sociology  ex- 
plains many  curious  customs  which  might  at  first  glance  appear 
to  have  no  foundation  in  reason.  The  practice  of  Dharma,  in 
India,  for  instance,  has  recently  been  the  subject  of  special  study 
by  Dr.  S.  R.  Steinmetz.  This  custom  is  many  centuries  old,  and 
seems  difficult  to  explain.  When  a  debtor  fails  to  pay  his  debts, 
his  creditor  goes  and  sits  before  his  door,  and  remains  there, 
refusing  to  eat  a  morsel  until  he  is  paid.  If  the  debtor  does  not 
pay,  the  creditor  will  actually  starve  himself  to  death.  It  would 
seem  at  first  sight  that  a  really  heartless  debtor  might  not  be 
moved  in  this  manner;  but  the  usefulness  of  the  custom  becomes 
at  once  apparent  when  it  is  known  that  if  the  creditor  actually 
does  die  of  starvation  in  front  of  his  debtor's  door,  the  latter  is 
held  guilty  of  murder,  and,  after  the  manner  of  the  country,  the 
family  of  the  dead  man  arc  entitled  to  kill  the  debtor  on  sight. 


246  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

For  Aphthous  Patches  in  Infants. — 

IJ.     Sod.  boratis 3i 

Tiuct.  benzoin 5i 

Syr.  rubi.  id 3x 

M.     Sig.     External  use. 
The  patches  should  be  touched  five  or  six  times  a  day  with 
a  bit  of  cotton  saturated  with  the  above. 

A  New  Explosive. — A  new  nitroglycerin  explosive  has  re- 
cently been  employed  in  Europe,  which  has  a  low  inflammability, 
and  is  quite  as  insensible  to  the  effects  of  friction  or  shock  as  any 
other  kind  of  explosive.  It  also  can  be  stored  in  a  damp  atmos- 
phere without  suffering  deterioration.  It  is  made  by  mixing  one 
part,  by  weight,  of  collodion  with  four  parts  of  oil  of  turpentine, 
and  then  gently  heating  the  mixture.  Thirty  parts  of  nitroglyc- 
erine are  added,  and  the  temperature  is  raised,  the  mass  gelatiniz- 
ing slowly.  To  the  gelatine  thus  produced  forty  parts  of  saltpetre 
are  added,  together  with  twenty-four  parts  of  sulphate  of  mag- 
nesia and  one  part  of  carbonate  of  soda,  which  have  previously 
been  thoroughly  mixed  together.  The  product  is  packed  and 
treated  in  the  same  way  as  ordinary  gelatine  dynamite,  and  has 
nurnerous  advantages  over  that  substance. 

Umbrella  Stick  in  the  Antrnm. — M.  F.,  aged  twenty-nine, 
a  millworker,  consulted  Dr.  John  Frissell,  of  Philadelphia, 
in  July,  1875,  for  a  running  sore  on  his  face,  that  originated  in 
a  fight  three  years  before,  when  his  antagonist  struck  him  a 
severe  blow  with  his  umbrella.  The  wound  had  never  healed, 
although  but  a  small  opening  remained.  The  patient  had  been 
under  the  care  of  several  physicians,  all  of  whom  failed  to  dis- 
cover the  cause  of  the  suppurating  sore.  After  several  examina- 
tions, Dr.  Frissell  detected  a  foreign  body  of  metal  and  wood, 
which  he  succeeded  in  removing  with  forceps.  This  proved  to 
be  the  end  of  the  umbrella  with  its  brass  tip  and  ferrule.  Dr. 
Frissell,  in  a  report  to  the  State  Medical  Society,  gave  the  follow- 
ing additional  facts :  'Tn  a  quarrel,  three  years  before,  this  man 
had  been  struck  with  such  force  by  the  umbrella  that  the  end  of 
it  penetrated  the  superior  maxillary  bone  at  the  canine  fossa, 
passing  backward  through  the  antrum,  striking  the  pterygoid 
process  of  the  sphenoid  bone,  and  proceeding  back  tO'  the  side  of 
the  cervical  vertebra  a  short  distance  below  the  atlas  and  the 
foramen  magnum  of  the  occipital  bone.  The  ferrule,  the  end  of 
the  staff  and  the  capping  were  driven  in  at  least  four  inches.  The 
staff  was  broken  off  close  to  the  brass  capping,  and  the  skin 
closed  over  the  whole,  leaving  only  a  small  opening  through 
which  purulent  fluid  escaped.  The  man  enjoyed  tolerable  health, 
and  was  able  to  work,  with  this  mass  of  wood  and  metal  in  his 
head  and  neck  for  three  years."  This  man  is  still  living  in  ex- 
cellent health.  Phila.  Med.  Jour. 


MISCELLANY.  247 

A  Chemical  Epitaph. — 

Poor  Bennie  now  is  dead  and  gone, 

His  face  we'll  see  no  more; 
For  what  he  took  for  Hg  O, 

Was  U,  SO4. 

Starch  and  Tuberculosis. — F.  G.  D.  Drewitt  called  atten- 
tion to  the  fact  that  in  the  zoological  gardens  graniverous  birds 
die  in  large  numbers  from  tuberculosis,  while  meat-eating  and 
fish-eating  birds  die  much  less  frequently  from  that  disease. 
Carnivora  rarely  die  from  tubercle,  but  caged  animals  do,  what- 
ever their  dietary.  The  conclusions  are  obvious  that  human  be- 
ings close-housed  and  fed  largely  upon  starches  will  be  especially 
susceptible  to  the  ravages  of  consumption. 

A  Human  Ostrich. — A  young  man,  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  was  taken  ill  recently,  in  BroO'klyn,  with  symptoms  of 
gastritis.  By  means  of  the  X-ray  various  articles  of  hardware 
were  located  in  his  stomach.  January  14th  he  submitted  to  gas- 
trotomy,  with  the  result  that  there  were  taken  from  his  stomach 
twO'  keys,  six  hair-pins,  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight  common 
pins,  ten  two-and  one-half  inch  iron  nails,  two  horseshoe  nails, 
three  chains,  one  brass  and  twO'  nickel,  and  a  finger-ring  with  a 
stone  setting. 

A  Decision  of  Interest  to  Doctors. — A  decision  of  unusual 
interest  to  the  medical  profession  throughout  the  world  has 
lately  been  handed  down  by  the  United  States  Supreme  Court. 
In  1878  Dr.  Benjamin  W.  Hawker,  a  legally  qualified  practi- 
tioner of  the  State  of  New  York,  was  convicted  of  a  felony,  viz. : 
performing  a  criminal  abortion;  and  was  sentenced  to  imprison- 
ment for  ten  years.  At  the  expiration  of  his  time  of  servitude 
he  attempted  to  resume  practice,  with  the  result  that  the  Medical 
Society  of  the  County  of  New  York  brought  suit  against  him 
for  violation  of  a  State  law.  His  counsel  argued  that  a. con- 
struction of  the  law  making  it  illegal  to  practice  medicine  after 
conviction  of  a  felony  is  unjust  and  unconstitutional,  inasmuch 
as  it  in  efifect  adds  a  new  punishment  for  the  crime.  The  people 
contended,  however,  that  the  State  has  a  right  to  exact  good 
moral  character  as  one  of  the  qualifications  for  the  practice  of 
medicine.  The  first  trial  resulted  in  a  verdict  of  guilty  and  the 
imposition  of  a  fine;  the  case  was  appealed,  and  the  judges  of 
the  Appellate  Court  decided  to  set  aside  the  conviction,  one 
judge  (Ingraham)  delivering  a  vigorous  dissenting  opinion.  On 
a  final  appeal  to  the  United  States  Supreme  Court  nine  judges 
confirmed  the  conviction  and  sustained  the  constitutionality  of 
the  law,  citing  many  decisions  in  support  of  their  position.  Tliis 
decision  will,  therefore,  stand  as  law  for  all  future  time,  and  will 
debar  any  man  or  woman  convicted  of  a  felony  from  practicing 
medicine.  Am-.  Jour.  Surg,  and  Gyn. 


248  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

A  New  Alloy. — A  new  alloy  has  recently  been  patented  in 
Germany,  which  is  intended  to  take  the  place  of  gold.  It  consists 
of  copper  and  antimony  in  the  proportion  of  lOO  to  6,  the  anti- 
mony being-  added  to  the  melted  copper.  After  the  antimony  has 
melted,  and  a  union  between  the  two  metals  has  occurred,  some 
charcoal  ashes,  magnesium  and  lime  are  added  to  the  molten 
mass  in  the  crucible.  The  alloy  can  be  rolled  and  worked  like 
gold,  and  will  withstand  for  some  time  acid  and  ammoniacal 
vapors.  It  has  a  color  quite  similar  to  gold,  which  it  does  not 
lose  by  oxidation. 

Recovery  After  a  Broken  Neck. — Two  months  ago,  Barthol- 
omew Moriarity,  sixty-five  years  old,  fell  from  a  scaffold  in 
Dobbs  Ferry,  and,  although  his  neck  was  broken,  and  he  was 
partially  paralyzed,  he  walked  to^  Yonkers,  a  distance  of  six  miles, 
and  entered  St.  Joseph's  Hospital.  Quite  naturally,  his  story  was 
at  first  received  with  incredulity,  but  an  examination  with  the 
X-rays  showed  that  the  man  had  really  sustained  a  fracture  of  the 
cervical  vertebrae.  His  neck  and  shoulders  were  incased  in 
plaster  of  paris  after  having  removed  the  broken  fragment,  and 
satisfactory  union  of  the  fracture  was  secured.  The  plaster  dress- 
ing was  removed  three  weeks  ago,  and  the  man  was  discharged 
cured  last  week.  Phila.  Med.  Jour. 

Coal-Oil  and  Mosquitoes. — At  the  Society  of  Biology,  Janu- 
ary 20th,  Phisalix  spoke  of  the  destruction  of  the  larvae  of 
mosquitoes,  a  problem  which  has  assumed  great  importance  since 
it  is  known  that  they  are  agents  in  the  spread  of  malaria.  The 
best  means  thus  far  tried  to  accomplish  this  end  is  the  pouring 
of  coal-oil  on  the  surface  of  ponds.  This  method  has  been  carried 
out  with  success  in  America,  where  it  has  been  found  that  one- 
half  ounce  of  oil  is  sufficient  to  kill  the  larvae  of  a  square  yard 
of  water.  The  death  of  the  larvae  is  caused  by  the  introduction 
of  the  oil  into  their  tracheae.  The  most  favorable  season  in  which 
to  make  use  of  this  means  is  the  spring-time. 

Dressing  Burns  with  Silver  Leaf. — A  trial  is  being  made 
at  Bellevue  Hospital  of  a  novel  method  of  dressing  burns,  first 
introduced  at  the  John  Hopkins  Hospital.  It  consists  in  cover- 
ing the  burned  surfacewith  silver  leaf,usingnoadhesivematenal. 
As  far  as  it  has  been  used  in  Bellevue  it  has  given  satisfaction. 
As  it  only  adheres  to  the  unbroken  skin,  it  affords  a  good  protec- 
tive dressing  which  can  be  renewed  without  causing  pain.  This 
freedom  from  pain  and  shock  constitutes  its  chief  value  as  a  dress- 
ing for  burns.  It  is  also  being  used  at  present  in  the  new  Albany 
Hospital  for  dressing  the  wounds  in  cases  of  abdominal  surgery. 
The  silver  leaf  is  held  in  place  merely  by  a  retaining  gauze 
bandage.  Phila.  Med.  Jour. 


MISCELLANY.  249 

Siberian  Cold. — Mr.  L.  Licham,  a  California  engineer,  says 
the  Siberian  winter  cold  is  of  a  dryness  incomparable.  ^  Even 
the  latent  humidity  in  the  air — so  imperceptible,  that  no^  instru- 
ment of  precision  known  to  science  is  capable  of  registering  it — 
during  the  superb  sunny  days  of  midwinter,  is  manifest  by  being 
seen  floating  in  the  air,  during  the  days  of  intense  cold,  in  the 
form  of  minutest  ice  crystals.  Nature's  unique  cold  here  freezes 
everything — even  unto  the  latent  moisture;  and  under  this  condi- 
tion, certain  compositions  of  metals  will  expand. 

Frequently,  he  says,  during  the  intense  cold  of  the  months 
of  December,  January  and  February,  I  observed  the  rails  on  the 
Siberian  Railway  so  jammed  up  against  each  other  by  expansion 
that  the  ends  were  beginning  to  work  up,  but  were  kept  down  by 
being  jammed  down  by  the  passing  cars.  For  length  after  length, 
versta  after  versta,  the  expansion  was  such  that  a  pin  could  not 
be  thrust  anywhere  between  the  rail  ends. 

Latent  Survival  After  Apparent  Death. — J.  V.  Laborde 
has  continued  his  study  of  apparent  death,  and  now  an- 
nounces that  in  the  extinction  of  the  vital  functions-^the  death 
of  the  organism — there  are  two  phases.  The  first  is  the  suspen- 
sion of  the  functions  essential  to  the  maintenance  of  life,  respira- 
tion and  circulation,  with  the  persistence  of  the  properties  of  the 
tissues  and  organic  elements.  The  latter  remain  latent,  however, 
with  no  external  manifestations,  although  some  can  be  detected 
with  radiography  and  tracings.  During  the  second  phase  these 
functional  properties  disappear  in  turn;  first,  the  sensory  property 
becomes  extinct;  secondly,  the  motor  function,  and  third  and  last, 
muscular  contractility.  Systematic  traction  of  the  tongue  has 
revealed  a  persistence  of  latent  life  for  a  length  of  time  hitherto 
undreamed  of,  and  renders  resuscitation  possible  at  any  time  be- 
fore the  latter  part  of  the  second  phase,  even  as  late  as  after  three 
hours  of  apparent  death.  Traction  of  the  tongue  by  reflex  action 
starts  muscular  contraction  again,  and  reestablishes  respiration 
and  circulation  even  without  air.  Laborde  described,  at  a  recent 
meeting  of  the  Paris  Academic  de  Medicine,  the  dramatic  revival, 
by  traction  of  the  tongue,  of  a  girl  of  thirteen,  who  had  just  died 
of  a  scrofulo-tuberculoiis  affection.  Respiration  and  circulation 
were  completely  reestablished  in  twenty  minutes,  but  the  organic 
changes  which  had  induced  death  precluded  any  permanent 
restoration.  He  has  found  that  excitation  of  the  superior  laryn- 
geal nerves  in  normal  conditions  arrests  the  respiratory  phenom- 
ena, and  induces  asphyxia,  while  in  asphyxia  it  has  tlie  opposite 
effect,  starting  the  mechanism  again.  Continuous  and  sustained 
traction  of  the  tongue  is  most  effective  in  arresting  the  function, 
and  intermittent  or  rhythmic  traction  in  starting  the  arrested 
function.  Consequently,  continuous  traction  is  most  effectual  in 
controlling  hiccough.  Jour,  .luicr.  }fcd.  Ass'u. 


250  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Superstition. — The  different  nations  have  different  super- 
stitions practices  to  be  carried  out  at  tlie  time  a  baby  is  born. 
The  English  wish  the  baby  misfortune,  persuaded  that  fate  ahvays 
accomphshes  the  opposite  of  one's  wish;  the  Irish  keep  off  all 
harm  by  a  belt  made  of  woman's  hair;  the  Scotch  put  a  knife  and 
a  pincers  in  the  cradle;  in  Holland,  they  put  bread,  meat,  salt  and 
garlic  in  the  cradle;  in  Brittany  they  pull  the  child's  limbs  till 
they  crack,  they  bathe  its  head  in  olive  oil,  and  moisten  its  lips 
with  brandy;  the  Roumanians  tie  a  red  ribbon  about  one  foot  of 
the  newly  born  child ;  the  Turks  drop  water  and  earth  on  its  fore- 
head; the  Greeks,  taking  the  child  in  their  arms,  turn,  sing  three 
times  before  the  hearth,  and  in  Spain  they  stroke  the  baby's  face 
thrice  with  a  willow  branch.  Phil.  Med.  Jour. 

Pneumatic  Device. — An  ingenious  device  has  recently  been 
invented  in  France  by  M.  L.  Moissenet,  tO'  be  used  with  portable 
drills  and  to  take  the  pressure  off  the  drill  in  places  where  it  is 
not  easy  to  fix  a  drilling  pillar  or  other  device.  It  will  also  take 
the  place  of  the  powerful  electro-magnets  that  have  been  em- 
ployed for  this  purpose,  but  have  been  found  too  cumbrous  and 
heavy.  The  new  invention  consists  of  a  pneumatic  appliance  by 
wKic'h  the  necessary  adhesion  is  secured  by  suction,  and  the 
'"sucker"  consists  of  a  gun-metal  frame  supporting  a  leather  dia- 
phragm. The  space  below  this  is  connected  with  an  exhauster, 
and  the  vacuum  can  be  maintained  for  15  minutes  with  but  little 
loss.  The  weight  of  a  sucker-block,  which  gives  an  effective 
adhesion  of  over  one  ton,  is  less  than  twenty  pounds. 

A  Dentist  for  the  War.— Mr.  Newland  Pedley,  F.R.C.S., 
L.D.S.,  has  volunteered  for  the  front,  and  will  join  the  Imperial 
Yeomanry  Hospital.  We  hope  he  will  take  some  dental  assist- 
ants with  him,  and  that  they  will  be  the  means  of  relieving  poor 
Tommy  Atkins  of  much  suffering,  besides  being  able  to  make 
appliances  for  fractured  jaws.  When  the  Americans  started 
operations  in  their  late  war  with  Spain,  so  many  of  their  men  were 
incapacitated  through  toothache  that  it  was  found  necessary  tO' 
appoint  dentists  to  the  troops  in  the  field.  In  the  late  Soudan 
campaign  the  same  inconvenience  was  encountered  and  had  to 
be  solved  by  the  employment  of  dental  services.  In  the  Chitral 
campaign  the  men's  teeth  were  neglected;  consequently,  we  read 
in  the  newspapers  that  many  men  were  quite  unfitted  for  service 
through  toothache.  Nothing  should  be  considered  too  unim- 
portant to  secure  the  comfort  of  our  soldiers,  who  are  risking 
their  lives  for  their  country,  and  in  addition  have  an  enormous 
amount  of  discomfort  to  put  up  with  without  the  agony  of  tooth- 
ache. We  hope  that  the  time  is  fast  approaching  when  army 
dentists  well  be  part  of  the  organization  which  goes  to  make  up 
a  perfect  fighting  machine. — British  Jour,  of  Dental  Science. 


^Ifii^anO^ 


'/f/\^fiJ^ 


THE 


DENTAL   BRIEF. 


Vol..  V.  PHIIvADELPHIA,  MAY,  1900.  No.  5 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


THE  ADAPTATION  OF  ARTIFICIAL  DENTURES. 
By  J.  Clarence  Sahas,  D.DS. 

In  the  realm  of  prosthetic  dentistry  there  are  few  factors  re- 
quiring as  much  skill  and  scientific  thought  as  the  adaptation 
of  artificial  dentures.  The  success  herein  obtained  depends  on 
the  attention  given  to  details.  To  take  an  impression  and  send 
it  to  the  laboratory  without  examining  the  character  of  the 
mouth  and  without  treating  the  impression  and  cast  as  existing 
conditions  may  suggest,  is  to  violate  an  important  principle 
which  renders  the  attainment  of  successful  results  very  doubtful. 
Though  success  is  often  obtained  regardless  of  any  attention 
given  these  points,  such  success  may  generally  be  attributed  to 
the  presence  of  the  'Vacuum  chamber,"  by  which  certain  inac- 
curacies of  workmanship  are  often  obliterated. 

The  "vacuum  chamber"  and  its  various  modifications  which 
have  been  in  use  for  over  half  a  century,  has  been,  and  to  this 
day  is,  by  many  of  the  profession  regarded  as  an  indispensable, 
or,  I  might  say,  an  infallible  factor  in  obtaining  satisfactory  re- 
tention. In  this  connection  its  value  is  certainly  overestimated, 
as  the  idea  of  establishing  a  vacuum  of  any  permanency  in  the 
mouth  is  obviously  an  absurdity.  Its  efficacy  as  such  is  anal- 
ogous to  conditions  produced  in  the  glass-tube  experiment,  in 
which,  by  exhausting  the  air  and  applying  the  tube  to  the  lips, 
the  tissues  will  be  drawn  in  with  sufficient  force  to  support  the 
tube  until  it  drops  off,  owing  to  the  air  yielded  by  the  tissues 
upon  which  the  vacuum  acts.  This  is  exactly  what  takes  place 
in  the  case  of  the  denture,  and  conclusively  shows  that  its  utility 

251 


252  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

is  but  transitory;  in  other  words,  that  it  sustains  the  plate  until 
a  more  or  less  perfect  adaptation  is  secured,  its  permanent  re- 
tention being-  due  to  adhesion;  and  there  is  no  kind  of  a  cavity 
or  space  which  secures  such  permanent  adhesion  and  gives  so 
complete  a  vacuum  as  perfect  contact.  A  consideration  of  the 
parts  involved  must  convince  the  observer  that  the  tender,  sensi- 
tive tissues  cannot  long  tolerate  even  a  partial  vacuum.  In- 
stances are  not  wanting  where  a  vacuum,  even  slight  in  dgree, 
has  been  attended  by  decided  pathological  results.    , 

The  natural  law  governing  the  phenomenon  of  adhesion,  that 
two  perfectly  fitting  surfaces  wath  an  intermediate  fluid  will  ad- 
here with  force  equal  to  nearly  two  pounds  to  the  square  inch, 
independent  of  the  atmosphere,  is  the  basis  on  which  artificial 
dentures  should  be  constructed.  To  obtain  permanent  adhesion, 
absolute  contact  and  uniformity  of  pressure  is  a  preeminient 
requisite,  and  may  be  secured  by  preparing  the  impression  and 
cast  in  a  manner  to  compress  the  soft  and  thick  poirtions  of  the 
alveolar  ridge  and  hard  palate,  and  by  relieving  the  pressure  on 
the  hard,  protruding,  bony  surfaces  characteristic  of  the  palatal 
ridge.  Thie  strength  of  the  adhesion  is  influenced,  in  a  great 
measure,  by  the  conditions  of  the  mouth,  that  is  to  say,  a  plate 
in  a  small,  rigid  and  dry  mouth  will  hardly  sustain  five  ounces 
of  displacing  force ;  while  on  the  other  hand,  a  plate  in  the  same 
mouth,  if  moist  and  comparatively  yielding,  will  sustain  ten  to 
fifteen  ounces. 

Previous  to  constructing  a  denture  the  mouth  must  be  thor- 
oughly examined.  The  importance  of  this  cannot  be  overesti- 
mated. With  the  finger  or  blunt  instrument  note  the  conditions 
of  the  tissues  where  they  are  hard  and  rigid  or  soft  and  flexible, 
also  where  they  are  very  tender.  Ascertain  approximately  the 
depth  tO'  which  the  soft  tissues  will  yield,  as  the  amount  to  be 
scraped  from  the  impression  and  cast  depends  on  the  relative 
hardness  and  softness  of  the  tissfues. 

The  accompanying  figures  serve  to  illustrate  the  method  of 
preparing  the  cast  and  impression  of  a  mouth,  the  tissues  of  which 
are  uniformly  rigid.  In  this  case  the  palatal  ridge  is  hard  and 
prominent,  but  has  on  either  side  a  small  area  of  soft,  yielding 
tissue.  Pressure  of  the  plate  on  the  posterior,  two'-thirds  of  the 
palatal  ridge  is  relieved  by  scraping  the  impression  at  points 
shown  in  Fig.  i.  A,  B.  Fig.  2  represents  the  cast,  with  shaded 
parts  corresponding  to  the  soft  tissues,  wdiere  compression  is 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


253 


desired.     To  affect  this  the  cast  is  scraped  at  points  indicated  by 
AA,  BB,  CC,  CC. 


Fig.  I. 


It  is  important  to*  have  the  plate  Hne  as  high  as  possible, 
especially  over  the  canine  prominence,  and  the  cast  should  be 


Fig.  2. 


scraped  along  the  plate  line  where  the  tissues  will  permit.     Fig. 
2  DDD  indicates  the  points  where  greater  compression  is  se- 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 

cured,  while  EEE  represents  the  very  tender  surfaces  that  wil? 
tolerate  but  the  slightest  compression.  It  is  a  common  error  to 
allow  the  denture  to  fit  too  close  on  this  portion  of  the  alveolar 
ridge,  and  it  is  equally  inexpedient  to  reduce  the  plate  to  a  knife- 
like edge,  which  invariably  lacerates  the  tissues. 

A  denture  constructed  upon  this  principle  will  require  sev- 
eral days'  wearing  to  become  perfectly  adapted.  The  plate  will 
then  be  in  absolute  contact  with  the  mouth,  and  with  more  posi- 
tive pressure  on,  the  yielding  parts,  and  through  the  agency  of 
the  fluids  between  the  plate  and  mouth,  adhesion  is  attained. 

The  impression  of  a  uniformly  rigid,  flat  mouth  needs  but 
the  slightest  modifications  to  produce  a  perfect  fit.  It  is  clear, 
therefore,  that  the  essential  and  salient  feature  of  this  method  of 
adapting  artificial  dentures  is  absolute  contact  and  uniformity 
of  pressure,  the  former  being  secured  by  a  perfect  impression, 
the  latter  by  the  mieansi  above  describd. 


NIRVANIN  AS  A  LOCAL   ANESTHETIC  FOR 
EXTRACTION. 

By  A.  W.  Strecker,  D.DS.    • 

Nirvanin  is  a  soluble  form  of  orthoform,  and  has  been  given 
the  complex  chemical  name  ''hydrochlorate  of  diethy-glycocol- 
paramido-ortho^-oxybenzoic-methylester"  by  its  discoverers,. 
Prof.  Einborn  and  Dr.  Heinz.    Its  rational  formula  is 

HCl  (C2H5)  — N— CH2— CO— HNr^NoH 

I       JCOOCH3. 

A  solution  can  be  made  either  in  sterilized  water  or  a  physio- 
logical salt  solution.  It  is  non-toxic,  has  no  effect  on  pulse  or 
respiration,  and  is  antiseptic. 

REPORT  OF   CASES. 

Mrs.  W.,  aged  forty-three  years.  Under  a  physician's  care 
for  nervous  disorder.  The  following  roots  were  extracted :  In 
the  upper  maxilla  on  the  right  side  a  central  incisor,  a  second  bi- 
cuspid and  first  molar;  on  the  left  side  a  second  bicuspid  and 
first   molar.     Four  minims   of   a  five  per   cent,   solution  were 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  255 

injected  on  the  labial  and  palatal  aspect  of  the  tooth,  using  two 
minims  to  each  buccal  root  of  the  molars.  After  waiting  three 
minutes  I  began  extracting  with  the  first  and  second  tooth,  the 
patient  complained  of  pain,  but  not  with  the  remainder.  At  a 
subsequent  sittinig  I  removed  the  following  roots  from  the  lower 
maxilla:  the  first  molar  on  the  right  side  and  the  first,  .secoTid  and 
third  molars  on  the  left  side.  I  injected  eight  minims  to  each 
tooth,  injecting  four  minims  over  the  mesial  root,  and  allowing 
it  tO'  anaesthetize  the  buccal  root  by  infiltration;  after  waiting 
five  minutes,  I  began  extracting;  the  patient  felt  no  pain. 

Miss  McW.,  aged  twenty-four  years,  presented  herself, 
complaining  of  severe  pain  in  the  region  of  the  second  bicuspid, 
lower  maxilla,  left  side.  The  tooth  had  been  crowned,  but  the 
crown  had  broken  off  two  years  before;  I  found  the  pulp  canal 
filled  with  cement.  All  indications  pointed  to  an  abscess.  I 
injected  fifteen  minims  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution.  The  gum 
was  not  sensitive  to  toiuch  after  five  minutes;  but  as  applying 
the  forceps  to  the  root  caused  severe  pain,  I  waited  three  minutes 
longer.  On  again  appilying  the  forceps  the  root  was  extracted 
with  but  slight  discomfort  to  the  patient.  I  also  extracted  the 
first  and  second  molar  on  the  left  side,  which  were  firmly  at- 
tached, and  the  cuspid  on  the  right  side,  which  was  loose. 
Twenty  minims  were  injected  for  the  molars,  eight  minims  for 
the  cuspid.  Five  minutes  after  the  injection  the  molar  was  ex- 
tracted without  discomfort  to  patient,  but  the  cuspid  caused 
severe  pain.  I  have  since  noticed  that  the  action  of  nirvanin 
seems  more  satisfactory  where  there  is  a  firm  attachment  than 
v^here  the  root  is  loose. 

Mrs.  S.  W.,  an  anaemic  patient,  fifty-five  years  of  age,  was 
under  my  care  for  pyorrhoea.  The  third  molar  in  the  right 
maxilla  was  loose,  in  malposition,  and  slightly  decayed,  and 
T  decided  upon  extraction.  Twelve  minims  of  a  five  per  cent, 
solution  were  injected.  Upon  attempting  extraction  after  five 
minutes,  the  pain  was  very  severe.  I  then  injected  eight  minims, 
and  after  three  minutes  five  minims  more;  in  all,  twenty-five 
minimis.  After  waiting  three  minutes  I  extracted  the  tooth;  the 
patient  assured  me  that  she  felt  distinct  and  sharp  pain.  Six 
days  later  I  removed  the  root  of  the  left  lower  second  bicuspid; 
the  root  was  firmly  anchored.  Eight  minims  of  a  five  per  cent, 
solution  were  injected.  After  five  minutes  I  extracted  the  tooth 
-without  any  discomfort  to  the  patient. 


256  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Miss  W.,  aged  twenty-five  years.  I  extracted  the  roots 
of  both  lower  third  molars,  using  twenty  minims  of  a  five  per 
cent,  solution.  I  also  removed  a  small  tumor  between  the  cus- 
pid and  first  bicuspid  upper  right  maxilla,  using  fifteen  minims 
of  a  five  per  cent,  solution.  After  eight  minutes  the  tumor  was 
removed.  Carbolic  acid  was  then  freely  applied.  The  patient 
experienced  no  discomfort  whatever. 

For  i\Irs.  J.  F.,  aged  twenty-one  years,  I  extracted  the  fol- 
lowing roots,  all  in  the  upper  maxilla:  both  first  bicuspids,  left 
central  and  right  lateral  incisors.  Tw^enty-five  minims  of  a  five 
per  cent,  solution  were  used.  Extracted  after  three  minutes; 
pain  was  felt  in  the  first  tooth  only,  doubtless  due  to  my  com- 
mencing to  extract  too  soon. 

Air.  H.  S.,  aged  twenty-tw^O'  years,  presented  himself  to 
have  mouth  put  in  healthy  condition.  I  found  it  necessary  to 
extract  the  following  roots,  all  in  the  upper  maxilla:  four  in- 
cisors, first  and  second  right,  and  second  left  bicuspids.  Six- 
teen minims  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution  were  used  for  the 
anterior  teeth;  on  the  labial  surface  four  minims  for  the  right 
lateral  and  left  central  w^ere  used;  on  the  palatal  surface  re- 
versing, depending  on  infiltration  to. anaesthetize  the  intervening 
space;  eighteen  minims  were  used  for  the  bicuspids.  In  the 
first  tooth  a  slight  pain  was  noticed;  in  extracting  the  second 
tooth  it  was  barely  perceptible.  No  discomfort  whatever  was 
experienced  upon  the  other  teeth  beinig  extracted. 

Miss  S.  H.,  aged  nineteen  years.  Patient  w^as  very  nervous. 
I  extracted  the  roots  of  both  first  and  second  molars,  right  and 
left  side,  and  second  bicuspid  on  right  side.  I  used  thirty-five 
minims  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution.  The  patient  complained  of 
slight  pain  upon  extracting  the  first  and  last  root,  but  did  not 
feel  any  pain  during  the  extraction  of  the  remaining  roots.  The 
patient,  upon  being  told  that  the  operation  was  finished,  had 
an  attack  of  hysterics.  Subsequently  I  extracted  the  roots  of 
both  central  and  left  lateral  incisors,  right  first  molar  in  upper 
maxilla.  The  anterior  teeth  were  so  badly  decayed  that  it  was 
necessary  to  place  a  piece  of  w^ood  in  the  canal  of  each.  I  used 
eighteen  minims  for  the  incisors,  and  ten  minims  for  the  molar. 
Before  extracting  I  gave  patient  a  teaspoonful  of  tincture  of 
valerian  in  half  a  glass  of  water,  adding  a  drop  of  oil  of  cinna- 
mon. The  extraction  of  the  roots  caused  the  patient  no  dis- 
comfort, and  she  was  not  troubled  with  hysteria. 


1 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  257 

Mrs.  C.  L.  W.,  aged  forty  years,  was  sent  by  a  physician  to 
have  roots  removed,  as  they  were  badly  decayed,  very  offensive, 
and  were  very  annoying  tO'  the  patient.  The  physician  strongly 
advised  against  giving  any  anaesthetic,  unless  I  could  use  a  local 
anaesthetic  not  containing  any  cocain,  as  the  patient  was  espe- 
cially susceptible  to  its  influence.  The  patient  was  extremely 
nervous,  having  a  pulse  of  ninety-five  from  the  dread  of  hav- 
ing the  teeth  extracted.  The  physician  gave  a  minute  dose 
of  aconite,  and  after  fifteen  minutes  the  patient  was  apparently 
calm  enough  to  have  tE"e  tooth  extracted.  I  injected  twenty 
minims  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution.  The  patient  complained  of 
severe  pain  during  the  extraction,  but  also  felt  pain  whenever 
I  attempted  to  work  in  the  mouth,  when  I  touched  the  gum,  also 
when  I  touched  a  sound  tooth  with  an  explorer. 

In  one  case  (name  of  patient  not  recorded)  I  removed  four 
roots — the  cuspid  and  first  molar,  left  side,  and  first  and  second 
bicuspids  on  the  left  side.  I  used  thirty  minims  of  a  five  per 
cent,  solution;  the  patient  became  nervous  and  did  not  feel  able 
to  have  the  forceps  used,  so  I  used  the  elevator,  and  the  patient 
felt  no  discomfort.  In  other  cases  of  extraction  of  single  teeth, 
five  were  removed  without  pain,  two  with  slight  pain.  I  used 
eight  minims  of  a  five  per  cent,  solution  in  each  case. 

Upon  injecting  a  solution  of  nirvanin  the  gum  is  slightly 
blanched.  After  removing  the  needle,  in  about  five  seconds  a 
slight  escape  of  blood  occurs.  When  the  tooth  is  extracted  a 
rather  severe  flow  of  blood  occurs  for  a  minute  or  two;  after  that 
time  it  becomes  normal.  A  slight  swelling  of  the  gums,  accom- 
panied by  pain,  has  occurred  in  every  case  in  which  more  than, 
one  tooth  was  extracted;  this  may  be  owing  to  injury  to  tissue,, 
or  to  the  large  quantity  of  nirvanin  injected;  but  as  both  symp- 
toms are  slight  and  disappear  in  from  three  hours  (shortest  time) 
to  twenty-seven  hours  (the  longest),  and  as  they  are  at  no  time 
sufficiently  severe  to  interfere  with  the  patient's  sleeping,  the 
gums  healing  very  nicely,  exhibiting  no  signs  of  sloughing,  this 
is  not  a  very  serious  objection  tO'  the  employment  of  nirvanin 
as  a  local  anaesthetic. 


»i^i^^€€^€ 


258  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


A  DISCUSSION  ON  ANESTHETICS/'^ 

Selection  of  the  Ancesthetic  in  Surgery. — Dr.  John  A.  Wyeth 
opened  the  discussion  by  a  consideration  of  the  selection  of  the 
anaesthetic,  considering,  however,  only  the  use  of  chloroform 
and  ether  unmixed.  He  said  that  during  the  first  few  years  of 
his  practice  he  had  employed  ether  almost  exclusively,  and 
during  this  time  had  not  failed  to  note  the  great  irritation  some- 
times caused  by  this  anaesthetic  agent,  and  the  great  difficulty 
of  inducing  complete  narcosis  in  alcoholic  subjects  without  pro- 
ducing asphyxia.  He  had,  therefore,  been  led  gradually  to  make 
more  and  more  frequent  use  of  chloroform.  At  present,  in 
about  seventy-five  per  cent,  of  his  operations  he  employed  chloro- 
form, either  wholly  or  in  some  stage  of  the  narcosis.  In  using 
chloroform  he  invariably  injected  beneath  the  skin  one-fourth 
of  *a  grain  of  morphine  and  one-one  hundred  and  fiftieth  of  a  grain 
of  atropine  about  fifteen  minutes  before  commencing  the  anaes- 
thesia. These  agents  stimulated  the  heart,  and  allayed  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  the  anxiety  of  the  patient.  He  belie^^ed  chloro- 
form was  dangerous  chiefly  to  the  heart,  and  that  it  was  during 
the  early  stage  of  its  administration  that  this  danger  was  im- 
minent. The  depression  of  the  heart,  when  observed  at  all, 
occurred  almost  invariably  prior  to  the  induction  of  complete 
narcosis.  i 

Administration  of  Chloroform. — Chloroform  should  be  ad- 
ministered with  very  great  care,  and  only  by  an  expert.  In 
giving  chloroform,  he  preferred  to  use  the  ordinary  Esmarch's 
screen,  keeping  his  finger  on  the  pulse  and  watching  the  pupil 
for  any  sudden  dilatation.  If  the  patient  gradually  gave  way  to 
the  anaesthetic  and  the  pulse  showed  no  interruption  in  its 
rhythm,  he  felt  satisfied  that  the  chloroform  was  having  no  un- 
favorable effect.  The  pulse  might  be  rapid — 120  or  more  a 
minute — or  it  might  be  as  slow  as  50  or  60  beats  per  minute,  but 
iihese  variations  were  not  suggestive  of  serious  danger  so  long  as 
the  heart  beat  regularly  and  rhythmically.  If,  however,  a  beat 
was  lost  here  and  there,  or  if  two  successive  beats  fell  off  in  ful- 


*At  a  stated  meeting  of  the  New  York  County  Medical  Society,  Feb- 
ruary 19th,  1900. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  259 

ness,  and  then  rose  again  in  volume,  it  was  always  to  him  a  signal 
which  was  to  be  respected,  and  he  promptly  withdrew  the  chloro- 
form for  a  moment  to  note  the  effect.  Should  sudden  pallor 
of  the  face  occur,  especially  about  the  lips,  on  resuming  the 
chloroform,  he  stopped  the  anaesthetic,  and  lowered  the  patient's 
head,  preferably  placing  him  in  the  Trendelenburg  position.  If 
the  heart  still  showed  resentment  to  chloroform,  ether  was  at 
once  substituted.  If  there  had  been  no  alarming  symptoms  from 
the  first  use  of  chloroform,  he  returned  to  it  after  having  admin- 
istered the  ether  for  a  short  time.  Another  alarming  symptom 
of  the  too  profoimd  effect  of  chloroform  was  the  sudden  and  wide 
dilatation  of  the  pupil.  When  this  occurred,  he  always  desisted 
from  the  use  of  chloroform  anaesthesia.  In  his  opinio'U,  it  was 
not  proper  to  endeavor  to  bring  the  patient  rapidly  under  the 
influence  of  chloroform.  The  free  admixture  of  air  was  essential 
to  safety.  The  average  time  for  complete  narcosis  with  chloro- 
form was  from  fifteen  to  twenty  minutes. 

Ether  Narcosis. — ^When  ether  was  employed,  he  always  used 
it  with  the  Ormsby  inhaler,  or  some  form  of  inhaler  which  did 
not  allow  of  the  passage  of  the  atmosphere  directly  over  the  in- 
haler and  into  the  apparatus.  The  Allis  instrument,  or  any 
similar  form  of  open  inhaler,  seemed  tO'  him  extremely  objection- 
able because  the  passage  of  the  atmosphere  over  the  inhaler 
lowered  the  temperature  within  the  inhaler  and  carried  a  chilled 
vapor  into  the  respiratory  passages,  often  exciting  inflammation 
in  this  way.  The  introduction  of  a  warm,  moist  anaesthetic  vapor 
facilitated  and  modified  the  anaesthesia  satisfactorily.  In  a  series 
of  administrations  at  operations  in  the  Mt.  Sinai  Hospital  he  had 
proved  that  with  the  Ormsby  inhaler  the  patient  could  be  anaes- 
thetized with  ether  and  maintained  under  narcosis,  and  would 
come  out  of  the  anaesthetic  more  rapidly  and  with  less  irritation 
of  the  kidneys  or  other  organs  than  by  any  other  method  of 
administration.  It  was  well  known  that  the  elimination  of  the 
ether  vapor  by  the  kidneys  was  the  cause  of  very  considerable 
irritation  of  these  organs.  Of  course,  the  greater  the  volume  of 
ether  in  the  blood,  the  greater  was  the  volume  that  must  be 
eliminated  by  the  kidneys.  Just  here  was  observ^ed  one  of  the 
advantages  of  the  closed  inhaler — i.  c,  the  diminution  in  the 
quantity  of  the  anaesthetic  necessary  for  a  given  period  of 
narcosis. 

Ether  and  Chloroform  Contrasted. — In  the  hands  of  a  tvro 


26o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ether  was  safer  than  cliloroforin,  and  this  without  regard  to  the 
condition  of  the  patient,  but  in  the  hands  of  an  experienced 
anaesthetist,  and  one  who  had  studied  his  case  carefully  and  had 
satisfied  himself  that  the  use  of  chloroform  was  justified,  this 
agent  was  practically  without  danger.  He  preferred  chloroform 
in  all  cases  in  w^hich  there  were  pathological  changes  in  the  kid- 
neys, and  in  which  heart  lesions  were  absent.  When  the  lungs 
were  seriously  involved,  as  by  tuberculosis,  gummatous  tumors, 
or  inflammatory  changes,  or  when  there  was  a  moderate  pleuritic 
effusion,  chloroform  was  preferable.  When,  however,  in  any 
way  the  heart  had  become  crippled,  ether  was  the  safer  anaes- 
thetic. For  operations  in  the  abdominal  cavity,  chloroform  was 
preferable  for  the  reason  that  vomiting  was  less  likely  to  occur 
during  and  after  the  operation.  He  was  especially  afraid  of 
chloroform  in  patients  who  had  had  repeated  attacks  of  rheu- 
matism, and  in  who^m  the  action  of  the  heart  w^as  weakened  by 
serious  valvular  lesion,  atheroma,  or  fatty  metamorphosis.  In 
alcoholic  subjects  chloroform  w^as  preferable  because  of  the  dif- 
ficulties met  with  in  securing  profound  narcosis  from  ether. 

Chloroform  Unsafe  for  Children. — In  children,  ether  was,  in 
general,  the  safer  anaesthetic.  He  had  been  taught  that  chloro- 
form was  the  better  anaesthetic  in  this  class  of  cases,  but  he  had 
learned  that  in  children  under  twelve  years  of  age  chloroform 
was  not  so  safe  as  ether.  He  had  seen  death  occur  in  a  child  of 
ten  years,  without  a  single  danger  signal,  and  when  not  more 
than  one  drachm  of  chloroform  had  been  administered  by  an  ex- 
pert. Chloroform  was  especially  dangerous  in  children  who 
were  poorly  nourished  or  w-eakened  by  any  dyscrasia.  Particu- 
lar care  was  necessary  w^hen  the  child  struggled  and  made  deep 
and  rapid  inspirations.  Over  the  age  of  tw^elve  years,  in  healthy 
subjects,  he  believed  chloroform  to  be  as  safe  as  ether. 

The  Amount  of  the  Ancesthctic. — Dr.  Thomas  L.  Bennett  took 
up  this  topic.  He  stated  that  in  his  opinion  many  of  the  symp- 
toms of  prostration  noticed  after  operation,  and  attributed  to 
hemorrhage  or  shock,  were  really  due  to  overstimulation  from  the 
use  of  an  excessive  amount  of  the  anaesthetic.  Many  factors 
entered  into  the  production  of  nausea  and  vomiting  after  opera- 
tion, yet  he  was  sure  that  there  was  a  direct  relation  between 
these  symptoms  and  the  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic  employed. 
Asphyxia  might  result  from  an  overdose  of  the  anaesthetic  agent, 
or  from  foreign  bodies  in  the  air  passages.     Syncope  was  in- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  261 

variably  due  to  an  overdose.  Mucus,  saliva,  vomited  matter,  or 
blood  might  flow  into  the  pharynx,  and  be  carried  into  the 
trachea.  Here  it  acted  as  an  obstruction  to  respiration,  and,  as 
a  result,  the  inspiratory  efforts  were  greater,  and  these  substances 
were  drawn  deeper  and  deeper  into  the  lungs.  Acute  pulmonary- 
oedema,  in  his  experience,  had  been  a  rare  complication  of  anaes- 
thesia. The  influence  of  anaesthetics  upon  the  kidneys  liad  re- 
ceived much  attention,  and  all  observers  agreed  that  the  chief 
factor  was  the  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic  employed.  The  neces- 
sary amount  of  the  given  anaesthetic  would  depend  upon:  (i) 
The  requirements  of  the  individual  patient;  (2)  the  requirements 
of  the  particular  operation ;  (3)  the  method  of  administration ;  (4) 
the  administrator.  Large,  strong,  energetic,  wiry,  neurotic,  and 
intemperate  patients,  as  a  rule,  required  more  than  the  average 
amount  of  the  anaesthetic,  while  small,  weak,  lethargic, 
phlegmatic,  and  temperate  people  required  less  than  the  average 
amount.  Many  children  about  the  age  of  puberty  required  an 
unusually  large  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic.  The  amount  would 
vary  according  to  the  nature,  severity,  location,  and  duration  of 
the  operation.  Operations  on  the  rectum,  perineum,  bladder,  the 
eye  and  ear,  and  abdominal  operations  requiring  severe  and  deep 
manipulations,  all  required  a  very  deep  narcosis.  As  to  the 
method,  he  would  say  that  when  he  had  experienced  great  diffi- 
culty in  securing  ether  narcosis  by  the  open  method  he  had  suc- 
ceeded quite  rapidly  when  he  resorted  to  the  clo'sed  inhaler. 
There  were  two  ways  in  which  ether  might  be  administered  with 
a  given  inhaler,  viz.,  (i)  using  a  small  quantity  at  short  intervals, 
and  (2)  using  a  larger  quantity  at  longer  intervals.  His  personal 
preference  was  for  the  first  method,  just  as  he  favored  the  drop- 
by-drop  method  of  administering  chloroform.  On  an  average, 
about  four  ounces  of  ether  would  be  required  for  the  first  hour, 
if  the  closed  method  was  used,  and  about  two  ounces  for  the 
next  hour. 

Nitrous  Oxld  and  its  Madifications  for  Prolonged  Surgical 
Operations. — Dr.  S.  Ormond  Gk)ldan  read  this  paper.  He  said 
that  in  the  use  of  nitrous-oxid  gas  for  prolonged  operations,  the 
following  precautions  should  be  observed:  (i)  A  sufficient  quan- 
tity of  gas  should  be  at  hand;  (2)  a  hot  cloth  should  be  wrapped 
around  the  valve  if  the  apparatus  became  covered  with  frost;  (3) 
the  patient's  face  should  be  turned  on  the  side.  Operations  of 
delicate  dissection,  or  where  venous  engorgement  was  undesir- 


262  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

able,  contraindicated  the  use  of  nitrous-oxid  gas  The  use  of 
this  gas  \vas  not  contraindicated  in  abdominal  operations,  but  it 
had  been  found  necessar}'  to  flex  the  legs  and  thighs  well  in  order 
to  secure  the  proper  relaxation.  This  was  a  point  which  had 
served  him  well,  though  he  did  not  recollect  having  seen  it  men- 
tioned in  the  books.  It  was  undesirable  to  carry  the  anaesthesia 
to  the  production  of  clonic  spasm.  The  time  required  for  the 
induction  of  anaesthesia  by  nitrous  oxid  varied  from  thirty 
seconds  to  two  minutes.  About  four  gallons  of  gas  were  required 
in  the  average  case  to  produce  anaesthesia.  Nitrous-oxid  gas 
was  an  asphyxiating  agent,  although  it  also  had  anaesthetic 
properties,  as  was  proved  by  its  use  with  oxygen.  When  ad- 
ministered in  conjunction  with  carbonic  dioxid,  the  patients  often 
complained  afterward  of  headache.  To  obviate  this  the  inhaler 
should  be  opened  occasionally,  and  then  filled  with  fresh  gas. 
For  the  administration  of  nitrous  oxid  and  oxygen.  Dr.  Hewitt's 
apparatus  was  generally  employed.  The  effort  was  to  give  each 
patient  as  much  oxygen  as  he  or  she  would  tolerate.  The  per- 
centage of  oxygen  must  be  varied  from  time  to  time  throughout 
the  narcosis,  depending  upon  the  effect.  The  mask  was  kept 
constantly  supplied,  and  the  inhalation  was  continued  uninterrupt- 
edly. This  mode  of  anaesthetization  required  the  greatest  skill. 
As  much  oxygen  as  possible  should  be  administered  without 
interfering  with  the  anaesthesia.  Consciousness  was  almost  im- 
mediately regained  after  nitrous-oxid  anaesthesia.  Sometimes 
there  was  intense  headache  for  hours  after  its  administration. 
Nausea  and  vomiting  were  also  occasionally  persistent  for  some 
hours.  Hysterical  attacks  occurred  at  times  after  this  anaesthetic. 
Anaesthetization  with  nitrous-oxid  gas  and  oxygen  was  the  most 
expensive  of  all  the  methods.  In  one  operation  lasting  two 
hours,  in  which  these  gases  had  been  administered  in  minimum 
quantity,  the  cost  of  the  anaesthetic  agents  alone  amounted  to 
seven  dollars. 

Experience  zmth  Ethyl  Chlorid  in  General  Ancesthesia. — Dr. 
James  P.  Tuttle  read  this  paper,  which  was  based  on  some  ex- 
periments that  he  had  made  during  the  past  three  months  with 
kelene,  or  pure  ethyl  chlorid,  as  an  adjunct  to  anaesthesia  with 
ether.  The  first  experiment  had  been  made  on  November  15th, 
1899.  The  patient  was  a  strong  man  aged  forty-five  years,  having 
a  fatty  tumor  on  the  border  of  the  scapula.  Insensibility  to  pain 
had  been  induced  in  four  minutes,  but  the  muscles  had  not  re- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  263 

laxed  promptly,  and  supposing  that  this  could  not  be  readily 
induced  by  kelene,  the  anaesthetist  had  been  directed  to  change 
to  ether.  Complete  narcosis  had  been  induced  so  rapidly  then 
that  he  had  been  at  first  alarmed.  His  next  experiment  had 
been  on  a  case  of  hemorrhoids.  For  three  minutes  and  a  half 
kelene  had  been  administered,  and  then,  the  cornea  having  be- 
come insensitive,  ether  had  been  given  with  the  Ormsby  inhaler, 
and  complete  anaesthesia  had  been  induced  in  two  minutes  more. 
Since  then  he  had  adopted  the  following  method:  The  kelene 
is  sprayed  upon  the  under  surface  of  an  Esmarch  inhaler,  and 
the  spraying  is  repeated  from  time  tO'  time.  As  soon  as  the 
cornea  became  insensitive,  ether  was  given  by  the  Ormsby  in- 
haler. In  forty  cases  of  which  he  had  notes,  the  time  required 
to  induce  anaesthesia  had  never  exceeded  seven  minutes.  As  a 
rule,  consciousness  seemed  to  be  retained  up  to  the  time  of 
changing  toi  ether.  There  was  sometimes  momentary  spasm  of 
the  glottis  at  the  time  of  beginning  the  use  of  the  ether.  The 
shortest  time  required  for  inducing  anaesthesia  had  been  three 
minutes  and  a  half,  and  the  longest  seven  minutes.  Occasionally 
there  had  been  a  little  struggling,  but  ordinarily  the  patient  was 
conscious,  and  a  reassuring  word  or  two,  explaining  to  him  that 
there  might  be  a  moimentary  spasm  or  choking,  was  sufficient  to 
prevent  any  struggling.  He  had  asked  a  number  of  patients 
whether  they  had  any  recollection  of  the  application  of  the  ether 
cone,  and  in  each  instance  had  received  a  negative  reply.  In 
four  cases  the  use  of  the  ethyl  chlorid  had  proved  unsatisfactory. 
In  one  of  these  it  had  been  found  exceedingly  difficult  to  anaes- 
thetize the  patient  with  ether.  None  of  these  four  persons  was 
at  all  the  worse  for  the  kelene,  and  he  felt  sure  that  in  none  of 
these  instances  had  the  induction  of  ether  narcosis  been  ren- 
dered more  tedious  or  difficult  by  the  preliminary  use  of  the 
kelene.  The  average  quantity  of  kelene  employed  had  been  be- 
tween 10  and  20  c.c.  He  considered  it  important  that  the  kelene 
should  be  kept  in  a  closed  graduated  tube.  He  had  seen  no 
deleterious  effects  from  this  use  of  ethyl  chlorid. 

Closed  Inhalers  Dangerous. — Dr.  Hobart  A.  Hare,  of  Phila- 
delphia, opened  the  general  discussion.  He  stated  that  the 
physicians  and  surgeons  in  Philadelphia  believed  the  best  form 
of  inhaler  for  both  ether  and  chloroform  to  be  the  simplest  one 
imaginable — the  ordinary  towel  cone  with  a  piece  of  absorbent 
cotton  in  the  top  of  it,  or  an  AUis  inhaler  for  ether,  and  the 


264  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

folded  towel  for  chloroform.  Personally,  he  was  very  much 
opposed  to  the  various  forms  of  cumbersome  apparatus  that  had 
been  shown  this  evening.  He  was  opposed  to  them  because  of 
their  cumbersomeness,  and  because  he  believed  much  the  same 
objections  applied  to  tubes  and  bags  in  connection  with  inhalers 
that  applied  to  tubes  in  infants'  nursing-bottles.  He  believed 
a  good  many  pulmonary  accidents  had  occurred  from  the  use 
of  these  bags  and  tubes  in  connection  with  inhalers.  We  were 
told,  of  course,  that  these  things  could  be  boiled  and  sterilized, 
but  how  often,  in  private  practice  was  this  neglected  when  the 
physician  or  surgeon  returned  home  tired  out  after  a  long  and  try- 
ing operation?  He  had  seen  a  gynaecologist  in  Philadelphia  use 
one  of  these  bag  inhalers,  and  had  always  been  impressed  with  the 
idea  that  his  patients  were  being  anaesthetized  primarily  by  the 
anaethetic,  and  secondarily,  by  carbon  dioxid,  and  thirdly,  per- 
haps, anaesthetized  or  benumbed  by  taking  into  the  system  the 
effete  material  which  it  was  known  the  breath  was  continually 
giving  off.  Physiological  experiment  had  proved  most  posi- 
tively that,  after  all,  it  was  not  the  carbonic  acid  gas  which  was 
given  off  from  the  lungs  which  acted  so  deleteriously  in  crowded 
rooms — as  in  the  historical  Black  Hole  of  Calcutta — as  the  effete 
material  expired.  For  these  reasons  he  was  of  the  opinion  that 
an  anaesthetic  agent  should  be  selected  and  used,  by  itself  with- 
out having  its  effect  obscured  and  rendered  more  complex  by  the 
use  of  these  closed  inhalers. 

Comparative  Safety  of  Chloroform  and  Ether  in  Children. — 
He  had  been  particularly  interested  in  the  title  of  Dr.  Wyeth's 
paper  because  he  believed  it  was  a  common  fault  to  resort  to  the 
routine  use  of  both  ether  and  chloroform  without  carefully  select- 
ing the  anaesthetic  to  suit  the  meeds  of  the  individual  case.  He 
ha.d  been  greatly  surprised  tO'  hear  the  statement  by  Dr.  Wyeth 
that  the  use  of  chloroform  in  children  was  more  dangerous  than 
in  adults,  for  he  felt  sure  that  medical  literature  would  not  sup- 
port this  assertion — indeed,  it  seemed  reasonable  to  suppose  that 
what  might  be  called  "the  fresh  heart"  of  the  child  could  stand 
chloroform  better  than  the  heart  of  an  older  person.  Again, 
ether  seemed  to  him>  particularly  objectionable  in  children 
because  the  delicate  mucous  membrane  in  the  respiratory  pass- 
ages of  the  child  was  so  much  more  apt  to  become  inflamed  as 
a  result  of  the  irritation  set  up  by  the  ether. 

Effect  of  Chloroform  on  the  Heart. — He  would  also  take  issue 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  265 

with  Dr.  Wyeth  in  regard  to  the  effect  of  chloroform  on  the 
heart.  He  did  not  beUeve  that  chloroform  exercised  primarily 
any  very  distinct  depressing  influence  upon  the  left  heart  of  a 
healthy  individual.  The  explanation  of  the  sudden  circulatory 
failure  which  took  place  frequently  during  chloroform  anaes- 
thesia he  believed  was  to  be  found,  not  in  the  heart,  but  in  the 
vaso-motor  system.  It  was  perfectly  possible  for  a  man  to  bleed 
to  death  into  his  own  arteries.  These  deaths  from  chloroform, 
then,  he  would  ascribe  to  vaso-motor  paralysis.  A  very  large 
proportion  of  deaths  from  chloroform  had  occurred  in  the  hands 
of  dentists  who  had  administered  the  drug  to  patients  semi-re- 
cumbent or  sitting  up  in  a  chair.  In  confirmation  of  this  view, 
the  speaker  referred  to  a  case  seen  by  him  in  a  private  hospital 
of  a  colleague.  The  patient  had  suddenly  become  utterly  pulse- 
less, and  the  apex  beat  of  the  heart  could  not  be  felt  over  the 
precoirdium;  indeed,  a  hasty  auscultation  had  hardly  revealed 
the  heart  sounds.  Dr.  Hare  said  that  he  had  suggested  in  this 
emergency  that  the  operator  grasp  the  abdominal  aorta.  This 
had  been  doine  immediately,  and  at  o^nce  the  heart  had  begun 
to  beat  more  naturally.  This  case  seemed  to  him  convincing 
evidence  of  the  very  important  part  played  by  the  vaso-motor 
system.  When  vaso-motor  failure  did  not  occur,  and  still  chloro- 
form produced  death,  it  did  so,  in  his  opinion,  by  paralyzing  the 
sistetr  center  of  the  vaso-motor  center,  i.  c,  the  respiratory  center, 
Dr.  Hare  said  that  he  had  studied  this  matter  very  carefully  on 
animals  for  the  Hyderbad  Commission,  and  had  become  thor- 
oughly convinced  that  the  primary  effect  of  chloroform  on  the 
circulatory  apparatus  was  to  lower  the  blood  pressure. 

Atropin  before  Ancesthesia. — Again,  surgeons  innumerable 
had  found  that  the  use  of  atropin  just  prior  to  the  administration 
of  chloroform  gave  a  more  satisfactory  anaesthesia.  This  was 
because  atropin  was  one  of  the  best  vaso-motor  stimulants.  The 
atropin  more  than  the  morphine  was  responsible  for  Dr.  Wyeth's 
good  results  when  these  two  drugs  had  been  given  prior  to  anaes- 
thesia. The  foregoing  facts  should  impress  another  lesson,  viz., 
that  before  anaesthesia  is  induced,  or  an  operation  performed, 
the  limbs  should  be  bandaged  in  a  feeble  patient.  In  urgent 
cases  an  abdominal  compress  should  be  applied  with  the  same 
object  in  view. 

Shock  Follozving  Anccsthctization. — It  had  often  seemed  to 
him  that  the  amount  of  the  anaesthetic  agent  employed  depended 


266  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

more  upon  tlio  anpesthciizcr  tlian  upon  the  anaesthetic  agent  or 
npon  the  patient. 

Some  anaesthetists  seemed  to  know  almost  instinctively  when 
to  add  more  of  the  anaesthetic,  and  when  to  stay  their  hand.  The 
profession  at  large  seemed  to  pay  too  little  attention  to  the  ques- 
tion of  the  sliock  produced  upon  the  patient  by  the  administra- 
tion of  an  anaesthetic.  Tliis  was  a  matter  wdiich  could  not  fail 
to  impress  itself  upon  physicians  rather  than  upon  surgeons. 
He  had  repeatedly  seen  persons  subjected  to  operations  and  re- 
cover apparently  satisfactorily  from  them,  and  yet  for  many 
months  afterward  they  had  carried  with  them  a  distinct  stigma 
resulting  from  the  operation  or  the  anaesthetic.  Many  women 
after  such  an  experience  do  well  for  a  short  time,  and  then  be- 
come vaguely  nervous  and  out  of  health,  and  ultimately  have  to 
take  the  "rest  cure." 

Position  of  the  Head  and  the  Use  of  Tongue  Forceps. — ^When 
one  wished  to  be  sure  that  air  passed  freely  into  the  lungs,  the 
bead  should  be  thrown  forward  in  the  position  which  it  occupies 
in  a  trained  runner.  If  the  anaesthetic  w^as  properly  given,  the 
head  maintained  in  this  position,  and  the  jaw  properly  manipu- 
lated, there  w^ould  be  seldom  any  occasion  for  the  anaesthetizer 
to  make  use  of  the  tongue  forceps  which  so  commonly  decks 
the  coat  of  the  young  hospital  interne  whose  duty  it  is  to  admin- 
ister the  anaesthetic. 

Avoidance  of  Nausea. — He  believed  in  many  cases  the  pre- 
liminary use  of  morphine  increased  the  tendency  to*  nausea  and 
vomiting.  He  had  discovered  that  if  it  was  desired  to  avoid  this 
nausea,  whether  due  to  the  anaesthetic  or  to  the  morphine  itself, 
it  co'uld  be  ordinarily  accomphshed  by  combining  nitro-glycerin 
with  it. 

Influence  of  Athletics  and  Fright. — He  w^as  of  the  opinion  that 
nitrous-oxid  gas  should  be  used  very  carefully  in  any  case  in 
w^hich  there  was  atheroma,  because  this  anaesthetic  greatly  in- 
creased the  blood  pressure.  In  the  presence  of  valvular  disease 
of  the  heart  he  w-ould  employ  ether  in  preference  to  chloroform, 
and  also  in  cases  of  fatty  degeneration  of  this  organ.  On  gen- 
eral principles,  ether  seemed  tO'  be  a  safer  anaesthetic  in  young 
athletes  than  chloroform,  because  statistics  showed  very  clearly 
that  these  persons  were  specially  prone  to  accidents  with  chloro- 
form. When  engaged  in  laboratory  work  it  had  been  recognized 
as  a  fact  that  strong,  w^ell-built  dogs  were  very  prone  to  die  under 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  267 

chloroform,  and  that  the  better  bred  the  dog  the  more  susceptible 
was  he  to  the  lethal  influence  of  this  anaesthetic.  Dr.  Hare  men- 
tioned this  amusing  fact,  he  said,  to  emphasize  the  influence  of 
fright,  the  highly  bred  dog  exhibiting  great  fright  before  the 
anaesthetic  had  been  administered. 

The  Effects  of  Different  Ancesthetics  Compared. — Dr.  R.  Cole- 
man Kemp  continued  the  discussion,  speaking  of  the  effect  of 
anaesthesia  on  the  kidneys.  He  stated  that  other  conditions 
being  the  same,  the  secretion  of  the  kidney  varied  with  the  quan- 
tity of  blood  flowing  through  the  kidney,  and  by  conditions  affect- 
ing the  general  arterial  pressure.  Ether  and  nitrous  oxid  could 
be  taken  as  the  types  of  the  vaso-constrictor  anaesthetics;  never- 
theless, with  ether  the  constriction  of  the  renal  vessels  was  en- 
tirely out  of  proportion  to  the  constriction  of  the  other  vessels 
in  the  body — in  other  words,  ether  seemed  to  exert  a  selective 
action  on  the  kidney.  Moreover,  in  experiments  on  animals 
with  these  anaesthetics,  the  percentage  of  albumin  was  large  with 
ether  as  compared  with  chloroform,  and  persisted  for  a  long  time. 
With  the  A.  C.  E.  mixture  the  chloroform  depression  was  noted 
and  the  typical  effect  of  ether  on  the  kidneys.  The  main  objec- 
tion to  the  Schleich  mixtures,  when  given  with  the  inclosed  in- 
haler, was  the  occurrence  of  the  chloroform  heart  and  the  ether 
kidney.  Anaesthol  contains  chlorid  of  ethyl,  ether,  and  chloro- 
form. The  chlodd  of  ethyl  exerts  a  certain  depressant  effect 
upon  the  heart  and  upon  the  circulation.  Nitrous-oxid  gas  and 
oxygen  should  be  considered  the  safest  anaesthetic,  provided  the 
patient  was  not  atheromatous,  and  when  kidney  lesions  were  sus- 
pected or  were  known  to  exist.  Chloroform,  as  regards  the  kid- 
neys, occupied  a  close  second  position  to  nitrous-oxid  gas.  The 
mixtures  possessed  no'  advantages,  since  they  combined  the  bad 
effects  on  the  heart  and  on  the  kidneys,  and  one  was  ignorant 
of  the  actual  amount  of  the  various  constituents  taken  into  the 
system. 

Dr.  Ferdinand  Hasbrouck  spoke  from  his  personal  experi- 
ence as  a  dentist  who  had  been  administering  nitrous-oxid  gas 
constantly  for  over  thirty  years.  He  had  administered  the  gas  to 
nearly  ninety-five  thousand  people,  and  had  not  yet  lost  a  patient. 
He  thought  he  was  famihar  with  the  case  referred  to  by  Dr.  Hare, 
and  believed  it  was  one  case  out  of  one  hundred  and  twenty 
thousand.  (To  this  Dr.  Hare  assented.)  Regarding  the  ap- 
paratus that  had  been  exhibited,  he  said  that  it  was  very  defective. 


268  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

The  calibre  of  the  tube  was  much  too  small  to  prevent  the  un- 
pleasant suffocative  sensation  complained  of  by  so  many  persons. 
He  could  administer  nitrous-oxid  g^as  to  adults  or  children 
almost  imperceptibly.  As  a  rule,  the  sensations  v^ere  pleasiirable 
rather  than  disagreeable.  He  ascribed  his  good  results  to  the 
use  of  a  very  large  tube,  and  the  old-fashioned  Johnson  inhaler. 
He  had  administered  the  g"as  for  operations  of  one  or  two  hours' 
duration — ^probably  five  hundred  times  for  operations  lasting  one 
or  more  hours — and  had  never  experienced  any  very  great  diffi- 
culty with  it.  He  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  the  valve  in  the 
iron  cylinder  containing  nitrous-oxid  gas  might  be  broken  with- 
out the  knowledge  of  the  anaesthetist,  and  thus  leave  him  in  a 
very  unpleasant  position. 

A  Large  Mortality  from  Ether  Anaesthesia. — Dr.  R.  H.  M. 
Dawbarn  called  attention  to  the  change  of  opinion  which  had 
taken  place  in  New  York  City  in  recent  years  in  favor  of  the 
more  general  use  of  chloroform  as  an  anaesthetic.  He  believed 
that  almost  invariably  when  a  man  died  under  chloroform  it  was 
due  to  the  ignorance  of  the  anaesthetist.  He  made  the  statement 
that  Dr.  R.  Coleman  Kemp  and  Dr.  William  H.  Thomson  had 
records  proving  most  conclusively  that  in  the  hospitals  of  this 
city  about  one  patient  in  nineteen  dies  from  ether  anaesthesia. 
The  speaker  said  that  in  the  last  ten  years  he  had  not  had  a  single 
death  fromi  suppression  of  urine  or  from  ether  pneumonia  after 
ether  anaesthesia,  and  he  attributed  this  largely  to  the  use  of  a 
simple  modification  of  the  Clover  inhaler.  The  breathing  over 
and  over  again  of  the  same  ether  in  such  an  inhaler  prevented 
chilling  and  undue  irritation  of  the  respiratory  passages.  Un- 
doubtedly it  produced  a  carbomic  acid  anaesthesia,  but  so  eminent 
an  authority  as  Dr.  H.  C.  Wood,  of  Philadelphia,  had  expressed 
his  conviction  that  such  anaesthesia  was  not  injurious.  The 
modified  Clover  inhaler  tO'  which  he  had  referred  could  be 
cleansed  in  a  moment — certainly  in  much  less  time  than  was  re- 
quired for  cleaning  the  Allis  inhaler.  For  the  last  ten  years  he 
had  almost  always  given  prior  to  anaesthesia  gr.  y^-^  of  atropin 
and  gr.  ^  of  moirphine,  with  a  little  whiskey.  This  medication 
reduced  the  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic  required,  and  certainly 
reduced,  and  sometimes  annihilated,  the  element  of  fear. 

Ether  Gelatinizes  Acid  Urine. — Dr.  J.  A.  Bodine  referred  to 
the  observation,  made  some  years  ago  by  Dr.  Andrew  H.  Smith, 
of  this  city,  to  the  effect  that  when  acid  urine  was  mixed  with 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  269 

ether  in  the  laboratory  it  would  gelatinize  after  a  time,  but  this 
did  not  occur  when  the  urine  was  alkaline.  This  suggested  the 
possibiltiy,  which  seemed  worthy  of  further  study,  that  if  the  pre- 
caution was  taken  to  have  the  urine  acid  before  giving  ether,  the 
effect  on  the  kidney  might  be  less  dangerous. 

Fright  an  Important  and  Dangerous  Factor. — The  speaker 
laid  great  stress  on  the  element  of  fright  and  apprehension  con- 
cerning the  administration  of  the  anaesthetic,  and  referred  to  a 
case  occurring  in  the  practice  of  a  surgeon  in  New  York  City, 
in  which  death  had  occurred  just  before  the  administration  of  the 
anaesthetic  had  been  begun.  In  this  person  the  autopsy  revealed 
all  the  vital  organs  in  a  normal  state.  Because  of  this  fright  before 
anaesthesia,  he  favored  the  administration  of  a  moderate  dose  of 
morphine.  The  reason  that  chloroform  was  relatively  safer  in 
obstetric  practice  was  that  the  woman  looked  upon  parturition 
as  a  natural  process,  and  welcomed  the  anaesthetic  as  a  relief  from 
the  pain.  Future  research  regarding  anaesthesia  should  be 
directed  toward  studying  the  effect  of  the  anaesthetic  upon  the 
blood,  as  the  field  of  pure  clinical  study  of  anaesthetics  had  been 
nearly  exhausted. 

A  Simple  Home-Made  Ether  Inhaler. — Dr.  A.  Ernest  Gallant 
spoke  of  the  important  and  responsible  position  of  the  skilled 
anaesthetist,  and  contrasted  the  usual  fee  which  he  received  with 
that  demanded  and  received  by  the  operating  surgeon.  He  advo- 
cated allowing  the  patient  to  hold  the  ether  cone;  the  additional 
time  required  would  be  more  than  compensated  for  by  the 
diminution  of  fright.  His  method  of  using  the  Allis  inhaler  was 
to  remove  the  bandage  from  the  frame,  to-  cover  the  lower  portion 
of  the  frame  with  a  layer  of  absorbent  cotton  retained  by  slipping 
a  rubber  elastic  band  over  the  frame,  and  then  loosely  to  fill  the 
frame  with  gauze.  The  ether  cone  used  and  recommended  by 
him  could  be  readily  made  by  any  one  at  home,  the  frame  being 
made  from  a  piece  of  ordinary  stove-pipe,  tin,  or  galvanized  iron 
leader  pipe,  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  three  and  a  half  inches 
long,  or  even  from  a  heavy  piece  of  cardboard.  If  the  latter 
was  used,  it  should  be  wet  on  one  side  to  make  it  flexible,  and 
then  bent  to  an  oval  shape.  The  gauze  was  to  be  adjusted  over 
the  end,  and  a  newspaper,  folded  eight  inches  wide  and  wrapped 
in  a  towel,  was  wound  tightly  around  the  frame,  both  ends  being 
left  open.  The  loose  gauze  having  been  put  into  the  frame,  the 
inhaler  is  readv  for  use. 


270 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Effect  of  CJiIcroforni  After  Nitrous  Oxid. — Dr.  J.  W.  Draper 
Maury  said  that  he  understood  that  in  Germany  the  custom  was 
not  to  give  chloroform  by  the  drop  method,  as  had  been  stated, 
but  by  saturating  the  mask  with  the  chloroform.  If  nitrous  oxid 
was  followed  by  chloroform  it  almost  always  induced  vomiting, 
and  not  infrequently  the  effect  of  chlorofomi  on  the  heart  after 
the  use  of  gas  was  deleterious. 

Schleich's  Mixtures  Cominended. — Dr.  M.  L.  Maduro  spoke 
favorably  of  the  Schleich  mixtures,  and  in  this  connection  cited 
the  experimental  work  of  Dr.  S.  J.  Meltzer.  This  investigator 
claimed  that  the  petroleum  ether  was  the  dangerous  constituent, 
though  Schleich  denied  this.  The  work  of  Drs.  Kemp  and 
Thomson  was  interesting,  but  was  more  than  offset  by  the  results 
of  experience,  as  abundantly  proved  by  the  statements  that  had 
been  made  in  this  discussion. 

Dr.  Parker  Syms  spoke  with  great  earnestness  in  favor  of 
the  growing  tendency  to  turn  over  the  administration  of  anaes- 
thetics to  those  specially  trained  for  this  work. 

Dr.  Emil  Mayer  brought  up  the  question  as  to  when  con- 
sciousness ceased,  and  the  important  bearing  which  it  had  upon 
the  conduct  and  conversation  of  those  present  in  the  anaesthetiz- 
ing room. 

Dr.  Hare  emphasized  the  fact  that  the  dose  of  the  anaesthetic 
which  the  patient  got  was  not  that  quantity  which  was  put  upon 
the  towel  or  mask,  or  which  was  breathed,  but  the  amount  which 
was  absorbed.  For  this  reason,  if  the  patient  breathed  in  one 
ounce  of  ether  in  a  closed  inhaler,  and  breathed  it  over  again  ten 
times,  there  was  very  little  difference  in  the  effect  upon  that 
patient,  as  regarded  the  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic,  from  giving 
a  good  many  ounces  of  ether  on  an  open  inhaler.  In  his  opinion, 
the  reason  that  the  parturient  woman  could  take  chloroform  so 
much  more  safely  than  others  was  because  the  pain  stimulated 
the  abdominal  vaso-motor  centers.  In  conclusion,  he  advised 
that  a  careful  selection  of  the  anaesthetic  should  be  made  for  each 
case. 

Dr.  Goldan,  in  closing,  said  that  he  always  made  it  a  practice 
to  sterilize  thoroughly  his  bag  inhaler  each  time.  Regarding  the 
physiological  experiments  of  Drs.  Kemp  and  Thomson,  he  would 
say  that  their  results  were  decidedly  at  variance  with  clinical 
experience,  for  certainly  it  was  rare  to  find  bloody  urine  or  sup- 
pression of  the  renal  secretion  after  etherization.     Chloroform 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  271 

should  never  be  given  immediately  after  nitrous-oxid  gas;  if  it 
must  be  given,  ether  should  be  used  as  an  intermediate  agent 

Nezv  York  Med.  Journal. 


GOLD  AND  GOLDBEATING. 
By  G.  H.  C.  Rowland. 

Pharmacists  are  interested  in  the  familiar  goldbeater's  skin, 
and  occasionally,  even  yet,  the  once  common  direction  to  roll 
pills  in  gold  leaf  is  to  be  met  with.  One  day  I  met  a  citizen  of 
Edinburgh  who,  I  found,  was  engaged  in  the  ''art  and  craft"  of 
goldbeating.  Thinking  some  details  of  the  process  would  in- 
terest pharmacists,  I  arranged  to  visit  this  gentleman's  works, 
and  met  him  for  that  purpose  one  night  in  one  of  the  most 
historic  spots  of  the  old  town  of  Edinburgh,  and  was  conducted 
to  the  old  Wynid,  where  this  ancient  art  is  still  carried  on. 

Goldbeating  is  of  great  antiquity,  being  referred  to  by 
Homer  (1,200  B.  C.)  and  Pliny  (23-79  A.  D.).  The  latter  states 
that  I  ounce  of  gold  was  beaten  to  750  leaves  3  inches  square, 
about  three  times  the  thickness  of  the  present  average.  Gold 
was  largely  used  by  Solomon,  when,  doubtless,  a  great  deal  of 
gold  leaf  was  used  for  covering  purposes.  The  art  appears  to 
have  originated  among  Oriental  tribes,  and  in  India  is  still 
practiced  under  conditions  involving  many  mysteries  and  great 
difficulties.  On  the  coffins  of  the  Theban  mummies  specimens 
of  original  leaf  gilding  occur  where  the  leaves  are  so  thin  as  to 
resemble  modern  gilding.  The  Incas  of  Peru  appear  only  to 
have  been  able  to  reduce  gold  to  plates  which  were  nailed  for 
ornamentation  on  the  walls  of  their  temples. 

Goldbeating  was  confined  to  London  in  this  country  till 
well  within  the  present  century,  and  even  yet  is  principally  cen- 
tered in  that  city.  It  was  introduced  into  Scotland  about  i860. 
At  one  time  there  were  four  goldbeaters  in  Edinburgh,  but  only 
two  remain.  The  industry  is  declining  owing  to  foreign  com- 
petition. Gold  for  the  purpose  of  beating  is  principally  obtained 
from  the  refiners  in  Sheffield,  Birmingham,  or  London,  and  is 
granular  in  appearance.  Fine  gold  is  commonly  supposed  to  be 
incapable  of  being  reduced  to  thin  leaves.     This,  however,  is  not 


272  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

SO.  Its  use  for  ordinary  purposes  is  undesirable  because  of  the 
greater  cost  and  the  fact  that  leaves  of  pure  gold  tend  to  adhere  to 
one  another.  It  is  preferred  for  outside  work  because  it  does  not 
tarnish.  The  Albert  Memorial,  in  London,  and  some  other 
statues  are  covered  with  pure  gold.  The  fine  gold  is  alloyed 
before  using  according  to  the  color  required.  There  are  ten 
degrees  of  color — namely,  red,  pale  red,  extra  deep,  deep,  citron, 
yellow,  pale  yellow,  lemon,  green  or  pale,  and  white.  The  pro- 
portions of  alloy  for  the  shades  in  conimon  use  are:  For  red,  i8 
grains  copper  to  each  ounce;  pale  gold,  5  dwt.  of  silver;  deep  or 
medium,  12  grains  copper  and  12  grains  silver.  Pure  gold  is 
seldom  required,  and  the  same  applies  to  double  gold — that  is, 
double  the  usual  thickness.  The  deep  or  medium  is  that  mostly 
used.  Foreign  leaf  is  thinner  than  British,  and  contains  more 
alloys.  The  chief  use  of  gold  leaf  is  in  the  bookbinding  and 
allied  trades.  Picture  and  mirror  frame  makers  and  gilders  and 
decorators  also  use  large  quantities.  One  thousand  books  of 
gold  leaf  were  used  in  decorating  the  interior  of  the  Edinburgh 
University  Library.  The  cross  on  the  summit  of  St.  George's 
Church,  Charlotte  Square,  is  covered  with  double  gold.  A  pro- 
posal was  made  to  cover  the  whole  dome,  but  the  estimated  cost, 
ii,700,  caused  the  dropping  of  the  scheme. 

The  first  stage  in  the  process  of  goldbeating  is  to  melt  the 
gold  in  an  earthenware  crucible  with  the  requisite  amount  of 
alloy,  at  a  temperature  higher  than  the  fusing  point,  so  as  to 
increase  its  malleability.  This  is  then  cast  into  an  ingot  3  inches 
long  and  i^  inches  broad.  When  cool,  the  ingot  is  rolled  be- 
tween powerful  steel  rollers,  which  are  gradually  tightened. 
After  it  has  passed  through  half  a  dozen  times  it  requires  to  be 
annealed.  It  is  then  passed  through  the  rollers  twice  and  again 
annealed,  and  this  is  repeated  six  times.  The  ingot  of  3  inches 
has,  at  the  end  of  this  operation,  become  a  ribbon  20  yards  long, 
and  about  the  thickness  of  ordinary  note  paper.  The  width 
remains  the  same,  as  extension  takes  place  only  in  one  direction. 
This  ribbon  is  divided  into-  two  lo-yard  lengths,  each  weighing 
about  3  ounces,  and  constituting  a  "piece"  of  work  for  one  man. 

The  beater  marks  off  the  "piece,"  and  with  a  pair  of  shears 
divides  it  into  180  smaller  pieces.  Each  of  these  is  placed 
separately  into  a  tool  called  a  "cutch,"  with  a  piece  of  skin  or 
membrane  about  3  inches  square  between  each,  and  the  whole 
is  enclosed  in  two  membranous  bands.     This  is  placed  on  a  block 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  273 

and  beaten  for  half  an  hour  with  a  wooden  hammer  weighing 
about  17  pounds,  the  labor  being  considerably  reduced  by  the 
elasticity  of  the  skin  causing  the  hammer  to  rebound.  At  the 
€nd  of  this  time  each  piece  of  gold  foil,  originally  about  i  inch 
square,  will  have  extended  tO'  the  edges  of  the  membranes,  and 
is  taken  out  leaf  by  leaf,  and  each  quartered  so  as  to  give  720 
pieces. 

Each  of  these  720  is  placed  in  a  tool  called  a  ''shoder,"  which 
is  similar  to  the  "cutch,"  but  the  skins  are  considerably  finer  and 
4  inches  square.  This  is  hammered  for  about  two  hours,  until 
the  gold  again  reaches  the  edge  of  the  skins.  The  leaves  are 
taken  out  and  again  quartered,  giving  2,880  pieces. 

The  next  tool  is  called  a  "mould,"  and  is  made  up  of  the 
finest  skins.  A  full  ''mould"  contains  950  skins  5  inches  square, 
so  that  three  such  tools  are  required  for  the  2,880  leaves  result- 
inig  from  the  previous  operations. 

The  skins  or  membranes  which  comprise  the  "mould"  are 
about  double  the  thickness  of  the  goldbeater's  skin  as  met  with 
in  pharmacies.  Like  the  previous  tools,  they  are  prepared  in 
France  from,  the  outer  coat  of  the  coecum  or  blind  gut  of  the  ox, 
the  gut  of  380  oxen  being  required  to  furnish  sufficient  skins 
for  one  mould.  The  gut  is  first  stripped  off  in  lengths  of  25  to 
30  inches,  freed  from  fat  by  dipping  in  caustic  potash  solution 
and  scraping  with  a  dull  knife,  and  stretched  on  a  frame.  Two 
memibranes  are  glued  together,  treated  with  a  solution  of 
aromatic  substances  or  camphor  in  isinglass,  and  coated  with 
yelk  of  egg.  The  price  of  a  "mould"  is  sometimes  as  high  as 
iio  IDS.  It  will  stand  years  of  beating  before  being  relegated  to 
the  pharmacist  to  be  cut  up  and  sold  as  goldbeater's  skin.  Many 
substitutes  have  been  tried  for  this  gut,  but  none  have  been  found 
successful. 

The  beating  of  the  gold  in  the  "mould"  occupies  five  hours, 
and  this  is  the  most  difificult  stage  in  the  process,  the  thinness 
of  the  gold  leaf  depending  on  the  fineness  of  the  skins  and  tlie 
judgment  of  the  workman.  At  the  end  of  two  hours,  when  the 
gold  is  about  r^^^^oirTr  P^^t  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  it  permits  the 
passage  of  a  ray  of  light  for  the  first  time,  the  transmitted  light 
"being  green,  or,  if  much  silver  is  present,  violet.  Some  leaves 
when  heated  transmit  ruby-red  light.  For  some  time  at  the 
commencement  of  the  beating  the  blows  are  necessarily  struck 
in  the  center  of  the  skins.     This  produces  heat,  which  tends  to 


274  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

curl  lip  tlie  skins,  as  a  hot  iron  does  in  plaster  spreading.  This 
must  be  carefully  guarded  against,  and  occasionally  the  beating 
must  be  suspended  for  a  time.  As  the  leaves  extend  in  size  the 
beating  is  more  generally  distributed,  and  this  lessens  the  danger 
of  heating.  At  the  end  of  five  hours  the  leaves  are  taken  out, 
and  each  is  cut  on  a  cushion  with  an  instrument  called  a  wagon, 
the  cutting  edges  of  which  are  simp]}-  split  rattan  canes.  The 
usual  size  is  about  3!  inches  square.  The  leaves  are  now  ready 
for  putting  up  in  the  familiar  tissue  paper  books,  twenty-five 
leaves  being  the  usual  number  to  each  book.  The  leaves  of  the 
books  are  previously  dusted  with  rouge  to  prevent  the  gold 
sticking  to  the  pages.  Transfer  gold,  which  is  used  for  outdoor 
work,  is  simply  ordinary  gold  leaf  pressed  on  to  sheets  of  tissue 
paper  so  as  to  adhere,  but  readily  coming  away  when  pressed 
on  to  a  varnished  surface,  thus  enabling  outdoor  work  to  be 
carried  on  even  in  windy  weather. 

Between  each  time,  of  using  each  membrane  of  the  ''mould" 
requires  to  be  separately  cleaned,  each  side  being  brushed  wath 
talc  by  means  of  a  hare's  foot.  It  is  afterwards  put  in  a  hot  press 
to  remove  damp.  The  degree  of  dryness  is  very  important.  If 
the  membranes  are  not  sufficiently  dry  the  leaves  of  gold  do  not 
extend  evenly,  and  overdryness  diminishes  the  brilliancy  of  the 
gold. 

The  limit  to  which  gold  has  been  beaten  in  the  manner  de- 
scribed is  I  grain  to^  75  square  inches.  Taking  the  cubic  inch 
of  gold  as  4,900  grains,  this  gold  leaf  is' ^sjq^jj  part  of  an  inch 
in  thickness,  or  about  1,200  times  thinner  than  ordinary  writing' 
paper.  One  grain  of  silver  has  been  beaten  to^  98  square  inches, 
but,  owing  toi  difference  in  specific  gravity,  the  leaf  was  thicker 
than  the  gold  leaf.  This  experiment  does  not  determine  the 
malleability  of  either  metal,  as  the  means  of  testing  it  failed  before 
there  was  any  appearance  of  the  limit  of  malleability  of  the  metals 
being  reached.  In  practice  gold  is  not  nearly  reduced  to  such  a 
degree  of  thinness  as  the  above. 

Many  attempts  have  been  made  to  beat  gold  by  machinery, 
but  without  success.  The  practiced  eye  and  the  skilled  hand 
seem  indispensable.  .  Pharmaceutical  Journal. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  275 

DENTISTRY  IN  JAPAN. 
By  Louis  Ottofy,  D.DS.,  Yokohama. 

My  first  interest  in  Japan  was  aroused  in  some  matters  I 
read  regarding  the  country  and  its  people  in  1892,  and  I  looked 
forward  with  many  pleasant  anticipations  as  to  what  that  country 
would  exhibit  at  the  International  Exposition  at  Chicago  in  1893. 
It  is  needless  to  say  that  I  studied  the  exhibits  of  Japan,  govern- 
mental and  private,  with  the  greatest  of  interest.  This  was  fol- 
lowed by  an  extensive  reading  of  the  history,  customs,  etc.,  of 
the  country,  and  when  the  China-Japan  war  broke  out,  it  was  no 
surprise  to^  me  that  the  smaller  and  less  populous  country  was  vic- 
torious. I  continued  my  observations,  and  in  1897  decided  to 
come  to  Japan,  under  the  partial  impression  that  in  that  country 
the  opportunities  w^ere  probably  ripe  for  the  introduction  of  many 
of  the  modern  improivements,  and  for  the  planting  of  the  progress 
made  in  dentistry  in  the  West.  With  this  object  in  view,  when 
in  the  spring  of  1898  I  made  the  announcement  to  my  friends 
that  I  expected  to  leave  for  Japan,  tO'  practice  dentistry  and  to 
engage  in  educational  work,  I  received  from  a  number  of  dental 
societies  testimonials  and  credentials,  which  have  placed  me 
under  everlasting  obligation  to  the  many  whom  I  must  forever 
number  among  my  life-long  friends.  And  to  them  it  is  but 
proper  that  I  should  give  an  account  of  my  experience  in  Japan 
and  of  the  prospects  of  dentistry  in  the  future. 

Just  before  sailing,  in  June,  1898,  I  wrote  for  The  Dental 
Reznezv'^'  an  article,  which  the  editor,  with  the  best  of  intentions, 
I  have  noi  doubt,  but  unwisely,  suppressed.  Unfortunately  I 
have  no  copy  of  it,  but  I  am  of  the  opinion  that  if  this  communi- 
cation is  published,  the  article  referred  to  could  appropriately  pre- 
cede it.  It  was  written  to  show  that  my  pre-Japanese  investiga- 
tion of  the  subject  had  been  thorough  and  did  not  make  upon 
me  the  impression,  which  so  many  held  who  were  anxious  to  go 
to  Japan,  and  who  wrote  to  me  to  be  sure  and  send  for  them  when 
the  ''school  is  established,"  or  to  let  them  know  "of  any  good 
opening,"  etc.  My  observation  led  me  to  know  something  of  the 
Japanese  character,  and  I  surmise  what  I  then  said,  and  do  not 

*Tbis  paper  in  some  unforeseen  mannerwas  lost  duringbouse-cleaning 
in  the  editor's  sanctum  about  one  year  ago.  As  it  was  largely  speculative 
and  not  strictly  a  professional  paper  its  publication  was  deferred  until  too 
late,  which  we  sincerely  regret.— Editor  Dental  Review. 


276  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

now  renieniber,  will  not  be  much  at  variance  with  what  1  do  now 
say  at  the  end  of  a  }-ear  and  half  of  residence  and  unceasing-  study 
of  the  situation. 

OPPORTUNITIES    FOR    FOREIGNERS. 

The  Japanese  do  not  employ  foreign  dentists.  The  people 
are  confident  and  satisfied  that  there  are  noaie  superior  to  native 
dentists.  On  the  other  hand,  foreigners  do  employ  Japanese,  on 
the  ground  that  their  services  are  much  cheaper,  and,  in  the 
opinion  of  some,  equally  as  good.  Inasmuch  as  there  are  less 
than  5,000  foreigners  (always  excluding  Chinese  [who'  are  also 
foreigners]  when  speaking  of  foreigners)  in  all  of  Japan,  the  field 
of  the  foreign  dentist  will  be  found  to  be  limited.  It  is  just  to 
add  that  there  is  always  a  floating  population  and  a  certain  num- 
ber of  travelers  who  of  necessity  must  seek  dental  services  while 
in  Japan,  or  for  that  matter  anywhere  else.  The  permanent  for- 
eign population  resides  principally  in  Tokio,  Yokohama,  Kobe 
and  Nagasaki.  Tokio  is  within  fifty-five  minutes'  ride  of  Yoko- 
hama, has  no  foreign  dentists,  and  some  of  its  foreign  population 
comes  to  Yokohama  for  dental  services. 

At  the  present  time  three  dentists  are  located  in  Yokohama 
to  cater  to  a  population  of  less  than  1,500.  Of  these  three,  one 
has  been  here  over  twelve  years,  is  a  good  operator  and  is  located 
in  an  old-established  practice,  and  does  a  business  that — well, 
would  be  unimportant  in  a  good  sized  village  in  the  States.  Tlie 
other  hangs  on  by  his  eyelashes  only,  and  your  humble  servant 
has  not  accumulated  any  great  wealth,  and  never  will,  in  Yoko- 
hama. In  Kobe  the  situation  might  be  much  brighter  were  it 
not  for  the  fact  that  in  reality  it  is  much  darker.  There  are  two 
men  there;  one  being  connected  with  one  of  the  Yokohama  men, 
who  is  wise  in  keeping  the  field  covered  so  no  one  else  will  locate, 
while  the  other  has  not  enough  to  do  to  make  a  living,  and  hence 
makes  trips  to  Korea,  to  keep  things  moving.  Since  I  came 
out,  one  has  settled  at  Nagasaki,  who,  in  desperation  to  live,  has 
''cut  the  prices,"  and  now  has  the  knife  close  to  the  jugular  vein. 
The  funeral  of  his  professional  career  in  Japan  may  be  looked  for 
at  any  time.  When  one  adds  to  this  the  fact  that  these  operators 
are  isolated,  deprived  of  all  touch  with  the  profession,  that  the 
professional  etiquette  requires  seclusion,  solitude  and  somno- 
lence, those  who  want  so  eagerly  to  locate  in  beautiful  Japan 
should  rather  pity  than  envy  these  expatriated   dental   grave- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  277 

Stones.  Since  I  have  been  here  I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  the 
call  of  several  American  dentists  who  were  looking  for  locations, 
and  while  I  have  strenuously  urged  them  to  stay  and  keep  us 
company,  they  all  seem  to  move  on,  looking  rather  for  dollars 
than  a  good  climate,  fine  scenery,  gorgeous  temples  or  Japanese 
beauties.  I  can  therefore  briefly,  through  the  columns  of  the 
Reviezv,  advise  those  whose  longing  eyes  are  turned  toward  the 
land  of  the  rising  sun,  to  seek  the  land  of  any  other  sun.  The 
revised  treaties  between  Japan  and  the  foreign  powers  came  into 
efTfect  on  July  17th,  1899,  and  the  result  was  variously  predicted, 
some  claiming  that  a  large  influx  of  foreign  residents  and  capital 
may  be  looked  for,  while  others  held  that  an  efflux  of  the  popula- 
tion would  be  the  result.  iNeither  has  been  correct.  The  prob- 
abilities now  are  that  a  slight  influx  of  capital  and  a  slight  efflux 
of  population  will  be  the  eventual  result.  In  either  case  the  pros- 
pects for  foreigners  will  be  less  and  less  roseate. 

THE    NATIVE    DENTIST. 

It  has  been  a  source  of  great  pleasure  tO'  me  to  have  had  the 
good  fortune  to  make  the  acquaintance  of  many  of  the  native 
dentists.  I  have  found  them  universally  respectful  and  cour- 
teous, many  of  them  sincerely  desirous  of  progress  and  advance. 
Indeed,  I  have  been  astonished  at  many  of  the  accom.plishments 
they  possess,  and  had  I  not  been  compelled  in  some  cases  to  con- 
verse with  them  through  an  interpreter,  I  could  have  learned  even 
more  of  their  methods  and  abilities.  I  am  certain  that  for  some 
of  them  I  shall  always  feel  and  express  the  highest  admiration. 
As  a  whole,  I  should  liken  the  profession  to  the  occupant  of  a 
hut  which  is  but  a  short  distance  from  the  electric  current  and 
illuminating  gas,  but  who,  having  discarded  the  illuminating 
power  of  the  tallow,  has  accepted  the  coal  oil  lamp  instead,  when 
all  the  more  powerful  illuminants  were  within  his  grasp.  By  and 
by  even  these  things  will  improve. 

DENTAL   EDUCATION. 

I  have  made  every  reasonable  effort  toward  the  establish- 
ment of  a  dental  department  in  the  University,  and  for  a  brief 
period  was  under  the  impression  that  some  good  results  may  pos- 
sibly follow.  I  have  been  constantly  under  the  impression  that 
some  undercurrent  existed,  the  source  of  which  I  could  not 
fathom.     It  is  needless  and  impossible  in  a  paper  of  this  kind  to 


2  78  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

g-o  into  the  racial  conditions  in  the  far  East.  Suffice  it  to  say 
at  this  jx>int,  that  there  is  notliing-  whatsoever  in  common  be- 
tween the  Japanese  race  and  the  white  man,  not  more  than  there 
is  between  the  North  American  Indian  and  the  white  man,  and 
less  than  between  the  Negro  and  the  white  man.  The  motto  of 
the  future  must  and  will  be,  ''Japan  for  the  Japanese,"  and  there 
is  no  unjust  sentiment  in  that  motto.  Japan  will  draw  on  all  the 
world  and  on  all  the  ages  for  its  progress;  beyond  that  the  peo- 
ples and  the  countries  outside  of  Japan  are  of  no  interest. 
Briefly,  then,  \Vhen  I  learned  from  an  educated,  upright,  able, 
well-known  genitlemen  that  the  president  of  the  Imperial  Uni- 
versity of  Tokio,  though  a  graduate  of  Cambridge,  is  fanatically 
anti-foreign,  I  dropped  all  further  interest  in  the  matter.  Wliat 
"anti-foreign"  really  means  is  beyond  the  coinprehension  of  those 
who  have  not  lived  for  some  little  time  in  Japan.  Japan  will 
eventually  have  her  dental  educational  system,  but  without  the 
aid  of  any  foreigners.  It  has  the  right  and  chooses  to  gain  what 
information  it  can,  and  pays  the  stipulated  compensation  for  it 
to  foreigners.  One  or  two  men  will  soon  visit  the  United  States 
to  study  dental  education,  bring  the  fruit  to  Japan,  and  the  next 
generation  will  reap  the  benefit  of  that  for  which  Americans  and 
others  have  given  their  lives  in  the  profession  of  dentistry. 

HISTORY   OF   DENTISTRY. 

It  has  been  a  source  of  gratification  to  me  to  gather  the 
material  for  a  ''History  of  Dentistry  in  Japan."  In  this  work  I 
have  been  aided  by  a  number  of  Japanese  dentists,  and  I  have 
read  in  such  languages  with  which  I  am  familar,  many  available 
works  bearing  upon  this  subject,  and  in  this  matter  I  am  now 
sufficiently  under  way  to  make  satisfactory  progress  with  the 
translation  of  such  parts  of  authorities  as  are  germane. 

I  regret  that  I  cannot  give  a  more  favorable  or  glowing  ac- 
count of  the  dental  situation  in  this  Empire ;  but,  in  violating  the 
Eastern  custom  of  silence  on  topics  which  cannot  be  presented 
in  a  favorable  light,  I  feel  it  obligatory  on  myself  to  state  the 
facts  without  prejudice  or  favor,  and  only  as  I  find  them.  This 
paper,  in  connection  with  the  one  read  before  the  Chicago  Dental 
Society  in  March,  1899,  and  published  in  The  Dental  Review, 
April,  1899,  practically  covers  all  that  might  interest  a  foreign 
reader.  In  closing,  I  may  add  that  the  American  dental  gradu- 
ates in  Japan  have  organized  an  "American  Dental  Society,"  and 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  279 

that  Japan  also  has  been  organized  to  be  rep-resented  at  the 
Dental  Congress  in  Paris.  Personally  my  residence  here  has  led 
me  to  the  study  of  the  etiology  of  erosion,  and  I  trust  in  time  to 
conclude  this  part  of  my  work  in  a  manner  which  will  fully  justify 
the  temporary  sacrifices  which  I  feel  one  must  make  in  living  in 
the  East.  For  the  student  of  almost  any  topic  connected  with 
dentistry  Japan  offers  an  immense  field,  but  I  do  not  as  yet  pos- 
sess the  liberty  and  freedom  which  such  undertakings  require. 


DENTAL  SURGEONS  IN  THE  ARM\. 

There  is  a  bill  before  Congress  which  should  have  the  sup- 
port of  every  American  who  has  or  ever  hopes,  expects  or  dreads 
to  have  a  relative  in  the  army.  It  is  entitled  ''A  bill  to  provide 
for  the  appointmient  of  dental  surgeons  for  service  in  the  United 
States  Army."  It  was  introduced  early  in  December,  and  has 
reached  that  stage  of  advancement  where  popular  pressure  will 
easily  affect  its  enactment. 

Similar  measures  to^  this  have  been  before  Congress  and  have 
received  the  approval  of  the  department  and  of  men  in  the  ser- 
vice. The  bill  authorizes  the  appointment  of  ''dental  surgeons 
to  serve  the  officers  and  enlisted  men  of  the  regular  and  volunteer 
army  in  the  proportion  of  one  dental  surgeon  to  every  one  thou- 
sand of  said  army." 

The  experience  of  our  army  in  Cuba,  Puerto  Rico,  and  the 
Philippines  emphasizes  the  necessity  of  providing  every  regiment 
with  a  capable  dentist.  In  no  other  part  of  the  anatomy  is  the  de- 
teriorating effect  of  a  change  of  climate  so  marked  as  in  the  decay 
of  the  teeth.  How  much  of  this  is  due  to  the  climate,  the  change 
of  diet,  and  the  different  conditions  of  life,  has  not  been  deter- 
mined. Neither  can  it  be  definitely  said  how  far  this  dental 
caries  is  the  cause  of  physical  debility  in  our  men  in  tropical 
climates  and  how  far  it  is  an  effect.  The  decay  is  there,  and  it 
needs  the  care  of  dental  surgeons. 

Sound  teeth  in  the  army  is  a  necessity  of  the  service,  just  as 
much  now  as  in  the  days  when  tliey  were  needed  to  bite  off  the 
end  of  the  cartridge,  which  precipitated  the  mutiny  in  British 
India.  In  the  eyes  of  the  law  a  man  is  maimed  when  he  loses  a 
foretooth,  because  it  renders  him  less  able  to  defend  himself  or 


2So  I)  EST  A  I.   lilUEI'\ 

attack  an  enemy  in  a  fight.     In  the  army  both  fore  and  jaw  teeth 
are  necessary  to  keep  the  soMier  in  efficient  fightimg  trim. 

During  the  civil  war  arrangements  were  made  by  the  Con- 
federates for  dental  surgeons  in  the  military  hospitals,  and  as  far 
as  possible  with  the  regiments.  No  direct  provision  was  made 
for  them,  but  they  were  carried  on  the  rolls  as  nurses,  wardmas- 
ters  and  hospital  stewards,  receiving  the  pay  of  the  last  named. 
It  is  an  interesting  fact  that  an  interdental  splint  invented  by  one 
of  these  dental  surgeons  was  the  means  of  saving  scores  of 
Southern  wounded  from  disfigurement,  if  not  death,  from  gun- 
shot wounds  in  the  jaw. 

The  bill  before  Congress  is  necessary  to  put  our  service  in  as 
effective  shape  in  regard  to  dental  surgery  as  was  the  temporary 
Confederate  service  more  than  a  generation  ago. 

Chicago  Times-Herald. 


MOUNTAIN  TOOTHACHE. 

By  Dr.  Hafner,  of  Zurich. 

In  Noivember,  1898,  I  was  consulted  by  a  young  engineer, 
who  in  the  course  of  conversation  related  the  following:  While 
engaged  as  engineer  in  the  construction  of  the  Jungfrau  (moun- 
tain in  the  Swiss  Alps)  railway,  and  after  having  been  at  work 
at  an  altitude  of  2,600  meters  above  sea  level  for  about  ten  days, 
he  suffered  pain  in  three  or  four  contiguous  teeth.  The  pain  was 
of  a  beating,  pulsating  nature  and  pretty  severe,  so  that  head- 
ache followed.  Edematous  swelling  in  cheek  and  jaws.  During 
the  second  and  third  days  the  pain  increased  and  extended  over 
the  whole  side  of  the  jaw.  Mastication  was  impossible  on  the 
affected  side  of  the  mouth,  and  the  teeth  appeared  to  have 
elongated.  The  malady  lasted  about  five  days  and  then  disap- 
peared completely.  During  a  stay  of  six  weeks  there  was  no 
recurrence  of  the  trouble.  In  external  symptoms  the  affection 
appeared  similar  to  periostitis;  but  a  peculiarity  is,  that  the  teeth 
to  this  day  are  quite  healthy,  without  any  fillings,  and  no  dead 
pulp,  nor  is  anything  pathological  (scar,  etc.)  to  be  noticed  in 
the  surrounding  soft  tissues.  The  communication  is  noteworthy, 
as  not  only  one  person  was  affected,  but  every  one  employed, 
the  engineer  as  well  as  the  Italian  laborers.  The  appearance  of 
the  malady  was  not  of  an  epidemic  nature,  but  every  new  hand 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  281 

received  this  "mountain  baptism"  (as  the  people  called  it)  after 
having  been  in  the  locality  eight  or  ten  days.  The  location  of 
the  trouble  was  variable,  with  some  it  was  on  the  right  side,  with 
others  on  the  left,  sometimes  in  the  upper  teeth  and  sometimes 
in  the  lower,  but  several  contiguous  teeth  were  always  affected,, 
as  well  as  the  whole  nervous  system.  The  pain  generally  ceased 
of  its  own  accord  on  the  fifth  day,  and  a  recurrence  was  never 
experienced,  not  even  after  working  in  the  locality  for  several 
months.  The  Italians  appear  tO'  be  acquainted  with  it,  as  they 
brought  the  roots  of  a  certain  plant  with  them,  which  they 
chewed  and  placed  on  the  affected  part.  It  is  called  by  some 
''mountain  toothache."  The  provisioins  of  the  men  consisted  of 
conserved  meats,  in  which  probably  saltpetre  was  used,  though 
it  did  not  taste  salty,  with  macaroni,  bread,  condensed  milk  and 
canned  vegetables.  The  water  was  clear  and  fresh,  and  there 
was  plenty  of  it.  The  temperature  of  the  region  was  12-16  C. 
There  was  no  physician  at  the  station.  Whether  the  cause  of 
the  malady  can  be  attributed  to  the  climate,  the  low  atmospheric 
pressure,  the  water,  the  sameness  of  provisions,  or  infection,  can- 
not be  determined  from  the  communication.  That  scurvy  should 
be  the  cause,  is  out  of  the  question,  as  the  trouble  disappeared 
without  a  change  of  diet  or  habits  of  life. 

Dominion  Dental  Journal. 


CAOUTCHOUC. 

India-rubber  is  the  product  of  Hevea  brasilicnsis,  Muell.  Arg. 
(N.  O.  Euphorbiacese)  and  other  species  indigenous  to  Brazil. 
Inferior  varieties  of  it  are  produced  by  species  of  Castilloa  and 
other  plants  growing  in  tropical  climates.  It  occurs  in  the  m.ilky 
juice  or  latex  of  the  plants,  associated  with  fat,  albumin,  resin, 
etc.,  and  is  obtained  by  incision.  By  coagulation  of  the  albumin 
contained  in  the  exuded  juice,  the  suspended  particles  of  caout- 
chouc are  collected  in  a  curdy  mass,  w^iich  becomes  tough  and 
elastic  when  dry.  Para  rubber,  as  it  is  termed  in  commerce,  is 
used  in  the  preparation  of  Liquor  Caoutchouc  and,  indirectly,  of 
Charta  Sinapis. 

Characters. — ^India-rubber  (Para)  occurs  in  elastic  masses, 
of  varying  form  and  size,  the  brownish-black  color  externally 
shading  off  into  a  paler  tint  internally.     Each  mass  consists  of 


282  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

a  number  of  thin  layers,  which  appear  to  be  sej^aratcd  by  dark- 
lines,  the  superposition  being"  due  to  the  coagulation  of  successive 
coats  of  the  alkaline  latex  by  exposure  to  acid  vapors  contained 
in  the  smoke  from  burning-  wood.  Some  rubber  is  milk-white 
internally,  and  little,  if  any,  can  properly  be  described  as  "mot- 
tled." India-rubber  is  insoluble  in  w^ater,  ethylic  alcohol,  alka- 
line solutions,  or  in  dilute  acids,  but  more  or  less  soluble  in 
chloroform,  oil  of  turpentine,  carbon  bisulphid,  benzol,  and  in 
petroleum  spirit.  It  has  a  characteristic,  somewhat  empyreu- 
matic,  odor,  is  nearly  tasteless,  and  melts  at  about  125  degrees 
C,  remaininig  soft  and  adhesive  after  cooling-. 

Notes. — The  distinctive  characters  of  India-rubber  are  its 
elasticity  and  behavior  tO'  solvents.  Thus,  in  chloiroform,  ben- 
zol, etc.,  it  swells  and  becomes  soft  and  gelatinous,  a  portion  of 
it  appearing  to  dissolve,  wdiilst  the  rest  remiains  in  a  more  or  less 
disintegrated  condition.  It  seems  to  consist  chiefly  of  two 
hydrocarbons,  its  more  soluble  portion  being  soft  and  ductile, 
w^hile  the  less  soluble  part  is  tenacious  and  elastic:  When  sub- 
jected to  dry  distillation,  oil  of  caoutchouc — a  mixture  of  various 
hydrocarbons — is  obtained.  Alcohol  removes  from  Para  rubber 
about  1.5  per  cent,  of  resin;  other  impurities  naturally  present 
are  fat,  coloring  matters,  and  mineral  substances.  Pure 
caoutchouc  is  a  white,  amorphous  substance — (CioH6i)x — and 
can  be  obtained  by  dissolving  the  crude  material  in  chloroform 
and  precipitating  with  alcohol.  It  absorbs  oxygen  from  the  air, 
and  is  converted  into  vulcanite  wdien  treated  under  pressure  with 
sulphur.  Pharmaceutical  Journal. 


TO  REMOVE  BLOOD  FROM  THE  CLOTHING. 

/.  T.  Rngh,  M.D. 

Several  years  ago,  while  contemplating  the  removal  of  a  large 
bloodspot  from  my  clothes,  I  recalled  the  action  of  hydrogen 
peroxid  upon  albuminous  substances  during  operations,  and  im- 
mediately applied  it  to  the  spot  in  question,  and  w^as  delighted  to 
see  the  stain  entirely  removed.  Since  then  I  have  used  it  many 
times  and  always  with  the  same  results.  Tlie  earlier  the  peroxid 
is  applied  after  the  bloodspot  is  received  the  better  the  effects, 
l)ut  I  have  used  it  on  spots  more  than  a  week  old,  and  they  were 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  283 

completely  made.  It  should  be  used  in  its  full  strength,  and,  after 
oxidation  has  ceased,  it  should  be  wiped  ofif  and  another  appli- 
cation made.  Several  such  trials  may  be  necessary  before  the 
stain  disappears,  but  the  process  may  be  hastened  by  rubbing 
with 'the  finger  or  a  cloth  while  oxidation  is  in  progress.  If  hot 
water  has  been  used,  or  anything  which  will  coagulate  the  albu- 
min, the  peroxid  will  not  remove  the  stain,  but  otherwise  its 
action  is  all  that  could  be  desired.  I  have  frequently  removed 
spots  from  my  shirt-front,  collars^  and  cuf¥s,  and  after  the  place 
was  dried  there  was  no  evidence  of  any  soiling  having  occurred. 
Quite  recently  I  removed  a  very  large  stain  from  the  carpet,  fol- 
lowing an  operation  in  my  .office.  I  may  add  that  I  have  never 
seen  clothing  bleached  by  the  peroxid  during  the  removal  of 
spots.  Phila.  Med.  Jour. 


DEATH  UNDER  CHLOROFORM  DURING  A  DENTAL 

OPERATION. 
The  Staffordshire  Advertiser,  of  August  26th,  reports  an  in- 
quiry relative  to^  the  death  of  Ann  Rowley,  a  married  woman,  32 
years  of  age,  living  at  Audley.  Mr.  John  Vernon,  a  surgeon  at 
Audiey,  stated  that  he  advised  the  deceased,  who  suffered  from 
neuralgia,  to  have  some  teeth  extracted,  a  few  at  a  time,  without 
having  the  anaesthetic  at  all.  She,  however,  expressed  a  prefer- 
ence for  chloroform,  in  order  that  all  the  teeth  she  desired  out 
could  be  extracted  at  once.  An  appointment  was  made  with  Mr. 
Shields,  of  Newcastle-under-Lyne,  and  witness  acconipanied  the 
deceased  to  the  dentist's  surgery.  He  examined  the  heart  before 
the  chloroform  was  administered,  and  found  it  perfectly  sound, 
and  she  went  under  the  influence  of  the  anaesthetic  satisfactorily. 
Teeth  were  extracted  from  both  the  upper  and  lower  jaw,  but 
two  other  small  doses  of  chloroform  had  to  be  administered.  He 
noticed  the  pulse  ceased  to  beat,  and  the  usual  means  to  restore 
animation  were  quickly  practiced.  Other  medical  aid  was  sum- 
moned, but  the  deceased  did  not  recover.  Answering  a  juryman, 
witness  said  there  were  from  18  to  20  teeth  to  be  drawn,  some 
decayed  and  others  broken.  The  chloroform  was  the  best  obtain- 
able, and  not  more  than  an  ounce  was  used  altogether.  The 
coroner  thought  the  evidence  of  the  doctor  very  clear,  and  the 
jui-y  expressed  themselves  satisfied.  A  verdict  in  accordance  with 
the  medical  testimony  was  returned. 

Medical  Times  (Dental  Reviezv). 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 
PuBUSHED  Monthly. 


WILBUR    F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


EDlTORIA]:v. 

The  Need  for  Skilled  An.fstiietlsts. 

The  interesting  ''Discussion  on  Anaesthesia,"  pinbHshed  in 
this  issue  of  the  Brief,  must  suggest  to  the  thoughtful  reader 
the  intricacies  of  the  conditions  upon  which  safety  in  anaesthesia 
is  dependent,  the  exacting  and  responsible  nature  of  the  duties 
which  devolve  upon  the  anaesthetist,  and  the  need  for  trained 
skill  in  their  performance.  The  crude,  careless  and  hasty  man- 
ner in  which  some  of  the  most  potent  drugs  in  the  pharmacoepia 
are  poured  by  untrained  hands  into  the  lungs  of  patients  whose 
condition  demands  the  utmost  carefulness  of  treatment  is  a  stand- 
ing reproach  to  surgery,  and  it  is  beyond  all  question  true  that 
the  appallingly  large  list  of  fatalities  from  anaesthetics  is  largely 
due  not  so  much  tO'  the  drug  as  to  the  method  of  its  administra- 
tion— that  patients  more  frequently  die  from  the  incompetency 
of  the  anaesthetizer  than  the  toxicity  of  the  anaesthetic. 

The  evidence  direct  and  inferential  sustaining  this  con- 
tention is  so  rapidly  accumulating  and  so  convincing  that  a 
change  of  methods  can  be  only  a  question  of  timie.  To-day  no 
intelligent  patient,  if  informed  as  to  the  exact  conditions  attend- 
ing the  administration  of  an  anaesthetic  for  surgical  purposes 
would  not  insist  upon  the  services  of  a  skilled  and  experienced 
anaesthetizer.  Certainly  no  surgeon  worthy  the  name  would  not 
greatly  prefer  the  assistance  of  a  trained  anaesthetist  if  he  could 
be  sure  of  having  his  services  always  available  for  critical  cases, 
284 


EDITORIAL.  285 

and  at  a  cost  which  would  not  too  greatly  diminish  his  own  fee 
for  the  operation. 

It  must  JDe  admitted  that  the  most  formidable  barrier  to  re- 
form in  anaesthetic  methods  is  a  mercenary  one.  The  surgeon, 
naturally  magnifying  his  own  ofifice,  regards  the  administration 
of  the  anaesthetic  as  a  detail  which,  under  his  own  immediate 
supervision,  can  very  well  be  entrusted  to  an  advanced  student 
or  a  young  graduate  assistant,  the  latter  feeling  himself  amply 
compensated  for  his  services  by  being  permitted  to  watch,  ever 
if  furtively,  the  details  of  the  operation. 

So  far  as  the  interests  of  the  patient  are  concerned,  the  mis- 
chiefs arising  from  such  an  arrangement  are  twofold — the  sur- 
geon's attention  is  distracted  from  his  own  work  by  the  need 
of  watchfulness  of  his  untrained  anaesthetist,  while  the  latter's 
interests  are  naturally  more  concentrated  upon  those  surgical  de- 
tails he  is  striving  to  master  than  the  anaesthetic  details  he  is 
taught  to  undervalue  by  the  simple  fact  that  they  are  entrusted 
to  his  unskilled  hands. 

Upon  correct  anaesthetic  methods  are  dependent  not  only 
the  safety  of  the  patient,  but  his  immunity  from  suffering  often 
of  a  most  distressing  character.  Every  one  familiar  with  hos- 
pital work  knows  that  patients  who  have  submitted  to  repeated 
surgical  operations  dread  the  anaesthetic  far  more  than  tne 
knife,  because  they  suffer  far  moTC  mentally  and  physically  from 
the  O'ue  than  the  other. 

A  graphic  description  of  the  character  of  this  suffering  is 
given  in  the  following  excerpt  from  a  chapter  in  the  personal 
experience  of  the  writer: 

'Tt  is  the  custom  of  many  practitioners  in  England  (I  speak 
only  from  my  own  experience)  to  administer  chloroform  in  direct 
opposition  to  the  principles  laid  down  by  the  Hyderabad  Com- 
mission and  to  the  way  practiced  in  India.  Here  the  primary  con- 
sideration is  that  nothing  shall  in  any  way  impede  the  patient's 
breathing,  and  the  operator  consequently  takes  care  not  to  place 
the  pad  oir  handkerchief  very  close  to  the  mouth,  holding  it  in- 
variably at  a  distance  of  some  inches,  so  that  the  chloroform 
may  be  freely  diluted  with  air.  In  this  way  I  have  taken  it  some 
half  dozen  times,  and,  far  from  having  experienced  the  slightest 


286  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

distress,  I  foiund  the  sensatiau  exceedingly  soothing  and  agree- 
able as  lonig  as  consciousness  lasted. 

"In  England  my  experience  has  been  far  otherwise,  and  my 
dread  of  taking  chloroform  is  now  almost  as  great  as  the  dread 
of  being  smothered  or  drowned.  Having  suffered  great  distress 
the  first  time,  1  entreated  the  administrator  on  the  last  occasion 
to  allow  me  air  the  whole  time,  telling  him  how  greatly  I  dreaded 
the  feeling  of  sutTocation  I  had  experienced.  -^  '■'■'-  '■•'  ""'  At 
first  he  held  the  hoUow'  pad  seven  inches  from  my  mouth,  and  I 
inhaled  the  fumes  with  perfect  comfort,  drawing  deep  and  regu- 
lar respirations;  but  nO'  sooner  was  I  half  unconscious  than  he 
clapped  the  pad  over  my  noise  and  mouth  in  the  way  I  had  so 
dreaded.  I  struggled  furiously  for  breath,  but  could  inhale 
nothing  but  the  burning,  choking  fumes  of  chloroform,  that  felt 
as  if  pure  alcohol  were  being  poured  down  my  throat,  and  made 
me  gasp  and  choke  in  an  agonizing  manner.  I  became  frantic 
in  my  efforts  toi  obtain  air,  and  the  few  moments  that  elapsed 
before  unconsciousness  came  to  my  relief  w^ere  to.  me  a  prolonged 
agony.  I  am  perfectly  certain  that  had  I  not  been  physically 
strong,  and  my  heart  and  lungs  sound  I  must  have  succumbed. 
;i:  *  ,i<  ;|c  Yh^  memory  of  that  struggle  for  life  will  never 
leave  me;  it  sets  my  heart  beating  violently  at  night,  sometimes 
when  I  merely  recall  it."  * 

In  Great  Britain  as  w^ell  as  in  Continental  Europe,  Ameri- 
can observers  report  that  anaesthetics  are  administered  far  more 
recklessly  than  in  this  country.  The  fatality  list  in  all  is,  how^- 
ever,  entirely  too  large,  the  most  prolific  source  of  disaster  being 
in  all  probability  undue  haste.  Everywhere,  except  perhaps 
among  Oriental  peoples,  the  axiom  that  ''Time  is  money,"  is, 
with  all  its  implications,  an  accepted  gospel.  To  bring  a  patient 
under  the  influence  of  such  general  anaesthetics  as  ether  or 
chloroform  without  great  discomfort  or  absolute  sufifering  often 
requires  considerable  tim,e;  this  means  money  to  the. busy  prac- 
titioner whose  every  moment  is  precious;  and  so  the  pace  is 
pushed,  and  in  this,  as  in  other  races  between  life  and  death,  it 
is  the  pace  that  kills. 

The  skilled  anaesthetist  should  be  thoroughly  informed 
as  to  the  chemical  and  physiological  properties  of  anaesthetic 
agents.  He  should  be  skilled  in  physical  diagnosis  and  physio- 
logical chemistry  and  able  to  detect  lesions  of  heart  or  lungs  by 


Mrs.  R.  M.  Kiug,  ''Nineteenth  Century,''  March,  189S. 


EDITORIAL.  287 

auscultation  and  percussion,  and  to  recognize  abnormalities  of 
the  excretory  organs  or  functions  by  chemical  analysis  or  micro- 
scopical examination.  He  should  be  conversant  with  all  the 
more  valuable  appliances  for  the  administration  of  anaesthetics, 
and  shotild  be  provided  with  all  the  agencies  which  may  be  re- 
quired for  the  relief  of  dangerous  symptoms.  Opportunity  for  a 
careful  and  leisurely  study  of  the  co^ndition  of  his  patient  for  some 
days  before  a  critical  operation  should,  when  possible,  be 
afforded  him.  This  would  not  only  directly  promote  the  safety 
of  the  patient,  but  would  secure  his  confidence,  quiet  apprehen- 
sion and  give  a  sense  of  security,  the  moral  effect  of  which  could 
not  fail  tO'  be  salutory. 

The  anaesthetist  should  be  a  man  of  keenness  of  insight,  cool- 
ness of  judg-ment  and  a  facility  of  resources,  one  not  to  be  dis- 
concerted by  any  crisis  however  unexpected  or  alarming,  but 
ready  on  the  instant  with  swiftness  and  precision  tO'  do  the  right 
thing  at  the  right  time.  In  the  hands  of  such  a  man  the  surgeon 
could  with  a  complete  sense  of  security  place  the  whole  respon- 
sibihty  of  the  anaesthetic  procedure,  feeling  perfect  assurance 
that  the  anaesthetic  would  be  judiciously  administered,  and  that 
every  untoward  symptom  w-ould  be  promptly  recognized  and  as 
promptly  treated. 

Professor  Galloway,  of  Chicago,  in  a  paper  on  this  subject,"^ 
sums  up  the  reasons  why  trustworthy  anacsthetizers  are  a  neces- 
sity, as  follows: 

1.  No  man  can  do  two  things  at  once  so  well  as  he  can  do 
either  of  them  by  itself.  A  surgeon  cannot  do  his  most  skilful 
operating  while  devoting  half  his  attention  to  the  aucTsthetic. 

2.  The  operator  is  frequently  more  concerned  about  the  re- 
sult of  the  anaesthetizer's  work  than  he  is  about  the  results  of  his 
own  work. 

3.  An  operation  may  be  practically  devoid  of  danger,  while 
an  anaesthetic  is  never  administered  without  jeopardizing  the  life 
of  the  patient. 

4.  In  many  cases,  more  skill  is  required  to  administer  the 
anaesthetic  than  is  required  to  perform  the  operation. 

*  "The  Auccsthetizer  as  a  Specialist,"  iu  the  Fhila.  Med.  Journal,  May 
2yth,  iSgg. 


288  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

5.  Death  may  occur  from  the  anaesthetic  In  the  hands  of  the 
most  skilful  anaesthetizer,  but  in  the  great  majority  of  deaths 
which  have  occurred  the  anaesthetic  was  in  the  hands  of  un- 
skilled anaestlietizers. 

As  already  intimated  the  chief  barrier  to  the  maintenance  of 
trained  specialists  in  anaesthesia  is  a  financial  one.  Only  in  large 
•cities  can  such  a  specialty  be  made  reasonably  remunerative,  even 
tinder  the  most  favorable  conditions.  There  is,  however,  no 
valid  reason  why  every  great  hospital  should  not  have  its  trained 
anaesthetist,  provided  sufficient  inducements  are  ofifered  to  make 
it  worth  the  while  of  men  of  ability  to  qualify  themselves  for 
the  duties  of  the  position. 

The  reputation  of  such  a  specialist  once  established,  and  the 
advantages  of  his  skilled  services  demoinstrated,  his  sphere  of  labor 
would  doubtless  soon  extend  beyond  his  immediate  vicinage,  and 
in  critical  cases  he  would  be  summoned  to  contiguous  or  distant 
towns  and  rural  settlementsi. 

In  the  greater  number  of  cases,  however,  the  masses  of  the 
people  of  this  country  must  continue  to  depend  upon  the  service 
of  the  local  physician,  surgeon  or  dentist.  This  being  the  case, 
a  more  careful  and  systematic  training  in  anaesthesia  in  our  medi- 
eal  and  dental  schools  is  an  obvious  need  of  the  time.  How 
meagre  and  insufficient  is  such  instruction  in  the  majority  of 
schools  is  well  known  to  all  familiar  with  college  work. 

For  the  advancement  of  this  educational  reform  the  pro- 
fessional anaesthetist  could  be  of  invaluable  service,  for  the  ex- 
perience he  would  gain  in  the  practice  of  his  specialty  would 
naturally  constitute  him  the  teacher  of  those  desirous  of  ac- 
quiring for  themselves  something  of  his  special  knowledge  and 
special  skill.  This  is  certainly  true  of  England,  where  such 
anaesthetists  as  Hewitt  and  Silk  hold  not  only  hospital  but  col- 
lege appointments ;  and  the  excellent  work  they  have  done,  both 
as  anaesthetists  and  as  teachers  and  writers  on  anaesthesia, 
is  a  strong  argument  in  favor  of  the  more  general  employment 
of  such  specialists  in  this  and  other  countries. 


EDITORIAL.  289 

The  Supervising  Board  of  Army  Dentists. 

In  the  April  issue  of  the  Brief,  the  names  of  Dr.  Don- 
nally,  of  Washington,  D.  C,  and  Dr.  Oliver,  of  Indianapolis, 
were  mentioned  as  candidates  for  position  upon  the  Supervising 
Board  of  Army  Dentists  who  personally  and  professionally  are 
admirably  fitted  to  fulfil  the  duties  which  will  devolve  upon  the 
Board  in  a  manner  acceptable  to  the  Army,  the  War  Department 
and  the  dental  profession. 

The  friends  of  the  Otey  bill  are  now  to  be  congratulated 
upon  the  fact  that  Dr.  John  Sayre  Marshall,  of  Chicago,  has  con- 
sented to  allow  his  name  also  to  be  presented  as  a  candidate  for 
position  as  one  of  the  three  members  of  the  Supervising  Board. 

Dr.  Marshall,  from  an  early  period  in  his  professional  career, 
has  devoted  special  attention  to  surgery  of  the  mouth.  His 
chief  work  has  been  in,  Chicago,  where  since  1883  he  has  been 
recognized  as  one  of  the  leading  teachers  of  Oral  Surgery  and 
Dental  Pathology  in  the  medical  and  dental  schools  of  that  city. 
For  sixteen  years  he  has  been  connected  with  the  Medical 
Boards  of  St.  Luke's  and  Mercy  Hospitals,  of  Chicago.  He 
has  had  a  large  experience  in  all  the  operations  upon  the  mouth 
and  jaws — major  and  minor — having  given  special  attention  to 
the  surgical  and  mechanical  treatment  of  fractures  otf  the  jaws, 
cleft  palate,  and  the  removal  of  maxillary  tumors. 

His  book  on  the  'Tnjuries  and  Surgical  Diseases  of  the 
Face,  Mouth  and  Jaws,"  is  a  standard  text-book  in  nearly  all  the 
dental  colleges  in  the  United  States  and  Canada,  and  has  been 
translated  into  the  German  language. 

To  a  Supervising  Board  composed  of  three  such  men  as 
Drs.  Donnally,  Oliver  and  Marshall,  the  dental  profession  of 
America  could  with  confidence  entrust  the  interests  of  dentistry 
in  the  United  States  Army,  should  the  Otey  bill  or  any  similar 
measure  be  enacted. 


29©  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Dr.  Norman  W.  Kingsley. 

The  complimentary  banquet  to  Dr.  Norman  W.  Kingsley 
"In  connnemoration  of  his  fifty  years  of  continuous  practice,  and 
in  appreciation  of  his  many  contributions  to  the  scientific 
progress  of  our  profession,"  which  was  given  in  New  York  on 
the  evening  of  April  7th,  1900,  and  a  report  of  which  appoars 
elsewhere  in  the  issue  of  the  Brief,  was  a  spontaneous  ex- 
pression of  esteem  and  goodwill,  honorable  alike  to  its  recipient 
and  to  those  by  whom  it  was  tendered. 

If,  as  Bacon  says,  ''There  is  a  debt  of  obligation  from  every 
member  of  a  profession  to  assist  in  improving  the  science  in 
which  he  has  successfully  practiced,"  it  is  a  debt  which  has  been 
worthily  discharged  by  Dr.  Kingsley.  His  classic  work  on 
Oral  Deformities  alone  would  entitle  him  to  the  grateful  recog- 
nition not  only  of  dentists,  but  of  the  entire  medical  profession. 

The  field  of  cleft  palate  deformities  and  their  correction  by 
mechanical  means  he  has  made  peculiarly  his  own,  and  in  that 
field  his  work  is  not  only  original,  but  in  many  respects  exhaus- 
tive. Throughout  the  world  he  has  been  recognized  as  the  great 
authority  in  that  department  of  prosthesis,  and  his  published 
writings  on  that  subject  have  been  a  mine  to  which  all  later 
teachers  and  writers  have  of  necessity  resorted. 

The  golden  anniversary  of  his  entrance  upon  the  practice  of 
the  profession  he  has  so  greatly  adorned,  brings  tO'  him  the  best 
wishes  of  his  fellow  practitioners  throughout  the  world. 

A  half-tone  reproduction  of  Dr.  Kingsley's  burnt-wood  por- 
trait of  himself  appears  as  a  frontispiece  tO'  this  number  of  the 
Brief.  For  this,  as  well  as  for  advance  sheets  of  the  report  of 
the  banquet,  we  are  indebted  to  the  courtesy  of  Dr.  R.  Otto- 
lengui,  editor  of  Itevis  of  Interest. 


ASSOCIATION  TRANSACTIONS.  291 

ASSOCIATION  TRANSACTIONS. 

Transactions  of  the  National  Dental  Association,  including  pro- 
ceedings of  the  third  annual  session  held  at  Niagara  Falls, 
N.  Y.,  commencing  August  ist,  1899. 

Proceedings  of  the  Second  Annual  Session  of  the  Southern 
Dental  Association,  branch  of  the  National  Dental  Associa- 
tion, held  at  New  Orleans,  La.,  commencing  February  9th, 
1899. 

Philadelphia:  The  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Com- 
pany, 1900. 

This  volume  of  something  over  seven  hundred  pages  con- 
taining the  transactions  and  proceedings  severally  of  what  was 
the  American  Dental  Association,  and  what  still  is  the  Southern 
Dental  Association,  comes  at  least  as  "the  outward  and  visible 
sign"  of  unification  even  if,  as  in  the  opinion  of  many,  something 
is  still  lacking  of  its  "inward  and  spiritual  grace." 

Doubtless  unification  like  other  graces  is  a  growth,  and 
must  have  a  beginning,  and  an  environment  not  hostile  but  fos- 
tering. From  this  point  of  view  the  volume  before  us  is  of  most 
hopeful  augury,  for  it  shows  not  mierely  growth  but  fruitfulness. 

Even  if  the  unifying  bond  were  no'  stronger  than  the  boards 
and  stitches  which  hold  the  leaves  together  it  would  be  a  good 
and  desirable  thing  to  have  soi  much  excellent  matter  from  the 
now  allied  organizations  appear  in  one  volume;  for  such  a  juxta- 
position must  foster  the  spirit  of  professional  imity,  draw  closer 
the  bonds  of  professional  fellowship,  and  make  stronger  the  spirit 
of  loyalty  toi  the  parent  organization. 

An  analysis  of  the  contents  of  the  volume  is  not  necessary; 
many  of  the  papers  it  contains  have  already  appeared  in  the 
official  organ  of  the  Association  and  other  dental  journals; 
others  in  their  turn  will  doiubtless  be  made  accessible  to  the  pro- 
fession through  these  channels. 

Botli  the  Association  and  the  publishers  are  tO'  be  congratu- 
lated upon  a  voilume  so  worthy  of  commendation  for  its  faith- 
fulness and  completeness  as  a  record,  for  the  beauty  of  its 
typography  and  the  excellence  of  its  illustrations.  Such  a  work 
is  in  itself  well  worth  the  fee  for  membership  in  the  National 
Dental  Association,  and  should  be  an  incentive  to  every  qualified 
memiber  of  the  profession  to  ally  himself  with  that  organization. 


292  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

COMPLIMENTARY  BANQUET  TO  DR.  NORMAN 
W.  KINGSLEY. 

In  New  York,  on  the  evening  of  April  7th,  a  coniplinientary 
banquet  was  tendered  to  Dr.  W.  Kingsley  in  commemoration  of 
his  fifty  years  of  continuous  practice,  and  in  appreciation  of  his 
many  contributions  to  the  scientific  progress  of  our  profession. 

The  committee  of  arrangements  who  originated  this  very 
successful  affair,  and  signed  the  invitations  which  were  sent  out, 
comprised  the  following  names:  Drs.  A.  L.  Northrop,  W.  W. 
Walker,  S.  G.  Perry,  Wm.  Carr,  New  York;  O.  E.  Hill,  Wm. 
Jarvie,  A.  H.  Brockway,  Brooklyn;  Chas.  S.  vStockton,  Cbas.  A. 
Meeker,  R.  M.  Sanger,  Henry  A.  Hull,  New  Jersey;  J.  Foster 
Flagg,  Edward  C.  Kirk,  Wilbur  F.  Litch,  Chas.  J.  Essig,  Penn- 
sylvania; M.  W.  Foster,  B.  Holly  Smith,  Maryland;  H.  B.  Noble, 
M.  F.  Finley,  Wm.  Donnally,  Washington,  D.  C;  L.  D.  Shep- 
ard,  Thomas  Fillebrown,  C.  P.  Wilson,  Massachusetts. 

*  Acceptances  were  received  from  the  following:  N.  W. 
Kingsley,  John  I.  Hart,  W.  W.  Walker,  S.  G.  Perry,  A.  L. 
Northrop,  V.  H.  Jackson,  M.  L.  Rhein,  Ralph  B.  Reitz,  L.  C. 
Le  Roy,  R.  Ottolengui,  O.  L.  Krone,  G.  L.  Andrews,  Geo.  Evans, 
S.  L.  Goldsmith,  J.  N.  Farrar,  J.  Smith  Dodge,  J.  W.  Taylor, 
Wm.  G.  Tracey,  Donald  E.  Reibold,  Chas.  Chamberlain,  Wm. 
Jarvie,  F.  B.  Keppy,  H.  C.  Ferris,  Thos.  Siqueland,  W.  J.  Turner, 
R.  C.  Brewster,  O.  E.  Houghton,  T.  A.  Quinlan,  F.  C.  Walker, 
John  A.  Schmidt,  A.  H.  Brockway,  W.  A.  Campbell,  Chas.  Hub- 
bard, F  .0.  Kraemer,  M.  N.  Forney,  C.  S.  Butler,  H.  J.  Burkhart, 
G.  B.  Beach,  A.  R.  Cooke,  O.  J.  Gross,  New  York;  C.  A.  Meeker, 
F.  G.  Gregory,  C  W.  F.  Holbrook,  H.  S.  Sutphen,  F.  Edsall 
Riley,  Richard  Denbigh,  Oscar  Adelberg,  S.  C.  G.  Watkins,  R. 
M.  Sanger,  Henry  A.  Hull,  W.  E.  Truex,  P.  I.  Wilson,  New 
Jersey;  Thos.  P.  Stellwagen,  Chas.  J.  Essig,  Edwin  T.  Darby. 
C.  A.'  Marvin,  I.  N.  Broomell,  W.  F.  Ditch,  Geo.  D.  Darby,  J. 
Foster  Flagg,  Pennsylvania;  B.  Holly  Smith,  Cyrus  M.  Ging- 
rich, Maryland;  H.  B.  Noble,  M.  F.  Finley,  W.  N.  Coogan, 
Washington,  D.  C;  L.  D.  Shepard,  John  F.  Dowsley,  A.  H. 
Gilson,  E.  S.  Niks,  Massachusetts;  Edward  Gaylord,  Connec- 
ticut; all  of  whom  were  present  with  the  exception  of  two  or 
three,  who  were  prevented  because  of  sickness.  In  fact  the 
number  in  attendance  would  have  been  doubled,  but  for  the 
grip,  which  seems  to  have  been  particularly  prevalent  among 


COMPLIMENTAR  Y  BANQ  UET.  293 

members  of  the  dental  profession,  judiging  from  the  many  letters 
of  reg-ret  which  were  received. 

An  exceedingly  elaborate  and  artistic  menu  had  been  pre- 
pared. The  menu  proper  was  on  very  large  sheets  of  extra  heaivy 
enameled  paper.  The  first  page  was  adorned  with  the  repro- 
duction of  a  marble  bust  of  the  Saviour,  which  Dr.  Kingsley 
modeled  in  1868.  The  other  three  pages  each  contained  four  re- 
productions of  some  very  artistic  work  which  Dr.  Kingsley  has 
done  during  the  past  year.  The  work  itself  is  something  on  the 
order  of  what  is  known  as  pyrography,  except  that  in  that  art,  a 
metal  tool  is  used  with  which  to  burn  lines  on  the  wood.  In  Dr. 
Kingsley's  work,  which  seems  to  be  unique  and  original  with 
himself,  he  obtains  the  smoothness  of  carbon  photographs  by 
using  a  tiny  blow  pipe,  of  his  own  construction,  utilizing  a  tiny 
flame  for  scorching  the  wood,  thus  producing  very  soft  effects 
without  lines. 

This  menu  was  enclosed  in  large,  dark  green  paper  covers 
decorated  with  an  overlap  of  red  paper  united  with  a  white  seal 
bearing  his  crest.  On  the  inner  page  of  the  cover  was  attached 
a  reproduction  of  a  portrait  of  himself,  which  he  has  made  in  his 
burnt  wooid  work.     (See  fro-ntispiece.)  \ 

During  the  evening  interesting  addresses  were  made  by  Dr. 
William  Wallace  Walker,  toastmaster;  Dr.  Norman  W.  Kings^ 
ley,  Dr.  Safford  E.  Perry,  Dr.  J.  Smith  Dodge,  Dr.  C.  A.  Marvin,. 
Dr.  L.  D.  Shepard,  Dr.  B.  Holly  Smith,  Dr.  Edwin  T.  Darby, 
and  Dr.  R.  Ottodengui. 

Of  these,  for  want  of  space,  only  the  introductory  re- 
marks of  Dr.  Walker  and  the  response  of  Dr.  Kingsley  are  given. 

REMARKS    OF   DR.    WALKER. 

Gentlemen,  we  arc  here  to-night  in  honor  of  a  dear  old 
friend,  one  who  has  been  for  a  lifetime  an  earnest  and  brilliant 
workman  in  our  chosen  profession,  and  one  whose  name  in  all 
dental  associations  and  dental  meetings  in  every  country  and 
every  clime  has  becouie  a  household  word,  Dr.  Norman  W. 
Kingsley.     (Loud  applause.) 

It  was  a  very  happy  thought  of  our  friend.  Dr.  Ottolenqui, 
that  a  dinner  in  honor  of  Dr.  Kingsley  might  be  acceptable. 
(Applause.)  Some  weeks  ago  it  was  my  pleasure  to  attend  a 
complimentary  dinner  in  Rochester  given  to  Dr.  French,  in 
recognition  of  his  work  in  elevating  the  dental  profession,  and 


294  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

of  his  work  on  the  ILxaniinimg  Board  of  the  State  of  New  York. 
At  that  time  I  said  I  was  someAvhat  opposed  to  dinners,  but  I  have 
since  chang^ed  my  mind,  and  I  think  a  few  more  of  them  would 
be  a  good  thing*  if  they  afforded  nothing-  more  than  the  oppor- 
tunity of  meeting"  our  old  friends  and  grasping  them  by  the  hand. 

The  side  of  Dr.  King-sley's  life  which  I  will  speak  of  for  a 
few  minutes  to-night  is  tlic  poetical  and  artistic  side.  His  first 
work  of  this  character,  I  believe,  was  that  beautiful  and  artistic 
embroidery  upon  silk;  most  charming  landscapes  and  delicate 
picttires  have  been  worked  on  silk  by  him,  and  if  Dr.  Kingsley 
were  living  in  Japan,  I  am  sure  that  he  would  long  ago  have  been 
decorated  with  the  Order  of  the  Dragon  or  the  Canary  Bird,  the 
highest  order  that  can  be  conferred  upon  a  man  in  that  coimtry. 
(Applause.) 

We  next  pass  on  to  Dr.  Kingsley  as  a  sculptor;  you  have  all 
had  the  pleasure  of  looiking  upon  work  of  that  kind  accomplished 
by  our  friend.  Many  of  us  have  day  after  day  the  pleasure  of 
looking  upon  some  of  his  handiwork  in  the  Lotos  Club  of  this 
city.*  In  the  front  parlor  of  that  club  is  a  beautiful,  artistic  life- 
like bust  of  the  Hon.  Whitelaw  Reid,  in  bronze,  by  Dr.  Kingsley. 
Near  by  is  a  life-sized  portrait  of  that  same  gentleman,  painted  by 
that  great  Enjglish  artist,  Herkimer.  Friends  of  mine  and  friends 
of  Dr.  Kingsley  and  friends  of  Whitelaw  Reid  have  said  that  of 
the  two  they  would  much  prefer  the  o^ne  in  bronze,  because  it 
was  more  lifelike  and  artistic.  (Applause.)  Here  is  work  ac- 
complished in  marble,  by  a  dentist,  while  on  the  other  hand  is  the 
work  of  a  skilled  portrait  painter,  perhaps  the  most  skilled  in  the 
world,  but  still  the  work  of  the  dentist  had  the  ''call."  (Ap- 
plause.) If  the  old  ancient  sculptors  could  have  seen  the  work 
accomplished  by  our  brother,  the  men  whose  chisels  produced 
such  work  as  the  Venus  de  Milo,  they  would  have  said:  "It  is 
well  done;  if  not  superior,  it  is  at  least  equal  to  anything  we  have 
ever  seen."     (Loiid  applause.) 

But  let  us  pass  from  his  work  as  a  sculptor  to  this  beautiful 
wood-etching,  or  whatever  it  may  be  called,  that  he  is  working 
on  at  the  present  time.  We  have  seen  the  old  burnt  woodwork 
done  with  a  poker,  but  there  was  nothing  in  that  which  would 
satisfy  the  high  artistic  style  of  Dr.  Kingsley,  and  the  inventive 
genius  of  the  dentist  was  brought  forth,  and  he  himself  invented 
the  instrument  by  which  he  etches  the  beautiful  work  which  you 
have  seen  this  evening — the  reproduction  of  the  work  of  that 


COMPLIMENTAR  Y  BANQ  UET.  ^95 

wonderful  Dutch  artist,  Rembrandt.  If  Rembrandt  or  any  of 
the  old  Dutch  or  English  artists,  or  any  of  the  Barbazon  school 
could  see  these  beautiful  reproductio'us  of  our  friend  and  brother 
dentist,  Dr.  Kingsley,  I  shall  leave  it  to  your  imagination  to  guess 
what  they  would  say. 

And  now,  gentlemen,  I  call  upon  you  to  pledge  to  Dr. 
Kingsley  your  continued  love,  respect  and  loyalty;  let  us  fill  our 
glasses,  arise  and  drink  to  his  future  happiness,  health  and  long 
life.  (Loud  applause.  Dr.  Kingsley's  health  was  drank,  all 
standing,  while  ''¥ov  He's  a  Jolly  Good  Fellow"  was  cordiallv 
sung  by  all.) 

RESPONSE  OF  DR.   NORMAN  W.   KINGSLEY. 

I  have  had  to  live  fifty  years  to  get  tafify  from  Dr.  Walker! 
(Loud  laughter.)  But  it  was  worth  it!  I  would  be  willing  to  live 
fifty  years  longer  to  get  such  a  send-off  as  he  has  given  me.  (A 
voice:  "Live  fifty  years  more.")     I  intend  to. 

When  this  subject  was  first  broached  to  me  I  thought  it  w^as 
a  huge  joke,  I  said:  "What,  give  me  a  dinner,  a  banquet? 
What  for?"  Then  I  was  told  it  was  because  I  had  been  in  prac- 
tice fifty  years.  But  I  am  not  toi  blame;  I  couldn't  help  it!  I 
wanted  bread  and  butter  and  I  had  to  keep  right  at  it,  and  as  the 
angel  Gabriel  didn't  blow  his  horn  for  me  the  years  slipped  away 
until  they  counted  fifty. 

It  is  almost  impossible  for  me  tO'  take  a  serious  view  of  an  oc- 
casion like  this,  so  that  while  I  realize  this  is  a  serious  occasion 
in  one  sense,  and  that  you  intend  to  do  me  a  great  honor,  I  can- 
not help  but  look  upon  it  with  another,  almost  absurd  view,  and 
say  to  myself:  "I  suppose  next  they  will  be  building  an  arch  and 
calling  it  after  me,  and  after  that  I  shall  announce  myself  as  a 
candidate  for  the  presidency."  (Loud  laughter  and  applause.) 
As  yon  have  already  pledged  nue  your  support,  I  really  believe 
I  have  got  as  good  a  following  as  the  other  chap  has.  (A  voice: 
"That's  right.")  The  toastmaster  asks  me  what  my  principles 
are.  They  are  just  Kingsley!  (Laughter.)  Plain  Kingsley! 
(Renewed  laughter.)  If  you  put  me  there  I  will  serve  you,  no 
matter  whether  you  are  Democrat  or  Republican;  whether  you 
are  odontologs,  stomatologs  or  any  other  kind  of  logs,  it  makes 
no  difiference  to  me;  I  will  serve  you  just  the  same;  I  am  seeking 
for  votes  at  the  present  moment!     (Laughter.) 

There  is  a  great  deal  of  pleasure  in  looking  in  your  faces  and 


296  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

realizing  tliat  you  have  come  here  to  do  nvc  this  honor.  The 
highest  honor  I  have  anticipated  for  a  long  time  past  was  that 
when  I  had  climbed  the  Golden  Stairs  and  looked  down  I  should 
find  a  short  paragraph  in  the  Tribune,  sold  at  three  cents  a  copy, 
which  would  give  me  a  few  words  and  let  me  go.  I  had  no  con- 
ception that  I  should  have  an  obituary  notice  in  life,  and  see  it 
in  cold  print;  but  I  am  afraid  that  is  what  it  is  going  to  come  to. 

Dr.  Walker  has  told  you  why  I  was  selected  as  the  victim 
of  to-night's  dinner  table,  but  let  me  assure  you  there  are  others 
here  who  I  feel  are  equally  entitled  to  it;  there  are  plenty  of  them, 
and  I  hope  they  will  get  their  desserts  in  the  same  way,  and  give 
me  an  opportunity  to  come,  and  if  I  can  doi  anything  by  getting 
on  my  legs  and  making  a  speech,  or  anything  else  to  help  the 
occasion,  I  certainly  will  do  so. 

When  I  look  in  your  faces  and  realize  that  some  of  you 
have  come  hundreds  of  miles  tO'  do  me  this  honor,  I  am  gratified 
and  I  appreciate  it.  It  is  no  mean  thing;  I  thank  you  profoundly. 
What  gives  me  more  pleasure  than  anything  else  is  the  fraternal 
brotherhood  which  is  shown  by  this  assemblage.  Here  are 
gathered  men  who  have  differed  strenuously  in  their  professional 
relations,  men  with  whom  I  have  differed  to  the  point  of  antag- 
onism, but  here  all  that  is  forgotten,  and  we  meet  around  this 
board  and  by  our  fraternization  do  honor  to  our  calling.  We 
bury  the  hatchet,  smoke  the  pipe  of  peace  and  break  bread  with 
each  other  in  this  the  closing  year  of  the  century  which  has  seen 
the  birth  and  full  development  of  a  beneficent  profession. 

I  cannot  say  anything  else  but  that  I  thank  you  from  the 
bottom  of  my  heart,  and  I  hope  that  I  may  live  long  enough  to 
have  the  opportunity  of  being  at  the  fiftieth  anniversary  of  every 
one  of  you.     (Laughter  and  applause.) 


i^^^^^^^e 


ANNOUNCEMENTS.  397 

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


AMERICAN  MEDICAL  ASSOCIATION. 

SECTION  ON  STOMATOLOGY. 

The  next  meetinig  of  the  American  Medical  Association  will 
be  held  at  Atlantic  City,  June  5th  to  8th,  1900.  The  Section  on 
Stomatolog-y  presents  the  following  program: 

SYMPOSIUM    ON    DENTAL    EDUCATION. 

1.  Relations  of  Dental  and  Oral  Surgery  to  General  Medi- 
cine; Professional  Status  of  Properly  Educated  Practitioners  of 
Denal  and  Oral  Surgery.     Dr.  N.  S.  Davis,  Sr. 

2.  Preliminary  QuaHficartionis.     Dr.  J.  Taft. 

3.  Course  of  Study.     Dr.  W.  A.  Evans. 

4.  Methods  of  Teaching  (Didactic  or  Recitational).  Dr.  A. 
H.  Peck. 

5.  Shall  the  Dental  Student  be  Educated  Independently  of 
General  Medicine?     Dr.  G.  V.  I.  Brown. 

6.  Is  Medical  Education  a  Necessary  Qualification  for  Den- 
tal Practice?     Drs.  Alice  Steeves  and  R.  R.  Andrews. 

7.  The  Practiced  Value  of  a  Medical  Education  in  Dental 
Practice.     Dr.  W.  B.  Hill. 

8.  Technical  Training  versus  Theoretic.  Dr.  John  S.  Mar- 
shall. 

9.  Should  the  Medical  Undergraduate  be  Instructed  in  the 
Principles  of  Dentistry?     Dr.  M.  L.  Rhein. 

10.  Post-Graduate  Study  in  Dentistry  and  Degrees  There- 
for.    Dr.  W.  E.  Walker. 

11.  Handwriting  Upon  the  Wall;  What  Does  it  Portray? 
Dr.  A.  E.  Baldwin. 

12.  Limitations.     Dr.  Eugene  S.  Talbot. 

SYMPOSIUM    ON    INTERSTITIAL    GINGIVITIS    OR    SO-CALLED    PYOR- 
RHCEA   ALVEOLARIS. 

1.  Etiology.     Dr.  G.  Lenox  Curtis. 

2.  Neurotic  Afifections.     D.  J.  G.  Kiernan. 

3.  Indigestion  Auto-Intoxicatioii.     Dr.  Eugene  S.  Talbot. 

4.  Chemical  1^'actors  in  Etiology.     Dr.  W.  L.  Baum. 

5.  Constitutional  Treatment.     Dr.  J.  H.  Salisbury. 

6.  Local  Treatment.     Dr.  M.  H.  Fletcher. 


J298  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

7.  So-called  Glands  in  the  Peridental,  Membrane.  Dr.  M. 
H.   Fletcher. 

8.  The  Evolution  of  Decay  Continued.     Dr.  Arch.  C.  Hart. 

9.  Cooperation  of  the  l^d^lic  Schools  in  Teaching.  Good 
Teeth,  Good  Health.  Whatever  we  wish  to  see  introduced  into 
the  life  of  a  nation  must  be  introduced  into  its  schools.  Dr. 
Richard  Grady. 

10.  Subject  to  be  announced.     Dr.  V.  A.  Latham. 

The  Section  on  Stomatology  will  meet  at  Hotel  Senate. 
The  Officers  of  the  Section  invite  all  to  be  present  and  to  take 
part  in  the  discussions. 

Those  who  wish  to-  join  the  Association  must  obtain  creden- 
tials from  their  State  oir  Local  Dental  Societies,  and  the  payment 
of  $5  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Association.  This  w^il'l  entitle  them 
to  the  Journal  for  one  year. 

Accommodation  can  be  had  by  writing  F.  B.  Cook  &  Son, 
Hotel  Senate. 

Eugem  S.  Talbot,  Secretary  Section  on  Stomatology. 


NATIONAL  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 

The  date  of  meeting  of  this  organization  has  been  changed 
from  June  26th  to  July  loth,  1900,  and  the  Association  will  con- 
vene at  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.  This  is  a  very  pleasant  place  in 
which  to  meet,  and  everything  bids  fair  for  a  successful  and  profit- 
able gathering.  Application  has  been  made  for  reduced  fare  on  all 
the  railroads,  and  thie  rates  will  be  published  in  pur  next  issue. 
We  woiU'ld  especially  urge  upon  the  State  societies  thiat  they  elect 
their  full  quota,  of  delegates  and  choose  who  will  attend  the  Na- 
tional meeting.  All  those  having  papers  which  they  wish  to 
bring  before  the  Association  should  communicate  with  the  proper 
sections.  /.  A^.  Crouse,  Chairman  Executive  Committee. 


PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

The  National  Association  having  changed  the  date  of  its 
meeting,  for  this  year,  to  July  loth,  the  Pennsylvania  State  Den- 
tal Society  will  mieet  on  July  5th,  6th  and  7th,  at  Reading,  Pa., 
by  vote  of  Council.  Robert  Huey,  President. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS'  299 

VERMONT  STATE  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

At  the  twenty-fourth  annual  mieeting  of  the  Vermont  State 
Dental  Society,  held  at  St.  Jdhnsbury,  March  2ist-23d,  1900, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  President, 
Dr.  H.  Turrill,  Rutland;  First  Vice-President,  Dr.  C.  VV.  Steele. 
Barre;  Secomd  Vice-President,  Dr.  J.  A.  Pearsons,  Barton;  Re- 
cording Secretary,  Dr.  V.  Monnd,  Rutland;  Corresponding  Sec- 
retary, Dr.  Grace  L.  Bosworth,  Rutland;  Treasurer,  Dr.  W.  H. 
Munsell,  Wells  River;  State  Prosecutor,  Dr.  G.  W.  HofTman, 
White  River  Junction;  Executive  Committee — Dr.  J.  H.  Jack- 
son, Burlington;  Dr.  H.  Burbridge,  Woodstock;  Dr.  R.  H.  New- 
ton, Montpelier. 

Next  mieeting  will  be  held  at  Montpelier  the  third  Wednes- 
day in  March,  1901.         Thomas  Mound,  Recording  Secretary. 


MICHIGAN  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Michigan   Dental  Association 
will  be  held  at  Kalamazoo,  June  nth,  12th  and  13th. 

Chas.  C.  Noble,  Secretary. 


SOUTHERN  WISCONSIN  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 
The  sixth  annual  meeting  of  the  Southern  Wisconsin  Den- 
tal Association  will  be  held  at  Janesville,  May  2d  and  3d. 

F.  S.  Knapp,  President,  Plattevillc. 
J.  H.  Reed,  Secretary,  Lancaster,  Wis. 


THE  CHICAGO  DENTAL  SOCIETY. 

List  of  officers  of  the  Chicago  Dental  Society  for  1 900-1 901, 
elected  at  the  annual  meeting,  held  in  the  Stewart  Building, 
Tuesday  evening,  April  3d,  1900:  President,  George  W.  Cook; 
First  Vice-President,  Geo.  B.  Perry;  Second  Vice-President,  H. 
J.  Goslee;  Secretary,  Elgin  Ma  Whinney;  Corresponding  Secre- 
tary, C.  S.  Bigelow;  Treasurer,  A.  B.  Clark;  Librarian,  H.  W. 
Sale;  Member  Board  of  Directors,  J.  E.  Elinkins;  Board  c^f  Cen- 
sors— W.  V.  B.  Ames,  Chairman;  C.  N.  Johnson.  A.  W.  Harlan. 
C.  S.  Bigeknv,  Cor.  Scc\',  100  State  St.,  Chicago. 


300  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

THE  NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OV  DENTAL 
EXAMINERS. 

In  comsequience  of  a  contemplated  new  movement  by  the 
Association,  with  the  probability  of  considerable  benefit  both  to 
the  State  Boards  and  the  more  advanced  colleges  whose  educa- 
tional standards  are  high,  the  Secretary  most  earnestly  requests 
from  the  officers  and  members  of  the  several  State  Boards  in  the 
United  States  and  territories  a  new  list  of  officers  and  members. 

An  early  compliance  with  this  request  will  be  most  heartily 
appreciated.  Charles  A.  Meeker,  D.D.S.,  Sec'y., 

2p  Fulton  St.,  Nezvark,  N.  J. 


RECENT  PATENTS  RELATING  TO  DENTISTRY. 

645413,  Dental  separator,  Edw^ard  Wishart,  Waterford,  as- 
signor to  J.  W.  Ivory,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

645345,  Dental  broach,  Luther  A.  Young,  St.  Louis,  Mo. 

645608,  Dental  plugger,  Charles  Schake,  Jr.,  Davenport. 
Iowa. 

646603,  Artificial  tooth,  Herman  R.  Nehrbass,  Hartford, 
Wis. 

646764,  Artificial  tooth,  Thomas  Steele,  Red  Bank,  N.  J. 

646629,  Device  for  regulating  teeth,  Wm.  P.  Suggat,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

647400,  Artificial  denture,  Arthur  T.  Glew,  Germantown, 
Ohio. 

647010,  Dental  plugger,  Frank  L.  Marshall,  Boston,  Mass. 

32478,  Design,  artificial  incisor  tooth,  Arthur  T.  Glew,  Ger- 
mantown, Ohioi. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  Solicitor  of  Patents,  Fendall  Build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C. 


CORRESPONDENCE 


Editor  Dental  Brief: — You  would  confer  a  favor  on  your 
Southern  subscribers  by  warning  them  that  dental  offices  in  Ken- 
tucky and  Tennessee  are  being  robbed  of  gold  foil.  The  work 
is  done  by  two  well-dressed  men,  and  is  done  in  the  day-time. 
They  have  keys,  and  are  prepared  to  do  the  job  right.  They 
have  accurate  knowledge  of  habits,  etc.,  of  dentists,  and  hunt 
till  .they  find  the  gold.  /.  C.  Montgomery. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  301 


Question  88.  Will  you  please  give  the  method  of  using 
Spyer's  adhesive  plates,  or  any  similar  plate  intended  to  increase 
adhesion  between  the  plate  and  a  flat  palate?  Also  state  with 
what  success  their  use  is  attended? 

C.  T.  Doty,  Le  Roy,  Kansas. 

It  is  quite  probable  that  no  one  has  given  so^  much  attention 
to  methods  intended  to  increase  the  adhesion  of  plate  dentures 
as  Dr.  Spyer,  and  his  continuous  work  in  this  direction  has  re- 
sulted more  or  less  successfully.  Dr.  Spyer  has  two  or  three 
methods.  In  one  he  uses  what  he  calls  surface  cohesion  forms, 
these  being  made  of  thin  metal,  the  surface  of  which  is  covered 
with  many  minute  papilliform  prominences.  These  are  in  sheet 
form,  and  can  be  cut  to  suit  either  upper  or  lower  case.  These 
are  cut  to  suit  the  case,  and  placed  over  the  cast  immediately 
before  packing  the  rubber.  The  prominences  over  the  surface 
cause  the  displacement  of  mucus  at  the  point  of  gum  contact, 
and  in  this  way  effect  surface  adhesion.  It  is  claimed  that  by 
the  aid  of  this  device,  adhesion  is  poissible  even  with  a  narrow 
plate.  The  method  of  using  is  simple  enough  after  you  have  seen 
the  metal  forms. 

Another  method  is  that  known  as  the  automatic  suction 
cavity,  this  being  in  the  form  of  a  ready-prepared  metal  form, 
which  is  so  prepared  that  it  leaves  on  the  finished  plate  two 
ridges  alo>ng  the  margins  of  the  palatal  surface  in  addition  to 
the  usual  vacuum  cavity,  which  is  also  produced  by  the  appliance. 

Another  and  more  recent  method  devised  by  Dr.  Spyer  is 
the  one  to  which  you  refer  in  your  communication.  These  ad- 
hesive plates,  as  they  are  called,  are  used  to  give  a  soft  surface 
to  the  palatal  side  of  a  hard  rubber  plate,  and  they  appear  to 
overcome  the  objections  so  pronounced  when  soft  rubber  is  used 
for  this  purpose.  After  the  case  is  packed,  a  piece  of  wet  mus- 
lin is  laid  on  the  rubber,  covering  the  whole  surface  and  up  to 
the  edge  of  the  flask ;  the  flask  is  loosely  closed  and  nut  into  boil- 

*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norynayi  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  14.20  Chestfiui  St.,  Phila, 


302 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


ing-  water  for  a  few  minutes;  then  into  the  flask  press  and  forced 
down  until  the  flask  is  closed.  Open  the  flask,  remove  tlie  cloth, 
and  place  a  cold,  adhesive  plate,  trimmed  so  that  it  will  only  come 
up  to  the  alveolar  ridge,  upon  the  rubber,  tin-foil  side  up. 
Again  close  the  flask,  tighten  the  bolts  without  heat,  and  vul- 
canize for  ninety  minutes  at  31  degrees. 

Question  89.  What  are  several  methods  of  making  a  suc- 
cessful denture  for  a  mouth  in  which  the  palate  is  very  flat  and 
hard,  and  where  the  soft  tissues  come  to^  the  bottom  of  the  ridge 
on  both  the  labial  and  buccal  sides?  Also,  how  can  the  cheeks 
be  protected  from  the  sharp  points  frequently  present  on  regu- 
lating appliances?  E.  I.  Zinkan,  Southampton,  Out. 


Mr.  Editor: — I  am  always  interested  in  the  ''Questions 
and  Answers"  Department  of  the  Brief,  and  want  tO'  say  a  w^ord 
about  it.  It  seems  toi  me  that  you  always  recommend  some- 
tHing  difficult  or  expensive.  Now  it  don't  seem  to  me  possible 
that  any  dentist  asked  Question  86  in  the  April  issue.  Using 
your  method  tO'  clean  a  glass  slab,  each  time  you  clean  it  in  your 
way  you  make  the  next  time  more  difficult,  as  you  are  bound  to 
scratch  the  glass  each  time,  thereby  giving  the  cement  a  better 
hold  next  time;  then  the  pad  you  speak  of,  if  it  has  sandpaper 
on  the  under  side,  I  should  dislike  very  much  to  work  it  on  the 
marble  of  my  cabinet  and  scratch  that  all  up. 

I  have  mixed  cement  for  twenty-five  years  on  a  piece  of 
ordinary  plate  glass  six  inches  square  and  one-half  inch  thick.  To 
clean  it  I  throw  it  in  water,  and  in  two  minutes  can  clean  it  per- 
fectly with  a  towel.  Tell  the  boys  some  cheap  way  to  do  things 
when  it  is  just  as  good,  as  many  of  us  have  all  we  can  do  tO'  keep 
the  pot  boiHng  now  without  going  to  expense  every  time  we 
turn  around.  A.  J.  Thompson. 


^i^^^^^.^^. 


PB ACTIO AL  POINTS.  30 J 

Iracticanpointg.* 

Nirvanin. — Nirvanin  must  be  boiled  to  make  it  a  stable 
solution  for  hypodermic  use.  Two  to  four  per  cent,  solutions 
are  best.  Dental  Review. 

Removal  of  Silver  Nitrate  Stains  on  Teeth. — Apply  iodin, 
changing'  the  nitrate  into  the  iod'id  of  silver;  then  apply  am- 
monia, leaving  the  tooth  stainless. 

Dr.  Register,  International  Dental  Journal. 

The  Parker  Shot  Swage. — The  shot  swage  is  a  useful  appli- 
ance for  many  purposes.  I  have  tried  cornmeal  in  the  small 
shot  swage,  and  find  it  to  work  perfectly,  better  and  easier  than 
shot.  For  swaging  crowns  it  is  far  superior  to  any  of  the  many 
suggestions  I  have  tried.      Wm.  H.  Trueman,  Dental  Digest. 

To  Check  the  Flow  of  Saliva. — A  piece  of  ordinary  absorbent 
cottoin,  twice  the  size  of  a  pea,  saturated  in  sandarac  varnish  and 
placed  over  the  mouth  of  Steno's  duct,  with  a  large  piece  of 
bibulous  paper  to  hold  the  cotton  in  position,  will  check  the 
flow  of  saliva  suf^ciently  to  allow  the  treatment  of  superior 
molars  or  the  insertion  of  a  simple  filling. 

C.  B.  Coleman,  Items  of  Interest. 

Discs  for  Pulp  Capping. — With  the  rubber-dam  punch  and 
No.  60  tinfoil  a  disc  can  be  punched  out  that  is  admirable  for 
capping  slight  exposures.  It  punches  out  a  small  cone,  and  by 
taking  hold  of  the  cone  at  the  apex  with  pHers  you  can  insert 
chloroz-percha,  and  being  in  the  form  of  a  tiny  cap,  can  be  readily 
placed  just  where  it  is  wanted,  without  making  pressure  upon 
the  exposed  pulp.  E.  B.  Lodge,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Gutta-Percha  in  Setting  Crowns  and  Bridge-Work. — I  am  a 
strong  advocate  of  gutta-percha,  because  it  acts  as  a  cushion^ 
and  in  case  of  a  patient  accidentally  biting  upon  a  piece  of  shell 
or  solder  (as  found  in  canned  goods),  or  a  piece  of  bone,  the 
jar  is  not  nearly  so  great.  Also,  if  accident  shoiuld  happen  to  a 
bridge  or  crown,  requiring  its  removal,  it  is  almost  as  easily 
done  as  removing  a  plate  from  the  mouth. 

A.  W.  McCandlcss,  Dental  RevircV. 

Regulating  Plates. — In  the  construction  of  regulating  plates 
covering  the  bicuspids  and  molars,  the  masticating  surface 
should  be  made  as  effective  as  possible.  A  comfortable  bite 
is  obtained  by  closing  the  opposing  teeth  into  the  waxed-up 
plate ;  then  cover  with  tinfoil  and  close  the  teeth  again  to  press 
the  foil  into*  the  bite-marks,  and  flask.  The  bite-marks  can  be 
roughened  with  an  engine  bur. 

E.  A.  CouncelL  British  Dental  JournaL 


•Compiled  by  Mrg.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings^  Waveland, 
Mississippi. 


304 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


To  Remove  Plaster  Impression  from  Impression  Cup. — Cut  off 

overhanging  surplus ;  hold  the  cup  over  a  flame,  and  the  plaster 
will  fall  out.  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 

To  Change  the  Shade  of  a  Porcelain  Tooth. — The  shade  of  a 
porcelain  tooth  can  be  changed  to  a  darker  tint  by  carefully 
heating  over  an  alcohol  flame  for  a  few  minutes. 

C.  B.  Coleman,  Items  of  Interest. 

Amalgam  Repairs  in  Defective  Gold  Fillings. — I  feel  often- 
times that  gold  fillings,  instead  of  being  cut  out,  can  be  patched 
very  satisfactorily  by  the  use  of  amalgam  where  one  can  make  a 
little  undercut  above  the  fiUing. 

Dr.  Pierce,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Reaming  Out  Root-Canals. — Many  hold  that  it  is  unnecessary 
to  ream  out  root-canals,  but  the  fact  that  roots  that  have  been 
so  treated  display  a  remarkable  freedom  from  subsequent  septic- 
ity  is  a  strong  argument  in  its  favor. 

Wm.  Guy,  in  The  Dental  Record. 

Filling  the  Temporary  Teeth :  Copper  Amalgam.  —  Copper 
amalgam,  if  not  abused  in  its  use,  makes  an  excellent  filling  for 
tefnporary  teeth,  the  salts  of  copper  having  a  stimulating  efifect 
on  tooth  structure  and  pulp.  It  is  especially  valuable  for  fragile 
teeth.  H.  L.  Belcher,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Sensitive  Dentin:  Orthoform.  —  When  excavating  causes 
great  pain,  dry  the  cavity  well,  lay  in  orthoform  and  close  with 
wax.  After  one  or  two  days  the  cavity  may  be  prepared  pain- 
lessly, or  at  least  with  greatly  lessened  sensibility. 

Wm.  Rotenberger,  German  Dental  Weekly. 

Enameling  Gold  Caps. — I  use  the  Jenkins  porcelain  to  enamel 
gold  caps,  it  being  easily  flowed  over  the  gold.  It  is  necessary 
to  make  holes  in  the  gold  crown ;  split  the  crown,  and  the  por- 
celain flows  right  along,  just  like  plaster  through  a  lath  par- 
tition. F.  K.  Ledyard,  Pacific  Dental  Gazette. 

Backing  Porcelain  Facings. — The  small  size  Parker  shot 
swage  will,  in  time  saved,  soon  pay  for  itself  in  a  laboratory 
where  porcelain  facings  are  used.  For  that  portion  of  the  back- 
ing that  goes  next  the  porcelain,  use  a  metal  that  is  soft  and 
pliable,  and  let  it  extend  beyond  the  tooth  as  much  as  is  desired. 
Fit  it  to  the  tooth  as  neatly  as  may  be  quickly  done  with  burnish- 
ers; anneal,  place  on  tooth  and  secure  by  riveting  or  splitting 
the  pins.  Wrap  in  thin  paper  to  keep  shot  from  contact  with 
porcelain  or  metal.  Pour  sufficient  shot  in  the  swage  to  form 
a  bed  for  the  tooth,  laying  face  down  upon  the  shot.  Fill  up 
with  shot,  place  the  plunger  in  position,  and  screw  up  firrnly 
between  the  jaws  of  a  strong  vise.  This  gives  an  effective 
pressure,  and  the  backing  will  fit  like  a  glove  and  may  be  at  once 
inverted  and  soldered.  Wm.  H.  Trueman,  Dental  Digest. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  305 

Orthoform  After  Tooth  Extraction. — Pack  the  socket  lightly 
with  moist  cotton  dipped  in  orthoform ;  absolute  cessation  of 
pain  follows.  H.  G.  Kahlo,  Indiana  Dental  Journal. 

Hemorrhage  from  Socket  After  Tooth  Extraction.  —  When 
there  is  a  tooth  standing  on  each  side  of  the  bleeding  socket,  it 
is  easy  to  tie  a  silk  ligature  round  each  of  these  teeth,  and  by 
tying  across  the  opening  retain  firmly  any  plug  used  as  a 
hemostatic.  M.  Woodhouse,  Journal  Brit.  Den.  Ass'n. 

Decalcified  Dentin  in  the  Bottom  of  a  Cavity. — There  is  not 
a  single  scientific  demonstration  to  support  the  idea  that  decal- 
cified dentin  can  ever  become  recalcified  by  natural  processes. 
Aside  from  this  it  has  often  been  pointed  out  that  this  softened 
material  may  contain  certain  products  of  microbic  life  which  are 
not  affected  by  disinfectants,  and  are  very  poisonous  to  the  pulp 
if  left  inclosed  in  the  cavity.  F.  B.  Noyes,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Setting  Logan  Crown  with  Porcelain  Body. — Prepare  root 
with  bevel  at  an  angle  of  45  degrees  to  a  point  well  under  the 
gum  at  labial  surface.  Burnish  a  piece  of  very  soft  platinum 
over  end  of  root,  leaving  surplus  posteriorly  and  at  sides,  and 
perforate  for  reception  of  pin.  Mix  body,  and  fill  recess  of  crown 
over-full,  and  push  home  as  if  using  cement.  With  bibulous 
paper  absorb  moisture,  and  remove  surplus  body  with  camel's- 
hair  brush.  Remove  all  together  and  carry  to  furnace.  Baking 
and  cooling  will  take  about  ten  minutes.  Have  perfect  fitting 
V-joint.     Cement  to  place  as  usual. 

R.  M.  Sanger,  Dental  Cosmos.        \ 

Vulcanizing  Between  Metal  Surfaces. — Burnish  tinfoil  No.  10 
over  the  lingual  surface,  smoothing  out  all  wrinkles  and  folds, 
and  reproducing  the  natural  rugae.  Remove  carefully,  and  coat 
the  surface  of  the  model  with  shellac  and  replace  the  foil.  When 
varnish  is  dry,  polish  the  foil  surface  with  soapstone  on  a  ball  of 
cotton.  Then  burnish,  one  over  the  other,  thicknesses  of  tea 
lead,  to  represent  the  thickness  of  the  rubber  to  be  used.  On  the 
alveolar  ridge  use  only  sufficient  wax  to  hold  the  teeth  in  position 
and  cover  the  heads  of  the  pins,  forming  the  gums  with  wax  as 
usual.  Adapt  another  piece  of  tea  lead  to  catch  and  remain  in 
the  plaster  with  the  teeth.  When  separated  and  the  intermediate 
layers  of  tea  lead  removed  and  the  wax  boiled  out,  there  will  be 
a  bright  tinfoil  surface  on  the  model  side  of  the  flask  and  a  dull 
tea  lead  surface  on  the  other.  Before  packing  the  rubber,  soap 
the  tinfoil  surface  thinly  and  polish  the  tea  lead  surface  with 
mercury  rubbed  in  with  cotton.  The  higher  the  polish  given, 
the  more  finished  will  be  the  vulcanized  surface.  After  vulcaniz- 
ing, to  give  high  polish,  use  softest  brush-wheel  and  whiting. 
Plate  thus  produced  will  be  thin,  light  and  springny^. 

Leland  Otis  Green,  Dental  Review. 


3o6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Quick  Vulcanizing^. — By  using  "Poulson's  Quick  Vulcaniz- 
ing Rubber,"  allowing  only  20  minutes  at  335°  F.,  dentures 
are  quickly  made,  the  rubber  being  elastic,  tough  and  not  burnt 
in  any  way.     It  will  be  found  valuable  for  quick  work. 

W.  I.  Turner,  Journal  British  Dental  Ass'n. 

Removal  of  Broken  Crowns  Set  with  Cement. — Zinc  phos- 
phate cement,  around  the  pins  of  broken  porcelain  crowns,  can 
be  disintegrated  by  the  application  of  ammonia  \yater.  The 
phosphoric  acid  leaves  its  combination  with  the  zinc,  uniting 
with  the  ammonia,  and  the  compound  falls  apart. 

Dr.  Kirk,  International  Dental  Journal. 

To  Prevent  Hemorrhage  After  Tooth  Extraction.— If  I  have 
a  suspicion  that  the  patient  is  hemorrhagic,  I  replace  the  tooth 
after  cutting  off  half  or  a  third  of  the  tooth,  and  I  have  never 
had  any  trouble  as  a  result.  The  tooth  invariably  gets  loose 
after  a  short  time,  and  is  removed  by  the  fingers.  I  have  used 
it  several  times,  and  it  has  always  proved  efficacious. 

•        Mr.  Beadwell  Gill,  Journal  British  Dental  Ass'n. 

^  Adjusting  Rubber  Disc  on  Foot  Blower. — The  rubber  disc  on 
my*  foot  blower  having  bursted,  I  set  about  putting  on  a  new 
one,  but  gave  it  up  in  disgust  after  about  two  hours'  work.  Then 
an  idea  came  to  me  which  may  help  some  one  else  out  of  the 
same  fix.  I  soldered  together  the  ends  of  a  strip  of  tin  about 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide,  and  long  enough  to  go  around  the 
block  of  the  blower  rather  loosely.  I  then  laid  the  rubber  disc 
flat  over  the  blower,  and  pressed  the  tin  hoop  over  the  rubber  and 
blower  one-eighth  of  an  inch;  then  wired  it  into  place,  took  ofif 
hoop  and  wdred  net;  all  complete  in  five  or  ten  minutes. 

/.  T.  Wheelock. 

Pulp  Capping. — Remove  all  decayed  dentin,  wiping  out  the 
cavity  with  a  creosoted  pledget  of  cotton.  If  there  is  consider- 
able exposure,  cut  a  piece  of  No.  8  tinfoil  a  trifle  larger  than 
the  exposure  and  cover  with  a  creamy  solution  of  chloro-percha. 
Carefully  place  over  the  exposure,  gently  pressing  the  edge  of 
the  disc  to  the  dentin  wdth  a  pad  of  cotton.  Evaporate  the 
chloroform,  and  prepare  a  wafer  of  oxychlorid  of  zinc  cement 
(preferably  Houghton's  OS-Artificial,  in  which  the  oxid  is 
ground  to  an  impalpable  powder).  Mix  the  cement  quite  stiff, 
kneading  it  between  the  fingers  to  a  small  wafer,  and  quickly 
carry  to  place.  The  objection  to  oxychlorid  of  zinc  for  pulp 
capping  lies  in  the  use  of  a  creamy  mixture  with  too  much  free 
chlorid  of  zinc  to  attack  the  pulp.  Used  as  above  it  affords  a 
protection  that  is  non-irritating,  indestructible,  non-conducting, 
that  neither  expands  nor  contracts,  and  that  has  no  superior  in 
stopping  of  decay  w^hen  not  left  exposed  to  the  fluids  of  the 
mouth.  /.  R.  Ozvens,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  307 

Care  of  Gum  Tissue. — After  using  clamps  and  ligatures,  mas- 
sage the  parts  with  the  finger  and  camphor  or  alcohol  to  revive 
the  normal  function  of  the  constricted  gum. 

Dominion  Dental  Journal. 

Fractures  of  the  Inferior  Maxilla. — In  all  cases  where  it  has 
been  necessary  to  insert  wire  sections  I  have  wired  from  the 
inside  to  avoid  lacerating  the  face,  and  in  all  cases  have  wired 
the  fragments  to  the  spHnt,  instead  of  to  each  other. 

F.  T.  Van  Woert,  Items  of  Interest. 

Care  of  the  Hypodermic  Syringe. — When  not  in  use,  keep 
the  hypodermic  syringe  filled  with  water.  Having  removed  the 
needle,  insert  the  fine  wire  previously  dipped  in  glycerin.  In 
this  way  the  packing  will  remain  moist,  and  the  needle  will  not 
rust.  C.  B.  Coleman,  Items  of  Interest. 

Sterilization  of  Dental  Instruments. — The  method  in  most 
frequent  use  to-day  is  ideal  in  its  simplicity  and  its  cheapness,  and 
it  does  not  attack  the  steel.  I  allude  to  boiling  for  a  few  minutes 
in  a  one  per  cent,  solution  of  washing  soda  in  water.  If  they  are 
dried  while  still  hot  from  the  water,  no  moisture  will  remain  in 
cracks  or  crevices  to  invite  rust.  The  idea  that  boiling,  as  here 
advocated,  can  possibly  spoil  the  temper  of  the  tools,  is  in- 
correct. R.  H.  M.  Dazvbarn,  Items  of  Interest. 

Treatment  of  Minute  Cracks  in  Porcelain  Facings. — Minute 
cracks,  sufficient  to  ruin  the  artistic  efifect,  yet  not  enough  to 
materially  weaken  the  crown,  may  be  effaced  by  drying  the 
crown  thoroughly  with  alcohol;  then  dropping  it  in  liquid  albo- 
lene,  allowing  it  to  remain  about  five  minutes.  Remove,  wash 
with  soap  and  water,  dry  with  alcohol,  and  the  crack  will  not 
be  perceptible.  Under  the  moist  conditions  of  the  mouth  the 
albolene  which  has  penetrated  the  crevice  will  never  be  evapo- 
rated. /.  E.  Hyman,  Dental  Digest. 

Treatment  of  Socket  after  Tooth  Extraction. — Primarily  most 
teeth  are  extracted  because  their  roots  are  diseased ;  conse- 
quently it  should  be  expected  that  the  sockets  also  would  be  in 
a  diseased  condition.  An  abscess  sac  may  be  torn  away  from 
the  end  of  the  root  and  remain  in  the  socket ;  carious  or  necrotic 
bone  may  be  present;  pus  may  drip  from  the  socket,  causing 
infection  at  the  orifice  and  sloughing  of  the  gum  tissue.  After 
an  extraction  the  socket,  then,  should  be  thoroughly  cleansed, 
necrotic  soft  tissues  removed,  and  thorough  examination  made 
for  carious  bone.  Cleanse  until  nothing  but  healthy  tissues  re- 
main. Irrigate  with  an  antiseptic  and  insert  an  antiseptic  dress- 
ing. Watch  the  case  for  a  week  to  be  sure  that  all  diseased 
parts  have  been  removed  and  that  healing  proceeds. 

R.  Oftolciigiii,  Items  of  Interest. 


3o8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

To  Restore  Zinc  for  Castings. — When  zinc  has  become  thick 
by  repeated  heating,  the  addition  of  an  infinitesimal  amount  of 
aluminum  will  perfectly  restore  its  fluidity.  An  alloy  is  first 
made  of  one  part  of  aluminum  to  25  of  zinc.  The  thick  zinc  is 
then  heated  to  its  fusing  point  and  small  portions  of  the  alloy 
added,  until  the  desired  effect  is  produced. 

International  Dental  Journal. 

Separating  Rubber. — There  is  a  great  Tendency  in  rubber 
to  follow  the  sloping  surfaces  of  the  teeth  and  insinuate  itself  into 
the  interproximate  space,  forcing  the  gum  tissue  out  and  injur- 
ing it  seriously.  The  gum  should  be  protected  by  building  a 
bridge  of  gutta-percha  or  cement,  extending  from  the  gingival 
portion  of  the  cavity  across  the  interproximate  space,  against 
the  next  tooth.  C.  N.  Johnson,  Dental  Review. 

Oral  Prophylaxis. — CleanHness  is  the  essential  thing  in  oral 
prophylaxis,  but  its  accomplishment  is  not  such  a  simple  matter 
as  ordinarily  considered.  CarboHc  acid  and  bichlorid  solutions, 
held  in  the  mouth,  come  in  contact  with  only  those  germs  that 
are  superficially  located  and  destroy  them.  When  hydrogen 
dio'xid  is  used  it  oxidizes  the  organic  deposits  about  the  teeth, 
loosens  up  the  secretions  about  the  gums,  and  sets  free  germs 
that  were  at  first  inaccessible  to  the  action  of  carbolic  acid  or 
bichlorid  solutions.  If,  after  the  germs  are  thus  set  free,  car- 
bolic acid  or  bichlorid  solutions,  or  further  quantities  of  hydro- 
gen dioxid  be  used,  the  most  desirable  state  of  asepsis  is  ob- 
tained. G.  V.  I.  Brown,  Dental  Digest. 

Hemorrhage  from  Socket  After  Tooth  Extraction. — To  make 
a  natural  plug  of  the  blood-clot,  and  thus  do  away  with  the  need 
of  removing  the  plug — hemorrhage  often  recurring  on  removal 
of  the  plug  which  had  checked  it — all  that  is  required  to  keep 
the  blood-clot  in  place  is  some  sHght  mechanical  support.  This 
is  found  in  sutures  passed  across  from  side  to  side,  using  a 
strong  needle  and  long  pieces  of  horse-hair.  Pass  across  a 
couple  of  strands,  which  tie  as  tightly  as  possible.  This  lessens 
the  size  of  the  wound,  arrests  the  hemorrhage  promptly,  and 
there  is  no  plug  to  be  removed,  thus  doing  away  with  what  has 
been  a  frequent  cause  of  renewal  of  hemorrhage. 

W.  H.  Dolomore,  Journal  British  Dental  Ass'n. 


i$5$r$i$$€$$ 


MISCELLANY.  309 


Homocresol. — Homocresol,  CeHgCgHgOCHgOH,  one  of  the 
constituents  of  creosote,  is  a  liquid  having  a  clove-hke  odor, 
which  is  stated  by  Richaud  (Sem.  Med.)  to  be  less  toxic  than 
creosol  or  guaiacol,  not  caustic,  and,  when  applied  locally,  equal 
in  anti-thermic  action  to  guaiacol. 

Bullet,  de  Pharm.  du  Sud-Est. 

Antiseptic  Mouth  Perles. — According  to  Von  Rudlauer  these 
may  be  prepared  in  the  form  of  cachous,  each  containing  o.ooi 
gm.  of  thymol,  methol,  eucalyptol,  saccharin  and  vaniUin.  They 
may  be  used  in  place  of  tooth  or  mouth  washes  and  gargles, 
especially  in  case  of  children  not  old  enough  to  use  a  gargle. 
For  adults,  two  perles  are  allowed  to  completely  dissolve  in  the 
mouth,  the  solution  being  swallowed.  Pharm.  Central. 

Fear  and  Death. — 

The  Spirit  of  the  Plague  entered  the  gate. 
One,  watching,  asked,  "How  many  wilt  thou  slay?" 
*'A  thousand,"  spake  the  Spirit,  ''is  my  quest." 

The  Plague  made  end.    The  Spirit  left  the  gate. 
The  watcher  cried,  ''Ten  thousand  didst  thou  slay !" 
"Nay,  one,"  the  Spirit  said,  "Fear  killed  the  rest." 

Arabic  Legend,  by  R.  R.  Bozvker,  The  Century. 

Means  of  Resuscitation. — Traction  on  the  tongue  is  not  per- 
fectly free  from  all  danger,  at  least  I  cannot  see  why  muscle 
bundles  should  not  be  torn  in  the  manipulation.  By  tickling 
the  epiglottis  nothing  can  be  injured;  in  intra-laryngeal  opera- 
tions, even  after  thorough  cocainization,  we  are  afraid  of  the 
reflex  caused  by  the  least  sensation  of  tickling.  Ought  we  not 
to  learn  from  this?  It  might  perhaps  be  tried  as  a  means  of 
resuscitation.  W.  Frendenthal,  British  Dental  Journal. 

Hemostatic  Anaesthetic  Solution. — Legrand  employs  the  fol- 
lowing solution,  particularly  in  lesions  of  the  mouth,  where  it  is 
desired  to  produce  anaesthesia  and  arrest  small  hemorrhages : 

R .     Pure  gelatin 30  grs. 

Chlorid  of  sodium 8  grs. 

Carbolic  acid i  gr. 

Hydrochlorat  of  B-eucain 8  grs. 

Hydrochlorat  of  cocaiu 2  grs. 

Distilled  water 3>^  ozs. 

Journal  des  Practicicns. 


3IO 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Nickel-Plating  Bath. — Nickel  sulphate,  i  kilo;  neutral  am- 
monium tartrate,  725  gm.;  and  tannic  acid,  5  gm.,  are  dissolved  in 
3  to  4  litres  of  boiling  water,  the  solution  filtered  and  made  up  to 
20  litres  with  water.     This  bath  may  be  used  for  all  metals. 

Pharm.  Ceittralk. 

A  Unique  Splinter  Injury. — Conrad  Rammstedt,  in  Munch. 
Med.  Wochenschrift,  reports  an  accident  by  which  a  splinter  of 
wood  was  driven  in  beneath  the  orbit,  fixing  the  jaws  by  being 
forced  against  the  coronoid  process,  thus  preventing  the  open- 
ing of  the  mouth. 

Back-Bay  Doctors. — A  writer,  with  a  fondness  for  statistics, 
has  found  that  the  so-called  Back-Bay  district  of  Boston,  an 
area  a  mile  long  by  one-third  of  a  mile  wide,  contains  401  physi- 
cians and  surgeons  and  109  dentists.  Of  the  doctors,  271  have 
some  specialty.  The  population  of  the  district  is  20,000.  This 
gives  a  doctor  for  every  50  people.  Phila.  Med.  Journul. 

Dental  Surgeons  in  the  Army. — It  seems  strange,  when  one 
thinks  of  it,  that  the  appointment  of  dental  surgeons  in  the  United 
States  Army  should  have  been  left  to  the  present  time.  Both  the 
dental  and  the  medical  professions  will  cordially  indorse  the 
movement  started  by  the  introduction  of  a  bill  into  the  Senate, 
authorizing  the  Surgeon-General  to  employ  not  to^  exceed  one 
contract  dental  surgeon  for  every  one  thousand  men.  The  bill 
provides  that  three  of  the  number  shall  constitute  an  examining 
board,  also  supervising  the  practical  work  of  others. 

Phila.  Med.  Jour. 

The  Injuriousness  of  Artificial  Teeth.  —  Dr.  Simpson,  a 
Boston  physician,  evidently  does  not  beheve  in  the  Italian  pro- 
verb, ''God  gives  nuts  to  those  that  have  not  teeth."  He  main- 
tains that  artificial  teeth  are  unhealthful,  primarily  because  they 
enable  elderly  people  to  eat  meat  and  other  things  not  good  for 
those  who  naturally  have  no  teeth.  The  teeth,  he  maintains,  fall 
out  at  a  certain  period,  because  nature  intended  that  at  this  time 
of  life  a  vegetable  diet  should  prevail.  This  being  so,  artificial 
teeth  become  a  source  of  danger  to  the  welfare  of  the  organism. 

The  Medical  Age. 

A  Mountain  of  Alum. — In  China,  twelve  and  one-half  miles 
from  the  village  of  Liou-Chek,  there  is  a  mountain  of  alum, 
which,  in  addition  to  being  a  natural  curiosity,  is  a  source  of 
wealth  for  the  inhabitants  of  the  country,  who  dig  from  it  yearly 
tons  of  alum.  The  mountain  is  not  less  than  ten  miles  in  cir- 
cumference at  its  base  and  has  a  height  of  1,940  feet.  The  alum 
is  obtained  by  quarrying  large  blocks  of  stone,  which  are  first 
heated  in  great  furnaces  and  then  in  vats  filled  with  boiling  water. 
The  alum  crystallizes  out  and  forms  a  layer  about  six  inches  in 
thickness.  This  layer  is  subsequently  broken  up  into  blocks 
weighing  about  ten  pounds  each. 


THE 

DENTAL    BRIEF. 

Voi,.  V.  PHIIvADEI^PHIA,  JUNB,  1900.  No.  6 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


THE  EPIGRAMS  OF  MARTIAL;  THEIR   PLACE  IN 
DENTAL  LITERATURE.='= 

By  William  H.  Trueman,  D.D.S.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

Urbain  Hemard,  in  his  little  book  on  the  teeth,  published  at 
Lyons,  France,  1582,  gives,  in  an  alphabetical  list  of  authors 
from  which  he  quotes,  the  name  of  the  distinguished  Latin 
pO'ct,  Marcus  Valerius  Martialis,  and  in  a  recent  issue  of  the 
British  Journal  of  Dental  Science  (Vol.  XLII,  Oct.  15th,  1899, 
page  923)  he  is  editoirially  referred  to  as  one  of  the  ancient  writers 
relied  upon  to  prove  that  mechanical  dentistry  dates  back  to  at 
least  the  time  of  the  Roman  Empire.  Noting  that  dental  writers 
during  the  more  than  three  centuries  intervening  between  these 
twO'  references  tO'  his  work  have  quite  frequently  quoted  his  epi- 
grammatic sayings,  or  have,  in  various  ways,  referred  to  his  writ- 
ings, has  awakened  an  interest  to>  examine  the  work  in  question, 
especially  to^  ascertain  its  bearing  upon  dental  science  and  dental 
history. 

The  biography  of  Marcus  Valerius  Alartialis  is  involved  in 
obscurity.  It  is  generally  conceded  that  he  was  born  at  Bilbilis, 
a  small  ancient  toiwn  in  the  northern  part  of  Spain,  later  known 
as  Bubiera,  about  A.  D.  40.  On  attaining  manhood,  he  went  to 
Romie  with  the  intention  of  qualifying  himself  for  the  bar,  but 
soon  realizing  that  he  had  no.  genius  or  inclination  for  that  pro- 
fession, he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of  literature  and  poetry. 
In  this  pursuit  he  achieved  a  marked  success;  his  learning,  his 
readiness  to.  appreciate  and  to  adjust  himself  to  his  surroundings, 

*Read    before    the    Pennsylvania   Association    of    Dental    Surgeons. 
May  8tli,  1900.  1 

311 


312  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

his  tact,  his  wit,  his  urbanity  and  his  nnscrupulousncss  when  it 
best  served  his  ambition,  quickly  opened  the  way  to  h'terary  and 
pohtical  distinction.  He  soon  numbered  among  his  associates 
many  of  the  first  writers  of  the  ag-e.  He  became  the  favorite  of 
the  Roman  court,  and  in  return  for  his  flatteries  and  his  obsequi- 
ous adulations  of  the  infamous  Domitian,  the  last  of  the  twelve 
Caesars,  was  the  recipient  of  many  honors  and  privileges.  He 
attempted,  on  the  downfall  of  this  notorious  monarch  and  the 
attendant  political  revolution,  to  ingratiate  himself  with  his  suc- 
cessor, but  the  spell  was  broken.  Trajan  turned  a  deaf  ear  to 
him.  Bereft  of  his  position,  with  no  hope  of  retrieving  it,  for- 
saken by  the  friends  of  his  prosperous  days,  and  in  poverty,  his 
thoughts  turned  from  Rome  to  his  native  land.  During  the 
thirty-five  years  of  his  sojourn  at  Rome  he  had  seen  enough  to 
know  that  a  discarded  favorite  could  expect  no  favors.  The  sati- 
ating frivolities  of  his  past  life  were  now  bitter  memories,  and  he 
sought  to  spend  the  shortening  years  left  to  him  in  peace  and 
qliietness  near  the  home  of  his  youth.  Sad,  indeed,  were  his 
reflections  as  he  thought  of  his  glorious  past  and  looked  forward 
to  the  gloomy  future.  We  may  imagine  them  reflected  in  an 
epigram  addressed  tO'  Callistratus  : 

'T  am,  I  confess,  Callistratus,  and  have  always  teen,  poor; 
yet  I  am  not  an  obscure  or  unknown  knight,  but  am  read  through- 
out the  wodd,  and  people  say  of  me,  'That  is  he!'  and,  what  death 
has  awarded  to  but  few,  has  become  mine  during  my  lifetime. 
But  you  have  halls,  resting  upon  a  hundred  columns;  your 
coffers  with  difTficulty  contain  the  wealth  which  you  have  gained 
as  a  freedman;  vast  farmis  in  Egyptian  Syene  are  yours,  and  Gallic 
Parma  shears  for  you  innumerable  flocks.  Such  are  you  and  I; 
but  what  I  am,  you  cannot  be;  what  you  are,  any  one  of  the 
multitude  may  be."  There  is  in  this,  probably,  an  allusion  to  the 
statue  a  noibleman,  named  Stertinius,  had  caused  toi  be  made  of 
him  and  placed  in  his  library — at  that  time,  as  now,  a  statue  to  a 
living  man  was  an  unusual  honor;  few  are  so  honored  when  their 
life's  work  is  complete.  In  return  for  past  favors,  his  friend,  the 
younger  Pliny,  furnished  the  means  for  his  return  to  Spain.  He 
there  gained  the  affections  of  a  woman  of  fortune,  who,  on  their 
marriage,  settled  upon  him  a  share  of  her  possessions.  He  was 
thus  enabled  to  end  his  checkered  career  in  comparative  affluence 
and  ease. 

Martial's  life  covered  a  large  portion  of  the  first  century  of 


I 


ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS.  313 

the  Christian  era,  a  period  of  keen  interest  to  the  student  of 
Roman  history.  That  mig-hty  empire  had  passed  its  zenith. 
PoHtically  and  socially  it  was  rotten  to  the  very  core.  Martial 
owes  the  distinguished  honor  of  being  numbered  with  the  few 
whose  work  has  survived  the  age  in  which  they  lived,  as  much, 
perhaps,  for  having  recorded  in  strong,  plain  vigorous  language 
the  manners  and  customs  of  those  among  whom  he  moved;  he  is, 
in  fact,  the  only  writer  who  has  entered  into  the  minute  details 
of  their  daily  life,  who  has  raised  the  veil  and  exposed  to  the 
world  the  social  and  political  vices  which  sapped  the  strength, 
morally  and  physically,  of  the  Roman  people,  and  made  them 
later  an  easy  prey  tOi  a  barbarian  race.  Above  and  beyond  this, 
however,  he  was  a  master  epigrammatist,  and  has  the  reputation 
o^  being  one  of  the  purest  Latin  writers  of  the  age  in  which  he 
lived. 

The  volume  before  me,  dated  1897,  published  by  George 
Bell  &  Sons,  London,  successors  tO'  Mr.  H.  G.  Bohn,  is  one  of  a 
series  known  as  ''Bobn's  Classical  Library."  More  than  half  a 
century  ago,  Mr.  H.  G.  Bohn,  London,  England,  began  the  publi- 
cation of  reprints  and  translations  of  the  classical  literature  of 
England,  Germany,  France  and  Italy,  with  two-  objects  in  view: 
First,  that  his  editions  should  be  soi  excellent  a  rendering  of  the 
originals  as  tO'  deserve  the  name  selected  for  them,  ''Standard 
Libraries;"  and  second,  that,  while  well  printed  on  good  paper, 
and  furnished  with  all  needful  illustrations,  they  should  be  so  low 
in  price  as  to  secure  for  them'  a  wide  circulation.  Both  objects 
have  been  admirably  attained.  Bohn's  libraries  now  cover  very 
thoroughly  the  whole  field  of  solid  literature,  numbering  about 
eight  hundred  titles,  and  have  received  the  cordial  endorsement 
of  many  discriminating,  scholarly  men. 

In  this  volume,  entitled  'The  Epigrams  of  Martial  Trans- 
lated into  English  Prose,"  said  to  be  the  first  complete  translation 
of  Martial's  poems  into  the  English  language,  no  attempt  has 
been  made  to^  preserve  the  metrical  arrangement  of  the  original. 
The  editor  has  endeavored  to  give  a  faithful  translation  of  Mar- 
tial's Latin  in  good  English;  this  he  has  supplemented,  as  far  as 
they  could  be  found,  by  metrical  versions  of  other  translators. 
This  gives  to  the  book  added  value,  and  makes  it  more  entertain- 
ing and  instructive  to  the  general  reader. 

Writers  differ  greatly  in  their  estimate  of  the  motives  which 
prompted  Martial's  allusions  to  some  features  of  Roman  life. 


3T4  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

He  exposes  with  unflinching-  boldness,  and  castigates  with  sever- 
ity, the  two  great  evils  of  his  time,  excesses  in  Hving  and  laxity 
in  morals.  So  plain,  indeed,  is  his  language,  and  so  little  refined 
his  expressions  when  dealing  with  these  matters,  that  he  has  been 
called  an  obscene  poet;  and  in  nearly  all  the  English  translations 
those  portions  of  his  writings  thus  offending  have  been  omitted. 
To  the  general  reader,  one  who'  seeks  only  the  wit,  the  humor, 
the  bans  mofs,  one  who  is  interested  in  its  literary  excellencies 
only,  this  is  no  disadvantage.  To  the  student,  however,  who  is 
interested  in  its  historic  bearings,  it  takes  from^  Martial's  writings 
that  which  has,  perhaps,  most  tended  to  their  preservation  and 
has  given  them  a  value  above  and  beyond  that  assigned  to  con- 
temporary writers  fully  his  equals.  The  editor  of  this  edition  has 
adroitly  met  the  difficulty  of  publishing  an  inofYensive,  unex- 
purgated  Martial  by  giving  in  the  original  Latin  those  portions 
which  would  not  be  tolerated  if  faithfully  translated  intO'  Eng'lish, 
accompanying  themi  by  the  Italian  version  of  Gra.glia,  who,  he 
says,  **has  been  rather  dexterous  in  refining  impurities."  He  has 
thus  presented  us  with  a  book  that  tO'  English  readers  is  as  ac- 
ceptable to  a  prude  as  it  is  valuable  tO'  a  student  who  desires  to 
know,  and  should  know,  all  there  is  to  be  known;  to  whom  a 
mutilated  narrative  is  a  vexatious  abomination.  He  might  have, 
however,  made  of  it  a  better  book  for  English  readers  by  more 
freely  using  Graglia's  Italian. 

Whether  Martial  should  be  credited  with  an  honest  purpose 
of  posing  as  a  reformer  by  holding  up  to  public  gaze  the  hidden 
villainies,  the  hollowness  and  depravity  of  Roman  life;  or  whether 
he  merely  catered  in  spicy  language  to  an  impure  taste,  teaching 
evil  while  reproving  it,  it  is  generally  conceded  that  his  constant 
and  severe  reproofs  were  well  directed  and  had  a  beneficial  effect. 
Andrew  Amos,  Esq.,  wrote,  some  years  ago,  a  book  entitled 
"Martial  and  the  Moderns,"  that  is  well  worth  reading.  It  is  com- 
posed of  selections  from  Martial  and  from  modern  poets,  grouped 
together,  with  the  object  of  showing  how  much  a  classical  writer, 
whose  works  had  fallen  into  neglect,  may  have  contributed  to 
form  the  character  and  advance  the  position  of  English  literature. 
The  writer  suggests  that  these  writers  may  have  found  in  Mar- 
tial's works  much  that  has  tended  to  form  and  fashion  their  own 
peculiar  style,  and  that  ideas  and  expressions  thus  culled  have 
made  a  lasting  impress,  advantageously,  upon  modern  English 
literature.     He  gives   numerous   examples   where   similarity   of 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  3^5 

thought  and  expression  may  readily  be  traced.  He  has  collected 
1.he  best  of  Martial's  poems,  and  made,  taking  it  all  in  all,  whether 
we  agree  with  him  or  not,  a  very  interesting  scholarly  book;  it 
would  be  more  acceptable  to  English  readers,  however,  although 
perhaps  less  scholarly,  if  it  contained  less  that  is  untranslated.  It 
is  an  excellent  presentation  of  Martial  the  poet,  the  wit  and  the 
humorist.  The  mere  fact  that  his  works  have  come  down  to  us 
almost,  if  not  quite  complete,  while  the  writings  of  so  many  of 
his  day  have  suffered  serious  loss,  is  at  least  indirect  evidence  of 
their  value.  That  they  were  very  popular  and  in  demand  when 
first  published,  and  enjoyed  a  more  extended  circulation  than 
weightier  and  more  pretentious  works  no  doubt  has  contributed 
to  this;  but  they  have,  and  always  have  had,  recognized  merit. 
It  is,  indeed,  their  intrinsic  merit  that  has  enabled  them  to  so 
well  hold  their  own  that  to-day  we  may  address  a  troublesome 
borrower  the  sam;e  advice  that  Martial  gave  to  his  friend  Lupercus 
(Book  I,  epigram  117),  when,  having  become  tired  of  his  con- 
stant requests  for  the  loan  of  his  book  of  epigrams,  he  directed 
him.  to  the  book  store  of  his  publisher,  Atrectus,  opposite  Ccesar's 
forum,  assuring  him  that  he  could  there  get,  promptly,  ''for  five 
denarii  a  nice  new  copy  smoothed  with  pumice-stone  and  adorned 
with  purple."  Quite  as  promptly  as  would  have  Atrectus  during 
the  life  of  its  writer  reached  a  copy  from  his  shelves,  will  a  book- 
seller of  to-day  supply  on  demand  a  nice  new  copy,  fresh  from 
the  bindery  and  the  press,  asking  about  the  same  price  that 
Atrectus  charged.  (Price  of  Bohn's  translation,  cloth  bound, 
7s.  6d.) 

It  is  not  my  purpose,  however,  to  consider  at  length  the 
literary  merit  of  Martial's  epigrams.  Present  interest  centers  ex- 
clusively upon  their  place  in  dental  literature.  Are  they  entitled 
to  it  or  not?  To-  decide  this  I  will  now  produce  those  epigrams, 
or  portions  of  epigrams,  that  may  have  a  direct  or  remote  bearing 
upon  this  question,  taking  them  as  I  find  them  in  the  book, 
seriatim;  digressing,  however,  in  the  first  quotation,  which,  while 
not  in  direct  line,  seemied  worthy  of  a  place. 

Addressing  Fescennia,  he  says:  ''That  you  may  not  be  dis- 
agreeably fragrant  w^ith  your  yesterday's  wine,  you  devour,  lux- 
urious Fescennia,  certain  of  Cosmus's  perfumes.  Breakfasts  of 
such  a  nature  leave  their  marks  upon  the  teeth,  but  form  no  bar- 
rier against  the  emanations  which  escape  from  the  depths  of  the 
stomach.    Nav,  the  fetid  smell  is  but  the  worse  when  mixed  with 


3i6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

perfume  and  the  double  odor  of  the  breath  is  carried  but  the 
further.  Cease,  tlien,  to  use  frauds  but  too  well  known,  and  dis- 
guises well  understood;  simply  intoxicate  yourself."  (Book  I, 
epigram  87.)  A  pointed  rebuke  to  those  who  would  utilize  the 
perfumer's  arts  to  cover  neglect  of  cleanliness  or  the  effects  of 
vice. 

Of  ^lia  he  writes:  "If  I  remember  right,  ^lia,  you  had 
four  teeth;  a  cough  displaced  two,  another  two  more.  You  can 
now  cough  without  anxiety  all  the  day  long.  A  third  cough  can 
find  nothing  to  do  in  your  month."     (Book  I,  epigram  19.) 

This,  a  witty  poet  has  paraphrased: 

"When  Grammer  Gurton  first  I  knew, 
Four  teeth  is  all  she  reckon'd: 
Comes  a  damn'd  cough  and  whips  out  two.    1 
And  t'other  two  a  second. 

Courage,  old  Dame,  and  never  fear  1 

The  third  whene'er  it  comes; 
Give  me  but  t'other  jug  of  beer. 

And  I'll  insure  your  gums."  (Tom  Broum.) 

To  Fidentinus,  a  plagiarist,  he  administers  a  sharp  rebuke: 
'*Do  you  imagine,  Fidentinus,  that  you  are  a  poet  by  the  aid  of 
my  verses,  and  do  you  wish  to  be  thought  so?  Just  so  does  ^,gle 
think  she  has  teeth  from  having  purchased  bone  or  ivory.  Just 
so  does  Lycoris,  who  is  blacker  than  the  fallen  m'ulberry,  seem^ 
fair  in  her  own  eyes,  because  she  is  painted.  You  too,  in  the 
same  way  that  you  are  a  poet,  will  have  flowing  locks  when  you 
are  grown  bald."     (Book  I,  epigram  y2.) 

He  advises  a  nearly  toothless  maid,  Maximina,  poetically,  to 
keep  her  mouth  shut:  **  'Laugh  if  thou  art  wise,  girl,  laugh,'  said, 
I  believe,  the  poet  of  the  Peligni  (Ovid).  But  he  did  not  say  this 
to  all  girls.  Granting,  however,  that  he  did  say  it  to  all  girls,  he 
did  not  say  it  to  you:  you  are  not  a  girl,  Maximina,  and  you 
have  but  three  teeth,  and  those  plainly  the  color  of  pitch  and  of 
boxwood.  If,  therefore,  you  believe  your  mirror  and  me,  you 
should  shrink  from  laughing  as  much  as  Spanius  dreads  the  wind, 
Priscus  a  touch*;  Fabuilla,  with  chalked  face,  a  rain-cloud,  or 
Sabella,  painted  with  white-lead,  the  sun.  Put  on  a  countenance 
more  severe  than  the  consort  of  Priam  and  his  eldest  daughter- 
in-law.     Avoid  thie  pantomimes  of  the  amusing  Philistion,  and 

*The  one  dreads  that  his  hair,  the  other  that  his  dress,  should  be 
disarranged. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS,  317 

gay  feasts,  and  whatever  by  its  wit  and  mirth  distends  the  lips 
with  broad  laughter.  It  befits  you  to  sit  by  the  side  of  an  afflicted 
mother,  of  a  wife  lamenting  for  her  husband,  or  a  sister  for  her 
affectionate  brother,  and  to  seek  your  recreation  only  with  the 
tragic  Muse.  Take  my  advice,  weep  if  thou  art  wise,  girl,  weep." 
(Book  II,  epigram  41.) 

Sedley's  versiom  of  this  reads  rather  more  smoothly: 

Ovid,  who  bids  the  ladies  laugh, 

Spoke  only  to  the  young  and  fair: 
For  thee  his  counsel  were  not  safe, 

Who  of  sound  teeth  have  scare  a  pair. 

If  thou  thy  glass  or  me  believe, 
1        Shun  mirth  as  foplings  do  the  wind: 
At  Durby's  farce  affect  to  grieve; 
And  let  thy  eyes  alone  be  kind. 

.    Speak  not  though  't  were  to  give  consent, 
1        For  he  that  sees  these  rotten  bones 
Will  dread  their  monumental  scent, 
And  fly  thy  sighs  like  dying  groans. 

If  thou  art  wise,  see  dismal  plays, 

And  to  sad  stories  lend  thy  ear; 
With  the  afflicted  spend  thy  days, 

And  laugh  not  above  once  a  year. 

He  describes  an  aged  and  faded  beauty  with  matrimonial 
aspirations,  as  possessing  but  "three  hairs  and  four  teeth,  with 
the  chest  of  a  grasshopper  and  the  legs  of  an  ant."  (Book  III, 
epigram  93.) 

''Thais  has  black,  Lsecania  white  teeth;  what  is  the  reason? 
Thais  has  her  own,  Lsecania  bought  ones."  (Book  V,  epigram 
43.)    Hodgson  makes  of  this  a  distich : 

■'Kate's  teeth  are  black;  white  lately  Bell's  are  grown; 
Bell  buys  her  teeth,  Kate  still  keeps  her  own." 

"That  guest  reclining  at  his  ease  on  the  middle  couch,  whose 
bald  head  is  furnished  with  three  hairs,  and  half  daubed  over  with 
pomade,  and  who  is  digging  in  his  half-open  mouth  with  a  len- 
tisc  tooth-pick,  is  trying  to  impose  upon  us,  /Efulanus ;  he  has 
no  teeth."  (Book  VI,  epigram^  74.)  Elphinston's  version  is,  per- 
haps, more  pleasing: 

"Who  lounges  lowest  in  the  middle  bed. 
Rich  unguent  portioning  his  three-hair'd  head; 
And,  with  the  lentisc  in  his  mouth,  looks  big; 
But  looks  a  lie:  he  hath  no  teeth  to  dig." 


3i8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

In  epigram  13,  book  VII,  we  may  imagine  a  reference  to 
the  custom  of  exposing  ivory  and  bone  dentures  to.  the  air  and 
sunHght  when  they  became  discolored  from  long  use;  a  practice 
recommended  by  dental  writers  from  the  year  one  until  ivory 
and  bone  dentures  became  obsolete.  ''Lycoris  the  brunette,  hav- 
ing heard  that  the  ivory  of  an  antiquated  tooth  recovered  its 
whiteness  by  the  action  of  the  sun  at  Tivoili,  betook  herself  to 
its  hills,  sacred  to  Hercules.  How  great  is  the  efficacy  of  the  air 
of  the  lofty  Tivoli!    In  a  short  tim'e  she  returned  black." 

In  epigrami  53,  book  VII,  he  complains  concerning  some 
useless  presents  sent  him,  among  them  seven  tooth-picks;  he 
would  much  prefer  that  the  gift  had  been  larger  and  in  hard  cash. 

Coughing,  as  a  cause  of  tooth-loss,  is  not  often  referred  tO'  in 
modern  dental  literature.  Martial  gives  a  second  instance  of  its 
dire  effect  upon  loose  teeth.  'Ticens  had  three  teeth,  whicb  he 
coughed  out  all  together  one  day  as  he  was  sitting  at  the  place 
destined  for  his  tomb.  He  collected  in  his  robe  the  last  fragments 
of  his  decayed  jaw,  and  buried  them'  under  a  heap  of  earth.  His 
heir  need  not  collect  his  bones  after  his  death;  Picens  has  already 
performed  that  office  for  himself."    (Book  VIII,  epigram  57.) 

He  speaks  of  Galla  laying  aside  her  teeth  at  night  with  her 
silk  garments.  (Book  IX,  epigram  37.)  Our  next  quotation,  an 
epigram  addressed  to  Callus,  who  seems  tO'  have  been  a  man  of 
wealth,  with  whomi  the  author  had  been  on  intimate  terms,  but 
whose  friendship  was  becoming  unpleasantly  exacting  (see  epi- 
gram 82,  book  X),  raises  the  question  whether  our  profession  had 
at  this  time  a  representative  at  Rome.  ''You  expect  me.  Callus, 
to  be  always  at  your  service,  and  trudge  up  and  down  the  Aven- 
tine  mount  three  or  four  times  a  day.  Cascellius  extracts  or  re- 
pairs an  aching  tooth;  Hyginus  burns  away  the  hairs  that  dis- 
figure the  eye;  Fannius  relieves,  without  cutting,  the  relaxed 
uvula ;  Eros  effaces  the  degrading  brand-marks  from!  slaves'  fore- 
heads; Hermes  is  a  very  Podalirus  in  curing  hernia;  but  tell  me, 
Callus,  where  is  he  that  can  cure  the  ruptured?"  (Book  X,  epi- 
gram 56.)  He  seems  to  fear  the  latter  may  result  from  the  exer- 
tion of  so  often  climbing  the  steep  hill  to  his  friend's  stately 
mansion. 

To  Lselia  he  says:  ''You  wear  bought  teeth  and  bought 
hair,  Lselia,  without  a  blush.  What  will  you  do  for  an  eye?  You 
cannot  buy  that." 

Among  the  articles  suitable  for  presents  to  guests  at  feasts, 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  319 

he  describes  a  tooth-pick:  "A  piece  of  lentisc  wood  is  best;  but 
if  that  is  unattainable,  a  quiJl  may  relieve  your  teeth."  (Book 
XIV,  epigram  22.)  A  little  farther  on  we  find,  under  the  head- 
ing "tooth-powders,"  this  epigram.:  "What  have  I  to  do  with 
you?  Let  the  fair  and  young  use  me.  I  am  not  accustomed  to 
polish  false  teeth."  (Book  XIV,  epigram  56.)  Probably,  as  a 
bit  of  witticism,  o-r  a  joke,  this  was  to  be  inscribed  upon  a  package 
of  tooth-powder  presented  to^  a  guest  with  teeth  like  Laelia's.  We 
gather  from,  reading  his  works  that  in  Martial's  circle  such  like 
compliments  were  by  nO'  means  uncom'mon. 

I  have  now  quoted  all  that  a  careful  study  of  the  book  reveals 
that  can  be  strained  intoi  a  reference  tO'  dental  science  or  tO'  dental 
art — hardly  a  single  page  of  the  six  himdred  and  sixty  it  con- 
tains, and  what  have  we  learned  beyond  the  mere  fact  that  false 
teeth  were  in  use  at  the  time  these  epigrams  were  written?  Were 
we  dependent  upon  Martial  for  this  information;  did  he  impart 
anything  other  writers  have  failed  to  record;  did  his  works  in- 
creased our  knowledge  in  this  direction,  in  any  manner,  form  or 
shape,  then  we  could,  indeed,  in  justice  should,  number  ]\Iartial 
with  those  whoi  have  contributed  tO'  our  calling' si  literature.  We 
are,  however,  indebted  to  him  for  nothing,  absolutely  nothing. 
The  antiquity  of  artificial  teeth  is  made  known  to  us  by  writers 
who  were  ancient  when  he  was  born;  and  specimens  exist  to-day 
antedating  the  Roman  Empire.  Give  himi  his  full  due  for  what 
he  has  done;  enjoy  his  witticisms  and  his  jokes,  his  trite  sayings, 
his  stinging  satire,  his  pungent  sarcasm'  and  irony,  his  severe 
censure  or  his  well-placed  ridicule,  if  you  will.  He  was  a  past 
master  in  all  these.  Following  him,  if  you  can  stand  the  stench, 
as  he  portrays  the  shady  side  of  Roman  life  from  the  palace  to 
the  slums,  he  speaks  from  experience  and  of  experience,  frcelv 
and  unblushingly,  in  words  that  need  no  interpreter;  he  meant 
to  be  understood,  and  is  complimented  by  your  blush.  Place  him 
on  the  pedestal  of  a  dental  writer,  and  he  turns  to  you  a  rhinoceros 
nose.* 


*The  Romans  often  expressed  ridicule  by  turning  up  or  wrinkling 
the  nose — "they  have  the  nose  of  the  rhinoceros."  (Epigram  3.  Book  I.) 
The  modern  gamin  is  apt  to  make  this  more  expressive  by  placing  his 
thumb  on  his  wrinkled  nose  and  vigorously  vibrating  his  fingers;  a 
manoeuvre,  probably  originating  from  the  Roman  citizens  custom  of  at 
times  directing  attention  to  this  sign  of  contempt  by  pointing  towards  it 
with  his  thumb. 


320  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

DISEASES   OF  THE   ANTRUM   AND   THEIR 
TREATMENT. 

H.  H.  Beadle,  D.DS. 

The  antrum  or  maxillary  sinus  is  a  cavity  within  the  superior 
maxillary  bone  connected  by  a  small'  opening  with  the  middle 
meatus  of  the  nose.  It  allows  proper  contour  of  the  face,  with- 
out the  w^eight  O'f  bone,  and  makes  the  nutriment  more  easy.  Its 
principal  utility  is  to  give  resonance  to  the  voice,  and  the  varia- 
tions in  tone  are  due  in  a  large  degree  to  the  size,  shape  and 
condition  of  this  cavity.  It  connects  with  the  air  passages  at  the 
point  of  juncture  of  the  ethmoid  and  palate  bones  and  the  tur- 
binated process  of  the  superior  maxillary,  usually  at  its  highest 
point.  The  cavity  is  not  formed  until  childhood  is  past,  hence 
antral  disorders  are  unknowni  iru  infancy. 

The  mucous  membrane  lining  the  antrum'  is  continuous  with 
that  covering  the  bones  and  cartilage  of  the  nasal  cavity,  and  is 
therefore  liable  toi  the  same  diseases  and  is  materially  affected  by 
the  condition  of  the  air-passages.  Nasal  catarrh  may  induce 
chronic  antral  disorders;  the  roots  of  decayed  and  devitalized 
teeth  may  sometimes  penetrate  the  floor  and  become  points  of 
irritation  and  infection;  the  projecting  roots  of  dead  teeth  may 
be  the  cause  of  actual  empyema;  traumatism  is  a  frequent  cause 
of  degeneration,  as  for  instance  the  rough  extraction  of  teeth; 
the  presence  of  foreign  substances  sometimes  ind'uces  a  diseased 
condition.  (A  root  of  a  tooth  may  be  forced  into  the  cavity  while 
extracting.)  Diseases  of  the  frontal  sinus  may  affect  the  antras. 
Whatever  the  source  of  origin  of  antral  diseases,  the  usual  phe- 
nomena present  themselves  as  those  of  a  disordered  mucous  mem- 
brane. 

The  steps  of  the  degeneration  may  be  stated  as  follows: 
Hyperemia,  succeeded  by  congestion  and  suppression  of  the 
mucous  secretions,  followed  by  an  active  state  of  inflammation 
with  a  profuse  watery  discharge.  If  the  irritation  is  continued 
the  tissues  finally  ulcerate  and  break  down.  Caries  and  even 
necrosis  may  follow  with  a  profuse  discharge  of  pus. 

The  symptoms  attending  the  early  stages  of  catarrh  of  the 
antrum  are  much  like  those  of  catarrh  of  the  air-passages.  There 
is  a  feeling  of  dryness  and  pain  and  sense  of  pressure  in  the  antral 
region;  the  voice  changes  as  in  a  hard  cold;  as  the  inflamimation 
progresses  it  assumes  the  chronic  form,  resulting  in  an  empyemic 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  321 

condition.  Pus  forms  in  such  quantities  that  the  antrum  is  filled, 
with  a  closing  of  the  natural  openings.  Septic  fever  generally 
sets  in,  with  an  increased  sense  of  pressure  and  severe  pain ;  and 
dilatation  of  the  antral  walls  at  their  weakest  point,  it  may  be  in 
the  orbital  region,  at  times  forcing  the  eye  from  the  socket. 

The  prognosis  of  antral  disorders  is  usually  good  provided; 
all  sources  of  irritation  can  be  removed.  Treatment  in  cases  of 
simple  catarrhal  inflammation  resolves  itself  into  the  use  of  nasal 
douches. 

When,  however,  there  is  a  filling  up  of  the  sinus,  either 
hydromato'us  or  empyemic,  the  cavity  must  be  opened,  which 
may  be  done  by  entering  through  the  alveolus  of  the  buccal  root 
of  a  carious  six-year-old  molar,  or  by  piercing  the  process  at  a 
point  over  and  between  the  roots  of  the  second  bicuspid  and  six- 
year-old  molar  at  an  angle  of  about  forty-five  degrees.  After 
making  a  good-sized  opening,  the  cavity  should  be  washed  out 
with  tepid  water,  pyrozone  three  per  cent,  diluted  one-half,  fol- 
lowed by  borolyptol  full  strength;  this  treatment  should  be  re- 
peated if  necessary.  The  use  of  a  drainage-tube  is  not  advised. 
Having  established  perfect  drainage,  there  are  few  cases  that  will 
require  more. 


i$f$$-$€€€$ 


322  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

TRANSLATIONS. 


CONCERNING  MOUTHWASHES.* 

Dr.  G.  I.  Vitol. 

Translated  from  the   Russian 

by 

George  Alexander  Saxe,  M.D.,  New  York. 

The  fact  that  heakhy  teeth  are  not  only  a  thing  of  beauty, 
but  an  important  factor  in  the  balance-sheet  of  health,  is  beino- 
more  and  more  widely  recognized,  not  only  in  the  medical  world, 
but  in  circles  that  are  entirely  foreign  to  medicine.  Statistics 
concerning  the  health  of  the  teeth,  for  the  most  part  collected  by 
German,  English,  and  Swedish  dentists,  give  very  ungratifying 
results.  It  has  been  shown  that  healthy  jaws  are,  without  doubt, 
very  rare  indeed  in  civilized  countries.  When  one  considers  the 
suffering  that  is  caused  by  affections  of  the  teeth,  and  when  one 
remembers  that  unhealthy  teeth  may  lie  at  the  root  of  a  long 
list  of  maladies,  especially  diseases  of  the  stomach,  the  most  ig- 
norant person  will  ask:  Is  it  possible  that  there  is  no  remedy 
that  can  arrest  the  decay  of  the  teeth? 

The  teeth  are  destroyed  for  the  most  part  by  caries.  Re- 
mains of  the  food  become  lodged  in  the  spaces  between  them, 
and  the  starchy  constituents  of  these  food  particles,  under  the  in- 
fluence of  bacteria,  are  converted  intO'  acids  which  corrode  the 
enamel, — decalcify  the  other  hard  stratum  of  the  teeth;  pathogenic 
germs  penetrate  into  the  minute  fissures  and  cavities  thus  formed 
and  destroy  the  dental  substance.  In  this  way  are  produced 
those  cavities  that  grow  larger  and  larger,  and  that  ultimately  lead 
to  a  complete  destruction  of  tlie  tooth. 

Another  cause  of  the  loss  of  a  tooth  may  be  disease  of  the 
mucous  membrane  lining  the  cavity  of  the  mouth,  especially 
chronic  suppurative  inflammation  of  the  periosteum  of  the  dental 
roots,  that  may  be  followed  by  a  loosening  and  falling  o'Ut  of  a 
tooth  which  is  still  perfectly  healthy. 


*Special  translation  for  the  Dental  Brief  from  the  original  article 
published  in  yratch  (St.  Petersburg),  Vol.  XXI,  Nos.  9  and  10. 


TRANSLATIONS. 


323 


Dentistry  arose  in  France  in  the  beginning  of  the  last  cen- 
tury, and  it  was  in  that  country  that  attention  was  first  paid  to  the 
hygiene  of  the  teeth.  It  is  to  be  noted  that  in  tlie  eighteenth 
century  the  same  means  were  employed  in  the  care  of  the  teeth 
that  are  still  most  frequently  used  at  the  present  day — the  tooth- 
brush and  the  mouthwash.  At  first  both  these  measures  were 
used  principally  for  the  mechanical  cleansing  of  the  mouth,  a 
cleansing  which  to-day  may  also  be  said  to  form  the  basis  of  all 
dental  hygiene.  It  is  true,  the  caivity  of  the  mouth  is  rarely 
cleaned  piroperly,  and  Professor  Miller,  of  Berlin,  is  right  in  say- 
ing that,  ''in  cleansing  the  teeth  one  must  proceed  thoughtfully 
and  rationally."  (i) 

This  simple  task — the  operation  of  brushing  our  teeth — is 
distasteful  to  us  because  of  our  inborn  laziness,  so  much  so  that 
this  fact  was  recognized  from  the  very  inception  of  the  tooth- 
brush, and  the  attempt  was  made  to  render  the  process  more 
agreeable  by  giving  a  pleasant  taste  to  the  mouthwashes  that 
were  at  the  same  time  supposed  to  exercise  a  beneficial  effect 
upon  the  mucosa  of  the  oral  cavity. 

More  recently  it  was  found  that  the  principal  etioloigic  factor 
in  dental  diseases  is  the  action  of  bacteria  which  destroy  the  den- 
tal tissue  directly  or  indirectly.  Hence  antiseptics  were  added  to 
the  mouthwashes  in  order  to  destroy  the  numerous  microbes  that 
are  found  in  the  mouth.  A  large  number  and  a  vast  variety  of 
mouthwashes  have  appeared  since  then,  and  there  is  hardly  a 
known  antiseptic  that  has  not  been  emiployed  for  this  purpose. 
Every  new  germicide  that  is  introduced  at  once  enters  into  tlie 
composition  of  some  preparation  that  is  declared  by  its  inventor 
to  be  the  "latest  mouthwash"  and  "the  best  remedy  for  the 
mouth,"  without  regard  as  to  whether  this  substance  is  suited  for 
use  in  the  oral  cavity  or  not.  In  this  connection  Gerlach  aptly 
says  (2):  "It  is  clear  that  a  preparation  destined  to  be  uesd  as  a 
disinfectant  in  a  slaughter  house,  etc.,  must  fulfill  entirely  differ- 
ent conditions  than  an  antiseptic  solution  that  is  to  be  used  daily 
as  a  cosmetic  wash  for  the  mouth." 

Until  now  scientific  hygiene  has  taken  but  little  interest  in 
the  study  of  the  existing  mouthwashes.  And  no  wonder;  for 
who  will  be  inclined  to  work  on  a  subject  that  the  most  unblush- 
ing advertisers  have  threshed  out  beyond  all  measures  of  credi- 
bility. 

My  own  investigations  were,  properly  speaking,  undertaken 


324 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


only  accidentally.  The  fact  is,  I  was  recently  engaged  in  study- 
ing the  efficiency  of  the  new  antiseptic — formaldehyd.  The 
prominent  quality  of  this  substance  as  an  antiseptic  of  high  de- 
gree of  potency,  which  at  the  same  time  was  innocuous  to  the 
organism,  suggested  to  me  that  formaldehyd  must  be,  in  all  prob- 
ability, an  ideal  antiseptic  for  the  oral  cavity.  I  regret  that  I  am 
compelled  to  say  right  here  that  my  expectations  were  not  real- 
ized. Formaldehyd  cannot  be  used  as  a  daily  antiseptic  in  the 
mouth.  Just  as  good  as  it  is  for  disinfecting  textile  fabrics,  furs, 
etc.,  just  so  bad  is  it  w^ien  used  in  the  oral  cavity.  In  order  to 
determine  the  exact  mode  of  action  of  formaldehyd  in  the  mouth, 
and  in  order  to  measure  its  exact  degree  of  superiority  over  other 
remedies  and  preparations  that  are  recommended  for  the  disin- 
fection of  the  oral  cavity,  I  instituted  a  series  of  comparative  tests 
— partly  chemical,  partly  bacteriologic — with  the  various  mouth- 
washes and  antiseptics  that  are  found  in  the  market. 

Authorities  differ  in  their  demands  upon  an  antiseptic  sub- 
stance that  is  intended  to  be  used  daily  in  the  mouth.  Some 
maintain  that  complete  asepsis  of  the  mouth  must  be  securred, 
and  with  this  aim  in  view  they  recommend  the  use  of  the  strong- 
est antiseptics  known,  e.  g.,  mercuric  bichlorid,  salicylic  acid,  etc. 
The  fact  that  these  substaniceis  are  injurious  to  the  teeth  and  to 
the  oral  mucosa  is  not  a  formidable  disadvantage  in  the  eyes  of 
the  advocates  of  complete  asepsis.  Every  remedy,  they  argue, 
has  some  untoward  effect,  and  yet  is  used  successfully  for  the 
purpose  for  which  it  is  intended.  Therefore,  im  the  case  of 
mouthwashes  we  must  overlook  certain  collateral  effects,  even  if 
these  be  undesirable.  Ordinary  common  sense  will  suggest  very 
weighty  objections  to  such  a  conclusion.  In  the  first  place,  a 
mouthwash  is  not  a  medicine.  Medicines  are  employed  when 
health  is  endangered,  while  mouthwashes  must  be  used  daily, 
constantly.  Again,  a  complete  asepsis  of  the  mouth  is  impos- 
sible, even  with  the  use  of  the  strongest  antiseptics;  and  even  if 
it  were  possible,  it  would  be  injurious  because,  as  the  most  re- 
cent researches  have  shown,  certain  bacteria  that  have  their 
habitat  in  the  mouth  are  necessary  to  digestion.  Cosmetic  prepa- 
rations that  are  accessible  to  everyone  should  be,  first  of  all, 
perfectly  harmless.  For  this  reason,  in  Austria,  for  example,  the 
sale  of  mouthwashes  containing  salicylic  acid  is  pro'hibited.  A 
similar  prohibitive  statute  should  be  enacted  in  all  civilized 
countries. 


TRANSLATIONS.  325 

Others,  among  whom  I  include  myself,  are  of  the  opinion 
that  the  first  condition  for  a  mouthwash  that  is  intended  for  daily 
use  is  perfect  harmlessness,  and  that  its  antiseptic  efficiency  is  of 
secondary  importance.  We  may  consider  a  mouthwash  efficient 
in  this  sense  if  it  will  inhibit  the  multiplication  of  the  bacteria,  and 
will  prevent  their  spread  into  other  parts  of  the  mouth.  Pro- 
fessor Rosenberg,  of  Breslau,  who  has  written  several  clinical  re- 
ports upon  this  subject,  lays  great  stress  upon  the  statement  that 
a  rational  mouthwash  must  be  harmless  and  non-irritating  to  the 
mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth.  I  fully  agree  with  him  from  a 
purely  chemical  point  of  view.  Rational  hygiene  of  the  oral  cavity 
must  aim  at  rendering  the  mouth  unfavorable  for  the  growth  of 
germs,  partly  by  mechanical  measures,  and  partly  by  the  use  of 
mild  antiseptics. 

The  following  then  are  the  requirements  for  a  good  mouth- 
wash in  the  order  of  importance:  (i)  Perfect  harmlessness  to  both 
teeth  and  mucous  membrane.  (2)  Capacity  to  inhibit  the  growth 
and  development  of  germs.  (3)  Prolonged  duration  of  effect 
after  using.     (4)  A  taste  that  is  as  agreeable  as  possible. 

These  four  conditions  I  took  as  the  basis  of  my  investiga- 
tions. I  compared  the  efficiency  of  the  following  so'lutions  with 
formaldehyd:  (i)  Miller's  mouthwash  containing  mercuric  bi- 
chlorid  and  benzoic  acid.  (2)  The  same  author's  mouthwash 
composed  of  a  solution  of  thymol  and  benzoic  acid.  (3)  His  so- 
lution containing  benzoic  acid  and  rhatany  (krameria).  (4) 
A  solution  of  salicyHc  acid  1.300.  (5)  A  solution  of  formalin 
1.200.  (6)  Potassium^  chlorate  in  5  per  cent,  solution.  (7) 
"Odol."     (8)  Botot's  water.    (9)  Pierre's  water. 

It  was  found  that  the  majority  of  antiseptics  cannot  be  used 
in  the  mouth  at  all,  inasmuch  as  they  have  a  strong  acid  reaction. 
They  dissolve  the  calcium  salts  contained  in  the  hard  dental  sub- 
stance, and  therefore  should  never  be  employed  as  disinfectants 
in  the  mouth.  Plefelmann  (3)  gives  figures  concerning  the  de- 
calcifying action  of  various  mouthwashes,  and  among  such  solu- 
tions he  mentions  those  proposed  by  Miller,  including  the  lat- 
ter's  saccharin  solution. 

As  the  exact  physiological  conditions  that  exist  in  the 
mouth  cannot  be  reproduced  artificially  in  any  way,  I  conducted 
my  bacterioilogic  experiments  by  testing  the  efficiency  of  the  solu- 
tions in  the  oral  cavity  itself.  I  also  paid  special  attention  to  the 
duration  of  the  effects  of  each  mouthwash  in  the  mouth.     In  my 


326  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

opinion,  it  is  not  so  important  that  the  remedy  shall  act  instan- 
taneously, as  that  it  shall  have  lasting-  effects  upon  the  teeth  and 
the  mucosa.  The  teeth  are  never  cleaned  more  frequently  than 
three  or  four  times  in  twenty-four  hours,  i.  e.,  at  intervals  of  say 
four  or  five  hours  at  least. 

In  order  to  avoid  repetition,  I  shall  first  describe  some  bac- 
teriologic  tests  conducted  with  the  aid  of  the  above-named 
substances. 

In  estimating  the  bactericidal  value  of  any  given  mo'Uthwash, 
it  is  necessary,  above  all,  to  answer  the  question  as  to  how  the 
remedy  under  consideration  acts  in  the  mouth.  Although  ex- 
periments with  these  solutions  in  test  tubes,  showing  the  action 
of  the  antiseptic  upon  pure  cultures  of  one  germ  or  another,  are 
very  interesting,  their  practical  value  is  very  limited.  Some  sub- 
stances act  admirably  in  a  test  tube,  but  when  tried  practically 
in  the  mouth,  given  a  negative  result,  and  vice  versa. 

Miller  was  the  first  to  show  the  methods  that  are  tO'  be 
pursued  in  investigating  the  number  of  microbes  present  in  the 
mouth.  I  employed  a  modification  of  this  author's  second  meth- 
od. I  began  by  determining  the  number  of  germs  in  a  mouth 
that  had  not  been  cleaned.  Next  the  mouth  was  thoroughly 
cleansed  by  means  of  the  mouthwash  to^  be  tested,  and  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  later  its  bacterial  contents  were  examined  once  more. 
In  order  to  determine  how  long  the  action  of  the  antiseptic  lasts, 
a  third  examination  was  made  three  hours  later.  The  prepara- 
tions numberefd  i,  2,  3,  8,  and  9  were  employed  at  times  in  10  per 
cent.,  at  others  in  5  per  cent,  aqueous  solutions,  and  each  remedy 
was  tested  at  least  twice  or  three  times,  the  figures  given  being 
the  averages.  In  the  accompanying  table  the  number  of  colonies 
found  is  shown  in  percentages,  the  number  in  an  unclean  mouth 
being  taken  as  100.  The  number  of  germs  in  the  freshly  pre- 
pared solutions  was  determined  by  plate  cultures  in  Petri  dishes. 


TRANSLATIONS. 
TABLE   I.      SHOWING   PERCENTAGE   OF   BACTERIA. 


327 


Name  of  Solution. 

IN 

Uncleaned 
Mouth. 

A  Quarter 

OF  A.v  Hour 

After  Using. 

Three  Hours 
After  Using. 

(i)    Miller's  HgClo  and  benzoic  acid. 

100 

ICO 

12  per  cent. 
15  per  cent. 

15  percent. 
35  per  cent. 

spercent  .... 

(2)    Miller's  thymol  and  benzoic  acid. 

100 

100 

30  percent. 
54  percent. 

4S  per  cent. 
130  per  cent. 

(3)    Miller's  krameria  and  benzoic  acid. 

100 

100 

42  per  cent. 
109  per  cent. 

65  per  cent. 
112  percent. 

e  percent 

(4)    Warm  salicylic  acid  solution. 

I  ■  ■^oo 

100 

Spercent. 

31  percent. 

(5)     Formalin. 

1 1200 

100 

13  per  cent. 

141  percent. 

(6)     Potassium  chlorate. 

5  per  cent 

100 

43  per  cent. 

121  percent. 

(7)    Odol. 

100 
100 

22  per  cent. 
39  percent. 

53  per  cent. 
66  per  cent. 

(8)    Botot's  water. 

100 
100 

52  per  cent. 
So  percent. 

Ill  per  cent. 
107  per  cent. 

c  per  cent 

(9)    Pierre's  water. 

S  per  cent 

100 

88  percent. 

Ill  percent. 

Miller  and  those  that  followed  him  only  examined  the  con- 
tents of  the  month  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after  the  use  of  the  mouth- 
wash to  be  tested,  and  on  the  basis  of  the  findings  thus  obtained 
determined  the  comparative  efficiency  of  the  various  antiseptic 
solutions.  As  will  be  seen  by  a  glance  at  the  accompanying 
table,  such  a  procedure  can  only  give  misleading  results.  In 
order  to  judge  the  efficiency  of  a  given  mouthwash  accurately,  it 
is  necessary,  first  of  all,  to  determine  the  duration  of  the  effects 
which  it  produces.  What  benefit  can  we  expect  from  a  mouth- 
wash that  manifests  a  strong  antiseptic  effect  after  fifteen  or 
thirty  minutes  but  subsequently,  owing  to  its  irritant  action  on 
the  mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth,  produces  an  increase  in  the 
development  of  bacteria?  Thus,  for  instance,  my  table  shows 
that  a  ^  per  cent,  solution  of  formalin  is  a  prompt  and  eificient 


3»S  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

antiseptic,  acting  fully  as  well  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  as  the  lo 
per  cent,  solution  of  Miller's  compound  of  bichlorid  andJ  ben- 
zoic acid  (contains  1 1500  bichlorid) ;  but  after  three  hours  the 
bichlorid  still  continues  to  act  vigorously,  while  the  antiseptic 
action  of  formalin  not  only  ceases,  but  an  increase  in  the  number 
of  bacteria  found  in  the  mouth  is  noted.  The  explanation  of  this 
is  simple;  the  bichlorid  combines  with  the  superficial  layers  of 
epithelium,  forming  an  albuminate  of  mercury  that  coats  the 
whole  cavity  of  the  mouth;  on  such  a  soil  saturated'  with  mercury, 
bacteria  will  certainly  not  grow.  The  metallic  taste  of  mercury 
persists  even  for  four  or  five  hours  after  the  use  of  the  solution — 
a  proof  that  there  still  exists  in  the  mouth  some  albuminate  of 
mercury  that  acts  as  an  antiseptic.  On  the  other  hand,  formalin 
acts  entirely  differently.  It  penetrates  quite  deeply  intoi  the 
mucous  membrane,  and  destroys  the  microbes  instantly,  but  at 
the  same  time  it  destroys  the  vitality  of  the  superficial  layers  of 
epithelium,  of  the  oral  cavity,  or,  in  popular  language,  it  corrodes 
the  mucous  membrane.  As  the  result  of  this  action  there  remains 
a  disagreeable  dry  sensation  in  the  mouth  after  the  use  of  a 
formalin  moiuthwash.  In  addition,  formaldehyd  has  the  property 
of  rapidly  decomposing  when  in  contact  with  organic  substances. 
It  may  be  transformed  into  formic  acid,  or  into  the  polymeric 
compound  paraformalin,  which  is  inactive,  and  thus  lose  its  anti- 
septic effect.  It  will  be  s-een,  therefore,  that  formalin  is  an  ener- 
getic bactericidal  substance,  but  its  effects  cannot  last  long,  and 
it  does  not  leave  an  antiseptic  coating  on  the  mucous  membrane 
as  does  bichlorid,  but  only  renders  the  mucosa  more  favorable 
to  the  growth  of  the  bacteria  that  survived  the  antiseptic  action 
of  the  formalin,  as  well  as  those  that  entered  since  then  through 
the  nose  or  the  mouth. 

From  the  point  of  view  of  practical  hygiene  it  is  required  of 
an  antiseptic  mouthwash  that  the  number  of  bacteria  that  is  found 
in  the  mouth  three  hours  ajfter  the  use  of  the  remedy  be  at  least 
not  greater  than  in  an  uncleaned  mouth.  Under  these  conditions 
all  solutions  that  give  a  percentage  of  bacteria  in  the  last  column 
of  the  table  exceeding  100  must  be  considered  worthless.  For- 
maldehyd  is  the  most  worthless  of  them  all.  As  it  has  a  dis- 
agreeable taste,  volatile  oils  are  added  to  the  mouthwashes  con- 
taining formalin,  in  order  to^  mask  the  unpleasant  effect  of  this 
substance  in  the  mouth.  These  essential  oils,  however,  speedily 
decompose  formalin,  and  this  is  probably  the  reason  why  not  one 


TRANSLATIONS.  329 

perfumer  has  as  yet  introduced  a  mouthwash  containing  this 
antiseptic.  A  solution  containing  this  substance  and  a  sufficient 
quantity  of  essential  oils  to  flavor  the  mixture  will  lose  all  anti- 
septic powers  on  standing  three  or  four  weeks,  and  then  is  even 
devoid  of  the  momentary  bactericidal  effect  that  pure  formalin 
possesses.  In  view  of  all  that  has  been  said,  then,  formalin  is 
worthless  as  an  antiseptic  mouthwash. 

It  is  very  interesting  tO'  note  that  Miller's  10  per  cent!  solu- 
tions, numbered  2  and  3  in  the  table,  undoubtedly  have  lasting 
effects,  while  in  the  strength  of  5  per  cent,  these  compounds  pro- 
duce a  considerable  increase  in  the  number  of  bacteria.  The 
reason  of  this  lies  in  the  fact  that  in  the  weaker  solutions  the 
injurious,  irritating  effect  of  the  antiseptic  contained  therein  gains 
the  upper  hand,  while  the  bactericidal  effect  remains  in  the  back- 
ground. 

In  general,  it  may  be  said  that  ib  per  cent,  solutions  are  but 
rarely  employed,  partly  from  economy,  and  partly  from  their  un- 
pleasant taste.  As  a  rule,  2  to  5  per  cent,  solutions  are  used ;  but 
in  this  strength  Miller's  mouthwashes  containing  benzoic  acid 
and  thymol  are  positively  injurious  from  a  bacteriologic  point  of 
view.  The  same  may  be  said  of  potassium  chlorate,  which,  in 
spite  of  its  well-known  toxicity,  I  am  sorry  to  say,  is  still  em- 
ployed for  cleansing  the  mouth.  In  regard  tO'  Pierre's  and  Botot'5 
waters,  which  have  been  widely  known  for  years,  it  may  be  said 
that  their  taste  is  very  pleasant,  but  they  dO'  not  possess  any  anti- 
septic virtue  whatever.  They  are  slightly  irritating,  however, 
and  in  this  sense  somewhat  injurious,  as  they  produce  a  moderate 
increase  in  the  number  of  bacteria  in  the  mouth. 

Salicylic  acid  is  distinguished  by  its  very  marked  antiseptic 
effect.  This  was  demonstrated  long  agoi  by  Miller.  But  un- 
fortunately it  is  unsuited  for  mouthwashes  on  accotmt  of  its 
strong  acid  react iouu  As  regards  taste  and  toxic  effects,  how- 
ever, salicylic  acid  is  without  doubt  better  than  bichlorid,  while 
its  antiseptic  efficiency  is  fully  equal  to  that  of  the  mercurial  salt. 

Tlie  marked  antiseptic  properties  of  odol  were  somewhat  sur- 
prising to  me.  This  very  widely  advertised  preparation  is  quite 
extensively  used,  owing  to  its  pleasant,  refreshing  taste,  and  to  its 
comparatively  low  price  when  compared  to  the  expensive  French 
products.  I  have  been  using  this  mouthwash  myself  for  several 
years,  but  until  recently  have  never  attributed  any  significance  to 
the  claims  of  the  advertisers  concerning  its  bactericidal  proper- 


330 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


ties.  According  to  statements  published  in  the  German  medical 
journals,  the  active  principle  of  odol  is  a  mixture  of  two^thirds 
of  salol  and  of  one-third  of  salicylic  menthol  ether.  Other  anal- 
yses state  that  odol  is  nothing  but  a  3  to  3.5  per  cent,  alcoholic 
solution  of  the  former  substance.  My  own  investigations 
have  convinced  me  that  salol  is  not  the  active  principle  of  this 
preparation.  Salol  is  a  v^hite  crystalline  powder,  which  is  easily 
soluble  in  alcohol  but  practically  insoluble  in  water  and  in  dilute 
alcohol.  Hence  it  cannot  be  used  in  a  mouthwash,  for  anti- 
septics must  be  used  in  a  very  diluted  form  in  the  oral  cavity. 
If  a  few  drops  of  alcoholic  solution  of  salol  be  added  to  a  glass  of 
water,  there  will  be  immediately  a  precipitate  of  fine  white  crys- 
tals. A  salol  mouthwash,  therefore,  in  general,  cannot  serve  as  an 
antiseptic  in  the  mouth  to  any  extent  that  is  worth  mentioning. 
As  odol  is  certainly  an  effective  oral  antiseptic,  however,  the  above 
cited  analysis  cannot  be  correct,  and  the  active  principle  of  this 
preparation  cannot  he  salol.  On  looking  over  the  literature  of  the 
subject,  I  came  across  a  communication  of  Professor  van  Heurck, 
who  as  far  back  as  1894  isolated  and  described  the  antiseptic  con- 
stituent of  odol  (4).  He  separated  the  alcohol  from  the  mixture  by 
fractional  distillation  on  a  water-bath,  and  treated  the  residue  with 
a  stream  of  water  vapor  until  no  traces  of  volatile  oils  were  found 
in  the  container.  Thus  he  obtained  in  his  retort  a  dark-brovm, 
oily  liquid,  which  was  cleared  by  repeated  v^shing  and  filtering. 
It  had  an  aromatic  odor  resembling  that  of  oil  of  rose-geranium 
and  oil  of  cedar,  and  a  slightly  burning  taste.  It  was  insoluble 
in  water,  but  easily  soluble  in  absolute  alcohol,  and  had  a  specific 
gravity  of  1.20.  On  heating  with  caustic  soda  solution  it  was 
decomposed  into  phenol  and  salicylic  acid.  As  salol  possesses 
similiar  properties,  it  is  not  astonishing  that  the  German  chemists 
took  the  active  constituent  of  this  preparation  tO'  be  salol. 

Having  bought  a  number  of  bottles  of  odol  in  various  shops, 
I  carefully  tested  the  statements  of  von  Heurck,  and  found  them 
to  be  correct  in  all  particulars  except  one,  namely,  that  I  fonnd 
the  amount  of  the  above-described  and  antiseptic  in  odol  to  be 
only  2.y  to  2.8  per  cent.,  instead  of  4  to  5  per  cent.,  as  the  above 
author  had  found.  Concerning  the  composition  of  the  active 
principle  of  odol,  we  can  only  form  suppositions.  It  is  evident 
that  this  substance  is  a  product  of  salicylic  acid  which  is  closely 
related  to  salol.  But  with  the  exception  of  the  property  of  being 
decomposed  into  phenol  and  salicylic  acid,  all  the  chemical  and 


TRANSLATIONS.  331 

physical  characteristics  of  the  substance  found  in  this  preparation 
are  different  from  those  of  salol.  If  an  alcoholic  solution  of  salol 
be  mixed  with  water,  salol  will  be  separated  as  a  fine,  crystalline 
precipitate,  while  if  an  alcoholic  solution  of  the  oily  substance 
found  in  odol  be  mixed  with  water,  there  results  a  very  permanent 
milky  emulsion. 

After  I  had  completed  my  investigations,  there  appeared  an 
article  by  Hefelmann,  in  which  he  analyzes  very  thoroughly  the 
antiseptic  substance  found  in  odol.  He  found  that  if  the  odol  emul- 
sion be  mixed  with  powdered  leather,  or  with  chopped  meat,  and 
allowed  to  stand,  it  will  become  perfectly  clear,  and  all  antiseptic 
properties  will  have  been  removed  from  the  supernatant  liquid. 
In  the  cavity  of  the  mouth  every  drop  of  the  emulsion  is  taken 
up  by  the  mucous  membrane,  and  this  explains  why  the  pleasant, 
characteristic  taste  of  odol  remains  in  the  mouth  for  such  a  long 
time  after  the  use  of  this  preparation.  By  a  series  of  very  accu- 
rate experiments,  Hefelmiann  showed  that  in  the  presence  of  the 
pancreas,  the  saliva,  the  mucous  m^embrane  of  the  mouth,  and  of 
putrefactive  germs,  the  antiseptic  substance  found  in  odol  is 
decomposed  into  phenol  and  salicylic  acid,  provided  the  tempera- 
ture of  normal  blood  is  maintained.  At  ordinary  temperature, 
however,  this  decomposition  does  not  take  place,  and  this  change 
is  also  absent  in  the  presence  of  egg  albumin  and  of  blood  serum. 
Hence  it  seems  that  the  antiseptic  principle  of  odol  becomes  de- 
composed only  in  the  presence  of  living  cells.  It  is  specially  to 
be  noted  that,  when  the  decomposition  occurs  in  the  presence 
of  saliva,  the  reaction  of  the  latter  remains  alkaline,  notwithstand- 
ing the  comparatively  large  quantity  of  salicylic  acid  liberated. 
Further  investigation  convinced  Hefelmann  that  the  salicylic  acid 
resulting  from  the  decomposition  of  the  antiseptic  principle  of 
odol  never  exists  free  in  the  mouth,  but  always  combines  with 
the  albumin  of  the  mucous  membrane. 

These  interesting  experiments  of  Hefelmann  I  have  been 
able  to  confirm,  in  part,  in  my  own  investigations. 

All  the  above-cited  facts  tend  to  show  that  the  antiseptic  sub- 
stance which  forms  the  active  principle  of  odol  has  no  unfavor- 
able effects. 

In  order  to  express  in  figures  the  relative  antiseptic  value  of 
the  remedies  enumerated  in  the  first  table,  I  added  the  percentage 
of  bacteria  that  is  found  in  the  mouth  a  quarter  of  an  hour  after 
using  the  solutions,  and  that  found  after  three  hours,  and  calcu- 


332 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


lated  the  average  from  the  sum  thus  obtained.  By  this  method 
I  found  that  the  percentage  of  bacteria  in  an  uncleaned  mouth, 
which  is  taken  as  loo,  was  lowered  as  follows  by  the  various  prep- 
arations examined: 

TABLE   II.      AVERAGE  DECREASE  IN  THE  NUMBER  OF  GERMS. 

(i")  10  per  cent.  Miller's  solution  of  benzoic  acid to  13  per  cent. 

(2)  1:300   "  solution  of  salicylic  acid _ "  19 

(3)  5  "  sol.   bichlorid-benzoic  acid,    Miller's...   "  25  '' 

(4)  10  "  solution  of  odol "37  " 

(5)  10  "  thymol-benzoic   acid   solution,    Miller's  "  39  '* 

(6)  5  "  solution  of  odol "  52 

(7)  10  "  solution  krameria-benzoic  acid,  Miller's  "  53  " 

(8)  V2  "  solution  of  formalin "77    '      " 

(9)  10  "  solution  of  Botot's  water "  81  " 

(10)  5  "  solution  of  potassium'  chlorate "  82  " 

(11)  5  "  thymol-benzoic    acid    solution,  Miller's  "  92  " 

(12)  5        i  ".  solution  of  Botot's  water "  93  " 

(13)  5  "  solution  of  Pierre's  water "  99  " 

(14)  5  "  sol.    benzoic   acid.   Miller's    (increase)    "  no  " 

Only  the  first  seven  of  these  solutions  can  be  classed  as  effi- 
cient. Miller's  solution  of  bichlorid  and  benzoic  acid  stands 
first,  but  this  remedy,  as  Miller  himself  acknowledges,  is  not 
suited  to  daily  use  as  a  mouthwash,  on  account  of  the  well  known 
poisonous  properties  of  mercuric  bichlorid,  and  its  strong  acid 
reaction  and  unpleasant  taste. 

Salicylic  acid  exercises  a  decalcifying  action  upon  the  dental 
substance,  and  can  only  be  used  in  special  cases.  If  an  excep- 
tionally strong  antiseptic  is  desired,  with  the  view  of  destroying 
the  germs  in  the  month,  salicylic  acid  is  certainly  preferable  to 
bichlorid,  on  account  of  the  poisonous  effect  of  the  latter. 

Hence  the  only  substances  that  may  be  said  toi  be  suitable 
for  use  as  daily  mouthwashes,  and  at  the  same  time  possess  suffi- 
ciently strong  antiseptic  properties,  are  Miller's  10  per  cent, 
solutions  of  thymol-benzoic  acid  and  of  krameria-benzoic  acid, 
and  the  10  per  cent,  and  5  per  cent,  solutions  of  odol.  Miller's 
solutions  show  a  destructive  effect  upon  the  teeth,  which, 
though  mild,  is  demonstrable  without  question.  On  the  other 
hand,  odol  is  perfectly  harmless  both  to  the  teeth  and  to  the 
mucous  membrane  of  the  mouth.  The  preparations  of  Miller, 
in  10  per  cent,  solutions,  have  a  very  disagreeable  taste,  which, 
after  prolonged  use,  becomes  literally  insupportable,  Odol  in  5 
per  cent,  strength  has  a  very  pleasant  taste,  but  in  10  per  cent. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  333 

Strength  tastes  too  strongly  of  the  volatile  oils  that  enter  into  its 
composition . 

To  sum  up,  I  can  say  that  if  we  consider  the  properties  of 
each  of  the  remedies  examined,  that  together  with  a  thorough 
mechanical  cleansing  of  the  teeth,  odol  in  the  strength  of  about 
50  drops  to  a  glass  of  water  constitutes  the  most  agreeable  and 
ef^ficient  mouthwash.  On  the  other  hand,  formalin  has  proved 
to  be  entirely  unsuitable  for  this  purpose. 

(i)     Jl/i//er,  Lehrbnch  der  conservativen  Zahnheilkunde,  1898. 

(2)  Gerlach,  Journal  fiir  Zahnheilkunde,  1898,  No.  26. 

(3)  Eefelmann,  Deutsche  Medizinal-Zeitung,  1894,  No.  47. 

(4)  Tan  Euerck,  Journal  de  Pharmacie  d'Anvers,  March,  1894. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


THE  MEDICAL  SCHOOL  OF  THE  FUTURE.* 
By  H.  P.  Bowditch,  M.D. 

Let  us  consider  in  what  way  the  medical  school  of  the  im- 
mediate future  is  likely  to  differ  from  that  of  the  present  time 
with  regard  to  the  subject-matter  of  instruction.  The  most 
striking  phenomenon  presenting  itself  to  the  educator  of  to-day 
is  the  recent  enormous  widening  of  the  educational  horizon. 
"The  immense  deepening  and  widening  of  human  knowledge  in 
the  nineteenth  century  and  the  increasing  sense  of  the  sanctity 
of  the  individual's  gifts  and  will-power"  are  the  fundamental 
facts  which  underlie  the  development  of  the  elective  system,  but 
it  is  important  to  bear  in  mind  that,  as  Professor  Smith  ob- 
serves, this  development  has  been  ''due  not  so  much  to  increase 
of  knowledge — for  not  all  new  knowledge  is  straightway  fit  for 
educational  purposes — but  rather  to  the  conversion  of  new  fields 
of  knowledge  to  the  uses  of  education." 

A  discussion  of  the  elective  system  of  education  with  its  at- 
tendant advantages  and  dangers  would  require  far  more  time 
than  I  have  at  my  disposal,  and  I  must  content  myself  with  point- 
ing out  the  possibility  that,  in  this  period  of  transition,  the  edu- 
cational pendulum  may  have  swung  to  an  extreme  position  and 

♦Extract  from  the  Presidential  address  at  the  meeting  of  the 
American  Congress  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons,  held  at  Washington, 
D.  C,  May,  1900.  ■     • 


334  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

that  too  much  attention  has  been  given  to  the  accidental  differ- 
ences of  pupils,  while  the  essential  similarity  of  their  natures  has 
been  lost  sight  of.  In  discussions  on  individuality  as  a  basis  for 
the  elective  system  one  sometimes  hears  the  statement  (attrib- 
uted to  Leibnitz)  that  no  two  leaves  of  the  same  tree  are  alike. 
This  dissimilarity,  however,  does  not  prevent  them  from  all 
elaborating  the  same  sap,  and  it  is,  moreover,  always  associated 
with  sufficient  essential  similarity  to  enable  any  one,  with  even 
the  most  elementary  knowledge  of  trees,  to  distinguish  the 
leaves  of  an  oak  from  those  of  a  maple. 

While  admitting^  that  some  of  the  extreme  positions  now 
maintained  by  the  advocates  of  the  elective  system  may  in  the 
future  have  to  be  abandoned,  no  one  can  doubt  the  wisdom  of 
adapting  the  education  to  the  powers  of  the  mind  to  be  educated 
and  of  allowing,  in  the  case  of  advanced  students,  the  choice  of 
the  individual  to  be  a  determining  factor  in  the  selection  of 
studies.  Let  us,  therefore,  inquire  to  what  extent  the  elective 
sy^em  may  properly  find  a  place  in  the  curriculum  of  our  med- 
ical schools.  That  it  forms  an  essential  feature  of  our  post- 
graduate schools  of  medicine  scarcely  needs  to  be  mentioned, 
for  these  schools  have  been  organized  for  the  express  purpose 
of  enabling  graduates  in  medicine  to  select  such  subjects  for 
study  as  may  seem  to  them  desirable,  and  to  acquire  more  ad- 
vanced knowledge  than  was  possible  in  the  undergraduate 
course.  Moreover,  in  some  of  our  larger  schools,  since  the 
estabHshment  of  the  compulsory  four  years'  course,  a  portion 
of  the  instruction  of  the  fourth  year  has  been  given  in  elective 
courses  in  various  specialties.  The  elective  system  in  medicine 
is,  therefore,  not  altogether  a  novelty,  and  the  question  now  be- 
fore us  is  whether  it  may  be  profitably  extended  to  the  earlier 
years  of  the  course. 

In  his  remarks  at  the  dinner  of  the  Harvard  Medical  Alumni 
Association  in  1895,  President  Eliot  used  the  following  lan- 
guage :  "There  ought  to  be  in  the  Harvard  Medical  School  an 
extended  instruction  far  beyond  the  limits  of  any  one  student's 
capacity.  This  involves,  of  course,  some  optional  or  elective 
system  within  the  school  itself,  whereby  the  individual  student 
should  take  what  is,  for  him,  the  best  four  years'  worth,  the 
faculty  supplying  teaching  which  it  might  take  a  single  student 
eight,  twelve  or  twenty  years  to  pursue." 

One  year  ago  last  December,  in  an  address  which  I  had  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  335 

honor  to  deliver  in  New  York  before  the  American  Society  of 
Naturalists,  I  gave  the  reasons  which  seemed  to  me  conclusive 
in  favor  of  this  extension  of  the  elective  system,  and,  with  your 
permission,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  presenting  as  briefly  as 
possible  the  views  there  set  forth. 

In  the  first  place,  it  may  be  assumed  that  a  medical  school  of 
the  first  rank  should  be  an  institution  in  which  the  most  ad- 
vanced instruction  in  all  departments  of  medicine  can  be  ob- 
tained, and  on  this  assumption  it  is,  of  course,  impossible  to  ar- 
range a  course  of  study  that  every  student  must  follow  in  all  its 
details,  for,  in  the  time  which  may  properly  be  devoted  to  a 
course  of  professional  study,  it  is  quite  impossible  for  even  the 
most  intelligent  students  to  assimilate  all  the  varied  information 
which  such  a  school  may  be  reasonably  expected  to  impart. 

It  seems,  therefore,  to  be  evident  that  in  arranging  a  course 
of  medical  study  a  distinction  must  be  made  between  those  sub- 
jects which  it  is  essential  that  every  student  should  know,  and 
those  subjects  which  it  is  desirable  that  certain  students  should 
know;  that  is,  between  those  things  of  which  no  man  who  calls 
himself  a  physician  can  afiford  to  be  ignorant,  and  those  which 
are  important  for  certain  physicians,  but  not  for  all;  in  other 
words,  provision  must  be  made  both  for  required  and  for  elec- 
tive studies.  The  task  of  drawing  the  line  between  the  essential 
and  the  desirable  in  medical  education  will  require  the  greatest 
possible  good  judgment  and  readiness  for  mutual  concession  on 
the  part  of  those  engaged  in  the  work,  but  there  is  no  reason 
to  fear  that  the  difTficulties  will  be  found  insuperable  when  the 
importance  of  the  change  has  once  been  recognized. 

Any  one  who  is  familiar  with  the  existing  methods  of  medical 
instruction  is  aware  that  in  nearly  every  department  many  things 
are  taught  which  are  subsequently  found  to  be  of  use  to  only 
a  fraction  of  those  receiving  the  instruction.  Thus,  the  surgical 
anatomy  of  hernia  is  taught  to  men  who  will  subsequently  de- 
vote themselves  to  dermatology,  future  obstetricians  are  re- 
quired to  master  the  details  of  physiological  optics,  and  the  mi- 
croscopical anatomy  of  muscles  forms  a  part  of  the  instruction 
of  men  destined  to  a  career  as  alienists.  Now,  no  one  can  doubt 
the  propriety  of  including  instruction  on  all  these  subjects  in  the 
curriculum  of  a  medical  school,  but  it  may  be  fairly  questioned 
whether  every  student  should  be  forced  to  take  instruction  in 
them  all. 


336  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

To  better  indicate  the  nature  of  the  reform  which  I  am  ad- 
vocating, allow  me  to  describe  a  possible  arrangement  of  a 
course  of  study  in  the  department  of  physiology,  with  which  I 
am,  of  course,  more  familiar  than  with  any  other.  An  experi- 
enced lecturer  will  probably  find  it  possible  to  condense  into  a 
course  of  about  forty  or  fifty  lectures  all  the  most  important 
facts  of  physiology  with  which  every  educated  physician  must 
necessarily  be  familiar.  Attendance  upon  these  lectures,  com- 
bined with  suitable  courses  of  text-book  instruction  and  labora- 
tory work,  w^ould  suffice  to  guard  against  gross  ignorance  of 
physiological  principles.  In  addition  to  this  work,  all  of  which 
should  be  required,  short  courses,  of  not  more  than  eight  or  ten 
lectures  each,  should  be  provided,  giving  advanced  instruction 
in  such  subjects  as  the  physiology  of  the  special  senses,  cerebral 
localization,  nerve-muscle  physiology,  the  internal  secretion  of 
glands,  the  physiology  of  the  heart,  circulation  and  respiration, 
the  digestive  secretions,  the  reproductive  organs,  etc.  These 
courses  should  be  elective  in  the  sense  that  no  student  should  be 
required  to  take  them  all.  Each  student  might,  however,  very 
properly  be  required  to  choose  a  certain  number  of  courses, 
which,  when  once  chosen,  become,  for  the  student  choosing 
them,  required  courses  leading  to  examination.  There  is,  in  my 
opinion,  no  doubt  that  an  arrangement  of  instruction  similar  to 
that  here  suggested  for  physiology  could  be  advantageously 
adopted  in  the  departments  of  anatomy,  histology,  bacteriology, 
medical  chemistry,  pathology,  surgery,  and  in  the  courses  of  in- 
struction in  the  various  special  diseases,  such  as  dermatology, 
ophthalmology,  etc. 

In  the  existing  state  of  medical  education  the  introduction  of 
the  elective  system  in  some  form  or  other  seems  to  be  an  essen- 
tial condition  to  any  further  important  advance,  for  the  curricu- 
lum of  most  of  our  schools  is  already  so  crowded  that  no  con- 
siderable amount  of  instruction  can  possibly  be  added.  Various 
arguments  may,  of  course,  be  advanced  in  opposition  to  the 
change.  It  may  perhaps  be  urged  that  no  choice  of  studies  can 
be  made  without  determining  to  some  extent  the  direction  in 
which  the  work  of  a  future  practitioner  is  to  be  specialized,  and 
that  such  specialization  cannot  be  properly  and  safely  permitted 
until  the  student  has  completed  his  medical  studies.  To  this  it 
may  be  answered  that,  whatever  may  be  the  dangers  of  too  early 
specialization,  the  dangers  of  crowding  the  medical  course  with 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  337 

instruction  of  which  many  students  do  not  feel  the  need,  and  of 
thus  encouraging  perfunctory  and  superficial  work,  are  certainly 
no  less  serious.  It  is,  moreover,  a  matter  of  common  observa- 
tion among  teachers  in  medical  schools  that  a  certain  number 
of  students  very  early  make  up  their  minds  either  that  they  will 
become  surgeons,  obstetricians,  or  specialists  of  some  sort,  or, 
on  the  other  hand,  that  they  have  a  strong  aversion  to  certain 
branches  of  medicine  and  a  determination  never  to  practice 
them.  For  such  students  a  prescribed  curriculum  necessarily 
involves  great  loss  of  time  and  energy. 

If  it  be  said  that  under  this  system  the  medical  degree  will 
cease  to  have  the  definite  meaning  now  attached  to  it,  and  that 
it  will  be  impossible  to  tell  from  his  diploma  in  what  way  a  phy- 
sician has  been  educated,  it  may  be  replied  that,  although  the 
degrees  of  A.B.,  A.M.,  Ph.D.  and  S.D.  are  afifected  with  exactly 
this  same  uncertainty  of  signification,  their  value  seems  in  no 
way  diminished  thereby.  As  long  as  the  M.D.  degree  stands 
for  a  definite  amount  of  serious  work  on  medical  subjects,  we 
may  be  reasonably  sure  that  those  who  hold  it  will  be  safe  cus- 
todians of  the  health  of  the  community  in  which  they  practice. 

If  it  be  urged  that  the  elective  system  in  medical  education 
will  lead  to  the  production  of  a  class  of  physicians  who,  owing 
to  the  early  specialization  of  their  work,  will  be  inclined  to  over- 
rate the  importance  of  their  specialty,  and  to  see  in  every  disease 
an  opportunity  for  the  display  of  their  special  skill,  it  may  be 
pointed  out  that  this  result  is  apt  to  be  due  not  so  much  to  early 
as  to  imperfect  instruction  in  the  work  of  a  speciaHst,  and  that 
since  the  elective  system  tends  to  encourage  thoroughness  in 
special  instruction,  the  evil  may  be  expected  to  diminish  rather 
than  to  increase. 

Methods  of  histriiction. — Having  thus  recognized  the  necessity 
of  remodeling  our  conception  of  the  subject-matter  to  be  taught 
and  noted  the  importance  of  distinguishing  between  the  essen- 
tial and  the  desirable  in  medical  education,  we  must  next  con- 
sider by  what  methods  the  needed  information  may  be  best  im- 
parted and  the  necessary  training  secured.  There  is,  perhaps, 
no  way  in  which  modern  educational  methods  differ  more  from 
those  of  an  earlier  period  than  in  the  greater  prominence  given 
to  object-lessons.  Beginning  with  the  kindergarten,  the  child 
is  trained  to  cultivate  his  power  to  observe  accurately  and  to 
manipulate   skilfully,  and  through  his   school  and  college  life 


338  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

prominence  is  given  to  the  objective  side  of  education  to  an  ex- 
tent which  would  have  seemed  to  the  book-trained  pedagogues 
of  a  former  generation  but  ill-adapted  to  provide  the  well-stored 
mind  which  it  was  thought  to  be  the  principal  object  of  educa- 
tion to  secure.  In  the  professional  schools  also  the  reaction 
against  purely  didactic  methods  has  been  strongly  felt.  Even 
in  those  professional  pursuits  to  which  the  object  method  might 
seem  at  first  sight  least  applicable,  in  the  study  of  the  law  the 
so-called  "case  method"  of  instruction  has  been  found  to  exert 
a  vivifying  influence. 

In  medical  education  in  this  country  it  is  interesting  to  note 
that,  in  the  very  beginning,  the  instruction  was  more  objective 
in  its  character  than  at  a  somewhat  later  period.  In  those  early 
days  it  was  in  the  office  of  his  preceptor  and  at  the  bedside,  as 
his  actual  assistant,  that  the  embryo  physician  was  initiated  into 
the  mysteries  of  his  calling.  Then  followed  a  period  when  it 
was  clearly  perceived  that  the  trained  mind  is  necessary  to  inter- 
pret the  data  of  observation  and  that  mental  training  is  essential 
to  correct  observing.  Hence,  schools  were  established  to  pro- 
vide this  training  by  means  of  systematic  didactic  lectures  cov- 
ering all  the  departments  of  medicine  and  usually  extending 
over  not  more  than  four  months.  These  schools  were  intended 
at  first  merely  to  supplement  the  work  of  the  preceptors,  but  in 
process  of  time  the  relative  importance  of  these  two  educational 
agencies  was  reversed  and  the  work  of  the  preceptors  became 
supplementary  to  that  of  the  schools.  The  function  of  the  pre- 
ceptors finally  became  so  subordinate  that  their  names  no  longer 
appeared  in  the  catalogues,  although  this  did  not  always  indi- 
cate that  they  had  ceased  to  afford  students  opportunities  for 
practical  clinical  work. 

The  schools,  once  established,  grew  chiefly  by  an  increase  in 
the  length  and  number  of  the  lecture  courses  as  new  and  im- 
portant subjects  forced  themselves  on  the  attention  of  the  med- 
ical profession.  Against  this  undue  extension  of  purely  didactic 
methods  of  instruction  a  reaction  has  now  set  in,  and  during 
the  last  ten  or  fifteen  years  loud  voices  have  been  raised  in  ad- 
vocacy of  more  objective  methods  than  those  at  present  in  use. 
It  is  not,  however,  the  reinstatement  of  the  preceptor  that  is 
urged,  but  rather  the  greater  use  of  laboratory  methods  in  the 
strictly  scientific  departments  of  medical  instruction  and  their 
application,  as  far  as  possible,  at  the  bedside  of  the  patient.    A 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  339 

discussion  of  the  relative  advantages  of  the  laboratory,  the  lec- 
ture and  the  text-book  as  methods  of  medical  education  cannot 
be  undertaken  without  a  recognition  of  the  fact  that  this  educa- 
tion has  a  double  object.  In  the  first  place,  the  faculties  of  the 
student  are  to  be  so  trained  that  he  may  observe  carefully,  rea- 
son correctly,  study  effectively  and  judge  wisely;  in  other  words, 
he  is  to  be  "trained  for  power,"  to  use  President  Eliot's  phrase. 
In  the  second  place,  there  must  be  imparted  to  him  a  sufftciently 
large  fraction  of  the  acquired  medical  knowledge  of  the  time  to 
make  him  a  safe  custodian  of  the  health  of  the  community. 
Which  of  these  two  objects  is  the  more  important  is  a  question 
which  we  need  not  now  discuss,  but  even  if  we  grant  all  that  is 
claimed  by  the  advocates  of  training  for  power,  it  is  evident  that 
the  constantly  increasing  range  of  subjects  with  regard  to  which 
an  educated  physician  must  be  informed  will  greatly  reduce  the 
time  which,  in  the  curriculum  of  a  medical  school,  may  properly 
be  devoted  to  courses  of  instruction  not  intended  to  impart  di- 
rect and  valuable  information.  In  fact,  ''training  for  power" 
should  be  largely  a  function  of  the  academic  department  of  a 
university,  and  when  undertaken  in  a  professional  school,  should 
be  so  directed  as  to  impart  at  the  same  time  the  greatest  possible 
amount  of  useful  information. 

Let  us  now  consider  how  far  the  didactic  and  the  laboratory 
methods  of  instruction  are  each  adapted  to  secure  these  two 
objects  of  medical  education.  For  the  purpose  of  training  for 
power  no  one  can  doubt  the  value  of  the  laboratory  method. 
Contact  with  the  phenomena  themselves,  and  not  with  descrip- 
tions of  them,  has  a  stimulating  effect  on  the  mind  of  a  student, 
the  importance  of  which  it  is  difficult  to  exaggerate ;  but  it  does 
not  follow  from  this  that  the  lecture,  the  recitation  and  the  text- 
book are  worthless  as  methods  of  training.  It  is  here  that  some 
of  the  advocates  of  laboratory  methods  have  committed  what 
appears  to  me  a  serious  error  such  as  is  too  apt  to  characterize 
all  reform  movements,  the  error,  namely,  of  assuming  that,  be- 
cause one  proposition  is  true,  another  proposition,  not  logically 
inconsistent  with  it,  must  be  untrue.  "These  gentlemen,"  as 
Professor  Howell  has  expressed  it,  ''having  become  possessed  of 
the  golden  truth  that  the  best  knowledge  is  that  which  comes 
from  personal  experience,  seem  disposed  to  deny  all  value  to 
knowledge  communicated  from  the  experience  of  others."  We 
are  told,  for  instance,  by  Dr.  Burr,  that  the  didactic  lecture 


340  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

''dates  from  the  time  when  printing-  was  unknown  and  manu- 
scripts were  rare  and  ahnost  priceless  and  the  only  means  of 
communicating"  knowledge  was  by  word  of  mouth.  To-day  it  is 
in  large  part  an  anachronism,  because  the  time  devoted  to  it 
could  be  put  to  better  uses." 

In  his  able  address  at  the  last  Yale  University  Medical  Com- 
mencement my  colleague,  Dr.  C.  S.  Minot,  expressed  himself 
as  follows :  *'The  very  best  that  can  be  said  of  a  lecture  or  a 
book  is  that  it  describes  well  the  knowledge  which  some  one 
possesses.  There  is  no  knowledge  in  books.  *  ''''  *  A  book  or  a 
lecture  can  serve  only  to  assist  a  man  to  acquire  knowledge 
with  lessened  loss  of  time.  Knowledge  lives  in  the  laboratory; 
when  it  is  dead  we  bury  it  decently  in  a  book.  *  *  *  A  lecture  is 
a  spoken  book."  I  venture  to  beUeve  that  Professor  Minot's 
students  will  hardly  agree  with  this  estimate  of  the  lifeless  char- 
acter of  either  his  written  or  his  spoken  instruction. 

In  place  of  these  rather  disparaging  views  of  the  impor- 
tance of  a  didactic  lecture,  I  am  inclined  to  accept  Dr.  Weir 
Mitchell's  opinion,  that  "the  best  lecturing  does  not  so  much 
think  for  you  as  invite  you  to  think  along  suggested  lines  of 
inquiry."  If,  as  has  been  claimed,  "the  passive  attitude  of  listen- 
ing does  not  demand  of  the  students  intelligent  thought,"  the 
fault  must  He  with  the  lecturer,  and  not  with  the  method  of  in- 
struction. In  every  department  of  medicine  advanced  instruc- 
tion necessarily  deals  with  subjects  which  He  within  what  Foster 
has  called  the  "penumbra"  of  solid  scientific  acquisition,  and 
about  which  conflicting  views  are  therefore  certain  to  be  held. 
It  is  in  inviting  thought  with  regard  to  the  evidence  on  which 
these  views  rest  that  the  experienced  lecturer  has  his  best  op- 
portunity to  train  the  minds  of  his  hearers.  Other  opportunities 
are  also  afforded  by  the  historical  presentation  of  subjects  about 
which  differences  of  opinion  no  longer  exist,  for  there  are  few 
things  more  instructive  than  to  follow  up,  step  by  step,  the  lines 
by  which  our  knowledge  has  advanced,  noting  the  marks  which 
distinguish  the  paths  which  have  been  trodden  successfully  from 
those  which  have  turned  out  to  be  "No  Thoroughfare."  Even 
better  opportunities  for  mental  training  than  those  which  the 
lecture  room  presents  are  afforded  by  the  recitation,  for  here 
the  minds  of  the  teacher  and  the  pupil  are  brought  most  closely 
into  contact,  the  pupil's  difficulties  are  appreciated  by  the  in- 
structor, and  the  point  of  view  of  the  teacher  can  be  learned  by 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  341 

the  pupil.  It  has  always  seemed  to  me  that  no  higher  enjoy- 
ment falls  to  the  lot  of  the  teacher  than  that  which  he  experi- 
ences when,  by  a  series  of  carefully  considered  questions,  he 
leads  his  pupil  onward  from  the  known  to  the  unknown,  and 
notes  the  gleam  of  intelligence  which  illumines  his  countenance 
as  a  subject,  previously  obscure,  becomes  clear,  as  a  result  of 
his  own  mental  operations  guided  by  his  teacher's  skilful  ques- 
tions. It  thus  appears  that  no  monopoly  of  opportunities  for 
mental  training  can  be  claimed  for  the  laboratory  method  of  in- 
struction. 

Distribution  of  Work. — The  next  question  which  I  shall  ask 
you  to  consider  is  that  of  the  proper  distribution  of  the  work  of 
a  medical  student.  Thirty  years  ago  no  such  question  seems  to 
have  presented  itself  to  the  minds  of  instructors  in  medicine. 
The  medical  faculties  of  that  time  contented  themselves  w^th 
providing,  each  year,  courses  of  lectures  covering  all  the  de- 
partments of  medicine,  as  they  were  then  understood,  and  every 
student  w^as  expected  to  attend  as  many  of  the  lectures  as  he 
saw  fit.  Between  1870  and  1880  the  fact  that  there  is  a  natural 
sequence  in  medical  studies  became  generally  recognized,  and 
graded  courses  of  instruction  were  established  in  the  principal 
medical  schools  of  the  country.  The  grading  was  not,  however, 
carried  sufficiently  far.  Thus  instruction  in  both  anatomy  and 
physiology  was  generally  given  simultaneously  through  the 
whole  of  the  first  year,  though  the  knowledge  of  structure 
should  logically  precede  a  study  of  function. 

The  time  seems  now  to  have  come  for  taking  another  step 
in  grading  medical  instruction,  and  during  the  academic  year 
now  drawing  to  a  close  instruction  in  the  Harvard   ]\Iedical 
School  has  been  given  in  accordance  with  a  plan  of  wdiich  the 
guiding  principles  are  concentration  of  work  and  sequence  of 
subjects.    Thus  in  the  first  half  of  the  first  year  the  students  de- 
vote themselves  exclusively  to  the  study  of  anatomy,  including" 
histology  and  embryology.     In  the  second  half  year  they  are 
occupied   with   physiology,   including   physiological   chemistry, 
while  in  the  first  half  of  the  second  year  pathology,  including 
bacteriology,  engages  their  attention.     It  is  perhaps  too  early 
to  pass  a  final  judgment  upon  the  value  of  the  method,  but  thus 
far  both  teachers  and  students  seem  to  regard  it  as  a  success. 
The  result  seems*  to  have  justified  the  opinion  of  its  advocates 
that  the  work  of  the  student  would  be  made  "easier  bv  concen- 


342  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

trating  his  thoughts  upon  one  subject,  instead  of  dissipating  his 
attention  upon  many  subjects."  Nor  have  its  opponents  found 
any  justification  for  their  fears  that  the  average  brain  would  be- 
come fatigued  and  unreceptive  by  too  close  application  to  one 
subject,  for  the  sciences  of  anatomy,  physiology  and  pathology 
"are  not  narrow  hedged-in  areas,  but  rather  broad  and  divers- 
ified domains  composed  of  many  contiguous  fields,"  in  passing 
from  one  to  another  of  which  the  student  may  rest  his  mind 
without  interrupting  the  continuity  of  effort  essential  to  effec- 
tive work. 

An  obvious  objection  to  this  method  of  concentrating  in- 
struction is  the  large  amount  of  work  which  it  imposes  upon  the 
instructors.  There  is  no  doubt  that  the  labor  of  teaching  every 
day  in  the  week  may  task  the  powers  of  even  the  most  enthi. 
siastic  instructor,  but  it  has  been  found  that  the  laboratory  work 
which  has  occupied  from  two  to  three  hours  every  forenoon  has 
been  conducted  with  much  less  fatigue  than  was  anticipated.  In 
fact,  students,  when  supplied  with  printed  directions  for  work 
and  with  the  necessary  apparatus,  need  remarkably  little  super- 
vision. In  the  physiological  laboratory  it  was  found  that  one  in- 
structor could  readily  supervise  the  work  of  fifteen  pairs  of 
students,  and  the  experience  in  the  anatomical  and  pathological 
departments  was  of  a  similar  sort. 

Examinations. — Closely  connected  with  the  question  of 
method  of  instruction  and  of  distribution  of  work  is  the  subject 
of  examinations.  With  regard  to  these  tests  of  our  educational 
methods  opinions  vary  even  more  widely  than  with  regard  to 
the  methods  themselves.  There  is  only  one  point,  as  Professor 
Exner  has  remarked,  on  which  teachers  are  practically  united, 
and  that  is  ''that  an  examination  is  a  necessary  evil."  Every  ex- 
aminer knows  only  too  well  that  an  examination  is  but  a  very 
imperfect  test  of  knowledge,  but  few  are  ready  with  any  sugges- 
tion of  a  substitute.  Much  of  the  confusion  which  prevails  in 
the  discussion  of  this  subject  would  be  removed  if  the  objects 
to  be  secured  by  an  examination  were  more  clearly  apprehended. 
Professor  Exner  points  out  that  examinations  may  be  broadly 
divided  into  two  classes,  viz.,  the  Controlpriifimg,  to  test  the 
faithfulness  with  which  the  student  has  performed  his  daily  tasks, 
and  the  Reifcpriifung,  to  determine  the  amount  of  his  perma- 
nently acquired  knowledge  of  medical  subjects. 

The  examination,  which,  at  the  end  of  the  year,  covers  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  343 

whole  ground  of  the  previous  twelve  months'  instruction,  and 
which  is  so  common  in  our  schools,  belongs  to  neither  of  these 
two  classes  and  is  really  a  concession  to  a  very  natural  wish  of 
the  student  to  get  the  examination  *'out  of  the  way"  while  the 
subject  is  still  fresh  in  their  minds.  Having  little  justification, 
from  an  educational  point  of  view,  we  may  hope  to  see  it 
abandoned  when  the  extension  of  laboratory  methods  provides 
in  the  notebook  and  graphic  records  of  each  student  the  evi- 
dence of  his  daily  work,  and  thus  either  renders  a  further  exam- 
ination unnecessary  or  prepares  the  way  for  a  final  test  of  his 
fitness  to  receive  his  diploma  of  M.D.  Whether  the  written  or 
the  oral  examination  affords  the  better  method  of  applying  this 
test  is  a  question  about  which  opinions  vary.  The  fact  that 
some  persons  can  write  more  readily  than  talk,  while  others 
can  talk  more  readily  than  they  can  write,  seems  to  be  a  reason 
for  providing  a  mixed  method  of  examination  in  which  each  in- 
dividual may  have  an  opportunity  of  appearing  to  the  best  ad- 
vantage. 

Conclusion. — If  the  views  here  presented  are  well  founded 
we  may  expect  that  a  medical  school  of  the  first  rank  will,  in  the 
immediate  future,  be  organized  and  administered  somewhat  as 
follows : 

I.  It  will  be  connected  with  a  university,  but  will  be  so  far 
independent  of  university  control  that  the  faculty  will  practically 
decide  all  questions  relating  to  methods  of  instruction  and  the 
personnel  of  the  teaching  body. 

II.  It  will  offer  advanced  instruction  in  every  department 
of  medicine,  and  will  therefore  necessarily  adopt  the  elective 
system  of  some  sort,  since  the  amount  of  instruction  provided 
will  be  far  more  than  any  one  student  can  follow. 

III.  The  laboratory  method  of  instruction  will  be  greatly 
extended,  and  students  will  be  trained  to  get  their  knowledge, 
as  far  as  possible,  by  the  direct  study  of  nature,  but  the  didactic 
lecture,  though  reduced  in  importance,  will  not  be  displaced 
from  its  position  as  an  educational  agency. 

IV.  The  work  of  the  students  will  probably  be  so  arranged 
that  their  attention  will  be  concentrated  upon  one  principal  sub- 
ject at  a  time,  and  these  subjects  will  follow  each  other  in  a 
natural  order. 

V.  Examinations  will  be  so  conducted  as  to  afford  a  test  of 
both  the  faithfulness  with  wliich  a  student  performs  his  dailv 


344  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

work  and  of  his  permanent  acquisition  of  medical  knowledge 
fitting  him  to  practice  his  profession. 

If  I  have  clothed  these  conclusions  in  the  language  of 
prophecy  it  is  because  the  title  of  my  discourse  has  laid  this 
necessity  upon  me.  In  forecasting  the  immediate  future,  I  have 
borne  in  mind  the  history  of  the  immediate  past,  and  if  I  have 
failed  to  read  aright  the  indications  of  the  lines  on  which  our 
medical  schools  are  to  advance,  it  must  be  remembered  that  the 
development  of  a  biological  science  and  of  its  dependent  arts  not 
infrequently  takes  place  in  totally  unexpected  directions,  thus 
introducing  into  the  path  of  educational  progress  perturbations 
which  may  well  defy  prediction. 


QUININE  PLANTATIONS. 

"The  quinine  plantations,  or  quinales  as  they  are  called, 
which  have  been  started  in  Bolivia  by  the  Germans,  are  usually 
found  on  rough  and  broken  mountain  sides,  and  at  altitudes  of 
three  thousand  or  four  thousand  feet  above  the  sea.  The  trees 
will  grow  at  an  altitude  of  eight  thousand  feet,  but  flourish  best 
at  an  elevation  of  about  four  thousand  feet,  for  they  require  a 
great  deal  of  sun,  rain  and  wind  to  reach  perfection,"  writes  Wil- 
liam E.  Curtis  in  the  Chicago  Record.  "Most  of  the  groves  have 
been  raised  from  the  seed,  which  is  gathered  in  the  early  summer 
months,  and  planted  in  hot  houses.  When  the  plants  are  about 
six  inches  high  they  are  transplanted  upon  the  hillsides,  which 
have  been  cleared  of  underbrush  and  plowed  up  beforehand  so 
that  the  young  roots  can  secure  the  benefit  of  all  the  moisture  and 
plant  food  in  the  soil,  and  the  heat  of  the  sun.  For  shelter  they 
are  partially  covered  with  twigs,  straw  or  other  light  stufif,  which 
also  serves  to  keep  the  heat  and  moisture  in  the  ground.  After 
about  two  years  this  shelter  is  raked  off;  the  plants  are  carefully 
inspected,  and  those  which  are  not  promising  are  replaced  by  new 
ones.  The  ground  around  them  is  kept  clear  of  weeds  and  the 
young  trees  are  carefully  trimmed  twice  a  year.  In  five  or  six 
years  the  tree  will  have  reached  a  height  of  twelve  or  fourteen 
feet,  and  its  trunk  will  be  straight  and  slender,  with  a  diameter 
of  about  six  inches.  It  resembles  the  orange  tree  in  size  and 
shape  and  peculiar  gloss  of  leaves.  Two  or  three  times  a  year 
three  or  four  slips  of  bark  about  two  inches  wide  are  cut  from  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  345 

trunk,  and  thrown  upon  a  paved  yard  to  dry.  As  the  moisture 
evaporates  they  curl  up  like  cinnamon.  Within  a  year  or  so>  na- 
ture replaces  the  bark  that  has  been  stripped  off,  and  the  tree  is 
stripped  again  in  other  places.  As  it  grows  older  smaller  strips 
can  be  taken  from  the  stronger  branches,  and  a  mature  tree  will 
produce  an  annual  average  of  about  four  pounds  of  bark.  The 
bark  dries  in  a  few  days^,  and  is  packed  for  sliipment  in  rav^hide 
bales." 


ANTISEPSIS  OF  THE  MOUTH. 

In  experiments  by  C.  Roese  on  oral  antisepsis  a  large 
number  of  mouth  washes  were  tested  on  subjects  who',  during 
the  forty-eight  hours  of  the  tests,  neither  ate,  drank,  hawked, 
coughed  nor  talked  for  any  length  of  time.  Each  substance  was 
tested  at  least  eight  times,  some  twenty-four.  Roese  found  that 
tepid  physiologic  salt  solution  has  considerable  bactericidal  effect, 
and  recomimends  it  to  the  sick  and  poor  as  an  inexpensive  and 
effective  antiseptic  for  rinsing  the  mouth.  Cold  substances  induce 
a  venous  congestion  which  favors  the  development  of  bacteria. 
He  found  that  the  number  of  bacteria  was  very  much  diminished 
by  a  meal;  the  broader  the  face  and  consequently  the  more  vigor- 
ous the  muscles  of  mastication,  the  greater  the  number  of  bac- 
teria dislodged  and  carried  down  into  the  stomach  with  the  food. 
Continuous  talking  also  diminished  the  number  of  bacteria,  and 
certain  articles  of  food,  gooseberries,  peaches,  cider,  have  a  con- 
siderable bactericidal  effect.  Miller's  mouth  wash  is  the  most 
effective — with  the  exception  of  odol — but  it  must  be  fresh;  other- 
wise it  proves  a  good  culture-medium.  Formula:  acid  benzoic, 
3.0;  tint,  ratanhas,  15.0;  alcohol,  100.0;  and  ol.  menth.  pip,  0.75. 
One  teaspoonful  in  a  wineglass  of  water  for  rinsing  the  mouth. 
Roese  mentions  that  he  cures  an  inflamed  gum  by  dipping  his 
tooth-brush  in  60  per  cent,  alcohol,  and  thinks  that  alcohol  will 
yet  assume  a  more  prominent  place  in  antisepsis  on  account  of  the 
great  dilatation  of  the  small  terminal  arteries  and  capillaries  which 
it  induces.  The  tabulated  tests  show  that  odol,  in  either  5  or  10 
per  cent,  solution,  is  superior  to  all  other  substances  which  are 
not  directly  injurious  for  either  teeth  or  gums,  on  account  of  its 
strong  bactericidal  properties,  its  harmlcssncss  and  its  pleasant 
taste.  It  is  a  brown  oily  substance  with  great  surface  attraction, 
and  spreads  out  evenly  over  the  lining  of  the  mouth,  where  it 
breaks  up  into  salicylic  acid  and  phenol,  the  same  as  salol  in  the 
intestines.  It  is  therefore  closely  allied  to  salol,  and  yet  is  physi- 
cally entirely  different.  Joiir.  Auicr.  Med.  Asso. 


THE 


Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 

Published  Monthly. 


WII.BUR    F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


EDITORIAL. 


An  Elective  Medical  Course. 

The  programme  published  in  the  May  issue  of  the  Brief 
of  the  ''Sym'posium  on  Dental  Education,"  which  forms  a  prom- 
inent feature  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Section  on  Stomatology 
of  the  American  Medical  Association  at  the  annual  meeting  to 
be  held  at  Atlantic  City  from  the  5th  to  the  8th  of  the  pres- 
ent month,  is  not  only  indicative  of  a  continued  and  growing 
interest  in  a  much  discussed  subject,  but  is  significant  also  of  a 
deepening  appreciation  of  the  fact  that,  as  an  outgrowth  of  the 
general  educatio^nail  movement  in  the  dental  profession,  the  ques- 
tion of  its  relationship  as  a  profession  to  general  medicine  is 
becoming  increasingly  impo-rtant. 

While  the  treatment  of  diseases  of  the  teeth  and  associated 
parts  logically,  as  well  as  histodcally,  must  be  accepted  as  a 
branch  of  general  medicine,  practically  during  the  century  just 
closed  dentistry  has  been  a  branch  whose  growth  and  develop- 
ment have  to  a  great  degree  been  independent  of  the  parent  stem. 

That  in  view  of  conditions  rapidly  becoming  dominant  the 
closer  union,  which  of  late  years  has  been  effected,  will,  in  the 
not  remote  future,  become  still  more  close  can  hardly  be  doubted 
by  those  observant  of  the  trend  of  events,  and  mindful  of  the 
forces  which  are  exerting  upon  them  a  controlling  influence. 
In  view  of  this  fact  the  paper  of  Professor  Bowditch,  entitled 

"The  Medical  School  of  the  Future,"  reproduced  in  part  in  our 

346 


EDITORIAL.  347 

present  issue,  is  both  timely  and  suggestive.     Its  most  salient 

feature  is  perhaps  the  following  statement: 

Any  one  who  is  famiHar  with  the  existing  methods  of  med- 
ical instruction  is  aware  that  in  nearly  every  department  many 
things  are  taught  which  are  subsequently  found  to  be  of  use  to 
only  a  fraction  of  those  receiving  the  instruction.  Thus  the 
surgical  anatomy  of  hernia  is  taught  to  men  who  will  subse- 
quently devote  themselves  to  dermatology,  future  obstetricians 
are  required  to  master  the  details  of  physiological  optics,  and  the 
microscopical  anatomy  of  muscles  forms  a  part  of  the  instruc- 
tion of  men  destined  to  a  career  as  alienists.  Now  no  one  can 
doubt  the  propriety  of  including  instruction  on  all  these  subjects 
in  the  curriculum  of  a  medical  school,  but  it  may  be  fairly  ques- 
tioned whether  every  student  should  be  foirced  to  take  instruction 
in  them  all. 

In  the  existing  state  of  medical  education  the  introduction 
of  the  elective  system  in  some  form  or  other  seems  to  be  an 
essential  condition  to  any  further  important  advance,  for  the 
curriculum  of  most  of  our  schools  is  already  so  crowded  that  no 
considerable  amount  of  instruction  can  po'ssibly  be  added. 

The  fact  that  the  more  ''advanced"  courses  in  medicine  are 
burdened  to  their  limit,  and  must  inevitably  break  down  by  their 
own  weight  if  additional  exactions  are  imposed,  is  very  gener- 
ally recognized.  Even  as  it  is,  medical  courses  ha!ve  too  gener- 
ally degenerated  into  a  cram,  the  quiz-master  having,  to  a 
great  degree,  supplanted  the  teacher,  and  the  student  being  not 
so  much  trained  in  medical  science  as  stuffed  for  medical  exam- 
inations. The  result  is  that  the  average  student  acquires  more 
or  less  knowledge  of  everything,  except  practical  skill  and  ex- 
perience in  healing  the  sick.  Thus  that  which  should  be  the 
chief  and  ruling  purpose  of  a  medical  training  must  be  attained 
by  the  medical  graduate  either  by  experimental  private  practice 
or,  with  less  hazard  to  patients,  by  a  term  of  hospital  service,  or  a 
post-graduate  course.  Under  such  conditions  a  sifting  out  and 
rearrangement  of  studies,  by  which  those  essential  for  all  shall 
be  separated  from  those  required  only  by  the  relatively  few,  may 
be  regarded  as  a  necessity  of  the  near  future. 

The  influence  which  such  a  movement  would  necessarily 
exert  upon  education  in  dentistry  could  not  fail  to  be  noteworthy, 


348  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

as  the  subjects  special  to  dental  theory  and  practice  would  doubt- 
less sooner  or  later  be  taught  in  one  of  the  elective  courses,  and 
thus  the  mistake  which  forced  dentistry  to  shape  for  itself  a  sep- 
arate career  be  finally  and  fully  rectified. 

Primiarily  the  mistaken  refusal  of  schools  of  medicine  to 
make  provision  for  training  in  dentistry  was  due  to  that  im- 
perfect knowledge  of  the  laws  of  health  and  disease  as  applied 
to  the  human  organism  which  characterized  the  medical  science 
of  an  earlier  day.  Dental  caries  and  asso'ciated  dental  disorders 
were  regarded  as  isoilated  phenomiena,  Uiniimiportant  in  them- 
selves, with  but  slight  relation  to:  general  systemic  conditions 
and  to  be  remedied  chiefly,  if  not  solely,  by  local  medication  or 
mechanical  mieanis.  Hence  dentistry  becamie,  to  a  conisiderable 
extent,  the  possession  of  those  far  more  skilled  in  the  mechan- 
ical repairing  of  the  ravages  of  decay  then  in  its  pirophylaxis  or 
treatment. 

This  concentration  of  energy  in  one  direction  has,  however, 
not  been  without  its  advantages,  foir  it  has  resulted  in  such  a 
degree  of  perfection  in  the  methods,  appliances  and  technique 
of  dental  practice  as  to  leave  little  room  for  further  imiprovement 
of  a  radical  character  * 

With  this  development  of  the  mechanical  aspect  of  dentis- 
try has  come,  as  the  result  of  experience,  a  fuller  knowledge  of 
its  limitations  as  a  remedial  agency,  and  an  increased  realization 
of  the  fact  that  a  large  per  centage  of  dental  lesions  are  directly 
or  indirectly  rather  systemic  than  loeal  in  their  origin,  and  that 
either  the  prophylaxis  or  cure  of  disorders  due  to  systemic  in- 
fluences can  only  be  made  really  and  fully  effective  through  treat- 
ment directed  to  causative  systemic  conditions. 

The  logical  and  inevitable  deduction  from  these  premises 
is  that,  in  addition  to  his  skill  as  a  craftsman,  the  dentist  should 
have  both  the  knowledge  required  for  the  systemic  treatment  of 
pathological  conditions  of  the  teeth  and  associated  parts,  and 
the  authority  to  utilize  his  knowledge  when  required  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  patient. 


EDITORIAL.  349 

At  present  the  right  of  the  dentist  to  write  the  simplest 
prescription  for  other  than  local  uses  is  far  from  being  fully 
conceded;  advice  as  to  regimen  is  often  regarded  as  unwar- 
ranted and,  although  the  discoverers  of  anesthesia,  Ameri- 
can dentists,  not  also  graduates  in  medicine,  administer  anaes- 
thetics subject  to  the  grave  disapprobation  of  many  of  the  med- 
ical fraternity;  while  in  most  foreign  countries  dentists  are  in- 
terdicted from  the  administration  of  any  general  anaesthetic  other 
than  nitrous  oxid  gas. 

Such  limitations,  however  restrictive  and  offensive,  cannot 
be  considered  entirely  unreasonable  in  view  of  the  very  meagre 
and  imperfect  training  in  general  pathology  and  therapeutics 
which  a  large  percentage  of  dental  graduates  have  received. 

If  "elevating  the  dignity"  of  the  dental  profession  is  ever 
to  be  more  than  a  catch-phrase  and  an  excuse  for  airing  moth- 
eaten  platitudes  in  dental  meetings,  it  must  be  by  advancing  the 
status  oif  its  practitioners  as  healers  of  diseaisie. 

For  this  adrv^ance  we  must  look  to  our  dental  schools,  w'hich 
should  not  only  progressively  increase  their  preliminary  require- 
ments up  toi  a  reasonable  standard  of  educational  fitness,  but 
broaden  their  coiurses  of  instruction  tO'  a  fuller  measure  of  edu- 
cational completeness. 

With  the  establishment  of  the  elective  system  by  medical 
schools  dentistry  would  doubtless  take  its  place  with  ophthal- 
mology, laryngology  and  other  recognized  specialties,  and  those 
desirous  of  pursuing  its  study  under  such  auspices  would  be 
enabled  to  secure  all  the  really  essential  attainments  of  the 
physician,  combined  with  the  special  training  of  the  dentist,  and 
this  without  the  useless  sacrifice  of  years  of  time  and  the  useless 
labor  of  mastering  in  all  details  subjects  wh'ich,  however  inter- 
esting and  valuable  in  themselves,  have  but  the  slightest,  if  any, 
relation  to  the  special  field  of  work  upon  which  they  desire  to 
enter. 

A  change  of  methods  so  time-saving  and  labor-saving 
cannot  much  longer  be  deferred  in  an  age  too  busy  with  present 


350  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

duties  to  be  punctilious  about  past  traditions,  and  too  determined 
upon  the  attainment  of  direct  results  by  the  most  direct  means 
to  be  hampered  by  the  trammels  of  precedent  however  authori- 
tative, or  of  custom  however  venerable. 


The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Dental  Asso- 
ciation. 

The  annual  meeting  of  this  org-afiization,  to  be  held  this 
year  at  Old  Point  Comfort  on  July  loth,  and  the  three  succeed- 
ing days,  should  not  be  neglected  by  those  desirous  of  combin- 
ing the  profit  to  be  derived  from  its  proceedings  with  the  pleas- 
ure of  a  sojourn  at  an  attractive  summer  resort. 

It  may  be  well  to  remind  those  not  familiar  with  this  famous 
w^atering  place  that  not  only  is  it  an  historic  spot,  but  it  is  located 
in  a  region  rich  in  historic  associations  connected  with  the  early 
colonial  and  revolutionary  history  of  Virginia,  as  wxll  as  with 
some  of  the  most  important  events  of  the  civil  war. 

Among  the  points  of  interest  may  be  mentioned  Jamestown 
Island,  the  first  English  settlement  in  America,  with  its  inter- 
esting ruins;  Williamsburg,  the  site  of  William  and  Mary  Col- 
lege, once  the  seat  of  learning  and  the  resort  of  beauty  and 
fashion,  where  also  may  be  found  Bruton  Parish  Church,  hold- 
ing many  early  colonial  reHcs,  among  these  the  font  used  in  the 
baptism  of  Pocahontas;  Newport  News,  the  creation  of  yester- 
day, already  the  site  of  a  great  ship-building  industry,  and  des 
tined  soo-n  to  become  a  populous  city;  Hampton,  with  its  famous 
industrial  school  for  freedmen  and  Indians;  Norfolk,  Portsmouth, 
Gosport  navy  yard. 

All  these  are  easily  accessible  by  rail  or  steamer;  w^hile  directly 
at  Old  Point  is  Fortress  Monroe,  one  of  the  most  important  of 
our  seacoast  defences,  where  guard-mount,  dress  parade,  artillery 
practice  and  other  events  are  always  of  interest  to  those  who 
love  the  sound  of  martial  music  and  the  pomp  and  circumstance 
of  military  display. 


BOOK  NOTICES.  35i 

Add  to  these  attractions  the  fact  that  the  hotels  are  excel- 
lent and  the  bathing  good,  that  the  waters  of  Hampton  Roads 
abound  with  fish,  and  that  upon  its  surface,  usually  placid  dur- 
ing the  summer  months,  sailing  is  a  delight,  and  it  is  difficult 
to  imagine  a  place  Where  the  means  of  enjoyment  are  more  lav- 
ishly provided. 

The  full  programme  of  proceedings  for  the  daily  sessions  of 
the  association  has  not  yet  been  issued,  but  many  interesting 
papers  and  clinics  are  promised,  and  the  address  by  the  Presi- 
dent, Dr.  B.  Holly  Smith,  is  sure  to  be  worth  listening  to. 

Take  a  few  days  off  and  go  to  Old  Point  Comfort. 


BOOK  NOTICES. 


PROFESSIONAL    EDUCATION    IN    THE   UNITED 

STATES. 

DENTISTRY. 

Bulletin  9,  February,  1900. 

Prepared  by  Henry  L.  Taylor,  Ph.D.,  under  the  direction  of  James 
Russell  Parsons,  Jr.,  M.A.,  Albany,  University  of  the  State  of  New 
York.     Price  25  cents. 

This  volume  of  twO'  hundred  pages  is  an  excellent  compila- 
tion of  data  relative  to  the  educational  interests  of  dentistry.  In 
addition  to  other  valuable  features  it  contains  a  full  list  of  rec- 
ognized dental  colleges  and  departments  in  the  United  States, 
with  concise  information  concerning  their  requirements  and 
courses  of  instruction.  It  furnishes  also  a  full  analysis  of  the  laws 
regulating  the  practice  of  dentistry  in  the  several  States  and  Ter- 
ritories of  the  Union. 

The  introiductory  chapter  by  James  Russell  Parsons,  Jr.. 
gives  a  brief  synopsis  of  the  history  of  dentistry  from  the  earliest 
times,  when  it  was  practiced  as  a  branch  of  surger\-,  to  our  own 
day.  The  causes  which  led  to  the  formation  of  independent  den- 
tal colleges  and  departments  are  briefly  sketched,  and  their  mar- 
velously  rapid  growth  is  statistically  stated.     A  short  historv'  of 


352  DEXTAL  BRIEF. 

the  establishment  of  dental  societies  is  also  given,  and  the  more 
important  discoveries  and  inventions  in  dentristy  are  briefly  out- 
lined. The  chapter  closes  with  a  synopsis  of  the  present  State  reg- 
ulations governing  the  right  to  engage  in  dental  practice;  the 
States  and  Territories  being  arranged  in  groups  in  accordance 
with  the  nature  of  their  several  requirements. 

This  compilation  constitutes  a  convenient  book  of  reference 
on  the  subjects  of  which  it  treats,  and  is  valuable  to  aid  interested 
in  educational  questions.  It  may  be  obtained  by  remitting  the 
price  to  tlie  University  of  the  State  of  New  York,  Albany,  N.  Y. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Editor  Dental  Brief: — The  following  letter  and  ques- 
tion slip  I  have  sent  to  about  three  hundred  dentists  throughout 
the  United  States  for  the  purpose  of  investigating  the  value  of 
local  anaesthesia  about  the  mouth: 

Philadelphia,  May  loth,  1900. 

Dear  Doctor: — You  can  assist  me  materially  in  an  inves- 
tigation of  the  value  of  local  anaesthetics  in  dentistry  by  answer- 
ing the  enclosed  questions  and  returning  same  to  me.  There  is 
such  a  marked  diversity  oif  opinion  as  tOi  the  propriety  of  apply- 
ing local  anaesthetics  about  the  mouth,  that  any  attempt  to 
arrive  at  a  statistical  conclusion  should  meet  not  alone  with  favor 
but  the  hearty  cooperation  of  the  profession  at  large.  Few  den- 
tal institutions  of  learning  advocate  or  teach  the  use  of  local 
anaesthetics,  and  still  as  each  graduate  enters  upon  his  profes- 
sional career,  he  is  confronted  by  the  imiportant  question:  Is  one 
justified  in  using  local  anaesthesia  to  alleviate  the  pain  in  dento- 
surgical  operations? 

Some  men  are  firm  advocates  of  the  use  of  local  anaestheticSj 
others  strongly  condemn  them.  If  one  man  gets  good  results 
with  the  refrigerating  spray  or  the  cocain-charged  syringe  and 
the  other  does  not,  investigation  may  show  that  they  are  at  vari- 
ance in  their  methods  of  application. 

When  concerted  opinion  is  absent  in  the  profession,  who 
is  to  decide  in  an  individual  case  whether  the  post-operative 
swelling  or  sloughing  is  due  to  the  traumatism',  infection  of  the 
part  or  the  toxic  effect  of  the  anaesthetic? 

Many  important  points  of  this  nature  should  be  brought 
out  in  this  investigation,  and  I  ask  that  you  kindly  answer  in 
full  the  questions  mentioned.  Space  is  provided  upon  the  en- 
closed question  slip  for  the  report  of  any  interesting  cases  bear- 
ing upon  this  subject. 

Due  credit  will  be  given  for  all  information. 


ANNO  VN  CEMENTS. 


353 


Should  you  know  of  any  other  members  of  the  proiession 
whose  experience  would  be  of  value,  I  would  be  indebted  to  you 
for  their  names  and  addresses. 

I  intend  making  a  report  of  my  investigation  upon  its  com- 
pletion, and  desire  to  broaden  the  scope  of  this  investigation. 
There  are  many  men  throughout  the  country  whom  I  did  not 
reach  by  letter,  and  whose  experiences  would  be  of  much  value 
in  compiling  this  report.  These  I  hope  to  reach  through  the 
dental  journals.  It  would  add  greatly  to  the  convenience  in  col- 
lating the  data  furnished  if  the  questions  are  answered  in  rota- 
tion, with  remarks  and  reports  of  interesting  cases  below.  The 
name  and  address  of  each  wTiter  should  be  placed  at  the  bot- 
tom of  the  sheet  in  right-hand  corner,  as  in  the  following  question 
slip: 

QUESTION   SLIP. 

1.  Do  you  employ  local  anaesthesia  in  your  practice? 

2.  Kindly  state  what  drugs  oir  combination  of  drugs  used 
for  this  purpose,  and  also'  your  method  of  employing  them. 

3.  Have  you  observed  any  untoward  effects,  either  consti- 
tutional or  local,  from  their  use? 

4.  What  means,  if  any,  do  you  find  necessary  to  prevent 
post-operative  swelling  and  sloughing? 

Remarks  or  reports  of  interesting  cases. 

Name 

Address 

All  communications  should  be  sent  to-  my  office,  1636 
Walnut  street,  Philadelphia. 

Morris  I.  Schambcrg,  D.DS.,  M.D. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


RECEPTION  COMMITTEE  APPOiINTED  BY  THE  MAN- 
AGEMENT OF  THE  INTERNATIONAL  DEN- 
TAL CONGRESS  AT  PARIS. 
The  following  named  gentlemen  constitute  a  reception  com- 
mittee for  looking  after  the  welfare  of  residents  of  the  United 
States  attending  the  Dental  Congress:    Dr.  du  Bonchet,  Presi- 
dent, 8  Boulevard  des  Capucines;  Dr.  Roussell,  Secretary,  74 
Boulevard  Haussmann;  Drs.  Barrett,  Bogue,  Crane,  Daboll,  I. 
B.  Davenport,  W.  Davenport,  Fay,  Gries,  Holtz,  Lie,  Levett, 
Mung,  Georgas  Ryan,  Jean  Ryan,  J.  H.  Spaulding,  and  Silva. 


35  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

INTERNATIONAL  DENTAL  CONGRESS,  PARIS, 
FRANCE,  AUGUST  8th,  TO  Htli,  1900. 

The  following  papers  will  be  read  by  the  undermentioned 
gentlemen: 

A.  K.  Fort,   D.D.S.,  Atlanta,  Ga.     'The  Lifluence  of  the 
Saliva  on  Bacterial  Growth  in  the  Mouth." 

W.  A.  Price,   D.D.S.,    Cleveland,    Ohio.     'The   Science   of 
Dental  Radiography."     (Illustrated.) 

Richard  Grady,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Baltimore,  Md.     "Instruct- 
ing Our  Patients  in  the  Care  of  the  Mouth  and  Teeth." 

R.  R.  Andrews,    A.M.,    D.D.S.,    Cambridge,    Mass.     "The 
Development  of  the  Enamel." 

Geo.  W.  Cook,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.     "A  Bacteriological 
Study  of  Pyorrhea  Alveoilaris." 

C.  S.  Case,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,   Chicago,  •  111.     "Important  Prin- 
ciples in  Dento-Facial  Orthopedia." 

R.  H.  Hofheinz,  D.D.S.,  Rochester,  N.  Y.     "Our  PreHm- 
inary  Educational  Deficiencies." 

E.  H.  Angle,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  St.  Louis,  Mo.     "The  American 
Type  of  Dento-Facial  Deformity." 

J,  E.  Hinkins,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.     "The  Chemical  Action 
of  Cements  in  the  Mouth." 

I.  N.  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.     "The  Source  of 
Nutrition  of  the  Dental  Pulp." 

T.  W.  Brophy,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  LL.  D.,  Chicago,  111.     "Sur- 
gical Treatment  of  Palatal  Defects." 

W.  C.  Barrett,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Baltimore,  Md.     "Will  Open 
the  Discussion  on  Education." 

Jonathan    Taft,    M.D.,    A.M.,    D.D.S.,    Cincinnati,    Ohio. 
"Dental  History." 

A.  W.  Harlan,  A.M.,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    Chicago,   111.     "Pulp 
Digestion." 

E.  R.  Warner,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Denver,  Colo.     "Some  Phases 
of  Mummification." 

It  is  expected  that  a  few  additions  will  be  made  to  this  list. 

The  following  gentlemen  will  give  clinics: 

CLINICS. 

W.  V.  B.  Ames,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.     "Some  Possibilities 
of  New  Process  Oxyphosphate  of  Copper." 

Gordon   White,   D.D.S.,   Nashville,  Tenn.     "A   Compound 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


355 


Filling,  Using  in  the  Cavity  Tin,  Abbey's  Non-Cohesive  Gold 
and  Nickold's  Cohesive  Gold. 

Joseph  Head,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Philadelphia,  Pa.  "Porcelain 
Inlays." 

Alfred  Owre,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Minneapolis,  Minn.  "Will 
Prepare  a  Step  Cavity  in  an  Incisor  or  Bicuspid  and  Fill  Same 
with  DeTrey's  Crystal  Mat.  Gold."    (Solila.) 

Joseph  W.  Wassail,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.  "The 
Treatment  of  Septic  Pulpless  Teeth." 

Hart  J.  Goslee,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.  "Porcelain  Crowns 
and  Bridge-work." 

Robert  Good,  D.D.S.,  Chicago,  111.  "Porcelain  Bridge- 
work." 

V.  H.  Jackson,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  New  York.  "Jackson's  Sys- 
tem of  Constructing  Appliances  for  the  Correction  of  Irregular- 
ities of  the  Teeth." 

Levitt  E.  Custer,  D.D.S.,  Dayton,  Ohio.  "The  Electric 
Oven,  and  Electric  Gold  Annealer." 

W.  E.  Griswold,  D.D.S.,  Denver,  Colo.  "A  Removable 
Crown  for  the  Support  of  Saddle  Plates  or  Bridges." 

E.  K.  Wedelstaedt,  D.D.S.,  St.  Paul,  Minn.  "Gold  Filling." 
Mesio-occlusal  Cavity  in  Upper  Front  Molar,  demonstrating  Dr. 
C.  V.  Black's  method  of 

1st.     Cavity  Preparation. 

2d.     Extension  for  Prevention. 

3d.     Occlusal  Anchorage. 

4th.     The  use  of  Annealed  and  Unannealed  Gold. 

5th.  Method  of  Finishing  (using  Black's  saw  and  finishing 
files). 

6th.     Proper  Contact,  also 

7th.     The  Scientific  Application  of  the  Rubber-dam,  and 

8th.  The  Wedelstaedt  System  of  Measurement,  and  its  ap- 
plication to  cavities  in  the  human  teeth. 

Frank  Holland,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  Atlanta,  Ga.  "Cohesive 
Gold  Filling." 

T.  W.  Brophy,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  LL.D.,  Chicago,  111.  "Sur- 
gical Treatment  of  Congenital  Cleft  Palate." 

There  are  three  or  four  additional  clinicians  to  be  heard  from. 

A.  JV.  Harlan,  Chainnan. 
IV.  E.  Griszvold,  Secretary. 


356 


niJXTAL   BRIEF 


COLORADO  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 
The  fourteenth  annual  meeting  of  the  Colorado  State  Den- 
tal Association  will  be  held  in  Boulder,  Colcradoi,  Tuesday,  Wed- 
nesday and  Thursday,  June  12th,  13th  and  14th,  1900.  Indica- 
tions point  toward  an  interesting  and  successful  meeting.  It  is 
earnestly  desired  as  many  as  possible  be  in  attendance;  members 
of  the  profession  are  cordially  invited. 

Florence  S.  Green,  Cor.  Sec. 


COLLEGE   COMMENCEMENTS. 


CHICAGO   COLLEGE   OF   DENTAL   SURGERY— DEN- 
TAL DEPARTMENT  OF  LAKE  FOREST 
UNIVERSITY. 

The  eighteenth  annual  commencement  took  place  at  Central 
IMusic  Flail,  Chicago,  on  Thursday,  May  3d,  1900,  at  2.30  p.  m. 


LIST   OF  GRADUATES,   CLASS 


Alkire,  Le\\-is  Edgar 
Ardner,    Andrew  Joseph 
Arnold,    Le^^'is   Earl 
Aten,    Wilbur   Orcutt 
Bacon,    Charles  Grant 
Bast,    Magnus    Leonard 
Bast,  Jr.,  John 
Beeson,  Orrin  Leroy 
Belscamper,   Charles  Lester 
Blatchford,   Benjamin 
Bullard,    John  Albert 
Bock,   Edwin  Charles 
Boyd,    Earl   Davis 
Braley,   Ernest  Edward 
Brager,   Joseph  E. 
Brown,   Nickell  Flint 
Buckingham,    Joseph   T. 
Bingham,   Jr.,   Joel  Wallace 
Benedict,    James   Hudson 
Bowyer,   John  Edgar 
Campbell,  Kenneth  Charles 
Carrick,    Clyde  Cecil 
Chappell,   John  Boyd 
Clark,   Gustavus  Alonzo 
Coe,   Lewis  Clarke 
Collins,   Francis  Bradford 
Crawford,    Edwin  Henry 
Crouch,  Clyde  Clippinger 
Crowe,   Joseph  Patrick 
Campbell,   Edwin  James 
Davis,    Charles   William 
Dennis,    Calvin   Ashford 
Donelan,    Thomas    Patrick 
Dieckhoff,  Emil  Charles 
Ducey,  John  Vincent 


Dicus,  William  Owen 
Dundass,  Edmund  Grant 
Everest,    Bryant   Henry 
Fraker,    Guy   Cronice 
Funk,   Roy  Alonzo 
Fortune,   William  George 
Galbraith,   Hugh 
Gaston,  Thomas  Ewing 
Garretson,    Garrett   James 
Gibson,  James  Clark 
Gillies,    William    James 
Gilson,    Samuel   Wolford 
Gostelow,   Franklin  Jesse 
Gostelow,   William  Robert 
Grove,    Norman   Clifford 
Grove,    George    Nimes 
Guthrie,  Nicholas  Aitlcen 
Grammer,  Henry  Andrew 
Goslee,  William  Arthur 
Gore,   Frank  Albert 
Hatch,   Eugene  Delmont 
Hansen,    Harold   Joseph 
Hamomnd,    John  Jay 
Hamilton,  Ph.  G.,  Edwin  T. 
Hallock,   Emmet  Corson 
Hillemeyer,  Frank  H. 
Hoesly,    Ph.    G.,   Henry 
Hoffman,   Herman  Hale 
Hersh,  William  Henry 
Hoyt,  Frank  Alfred 
Helt,  Fred.   Henry 
Hodson,   John   W. 
Jamieson,   Henry  Louis 
Janett,  John  Andrew 
Johnson,    Henry   George 


OF   1900. 
Juengling,   Adolph  Richard 
Kutch,    Alfred  Irie 
Kimball,   Horton  Fellows 
Kuster,    Samuel   Williams 
Kerr,    Ernest   Everett 
Kibler,   John  Burton 
Land,    William    Harvey 
Lawrance,  Edw^ard  Patterson 
Mahony,   Daniel  Patrick 
Martin,  Joseph  Franklin 
MacBoyle,   Robert  Ernest 
McCallister,   Harry   Adney 
McEvoy,    Richard  David 
McLeish,    John   Niesbit 
Meagher,   William  Francis 
Metcalf,   Thomas  Jefferson 
Mills,    Thomas   Mailen 
Murphy,   Walter  Britt 
McCandless,   Charles  B. 
Myers,  Marion  Lafayette 
Mayer,   Oscar  Henry 
Nickson,    Harry   Edw^ard 
Norman,    Helge 
Norris,   Charles  Chalmers 
Norton,   Ira  Pickett 
Olcott,    Harry  Luman 
Olmsted,   Lewis  George 
Parker,  Jewett  Claire 
Parker,    Frank    DuBois 
Peterson,    Arnold    Arthur 
Pinney,    Harry   Bowman 
Proctor,   Olin  Southard 
Reese,   George  Walter 
Richardson,   Frank  Martin 
Reitz,    Hugo   Charles 


COLLEGE  COMMENCEMENTS. 


)57 


Rigg,  Ph.  G.,  Perry  Lawrence 
Rink,    Henry  Thomas 
Ritchie,  Sidney  Willis 
Roth,    Yanno   Joseph 
Ruge,    Harry   William 
Schleiter,    Jr.,    John 
Schloesser,   Charles  Dudley 
Schmedeman,    Otto    Carl 
Schultz,   Aloysius  Francis 
Scott,    Samuel    Joseph 
Senneff,    Albert   Clayton 
Sevier,    Lawrence   Roland 
Sheehy,    William   Jay 
Schutt,    Alexander 


Shurtleff,    Chas.    Henry 
Sievers,    Detlef 
Slingluff,    George  Wesley 
Smith,  Charles  George 
Snyder,   Charles  M. 
Sturtz,   Herman 
Saulter,    Bruce 
Smith,  B.  A.,  Edward  A. 
Schneider,   George 
Tipler,   Joseph  Johnson 
Thompson,    Dwight   Lyman 
Towle,    Samuel  Downs 
Van  DeGrift,   Daniel  Davis 
Van  Verst,  George  Wyatt 


Van  Hasselt,   Arend  L.  J.   C. 
Vance,    Mark    Elliott 
Wayland,    Eugene   Adelbert 
Weatherwax,    Walter  Jay 
Welch,    Adelbert  Alonzo 
Whififen,    John   R. 
Williams,   George  R.   Eugene 
Williams,  Ph.,  G.,  Alvin  I, 
Williamson,   Oliver  Leroy 
Willman,    Jerome   Edward 
Wolavka,  Charles  H.   Nicholaa 
Wyneken,    Theodore  Charles 
Walsh,    Harry   Edwin 
Yule,   Robert  James  Basil 


NORTHWESTERN    UNIVERSITY    DENTAL   SCHOOL. 

The  commencement  exercises  of  Northwestern  University- 
Dental  School  took  place  at  Central  Music  Hall,  Chicago,  on 
Wednesday  afternoon,  May  2d,  1900,  at  2.30  o'clock. 


LIST  OF  GRADUATES,  CLASS 


Ackers,   Charles  Franklin 
Ahlenfeld,   Theodore 
Alderson,   Thomas  Edward 
Anderson,   Alexander  George 
Andrews,    George    Jay 
Barker,  Oakley  Moses 
Beck,   Robert   Wilfred 
Becker,    Ottmar   Albert 
Bell,    Alfred   Millen 
Black,   Arthur  Davenport 
Blass,  D.  M. 
Blane,    Lee   Edison 
Bloom,    Frank 
Bloomingdale,   John  Edwin 
Borovik,    Borris   Maurice 
Bower,   Willis  Harrison 
Brandt,    William   Frederick 
Bronson,  Archibald  Franklin 
Brooks,    James  Howard 
Brooks,   May  Lorena 
Brown,  Boyd  Crandall 
Brown,   George  Edward 
Butler,    Walter   Pilling 
Cannon,   Ralph  M. 
Carney,  Edward  B. 
Case,    Rolland  Theron 
Chesebro,    Miles   Bennett 
Chilson,    Henry  Lee 
Clark,    Adelbert   David 
Collie,  Winfred  Ross 
Converse,    Charles   Henry 
Cooler,  Frank  Dennis 
Cornish,   Marshall  Sanford 
Costello,    Daniel 
Courtney,   Walter  George 
Craver,   Alva  Sumner 


Crooks,   William  Bennett 
Cushway,   Bert  Charles 
Cutter,  Arthur  Lucas 
Darling,  Andrew  Delos 
Davidson,    William   Edward 
Dessaint,   Lew^s  R. 
Dix,    Alfred   John 
Drew,    Rupert  C. 
Dryden,   Frederick  Addison 
Dueser,  Fritz  Henry 
Duffy,   Bernard  Alfred 
Eisenstaedt,  Moses 
Fisk,    Frederick  Darling 
Flanagan,   Lawson  Holland 
Formanack,   George  James 
Frank,    Harris   Joseph 
Free,  George  Walter 
Frieseke,   Albert  Julius 
Furman,    Walter   Orval 
Gainforth,   Silas  Philo 
Gietzen,   Charles  Henry 
Gillette,   Clayton  Omer 
Goldthorp,    Francis  Joseph 
Goodson,   Lewis  Jay 
Green,  William  Emory 
Gnmn,  Albert  Parker 
Hamilton,    Gail    Washburn 
Hammond,   Charles  Richard 
Harlan,   Catherine  Han-iet 
Harlan,    Thomas   Stephen 
Hastings,  Mary  Georgia 
Helmer,   Madeline  Matilda 
Henning,    Frank  Paul 
Ilcrz,  Hugo 
Hirtzel,  John 
Hirsekorn,  Mary  Anna 


OF   1900. 

Hopf,   George  Arnold 
Hollingsworth,  Robt.  Selwyn 
Hollingsworth,  W.  Gravard 
Humphrey,   Wm.   Thomas 
Hunt,  Frederick  Miles 
Idler,    Percy   Benj.    De  Witt 
Jarvis,    Frank  Corden 
Johnson,   David  Arthur 
Johnson,    Oscar  Theodore 
Johnson,    Waldo  Paschal 
Jones,   John  Clarence 
Kaake,  William  Albert 
Kratz,    William   Frederick 
Keith,    Robert   Paul 
Kirkwood,  Murray  William 
Kotler,  Frank  George 
Lambertson,  Gertrude  E. 
Larson,  Henry  Charles 
Lemmon,   Franklin  E. 
Liggitt,   Richard  Clayton 
Leutscher,    John   Ulrich 
Mashek,  Jarosh  V. 
McCallin,    Sidney  Gilmore 
McCluskoy,    Floyd   Mathew 
McDermott,   Peter  George 
Macdonald,  Alexander  Rae 
McDonnell,  Elizabeth  Jennie 
McGregor,  Grcgor 
Mcintosh,  Robert  Levi 
Mcrritt,  Earl 
Mess,    Frederick   Julius 
Mielke,    Frank   Edward 
Miller,   Oscar  Hulburd 
Methven,  Houston  French 
Moffatt,    George    Snow 
Moore,  Norman  Henry 


358 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Morton,    Alice 
Morton.    Orla   D. 
Mullen,   Charles 
Munn,    Royal   Bernard 
Neill,  John  Brawley 
Osher,  Julius  C. 
Parks,    Geortre   Alexander 
Park,   William  Smith 
Patten,   John   Free 
Payne,   Ira   Abe 
Peak,   Charles  Albert 
Pence,   Henry  Clay 
Persons,    Albert   Dodge 
Peterson,   Adolph 
Peterson,    Elmer    Christian 
Peterson,  Edward  J. 
Peterson,    Octave   William 
Philpot,   Cory  Allen 
Pierce,    Chase   Hale 
Pitts,   John  Frederick 
Pollard,    George   Alfred 
Pooler,    Lemuel    Fiske 
Potter,    Albert    Byron 
Potter,   Edgar  Chauncey 
Powell,    Edward   Foster 


Prettyman,  Homer  Lewis 
Pritchett,   Ross  Allen 
Probst,    John    George 
Ransdell,    Bennett   Frank 
Read,    Charles    Herbert 
Reedy,    William    Lincoln 
Rehnstrom,   Joseph   Ernest 
Robeson,    Mary    Gluesing 
Robinson,    Rome   Holmes 
Rood,    Albert   Bro\^Ti 
Ronna,   Julius 
Rusco,    George    Byron 
Safford,   Margaret  Louisa 
Sandbloom,   John  Nicholas 
Saxe,  Jollie  Noble  - 
Schiff,   David  C. 
Schoenbrod,    Maurice   Solomon 
Seiler,    Agnes 
Serwe,   Rudolph 
Shewey,    Charles   Parsons 
Slaven,  James 
Smalley,    Claude    Everett 
Smith,  Otto  Bert 
Smith,    Walter   Clarence 
Snyder,  McGuire 


Spessard,  Edward  William 
Stebbins,    George   Lyman 
Stephens,    Arthur    Goode 
Stevens,    Bert   Lewis 
Tajior,  Elmer  Duncan 
Teeter,    Mahlon  Henry 
Thill,  Henry  Raymond 
Thompson,    John  Cross 
Thompson,    Edna   Maude 
Tims,    Frank    B. 
Tomlin,    Frank  Byron 
True,   Frank  Dayton 
Wagoner,    William    Edgar 
Walsh,   Charles  Heavysege 
Warner,    Burnet    Dewey 
Weaver,    Frank   Bradford 
Welsh,   John  Ellis 
West,  Jesse  Alden 
Whitman,   Edward   Wallace 
Wickey,  J.  Russel 
Wilson,  Charles  William 
Vv'ilson,  Wm.  Harlow 
Wolf,   William  C. 
Wolf  rum,    Richard 
Worsley,   Willard  Joseph 


PENNSYLVANIA  COLLEGE  OF  DENTAL  SURGERY. 

The  forty-fourth  annual  commencement  of  the  Pennsylvania 

College  of  Dental  Surgery  took  place  at  the  Academy  of  Music, 

Philadelphia,  on  Wednesday  evening,  May  2d,  1900,  at  8  o'clock. 

LIST  OF  GRADUATES,   CLASS  OF   I9OO. 


John  Acron,    Pennsylvania 

Paul  R.  Albanesius,  New  Jersey 

Benj.  F.   Anderson,   Ontario 

Walker  R.   Arde,   Canada 

James  Warren  Armstrong,  Pennsylvania 

William  Axford,  Pennsylvania 

Charles  A.   Bachman,   Pennsylvania 

Charles  P.  Bannan,  Canada 

George  W.   Barnhard,   Jr.,   Pennsylvania 

Maria  F.    Bley-Lehmann,    Austria 

Loring  Read  Beardsley,   Canada, 

David  V.  Besser,  Pennsylvania 

Arthur   Leslie    Blackburn,    Pennsylvania 

William    A.    Blackburn,    Ohio 

Walter  Henry  Bonsall,   Jr.,   Pennslyvania 

George   May   Boone,    Pennsylvania 

Eugene  Warren  Boyer,  Pennsylvania 

Coy  McMillan  Bugbee,   Vermont 

Frank  Melvin  Caesar,  Canada 

Sherman  L.    Carroll,   Pennsylvania 

Joseph  Clarence  Courtney,   Pennsylvania 

Elvin  Deyo  Chipp,   New  York 

Glenn  Earl  Coe,  New  York 

Walter  S.   Cole,   Ontario 

Harold  Isaiah  Cragin,   New  Jersey 

George  E.   Creasey,   Pennsylvania 

J.   Hervey   Crist,    Pennsylvania 


Alfred  B.    Crowe,   New  York 

Froilan  Rodrigues  Cespedes,  Cuba 

Erie  Conant  Curtis,   Quebec 

Henry  Tallman  Danforth,  Oregon 

Joseph  M.   Danneker,   Pennsylvania 

Raymond  Samuel  De  Long,   Pennsylvania 

Joseph  Malcolm  De  Coursey,  Maryland 

Iglesias  Ramon  Gonzales,   Cuba 

Augustus  Caleb  Foster,   New  Hampshire 

Hartley  C.  Foster,  California 

Edward   E.    Foust,   Penns)'lvania 

J.  Dickson  Frisbee,   New  York 

Charles  M.   Gass,   Pennsylvania 

James  Harvey  Gladstone,   New  York 

John  Clarence  Grant,  Nova  Scotia 

Walter  L.   Grier,  Delaware 

William  Leo  Joseph  GriflBn,   Pennsylvania 

Frank  Gilmour  Gulliland,   Massachusetts 

Harry   Isaac   Haines,    Pennsylvania 

Frank  S.   Hall,  Delaware 

Warren  Franklin   Harrot,    Pennsylvania 

Hugh  M.    Haslett,    Pennsylvania 

D.  Montague  Hawke,   Pennsylvania 

B.  Franklin  Henchey,   New  York 

Alejandro   Herera   Hijo,    Santo   Domingo 

Wilson  A.   Henry,  Pennsylvania 

Frank  Herman,   Pennsylvania 


COLLEGE  COMiMENCEMENTS. 


359 


H.  Charles  Jlcspe,   New  Jersey 

Charles  H.   S.   Hicks,   Massachusetts 

Mary  Adele   Quiprlej',    Pennsylvania 

Ernesto   Saborio  Quesada,   Costa  Rica 

Herbert  Alden  Rice,    Pennsylvania 

Isador  Revnes,  Russia 

Delia  Rig-gs,   New  York 

Louis   Rubman,    New  York 

John  Doane   Sutphen,   Ohio 

G.    Arthur    Savage,    Massachusetts 

Orrin  John  Shaw,  Maine 

J.    Frank    Shields,    Pennsylvania 

Moses   Silberman,    Pennsylvania 

S.   Raymond    Rockwell    Smith,    New   York 

Thos.   H.    Smith,   Canada 

Munro  C.   Snyder,   Pennsylvania 

Jacob    P.    Snyder,    Pennsylvania 

Joseph    G.    Sokolowsky,    Russia 

Everard  Alvin  Starkweather,   Pennsylvania 

Thomas  Foster  Stratford,  Pennsylvania 

Albert  William  Strecker,   Pennsylvania 

Daniel  Bernard  Suttle,  Canada 

Irving  Edward  Strong,   Connecticut 

Harold  Sutton,  New  York 

W.    Armstrong    Thome,    Missouri 

R.  H.   Till,   Canada 

Arthur  Burton  Teakles,   Canada 

Arthur  P.  Thorp,  England 

Victor  Alon7.o  Vores,   Connecticut 

Constantine   N.    Veltakys,    Greece 

Lee  Olan  Waller,   Delaware 

Richard  J.  Warrick,  Jr.,  Pennsylvania 

Albert  F.   Wayne,   Pennsylvania 

Joseph  Conwell  Wiltbank,   Delaware 

Taylor  T.    Woollens^    Pennsylvania 

Fred.    L.    Weed,    Pennsylvania 


Warren  L.   Zane,  New  Jersey 

William   Joseph   Hopkins,    Pennsylvania 

Bertram    Farthing    Holden,    New    Jersey 

George    M.    Hutchison,    Pennsylvania 

Alfred  C.   Hills,   Massachusetts 

A.  Laidlaw  Hyzer,  New  York 

Charles  Innes,  New  York 

Edward   W.   Jarvis,   Connecticut 

Paul  Jones,    Pennsylvania 

John   Tomkins    James,     Pennsylvania 

Cortland   Elias  Jennings,    New  York 

Harry  Jerzy,    Louisiana 

Alfred  Irving  Ke}'s,   Pennsylvania 

Jane  Leslie  Kift,  Pennsylvania 

Henry  John  Kraft,  Pennsylvania 

D.  George  Knecht,   Pennsylvania 

Henri  E.  Langis,  Quebec 

John  J.  MacAleely,  Pennsylvania 

Daniel  McCIarty,   New  York 

John  McAllister,    Jr.,    Pennsylvania 

Herbert   Alexander   McCrea,    Quebec 

Hiram  Archibald  Mcintosh,   Canada 

Harold  H.    Messimer,    Pennsylvania 

D.  S.  Miller,  Pennsylvania 

Robert  W.    Miller,    Ohio 

Ellsworth  James  Mills,   Pennsylvania 

Ross  Woodrow   Mills,    Canada 

Harry  Leonce  Mitchener,  Nova  Scotia 

Bernard  Mindling,   New  York 

H.  Ernest  Morris,  Nova  Scotia 

Joseph  Patrick  Morrison,  Pennsylvania 

William  C.  Neumiiller,  Pennsylvania 

Lawrence    M.    Nugent,    Pennsylvania 

Howard  C.   Nyce,   Pennsylvania 

J.  Gibson  Petrie,   New  Jersey 


PATENTS  RECENTLY  GRANTED  OF  INTEREST  TO 

DENTISTS. 

647557,  Dental  combination  tool,  Henry  L.  Cruttenden, 
Northfield,  Minn. 

647574,  Dental  dam  holder,  Samuel  M.  Myers,  Cleburne,. 
Texas. 

647865,  Artificial  tooth,  Alfred  Page,  assignor  to  Standard 
Dental  Manufacturing  Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

647736,  Dental  hand-piece,  John  D.  Wilkens,  assignor  to 
Dental  Protective  Supply  Company  of  the  United  States,  Chi- 
cago, 111. 

648242,  Sterilizer  for  dental  or  surgical  instruments,  James 
A.  Cronkhite,  Los  Angeles,  Cal. 

648196,  Dental  matrix  holder,  Wm.  P.  Dickinson,  Minne- 
apolis, Minn.,  assignor  to  J.  W.  Ivory,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

647956,  Dental  tool.  Nelson  R.  Ford,  New  York,  N.  Y. 


36o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

648106,  Dental  cnj^inc,  Harry  W.  Heinz,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

32617,  Design,  dental  crown-driver,  Clare  S.  Bradley,  Be- 
loit,  Wis. 

649234,  Dental  tool  holder,  Angelo  Chiavaro,  Catania,  Sicily. 

649336,  Dental  chair,  Jesse  W.  McConnell,  Cornelia,  Ga. 

649178,  Top  for  tooth-powder  receptacles,  Frederick  Rich- 
ardson, Providence,  R.  I. 

LABELS. 

7509,  ''Listerlated  Tooth  Powder"  for  a  Tooth  Powder, 
Frederick  B.  Horton,  Manchester,  Conn. 

7510,  ''Listerlated  Tooth  Powder"  for  a  Tooth  Powder, 
Frederick  B.  Horton,  Manchester,  Conn. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  Solicitor  of  Patents,  Fendall  Build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C. 


©ueiBitiottjs  anir  ^nstoers  * 


In  the  Apriil  number  of  the  Dental  Brief  W.  W.  P.  asks 
for  a  further  report  on  Question  74  in  the  Februairy  issue.  In 
reply  I  desire  to  say  that  my  diagnosis  was  correct.  The  patient 
after  leaving  my  office  on  October  15th,  and  having  moire  or  less 
fear  of  an  operation,  consulted  his  physician,  who  diagnosed  the 
case  as  one  of  "cancer  of  the  throat."  The  treatment  was  based 
upon  this,  and  kept  up  for  some  time,  but  nO'  relief  followed.  In 
a  short  time  his  conditioni  became  quite  alarming,  being  very 
weak,  wnth  loss  of  flesh,  and  unable  to  sleep  wdthotit  the  aid  of  an 
opiate.  He  could  not  eat  solid  food,  and  deglutition  was  accom- 
panied with  much  pain.  The  local  pain  w^as  constant,  and  much 
increased  in  severity.  Gradually  the  pain  extended  to  the  mus- 
cles of  the  neck,  and  these  became  somewhat  swollen.  In  this 
deplorable  condition  his  physician  advised  him  to  go  to  Chicago 
to  have  the  ''cancer"  removed,  but  the  patient  was  unwilling  to 
undertake  the  trip.  Again  I  was  consulted,  and  on  November 
1st,  with  the  aid  of  a  local  anaesthetic,  I  removed  the  process 

*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  1420  Chcshuit  St.,  Phila. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  361 

overlying  an  imperfectly  formed  first  molar,  which  I  left  in  place, 
with  the  result  that  immediate  relief  was  obtained.  The  patient 
gained  fifteen  pounds  in  two  weeks,  and  is  now  happy,  while  the 
physician  is  satisfied  that  he  made  a  mistake. 

S.  Locke,  Taos,  N.  M. 

Question  90.  Can  you  give  me  some  information  in  regard 
to  the  various 'methods  of  securing  a  perfect  joint  between  the 
end  of  a  root  and  the  base  of  an  all-porcelain  crown? 

It  is  customary  among  careful  operators  to  form  a  joint  such 
as  you  refer  to  by  exercising  extreme  care;  first  by  having  the 
extremity  of  the  root  a  perfectly  smooth,  slightly  concave  sur- 
face, and  by  the  aid  of  appropriate  corrundum  stones  and  discs, 
grinding  the  base  of  the  crown  to  a  corresponding  convexity.  By 
repeatedly  trying  the  crown  in  position  an  approximate  joint 
may  be  obtained;  but  in  most  instances  the  "perfect  joint"  to 
which  you  refer  will  not  materialize.  Probably  the  best  method 
to  obtain  a  perfect  joint  in  such  cases  is  as  follows.  Select  the 
proper  crown,  and  grind  it  to  an  approximate  adaptation.  Then 
after  thoroughly  cleansing  the  ground  surface  of  the  crown,  take 
a  small  amount  of  unbaked  porcelain,  and  after  mixing  it  to  the 
consistency  of  a  stiff  paste,  apply  a  fairly  thick  film  to  the  joint 
on  the  crown.  Next  take  a  piece  of  platinum  foil  (60  gauge)  suf- 
ficiently large  toi  cover  the  end  of  the  root  and  m:argins  of  the 
gum,  place  it  over  the  end  of  the  root,  and  force  the  pin  of  the 
crown  through  it,  then  gradually  force  the  crown  home.  The 
unbaked  poircelain  should  be  of  such  a  consistency,  that  it  will 
readily  take  the  form  of  the  end  of  the  root,  and  make  a  counter- 
part of  the  same.  While  the  crown  is  firmly  held  in  position, 
all  surplus  porcelain  should  be  removed  from  the  margin  of  the 
joint  by  a  camers-hair  brush  or  tuft  of  cotton.  The  crown,  un- 
baked porcelain,  and  platinum  are  then  removed  and  placed  in 
the  furnace  and  sufficient  heat  applied  to  fuse  the  new  porcelain. 
The  platinum,  which  has  been  used  to  prevent  contamination  of 
the  secretions  with  the  unbaked  porcelain,  may  then  be  stripped 
Oiff,  and  you  will  have  then  formed  a  "perfect  joint."  It  is  best 
to  use  a  low  fusing  body  for  this  work. 

Question  91.  I  experience  a  great  deal  of  trouble  from  the 
checking  of  porcelain  teeth  while  soldering.  Can  you  or  some 
of  the  readers  of  the  Dental  Brief  tell  me  what  to  do  to  pre- 
vent this  misfortune?  I  am  very  careful  in  the  application  of 
the  heat,  and  in  the  cooling  process.  W.  L.  Carroll. 


362  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

While  care  in  "heating  up"  and  ''cooling  off''  are  essential 
Tactors  in  successful  soldering  when  porcelain  is  involved,  the 
method  of  temporary  attachment  of  the  backing  to  the  porcelain 
•  also  has  much  to  do  with  the  success  of  the  work.  The  follow- 
ing precautions  are  necessary.  The  holes  in  the  backing,  which 
should  be  directly  opposite  the  pins,  must  be  countersunk  on 
the  side  which  comes  in  contact  with  the  tooth,  thus  providing 
for  any  irregularity  of  porcelain  about  the  pins,  and  allowing  the 
backing  to  fit  snugly  against  the  body  of  porcelain. 

Do  not  rivet  the  pins  with  the  idea  of  forcing  the  backing 
against  the  tooth.  Every  time  you  do  this,  you  do  so  at  the  ex- 
pense of  the  attachment  between  the  pins  and  the  porcelain,  and 
this  undue  strain  is  much  increased  when  the  heat  is  applied. 

Have  the  backing  to  lie  flat  against  the  back  of  the  tooth, 
and  hold  it  temporarily  in  position  by  simply  bending  the  pin>s 
sufficiently  to  keep  it  in  contact.  If  you  have  been  riveting  your 
pins  with  the  idea  of  increased  strength,  abandon  the  plan  at 
once,  as  it  weakens  the  tooth,  and  the  porcelain  is  much  more 
liable  to  crack  under  fire. 

Question  92.  Was  the  method  of  filling  teeth  with  pieces  of 
enamel  from  natural  teeth  ever  practiced  to  any  extent,  and  with 
what  success  was  it  attended? 

Some  years  ago  this  method  was  for  a  time  quite  prevalent 
in  France,  having  been  brought  to  the  notice  of  the  profession 
by  M.  Heide,  of  Paris.  It  was  claimed  at  that  time,  and  with  a 
certain  degree  of  correctness,  that  a  restoration  could  be  made 
by  grinding  and  fitting  to  a  properly  prepared  cavity  a  plug  of 
human  enamel.  The  principal  advantage  in  this  process  was  found 
to  be  in  the  possibility  of  matching  the  color  and  contour,  and 
the  filling  w^as  in  every  way,  with  careful  fitting,  far  superior  to  a 
simple  plastic  stopping.  In  this  work,  as  well  as  in  other  cases 
in  which  the  plug  is  ground  to  fit  the  parts,  great  difficulty  was 
experienced  in  obtaining  a  proper  adjustment,  and  for  this  reason 
probably,  if  for  no  other,  the  method  was  abandoned.  It  would 
also  seem  to  be  a  question  as  to  the  utility  of 'the  substance  em- 
plyed,  enamel. 

Question  93.  Can  you  furnish  me  with  a  good  formula  for 
base-plate  wax,  one  that  will  work  equally  w^ell  in  all  seasons  of 
the  year? 

A  very  good  combination  for  this  purpose  is  made  from 
French  chalk,  gum  kauri  and  stearin.     In  its  preparation,  first 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  363 

melt  the  stearin  and  to  this  add  a  little  at  a  time  the  gum  kauri, 
which  should  previously  be  finely  powdered.  When  this  is  dis- 
solved, sift  in  the  French  chalk.  The  mass  should  be  kept  stirred 
until  cool.  The  proportionate  quantities  are  French  chalk  14 
parts,  gum  kauri  8  parts,  stearin  4  parts. 


practical  joints.* 

Silver  Nitrate  in  Pyorrhea  Pockets. — Protect  the  gum  by  a 
preliminary  application  of  tincture  of  iodin;  if  the  nitrate  of 
silver  spreads  it  will  form  a  painless  iodid. 

L.  Van  Orden,  Western  Dental  Journal. 

Celluloid  Cement. — Mix  75  parts  sulphuric  ether  with  25 
parts  alcohol  in  a  well-corked  bottle.  After  a  few  days  add  cellu- 
loid in  small  pieces  to  make  an  almost  saturated  solution.  An 
excellent  medium  for  uniting  broken  plaster  models. 

Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Repairing  a  Vulcanite  Plate. — Instead  of  dissolving  rubber 
in  chloroform,  use  the  ordinary  bicycle  cement.  It  gives  perfect 
union  between  old  and  new  rubber  and  simplifies  the  work  of 
repairing  very  much. 

W.  T.  Martin,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  igoo. 

Bridge  Work  and  Rigg's  Disease. — It  is  astonishing  how 
firmly  a  few  loose  roots  will  support  a  bridge.  A  bridge  con- 
structed  with  special  reference  to  the  diseased  roots  tends  to 
tighten  them,  and  by  holding  the  teeth  rigid  does  much  to  eradi- 
cate the  disease. 

Howard  T.  Stezvart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 

Pulp  Capping. — Adjust  rubber-dam,  cleanse  cavity  thor- 
oughly with  warm  water  and  4  per  cent,  solution  farmalin,  gently 
press  over  exposure  small  cutting  iodoform  gauze  dipped  in 
carbolic  acid,  flow  over  gauze  paste  of  carbolic  acid  and  aristol, 
seal  up  with  noii-irritating  cement,  and  fill  to  suit  case. 

/.  A.  Richards. 

To  Prevent  Porosity  in  Vulcanized  Rubber. — When,  for  res- 
toration purposes,  an  unusual  amount  of  rubber  is  necessary, 
making  the  plate  very  thick  in  some  places,  fillings  of  old  vul- 
canized rubber  incorporated  with  the  new  when  packing  will  pre- 
vent bubbles  and  sponginess  in  the  interior  of  the  thick  portions. 
JV.  R.  Wright,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  IQOO. 

♦Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings,  Wavekind, 
Mississippi. 


364  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Root-canal  Cleansers. — The  smooth  jewelers'  broaches  can 
be  brought  very  cheaply  by  the  dozen.  Numbers  of  these, 
wrapped  each  with  a  wisp  of  bibulous  paper  and  kept  always 
ready  in  the  bracket  drawer,  will  be  found  a  great  convenience. 

Hozcard  T.  Stczvaft,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 

To  Repair  Gold  Crowns. — To  repair  crack  or  hole  in  gold 
crown  burnish  over  same  piece  22  or  24  karat  gold  sufficiently 
large  to  cover  space,  flow  upon  same  14  or  18  karat  gold  solder, 
place  it  upon  crack  or  hole  with  soldered  portion  in  contact  with 
later,  hold  together  with  pliers,  heat  gently,  and  the  patch  will 
adhere  readily  to  crown.  /.  A.  Richards. 

Silver  Nitrate  for  Arrest  of  Decay. — Advantages:  Avoid- 
ance of  painful,  tedious,  expensive  operations;  positive  arrest  of 
decay;  conservation  of  larger  amount  of  normal  tissue.  Disad- 
vantages: Unsightly  discoloration;  liability  of  pulp  irritation  in 
deep  cavities;  irregularity  and  roughness  of  treated  surfaces.  The 
advantages  greatly  preponderate. 

/.  Morgan  Howe,  International  Dental  Journal. 

The  Chemical  Arrest  of  Caries. — I  have  used  nitrate  of  silver 
in  my  laboratory  experiments,  and  find  that  it  made  the  teeth 
much  more  resistant  to  artificial  caries.  Chlorid  of  antimony 
will  do  the  same  without  discoloring  the  teeth,  but  I  doubt  if  it 
is  safe  to  use  it  in  the  mouth.  Possibly  such  care  might  be  taken 
by  an  operator  of  great  skill  that  no  harm  would  come  from 
its  use.         S.  A.  Hopkins,  Bac.  Lab.  Harvard  Med.  School, 

International  Dental  Journal. 

Sulphuric  Acid  in  Root-canal  Cleansing. — In  my  opinion  a 
40  per  cent,  solution  of  commercial  sulphuric  acid  in  water  will 
give  the  best  results  in  the  majority  of  cases.  If  stronger  than 
50  per  cent,  it  has  a  tendency  tO'  disintegrate  the  cotton  on  which 
it  is  most  convenient  tO'  introduce  it.  With  a  drop  or  two^  at  the 
entrance  of  the  canal  I  use  a  new  broach,  pumping  it  with  the 
canal ;  this  pares  away  all  rough  places,  and  disintegrates  the  in- 
organic constituents  of  the  dentin  with  which  it  comes  in  contact. 
/.  R.  Callahan,  Indiana  Dental  Journal. 

Broken  Broach  in  Root-canal. — Make  no  effort  to  remove  it 
by  instrumentation,  but  at  once  fill  the  canal  with  sulphuric  acid 
(50  per  cent,  solution),  and  fill  the  crown  cavity  or  pulp  chamber 
with  sodium  bicarbonate  solution.  As  the  alkali  makes  its  way 
rootward  successive  explosions  of  carbonic  acid  gas  will  occur, 
and  eventually  gas  will  be  formed  beyond  the  broken  broach,  and 
the  latter  will  come  up  into  the  crown  cavity  in  a  boiling,  frothy 
mass  of  matter.    This  seldom  fails. 

/.  R.  Callahan,  Indiana  Dental  Journal. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  3^5 

Pulp  Capping. — There  is  an  old  rule  laid  down  in  one  of  the 
text-books,  which,  if  followed,  would  save  a  lot  of  time  and 
trouble,  viz.,  cap  only  where  the  exposure  is  small,  the  dentin 
healthy,  and  the  patient  robust. 

W.  R.  Birkett,  Journal  British  Dental  Associatioft. 

The  Drill  in  Eoot-canals. — Wet  dentin  presents  greater  diffi- 
culties in  the  use  of  the  Gates-Glidden  drill  than  dry  dentin. 
More  failures  in  the  use  of  the  drill  are  attributable  toi  wet  dentin 
than  to  any  other  cause;  more  broken  drills  are  due  to  wet 
dentin  than  to  carl essn ess  in  handling. 

/.  R.  Callahan,  Indiana  Dental  Journal. 

The  Spittoon. — ^For  those  who^  are  not  provided  with  a  foun- 
tain spittoon  it  will  be  found  of  great  advantage  tO'  have  two 
spittoons,  to  be  exchanged,  together  with  the  instruments,  used 
for  each  patient.  The  clean  spittoon  should  be  filled  half  full  of 
water  and  a  little  permangante  of  potash  solution  added  when 
it  is  adjusted  toi  the  chair. 

Howard  T.  Stewart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  igoo. 

Why  Recurrent  Decay  is  Less  Frequent  with  Gutta-percha 
Fillings. — (i)  Gutta-percha  filhngs  do  not,  as  a  rule,  remain  as 
long  in  position  as  gold  or  amalgam.  (2)  There  is  less  shock 
transmitted,  in  mastication,  to  the  walls  of  the  cavity,  with  con- 
sequent disintegration  at  weak  points  in  the  margin,  than  with  a 
perfectly  rigid  filling  as  amalgam  Oir  gold.  (3)  The  effect  of  mas- 
tication is  to  keep  a  gutta-percha  filling  pressed  tightly  against 
the  walls  of  the  cavity,  especially  at  the  cervical  wall,  even  oblit- 
erating the  space  produced  by  the  recurrence  of  caries.  The 
saving  qualities  of  gutta-percha  are,  therefore,  to  be  explained 
by  its  physical  properties  and  not  by  any  therapeutic  virtues  in- 
herent in  the  material,  nor  by  the  action  of  galvanic  action. 

IV.  D.  Miller,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Alkaline  Saliva. — Alkaline  saliva  seems  to  be  an  admitted 
aid  to  digestion,  and  if  it  can  be  induced  to  flow,  and  be  kept 
alkaline,  many  stomach  disorders  will  disappear.  Vegetol  will 
keep  the  saliva  decidedly  alkaline  for  some  time  after  using.  Its 
constituents  are  combined  in  the  following  proportions:  Pulver- 
ized cereal,  75  per  cent.;  sodium  borate,  17^  per  cent.;  potassium 
chlorate,  7^  per  cent.;  orris  and  menthol  to  flavor,  and  saccha- 
rine to  sweeten.  The  cereal  furnishes  a  mechanical  cleanser  for 
the  teeth  that  will  not  abrade;  the  chemicals  are  antacid  and 
antiseptic,  and  dissolve  in  the  saliva,  penetrating  cavities,  decay 
and  counteracting  the  acids  found  in  the  mouth.  Allowed  to 
dissolve  slowly  in  the  mouth  it  is  evident  that  its  use  at  frequent 
intervals  must  tend  to  arrest  decay,  if  it  does  not  prevent  it.  It 
is  a  valuable  adjunct  in  the  treatment  of  p}'orrhea  alveolaris. 

M.  H.  Fletcher,  Dental  Cosmos. 


366  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Root-canal  Treatment. — When  canals  are  so  small  that  it  is 
impossible  to  penetrate  them  with  the  finest  bristle,  I  say  let 
them  alone.  I  agree  with  Prof.  Watling  that  such  canals  are  too 
small  to  give  any  trouble  by  infiltration  of  moisture. 

Otto  Marx,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Solder  for  Aluminum  Plate. — A  French  patent  has  issued 
for  an  aluminum  solder,  which  consists  of  aluminum  95  parts, 
copper  2  parts,  antimony,  bismuth  and  zinc  each  i  part.  The 
aluminum  must  be  protected  by  a  flux,  viz.,  a  thin  layer  of  phos- 
phoric acid.         Ohio  Dental  Journal,  Translation  by  H.  Prinz. 

Care  of  the  Teeth  During  Illness. — The  teeth  of  invalids  may 
be  treated  with  silver  nitrate  with  the  result  of  inhibiting  decay 
for  several  years.  After  the  restoration  of  health  I  have  filled  the 
cavities,  and  have  been  able  to  note  that  no  progress  has  occurred 
in  the  decay  during  the  period  of  ill  health. 

/.  Morgan  Howe,  International  Dental  Journal. 

A  Suggestion. — I  believe  the  tooth  brush,  as  it  is  too  fre- 
quently used,  is  a  source  of  infection,  and  that  the  teeth  and 
gums  are  inoculated  with  disease  from  a  foul  brush.  I  believe 
that  a  holder  which  would  carry  a  bit  of  sponge  that  could  be 
removed  and  boiled,  or  replaced  with  new  at  each  using,  would 
be  a  great  improvement  over  the  continued  use  of  an  old  tooth 
brush  that  is  at  least  only  rinsed  and  hung  up,  or  kept  in  an 
open  glass  exposed  to  the  dust  and  other  impurities  of  the  open 
air.  .9.  F.  Carr,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris  Treatment. — Rinse  the  mouth  with  per- 
manganate of  potash  solution,  -J  grain  to  ounce  of  water.  Touch 
gum  with  carbolic  acid,  and  inject  5  per  cent,  solution  eucain. 
Then  carry  down  quickly,  from  gum  margin  to  alveolar  process, 
a  three  edged,  thin,  flexible  lancet,  passing  it  around  the  tooth, 
severing  gum  entirely  from  tooth.  With  scraper  or  chisel  scrape 
away  the  diseased  pericementum,  the  external  layer  of  the  cemen- 
tum  and  the  diseased  portion  of  the  process.  Success  depends 
upon  the  thoroughness  with  which  this  is  done,  and  it  requires 
skill  and  practice.  Wash  out  the  pocket  and  wipe  with  cotton 
wrapped  on  a  broach.  Protect  the  mouth  and  carry  to  botton  of 
pocket  sulphuric  acid  full  strength.  Wipe  away  oozing  blood, 
and  repeat,  holding  the  acid  in  contact  until  the  root  surface  is 
decalcified.  Rinse  mouth  with  soda  solution,  and  prescribe  as 
mouthwash  permanganate  of  potash,  ^  grain  to  ounce  of  water 
used  hourly  till  gum  heals.  A  dose  of  Epsom  salts  daily  for  three 
weeks  usually  has  good  results.  Also  sarsaparilla  and  potassium 
iodid  three  time  a  day.  Devitalize  pulp  in  all  cases  presenting 
in  advanced  stages.  In  very  advanced  cases  cut  off  crown  just 
above  gum  level.  After  root  treatment  crown,  and  solder  crowns 
together  if  several. 

Hozvard  T.  Stewart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  igoo. 


PRACTICAL   POINTS.  367 

The  Use  of  Clamps. — A  right  and  left  clamp  (S.  S.  W.,  Nos. 
83  and  94)  for  the  molars,  when  used  with  napkins  folded  under 
them,  will  keep  the  teeth  dry  long  enough  for  almost  any  opera- 
tion, except  a  larg'e  gold  filling.  They  leave  both  hands  free,  and 
for  dressing  root-canals  and  inserting  plastic  fillings  they  are 
invaluable. 

Howard  T.  Stezvart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipco. 

Enlarging  Root-canal. — This  serves  a  three-fold  purpose;  it 
renders  the  introduction  of  dressings,  medicaments  and  fillings 
an  easy  matter;  it  cuts  away  the  zone  of  dentin  in  which  disin- 
tegration of  organic  matter  and  consequent  infection  may  have 
occurred;  it  opens  the  mouths  of  the  tubules  ready  for  any  med- 
ication that  may  seem  necessary. 

/.  R,  Callahan,  Indiana  Dental  Journal. 

Rigg'S  Disease;  Treatment  of  Molars. — To  thoroughly  scrape 
all  the  surfaces  of  the  roots  of  molars  is,  in  my  opinion,  rarely 
accomplished  by  ordinary  methods.  I  find  the  only  effective 
method  is  to  devitalize,  cut  off  the  crown  nearly  to  the  bifurcation 
of  the  roots,  and  separate  with  a  drill.  This  gives  free  access  to 
the  roots.  When  the  gum  heals,  fit  a  separate  cap  to  each  root; 
solder  the  caps  together  and  contour,  fitting  a  shell  crown  over 
all.  This  will  be  found  far  better  than  a  bridge  of  three  teeth, 
which  would  be  necessary  were  the  tooth  sacrificed.  The  fee 
should  be  in  proportion  to  this  valuation. 

Howard  T.  Stezvart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 

An  Amalgam  Containing  33  Per  Cent.  Gold. — I  have  carried 
out  a  number  of  experiments  with  gold  and  amalgam  to  get  the 
effect  of  non-shrinkage  and  of  retaining  color,  and  I  have  found 
that  any  of  the  best  grades  of  amalgam  with  sponge  gold,  as 
Steurer's,  or  the  moss  fibre  gold,  can  be  chemically  admixed, 
producing  the  desired  standard.  Mix  the  amalgam  with  just 
enough  mercury  to  bring  it  together — almost  a  powder,  with  no 
excess  of  mercury.  Triturate  the  gold  very  thoroughly  with  the 
amalgam  mass,  and  bring  in  contact  with  it  dilute  hydrochloric 
acid  on  a  rubber  pad.  It  will  become  a  perfect  paste,  so  that 
neither  the  gold  nor  the  amalgam  can  be  squeezed  out.  Wash, 
preferably  with  a  stream  of  warm  water,  and  dry  on  blotting 
paper.  Then  wash  with  pure  alcohol,  and  dry  again,  emd  it  is 
feady  to  insert  in  the  tooth.  If  it  crystallizes  too  soon  use  a  warm 
burnisher.  Polish  at  the  next  sitting.  It  will  be  the  color  of 
platinum,  and  there  will  be  no  discoloration  of  tooth  structure. 

D.  Genese,  Dental  Cosnws. 


*Errata.     May  issue,  paper  307,  line  6,  "wire  sections"  should  read 
'wire  sutures." 


36S  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Alpha-  and  Beta-Eunol. — These  two  preparations,  employed 
in  the  antiseptic  treatment  of  wounds,  are  combinations  of  euca- 
lyptol  and  alpha-  and  beta-naphthol,  respectively.  They  are  ob- 
tained by  dissolving  the  naphthols  in  equal  wei|e;ht  of  eucalyptol. 
Alpha-eunol  crystallizes  well,  and  may  be  purified  by  solvents. 

Pharni.  Post. 

An  Odd  Predicament. — A  young  man  of  twenty,  recently 
brought  forward  to  show  cause  why  he  should  not  serve  his 
military  service,  produced  his  birth  certificate,  in  which  he  was 
registered  as  a  girl.  It  will  take  a  special  decision  of  the  courts 
to  allow^  him  to  became  a  ''man/'  and  so  to  enter  the  army,  due 
to  the  mistake  of  the  medical  man  who  officiated  at  his  birth. 

Phila.  Med.  Journal. 

Fasting  in  Acute  Disease. — Man  and  animals  are  rendered 
more  resistant  to  the  action  of  bacteria  and  their  toxins  by 
abs.taining  from  food  within  certain  definite  Hmits.  Even  milk, 
when  not  properly  digested,  undergoes  such  changes,  due  to 
fermentation  and  putrefaction,  that  the  resistance  to  bacterial 
and  toxin  influence  on  the  part  of  the  tissues  and  their  secre- 
tions is  lessened.  In  pneumonia  particularly,  much  benefit  may 
be  derived  from  fasting  conjoined  with  gastro-intestinal  disin- 
fection. Dominicis,  Wiener  Med.  Presse. 

Coryza,  Apparently  of  Dental  Origin. — E.  P.  Collett  {Journal 
of  Ophthalmology,  Otology  and  Laryngology)  records  the  case  of  a 
physician  who  suffered  from  persistent  coryza,  principally  uni- 
lateral, for  three  or  four  weeks.  Examination  demonstrated  no 
physical  cause  except  some  stigmata  on  the  middle  turbinated 
bone,  associated  with  general  vaso-motor  dilatation  of  membrane. 
Neuralgic  pain  in  temple,  malar  bone,  and  subsequently  behind 
right  ear,  supervened.  Local  treatment  proved  of  no  avail.  The 
w-riter  found  a  periodontitis  of  the  first  maxillary  premolar, 
which  he  extracted — no  pus  was  evacuated.  The  neuralgia  was 
cured  next  day  and  the  coryza  in  three  days. 

Spasmodic  Closure  of  G-lottis  from  Ether. — W.  J.  McCardie, 
in  British  Med.  Journal,  January  20th,  1900,  reports  a  case  of 
spasmodic  closure  of  the  glottis  from  the  inhalation  of  ether. 
The  anaesthesia  had  been  started  with  nitrous  oxid,  and  under 
this  anaesthetic  the  patient  did  very  well,  but  after  the  ether, 
which  was  administered  by  Hewitt's  apparatus,  had  been  given 
a  little  while,  the  conjunctival  reflex  was  almost  abolished,  the 
quiet  breathing  suddenly  ceased.  A  finger  was  pushed  into  the 
pharynx,  thence  into  the  glottis,  which  was  felt  tightly  closed. 
After  the  glottis  had  been  opened  by  the  finger,  respiration  was 
reestabHshed,  and  the  anaesthesia  kept  up  with  A.  C.  E.  mixture. 


[ 


MISCELLANY.  369 

Manganese  Silver. — Copper,  67.25;  manganese,  18.5;  zinc, 
13;  aluminium,  1.25,  are  melted  toigether.  In  appearance,  the  re- 
sulting alloy  is  equal  toi  new  silver,  and  it  is  more  workable  than 
that  metal  for  casting.  Its  electrical  resistance  is  four  times 
greater  than  that  of  new  silver.  Pharm.  Cent. 

Ulcerative  Stomatitis.  —  Kissel  advises,  in  the  Progres 
Medical,  to  rinse  the  child's  mouth  every  hour  with  a  three  per 
cent,  boric  acid  solution  and  rub  twice  daily  the  entire  buccal 
cavity,  and  particularly  the  gums  and  ulcerated  parts  of  the 
mucous  lining  of  the  cheeks,  with  a  plug  of  cotton  wet  with  the 
same  solution.  Cod-liver  oil  is  prescribed,  and  before  com- 
mencing treatment,  unsound  teeth  should  be  extracted.  Under 
this  treatment  ulcerations  are  said  to  disappear  in  from  six  to 
ten  days.  In  private  practice,  when  such  minute  attention  is  not 
possible,  the  author,  after  extracting  the  teeth,  as  before, 
curettes  the  ulcerations  to  the  bottom,  then  with  a  finger  en- 
veloped in  gauze  he  rubs  iodoform  powder  into  the  ulcerated 
surfaces.  The  buccal  cavity  is  cleansed  twice  daily  with  a  tampon 
of  cotton  wet  with  boric  acid  solution,  and  the  mouth  is  rinsed 
hourly  with  the  same  solution. 

Trumpet  Mouthpiece  Above  Soft  Palate. — Dr.  Frothingham 
reported  a  case  in  which  a  child  had  swallowed  the  porcelain 
mouthpiece  of  a  toy  trumpet.  At  least  the  mouthpiece  had  dis- 
appeared from  the  child's  mouth  and  caused  symptoms  of  diffi- 
cult breathing  and  swallowing.  A  number  of  physicians  were 
consulted,  and  a  number  of  different  forms  of  bougies  employed 
to  locate  the  object,  all  of  which  proved  unsuccessful.  When 
the  child  was  brought  tO'  the  Vanderbilt  clinic  it  was  found  that 
the  mouthpiece  was  lodged  above  the  soft  palate  in  the  naso- 
pharynx. From  here  it  had  caused  all  the  symptoms  that  had 
been  noted  yet  had  completely  escaped  observation.  The  prob- 
abilities are  that  it  had  been  coughed  into  this  position. 

Med.  Nezvs. 

Geophagy. — The  habit  of  eating  earth,  or  geophagy,  as  it  is 
technically  called,  is  more  widespread  than  is  generally  sup- 
posed. In  some  parts  of  Germany  a  fine  clay  is  spread  upon 
bread,  under  the  name  of  stone-butter.  In  Upper  Italy  and  in 
Sardinia  earth  is  sold  in  the  markets.  In  the  extreme  northern 
part  of  Sweden  and  in  the  peninsula  Kola,  an  earth  composed  of 
infusoria  and  called  mountain  flour  is  baked  in  bread.  In  Persia 
earth  is  used  in  the  manufacture  of  certain  sweetmeats.  In 
tropical  regions  the  use  of  earth  as  an  article  of  food  is  well- 
known  ;  but  it  is  also  employed  as  a  medicine  in  Nubia,  and 
among  different  tribes  its  use  has  a  religious  meaning  as  well. 
Many  explanations  are  offered  for  such  a  widespread  custom. 
It  is  not  impossible  that  these  various  earths  have  more  or  less 
flavor,  and  that  they  supplant  to  a  certain  degree  the  use  of  salt. 

Med.  Nezi's. 


370  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

The  Mouth  as  an  Index  to  Character. — A  certain  philosopher 
declares  that  a  woman  is  known  by  her  mouth — not  by  the  w^ords 
that  issue  therefrom,  but  by  the  shape  and  color  of  the  lips  and 
the  lines  and  dimples  that  gather  about  this  important  feature. 
He  is  supported  in  his  theory  by  physiognomists,  who  all  en- 
deavor to  impress  us  with  the  fact  that  no  woman  with  the  small, 
red-liped,  "Cupid-bow"  mouth,  so  praised  in  song  and  story,  was 
ever  intellectual  or  generous  of  heart.  He  says  further  that  *'it 
is  consoling  to  those  whose  mouths  are  not  in  accordance  with 
the  lines  of  beauty  laid  down  by  the  poets,  to  be  told  that  a 
'wide,  straight  mouth  with  strong,  white  teeth'  denotes  the 
woman  of  superior  intelligence,  goodness  of  heart,  strength  of 
mind,  and  a  tlK>usand  and  one  good  sterling  qualities  which 
we  all  like  to  think  we  possess."  It  is  the  fashion  at  present  for 
women  to  hold  their  lips  very  slightly  apart.  This  is  supposed 
to  give  that  innocent,  wistful,  wondering  expression  which  was 
the  peculiar  property  of  the  heroines  of  old-fashioned  novels,  but 
which  bicycle  riding  and  the  kindered  modern  amusements  have 
caused  to  vanish.  It  is  difficult  for  the  thin-lipped,  determined 
woman  to  acquire  this  trick,  but  perseverance  works  wonders. 

English  Outlook. 

Faith  Healing^. — It  is  well  known  that  Dr.  P.  S.  Henson,  of 
Chicago,  has  a  defective  eye.  A  good  man  and  his  wife,  mem- 
bers of  the  Henson  household  of  faith,  have  felt  for  some  time 
that  their  pastor  would  be  much  improved  if  the  lame  eye  could 
be  made  like  unto  the  other.  These  persons  are  firm  believers 
in  the  faith-cure  theory.    They  went  to  see  him  about  it. 

"We  have  been  praying  for  you  that  you  may  have  two 
perfect  eyes,"  they  said  to  the  doctor,  ''and  have  now  come  to 
pray  with  you.  Will  you  not  ask  the  Lord  right  here  and  now 
to  give  you  a  new  eye?" 

Dr.  Henson's  reply  was  startling. 

''What  kind  of  teeth  have  you?"  he  suddenly  asked  the 
brother. 

"Why — why,  that's  a  strange  question,"  he  stammered,  "but 
I  don't  mind  telling  you  that  my  teeth  are  mostly  false." 

"What  kind  of  teeth  do  you  use,  sister?"  he  asked  of  the 
other. 

"Same  kind,"  she  frankly  admitted. 

"Well,  good  friends,"  rejoined  the  doctor,  "you  go  and  ask 
God  to  grow  some  new  teeth  in  your  mouths.  According  to 
your  theory  He  w^ill  do  it  w'ithout  delay.  When  you  get  your 
teeth,  come  around,  and  we  wall  see  what  can  be  done  about  that 
new  eye !" 

This  happened  some  time  ago,  but  the  good  people  are  still 
grinding  on  artificial  molars,  and  Dr.  Henson  still  looks  down 
on  his  great  congregation  with  one  eye.       Epworth  Herald. 


THE 

DENTAL   BRIEF. 

Vol..  V.  PHILADEI.PHIA,  JULY,  1900.  No.  7 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


FULL  PORCELAIN  DENTURES. 
By  F.  A.  Coney,  D.D.S.,  Doylestown,  Pa. 

At  the  instance  of  Dr.  Litch,  I  have  prepared  the  following 
article  on  full  porcelain  dentures,  generally  known  as  mineral 
plate  teeth,  invented  by  Loomis  and  Lukens  in  the  year  1848. 

Impressions  and  Models. — For  this  process  two  impressions 
and  two  plaster  models  are  necessary ;  one  to  be  enlarged  in  all 
its  dimensions,  as  presently  to  be  described,  and  the  other  to 
be  used  in  the  final  fitting  of  the  fused  porcelain  denture. 

The  articulation  or  bite  should  be  secured  by  using  a  gutta- 
percha or  other  base  plate  sufficiently  rigid  to  maintain  its  shape 
in  the  mouth.  Place  upon  it  a  roll  of  slightly  softened  bees- 
wax sufficiently  large  to  insure  that  the  opposing  teeth  will 
strike  it;  place  this  in  the  mouth  and  direct  the  patient  to  bite; 
by  this  is  ascertained  the  length  of  teeth  required,  and  the  con- 
tour which  will  secure  the  desired  expression  of  the  face.  When 
the  shape  of  the  bite  is  perfected  draw  on  the  wax  the  median 
line  or  the  line  marking  the  center  of  the  face,  and  remove  the 
bite  from  the  mouth. 

Next  build  on  the  cast  back  of  the  condyles  a  one-Inch 
extension  in  plaster.  The  cast  is  then  quartered  by  first  cut- 
ting with  a  saw  through  the  median  line,  back  over  the  palatine 
arch,  which  will  divide  the  model  into  two  parts ;  these  are  then 
sawed  across  in  the  opposite  direction,  between  the  first  and 
second  bicuspids,  thus  making  four  pieces.     (See  Fig.  i.) 

In  the  lateral  wall  of  each  of  these  four  sections  a  groove 
should  be  cut  to  assist  in  securing  a  stronger  union  when  the 
sections  are  reunited  with  plaster. 

371 


372 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Next  with  shellac  varnish  paint  the  four  pieces  on  the  pal- 
atine surface  and  over  the  ridge ;  this  serves  as  a  stain  and  will 
differentiate  the  dividing  line  when  the  new  plaster  is  added. 


Fig.  I. 


Enlarging  the  Models. — For  mineral  plate  work  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  three  strips,  preferably  made  of  maple  wood,  which 
are  known  as  the  expansion  strips.  (Fig.  2.)  The  dimensions 
of  the  expansion  strips  are  as  follows :  In  length  eight  inches ; 
in  width  one  and  one-half  inches ;  in  thickness  the  thinnest  is 
three  thirty-seconds  of  an  inch;  the  medium  one-eighth  of  an 
inch,  and  the  thickest,  used  only  in  lower  cases,  three-sixteenths 
of  an  inch.  The  strips  must  have  intersecting  notches  to  allow 
them  to  form  a  cross. 

The  expansion  strips  are  placed  upon  a  level  surface,  pre- 
ferably a  glass  slab,  with  the  thinnest  strip  lengthwise  and  the 
medium  strip  at  right  angles  over  the  bicuspids. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  373 

Place  the  four  quarters  of  the  model  on  either  side  of  the 
strips,  as  seen  in  Fig.  3.  Fasten  the  model  securely  so  that 
the  sections  will  not  move,  and  then  remove  the  strips;  add 
plaster  at  the  end  of  each  opening.  The  purpose  of  this  plaster 
is  to  unite  the  models.  Put  a  Httle  sweet  oil  over  the  face  of 
the  cast  already  covered  with  the  sandarac  varnish. 


/////y/////y//yyy/////^^^^^ 


//wv////yyy///yy^^/^/^/'/V/vyy^^^^ 


y/yyyy/yyyyyyyyyyyyyy/y^^^^^^ 


n 


Fig.  2. 


Mix  plaster  as  thick  as  cream,  and  run  it  in  the  grooves. 
After  the  plaster  has  hardened  proceed  to  trim  the  model,  re- 
moving all  excess  of  plaster.  Cut  a  groove  in  the  back  part  of 
the  model  for  the  purpose  of  holding  the  articulating  model  or 
bite  in  position. 

The  base  plate  and  bite  being  made  to  fit  the  mouth,  will, 
of  course,  be  too  small  for  the  enlarged  cast;  hence  they  must 
be  quartered  and  the  quarters  placed  on  the  enlarged  cast,  after 
which  the  spaces  between  the  quarters  are  filled  in  with  bees- 
wax, thus  reuniting  the  sections  in  their  enlarged  form. 

After  this  coat  the  entire  face  of  the  bite  and  model  with 
shellac,  and  when  dry  oil  so  that  the  articulating  model  will 
separate  readily.  This  is  made  in  the  usual  way  by  pouring 
plaster  over  the  entire  surface,  and  building  it  up  to  the  requisite 
height  and  fullness. 

The  cast  and  bite  having  been  enlarged  laterally  and  antero- 
posteriorly,  to   allow  for  the   shrinkage   of  the   porcelain   ma- 


374 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


terial  in  baking,  the  cast  must  also  be  correspondingly  enlarged 
as  to  its  palatine  aspect.  To  do  this  with  uniform  accuracy  and 
success  requires  wise  calculation  and  that  skilled  judgment 
which  comes  only  from  practice. 

Assuming  that  the  palantine  vault  is  one-half  an  inch  in 
height,  measuring  from  the  center  of  its  posterior  surface  to  the 


Fig.  3- 


level  of  the  surface  of  the  alveolar  ridge,  the  cast  should  be 
scooped  out  to  the  depth  of  three-sixteenths  of  an  inch.  If 
the  palatine  vault  is  more  or  less  than  half  an  inch  in  height,  the 
cast  is  proportionately  more  or  less  cut  away. 

In  Fig.  4  is  shown  the  base-plate  in  position  on  the  fully 
enlarged  cast.  The  space,  shown  in  black,  between  the  under 
surface  of  the  base-plate  and  the  palatine  surface  of  the  cast 
indicates  the  extent  to  which  the  plaster  has  been  removed  to 
increase  the  height  of  the  palatine  vault. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


375 


Preparing  the  Carving  Model. — The  next  step  is  to  prepare 
some  spermaceti  in  a  small  tin  cup  by  melting  it  over  a  spirit 
lamp.  Add  enough  vermilion  to  color  it  a  cherry  red;  then 
v^ith  the  Hquid  spermaceti  cover  by  aid  of  a  camel's-hair  brush 
the  palatine  surface  and  ridge  of  the  enlarged  or  carving  model 
to  about  the  thickness  of  a  five-cent  nickel  piece.     This  is  done 


Fig.  4. 


to  facilitate  the  removal  of  the  carved  porcelain  plate  from  the 
model,  as  will  be  described  later  on. 

Apply  v^ith  a  camel's-hair  brush  sweet  oil  over  the  antag- 
onizing model  or  bite,  so  that  the  bite  will  separate  from  the 
body  without  drawing  it.  The  model  is  then  ready  to  receive 
the  porcelain  material. 

Carving. — Luken's  "A"  body  is  used.  It  is  the  strongest 
body  known,  and  fuses  at  an  intense  white  heat.  This  body 
should  be  mixed  in  a  porcelain  bowl  or  wedgewood  mortar 
by  adding  sufficient  water  to  make  it  the  consistency  of  putty. 
It  is  then  ready  to  be  packed  or  worked  into  the  carving  model. 
When  the  space  is  full  of  body,  dry  out  the  surplus  moisture  by 
means  of  a  muslin  cloth.     This  process  also  makes  the  body 


376 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


more  solid  and  firm.     When  sufficiently  dry  the  body  is  ready 
to  be  carved. 

The  carving  instruments  consist  of  string-bow,  carving- 
knives  of  different  shapes,  one  spatula,  and  camel's-hair  pencils. 
While  engaged  in  the  artistic  labor  of  carving,  the  operator 
should  bear  well  in  mind  the  requirements  of  each  particular 
case.  The  width  of  the  teeth  is  marked  off,  beginning  at  the 
central  or  median  line;  the  desired  height  is  also  given;  with  a 


Fig.  5. 


straight  carving-knife  cut  a  ''V"-shaped  space  between  the 
teeth.  The  necks  are  carved  in  a  semi-circular  groove,  but  not 
deeply.  Make  the  teeth  incline  towards  the  center  equally  on 
both  sides.  The  model  is  then  reversed,  and  the  gum  festoons 
between  the  teeth  are  shaped. 

Each  individual  tooth  is  built  up  to  the  desired  size  and 
contour.  The  gum  is  contoured  to  reproduce  the  outlines  and 
curvatures  found  in  nature,  as  also  are  the  rugae  on  the  palatine 
surface.  Figs.  5  and  6  show  the  general  appearance  of  the 
denture  at  this  stage  in  the  carving  process. 

To  take  the  plate  off  of  model  requires  delicate  manipula- 
tion.    The  operator  should  use  for  the  purpose  a  large  alcohol 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


377 


lamp,  and  with  the  aid  of  the  blow-pipe  throw  a  flame  over  the 
entire  piece,  thus  melting  the  spermaceti;  this  with  the  coloring 
material  enters  into  the  porcelain  body  and  thus  strengthens 
the  piece  so  that  it  can  be  removed  from  the  model  by  the  hand. 
The  First  Baking. — After  the  plate  is  perfectly  cool  take  it 
between  the  forefinger  and  thumb,  carry  it  to  a  slab  covered 
with  powdered  kaolin  built  to  the  depth  of  an  inch,  and  lay  the 


Fig.  6. 


piece  on  the  kaolin.  It  is  then  ready  for  the  first  baking,  which 
is  designed  to  harden  the  plate  for  the  reception  of  the  enamels. 
Put  the  slide  with  the  plate  in  the  muffle  of  an  electric  or 
other  furnace.  Leave  an  opening  for  the  escape  of  smoke 
which  arises  from  the  fatty  matter  in  the  plate.  Turn  on  the 
electric  current,  or  apply  other  source  of  heat,  slowly.  When 
looking  at  the  plate,  you  will  observe  that  it  has  turned  black, 
which  is  caused  by  the  carbonization  of  the  spermaceti  and  oil 
it  has  absorbed.  As  the  heat  increases,  the  plate  resumes  its 
normal  color.  At  this  stage  close  all  openings  of  the  furnace. 
Increase  the  temperature  until  the  muffle  is  at  a  bright  red  heat. 


378  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

When  the  plate  gets  as  hard  as  parian  marble  it  is  sufficiently 
baked  for  enameling  purposes.  In  order  to  cool  the  plate  re- 
move the  slab  from  the  furnace.  When  the  plate  is  cold,  brush 
off  the  kaolin  and  transfer  the  plate  to  the  carving  model. 

Enameling. — The  enamels  are  technically  called  neck,  point, 
stain,  and  gum  enamel.  They  are  applied  to  the  piece  with 
camel's-hair  pencils,  the  model  being  held  with  the  teeth  up- 
wards. Enamels  should  be  mixed  in  porcelain  cups,  with  clean 
water,  making  a  cream-like  solution.  The  yellow  or  neck 
enamel  is  first  applied,  extending  it  half-way  up  the  teeth  toward 
the  cutting  edge  or  point.  The  neck  enamels  vary  in  color  from 
bright  yellow  to  dark  brown.  The  point  enamels  are  appHed  to 
the  cutting  edges  of  the  teeth,  extending  towards  the  necks  so 
as  to  overlap  or  blend  with  the  neck  enamel.  Point  enamels 
vary  from  white  to  different  shades  of  bluish-gray  and  blue. 

The  gum  enamel  is  appHed  between  the  necks  of  the  teeth 
with  the  point  of  the  carving-knife;  this  enamel  is  also  applied 
over  the  entire  alveolar  surface,  but  is  not  allowed  to  overlap 
the* neck  enamel.  Apply  the  gum  enamel  also  over  the  palatine 
surface,  extending  from  the  necks  of  the  teeth  to  the  posterior 
part  of  the  plate.  To  bring  out  a  natural  effect  the  gum  enamel 
should  be  stippled,  and  the  festoons  around  the  necks  of  the 
teeth  should  be  ridged,  so  as  to  give  them  a  certain  prominence 
and  individuality,  and  make  them  look  as  if  they  had  grown  out 
of  the  gum  naturally. 

The  Second  Baking. — Having  finished  the  enameling,  pre- 
pare a  slide  with  kaolin  in  the  same  manner  as  for  the  first 
baking,  and  transfer  the  plate  to  the  kaolin  with  the  teeth  upper- 
most. All  being  ready  for  the  final  baking,  insert  the  sUde  with 
the  plate  in  the  muf^e,  close  the  furnace,  and  slowly  raise  the 
temperature  until  an  intense  white  heat  is  reached.  Examine 
the  plate,  and  if  the  gum  enamel  is  sufficiently  fused  and  glazed, 
turn  off  the  heat  and  close  all  openings  with  lire-clay.  Leave 
the  plate  in  the  furnace  until  both  are  cold. 

Fitting. — To  make  the  plate  fit  the  mouth  will  require  con- 
siderable grinding.  This  is  accomplished  by  coating  the  model, 
which  was  left  unenlarged,  with  sweet  oil  colored  with  vermilion. 
This  pigment  will  spot  the  under  side  of  plate  and  show  the  ex- 
act places  to  be  ground  off  in  order  to  make  the  plate  fit  soHdly 
on  the  model.  Proceed  in  this  manner  until  the  plate  fits  ac- 
curately.    The   grinding   is   done   with   corundum   wheels   and 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  379 

points.     After  this  is  finished  the  plate  is  ready  to  be  inserted 
in  the  mouth. 

Lower  Dentures. — We  now  proceed  to  the  consideration  of 
the  lower  denture,  which  is  far  easier  to  make  than  an  upper 
plate.  The  principal  difference  consists  in  the  use  of  the  ex- 
pansion strips.  Quarter  the  model  in  the  usual  way,  using  the 
thickest  strips  between  the  bicuspids  and  the  thinnest  strip 
lengthwise.     Connect  the  four  pieces  of  the  model,  and  bite,  as 


Fig-  7- 

in  the  previous  instance.     Follow  the  same  carving,  enameling, 
baking  and  grinding  directions  as  for  an  upper  denture. 

In  closing  this  brief  and  hasty  sketch,  I  can  only  say  that 
great  excellence,  in  the  making  of  the  full  porcelain  denture, 
can  only  be  the  result  of  special  fitness  on  the  part  of  the  maker ; 
added  to  much  patience  and  continued  experimentation.  The 
technique  is  not  to  be  acquired  in  a  day,  and  while  I  would  not 
discourage  a  beginner,  I  would  be  derelict  in  my  duty  as  an 
instructor  to  hold  out  the  false  hope  that  there  is  a  royal  road 
to  the  successful  making  of  a  porcelain  plate;  one  that  shall 
be  at  once  aesthetic,  prosthetic,  cosmetic,  and,  last,  but  not 
least,  shall  have  staying  and  maticating  qualities  recommending 
it  to  the  wearer. 


3So  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

An  entire  denture  made  several  years  ago  in  the  manner 
above  described,  and  still  in  satisfactory  use  by  the  patient  for 
whom  it  was  constructed,  is  shown  in  Fig.  7.  Owing  to  the 
fault  of  the  photographer  there  has  been  a  slight  disarrangement 
of  the  articulation  which  in  the  cut  is  faulty,  although  really  en- 
tirely correct  as  the  plates  are  adjusted  and  worn  in  the  mouth. 


A  CHRONIC  CASE  OF  EMPYEMA  OF  THE  ANTRUM.* 
5.  D.  Hodge,  D.D.S.,  Burlington,  Vt. 

In  regard  to  this  case,  which  is  that  of  a  prominent  clergy- 
man, aged  56,  of  Burlington,  Vt.,  I  would  like  to  say  in  the  be- 
ginning, that  while  I  have  been  connected  with  the  case  from 
the  first  surgical  treatment  of  the  antrum,  the  general  direction 
of  it  has  been  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Chretian  Zaugg,  of  Montreal, 
and  the  specialist  of  the  Fanny  Allen  Hospital,  of  Burlington. 
The  antrum  affected  is  on  the  right  side. 

•  There  is  one  point  in  the  etiology  of  diseases  of  the  antrum 
on  which  there  is  unanimity  of  opinion;  it  is  not  an  idiopathic 
affection.  Mo'St  of  the  dental  text-books  give  dental  caries, 
periostitis,  injury  and  abscess  of  the  roots  of  the  teeth  as  the 
cause.  I  think  that  most  dental  practitioners  are  of  the  opinion 
that  nearly  every  case  can  be  traced  to  these  sources.  On  the 
other  hand,  most  rhinologists  of  to-day,  while  giving  diseases  of 
the  teeth  as  the  cause  of  the  majority  of  cases  of  antral  trouble, 
are  of  the  opinion  that  a  good  percentage  of  cases  are  of  nasal 
origin. 

Of  the  physiological  function  of  the  antrum,  and  the  acces- 
sory frontal,  ethnoid  and  sphenoidal  sinuses  little  is  absolutely 
known.  A  more  careful  and  systematic  study  of  the  physiology 
and  pathology  of  these  sinuses,  will,  as  in  all  other  branches  of 
medicine,  clear  up  disputed  points.  The  pathological  phenom- 
ena of  antral  diseases  do  not  differ  from  those  that  attend  puru- 
lent processes  of  mucous  membranes  elsewhere. 

So  far  as  I  know,  every  one  who  has  been  connected  with  this 
case  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  cause  of  the  antral  trouble  was 
chronic  nasal  catarrh  of  many  years'  standing,  and  that  there 
was  empyema  of  the  antrum  for  a  long  time  before  it  was  sus- 

*Read  at  the  twenty-fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  Vermont  State  Den- 
tal Society,  March  22d,  1900. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  381 

pected  that  it  was  involved.  It  is  not  necessary  to  go  into  the 
minute  anatomy  of  the  antral  cavity.  You  will  readily  recall 
the  fact  that  it  is  only  one  of  a  series  of  accessory  cavities  and 
that  the  orifices  by  which  the  frontal,  anterior  ethnoid  and  antral 
cavities  communicate  with  the  nasal  chambers  are  close  together, 
and  that  pus  or  a  purulent  discharge  from  one  of  these  sinuses 
might  easily  find  its  way  into  the  antrum,  infecting  that. 

Empyema  of  the  antrum  is  usually  preceded  by  a  catarrhal 
inflammation,  and  with  the  access  of  microorganisms  assumes  a 
purulent  character.  In  this  case  there  was  a  general  impairment 
of  the  vitality  of  the  patient.  There  was  very  marked  anaemia, 
lips,  ears,  eyelids  were  bloodless.  You  could  almost  look  through 
the  hands,  and  the  liver  and  kidneys  were  inactive.  This  condi- 
tion of  active  toxemia  was  very  marked  for  two  years  before 
trouble  with  the  antrum  was  discovered,  and  so  grave  was  the 
condition  of  the  patient  at  the  time  of  the  opening  into  the 
antrum  that  there  was  great  anxiety  lest  general  systemic  infec- 
tion should  follow  the  operation. 

About  two  years  before  trouble  with  the  antrum  was  discov- 
ered, the  right  superior  bicuspid  tooth  had  been  crowned  with  a 
Logan  crown.  It  was  an  excellent  piece  of  work  in  every  respect, 
and  had  done  good  service  for  something  like  eight  years  when 
the  post  of  the  crown  broke.  I  drilled  out  the  broken  post  and 
put  on  a  new  Logan  crown.  This  was  worn  with  entire  comfort 
for  something  over  a  year,  when  the  root  split.  The  patient  was 
at  this  time  ill  at  the  Fanny  Allen  Hospital,  and  as  the  root 
began  to  abscess,  it  was  taken  out  at  the  Hospital.  The  root  was 
taken  out  Christmas  day,  1896.  This  healed  without  any 
trouble. 

For  many  years  the  patient  had  been  troubled  with  severe 
headaches,  the  pain  being  in  the  frontal  region.  The  usual  symp- 
toms of  antral  trouble  were  absent,  and  the  teeth  and  gums  were 
in  a  healthy  condition;  no  alveolar  enlargement.  About  August 
of  1897  there  was  a  sense  of  distention  and  weight  in  the  upper 
jaw.  He  went  to  Montreal  and  placed  himself  under  the  care 
of  Dr.  Chrctian  Zaugg.  August  loth,  1897,  Dr.  J.  H.  Bourdon, 
of  Montreal,  extracted  the  right  superior  first  molar,  and  Dr. 
Zaugg  opened  into  the  antrum,  folio-wing  the  socket  of  the  pala- 
tine root  of  the  first  molar.  Cocain  was  used  in  this  operation, 
the  patient  not  desiring  to  take  an  anaesthetic.  The  condition  of 
the  patient  was  such  that  it  was  thought  best  to  pursue  a  conscr- 


302  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

vative  line  of  treatment,  and  not  attempt  any  radical  operation; 
making  simply  an  opening  for  drainagc%  using  antiseptic  washes, 
and  building  up  the  system,  believing  that  with  increasing  vital- 
ity both  the  antral  and  nasal  trouble  would  be  brought  under 
control. 

Upon  opening  into  the  antrum  a  large  amount  of  pus  was 
found.  This  was  washed  out  with  a  saturated  solution  of  boric 
acid. 

About  a  week  after  the  operation  the  patient,  accompanied 
by  Dr.  Zaugg,  came  to  my  office,  and  a  plate  was  made  to  hold 
drainage  tube  in  positioii.  This  drainage  tube  was  silver;  it  was 
worn  till  November  23d,  when  Dr.  Bourdon,  of  Montreal,  made 
another  plate,  using  a  different  shaped  tube.  This  plate  was 
clasped  to  the  second  molar  and  first  bicuspid.  In  October,  1897, 
an  operation  was  performed  by  Dr.  Zaugg,  removing  hypertro- 
phied  tissue  from  the  middle  turbinal,  left  side.  This  was  re- 
moved by  cautery. 

^  In  April,  1898,  Dr.  Zaugg  removed  a  large  mass  of  hyper- 
trophied  tissue  from  inferior  turbinal,  right  side,  using  the  cau- 
tery in  this  operation.  Much  relief  was  given  by  these  two 
operations. 

There  had  been  a  gradual  improvement  in  the  condition  of 
the  patient  from  the  time  of  the  first  operation  of  opening  into 
the  antrum  in  August,  1897,  till  the  summer  of  1898.  He  then 
began  to  be  troubled  with  violent  headaches,  the  pain  being  most 
severe  in  the  frontal  region,  and  the  general  condition  began  to 
grow  worse.  He  sent  for  Dr.  Zaugg,  who  came  to  see  him  Au- 
gust 29th,  1898.  The  patient  was  suffering  intense  pain  and  had 
a  high  fever.  Examination  showed  the  membrane  covering  the 
middle  turbinal,  right  side,  greatly  congested,  and  so  great  was 
the  congestion  of  the  tissues  that  the  passage  was  nearly  closed, 
nearly  filling  the  space  between  the  middle  and  inferior  turbinated 
bones.  This  w^as  imm<ediately  relieved  by  the  application  of  a 
four  per  cent,  solution  of  cocain.  The  nasal  condition  was  so 
severe  as  to  give  rise  to  a  painful  attack  of  trifacial  neuralgia. 
Heroic  doses  of  quinine  and  codien  were  given  for  six  days.  The 
congestion  and  pain  were  relieved,  and  the  following  week  he 
went  to  Montreal,  and  Dr.  Zaugg  cut  away  the  hypertrophied 
tissue  from  middle  turbinal,  right  side.  This  was  cut  away  by 
snaring. 

It  was  thought  best  at  this  time  to  take  out  the  first  bicuspid 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  383 

tooth.  This  was  taken  out  by  Dr.  Bourdon,  who  made  a  new 
plate,  and  a  new  drainage  tube  of  gold  was  used.  There  lias 
been  a  marked  improvement  in  every  respect  since  these  opera- 
tions. The  general  health  has  improved,  no  further  headaches, 
and  the  discharge  from  both  the  antrum  and  nasal  passages  less 
in  quantity  and  less  purulent.  A  little  later  another  plate  was 
made  by  myself,  using  the  same  drainage  tube;  this  is  the  one  he 
is  now  wearing.  It  is  clasped  to  the  second  molar  and  the  cuspid. 
Many  different  solutions  have  been  used  to  wash  out  the  antrum. 
After  the  first  operation  boric  acid,  saturated  solution,  alone  was 
used;  peroxid  of  hydrogen,  ten  per  cent.,  was  used  for  some 
time;  carbolic  acid  solution,  two  per  cent.;  resorcin,  one,  two 
and  three  per  cent.;  Marchand's  hydrozone,  fifty  per  cent.,  fol- 
lowed by  glycozone;  glyco-thymoline,  twenty  per  cent.;  tr.  cal- 
endula, two  per  cent. 

From  the  time  of  the  first  operation  in  August,  1897,  until 
September,  1899,  the  washing  out  of  the  cavity  had  been  done 
principally  by  the  patient  himself  two  or  three  times  daily,  the 
syringing  being  done  throiigh  the  drainage  tube,  and  every  week 
coming  tO'  my  office  to  have  the  plate  and  drainage  tube  thor- 
oughly cleansed.  In  September,  1899,  at  the  suggestion  of  the 
specialist  of  the  Fanny  Allen  Hospital,  we  commenced  the  use  of 
protargol,  taking  out  the  drainage  tube  every  day  and  thoroughly 
irrigating  the  antrum  through  the  opening  in  the  alveolar  pro- 
cess. The  protargol  was  at  first  used  one-half  of  one  per  cent, 
solution,  but  later  about  one-fifth  of  one  per  cent.  The  protargol 
was  followed  by  a  mild  solution  of  Wampole's  formalid.  This 
gave  the  most  beneficial  results  of  anything  yet  used.  I  know  of 
no  remedy  equal  to  protargol  for  the  washing  of  a  diseased  an- 
trum. The  protargol  was  used  for  about  four  weeks  daily,  and 
since  that  time  has  been  used  occasionally,  when  there  is  much 
catarrhal  discharge.  We  are  now  washing  out  the  antrum,  re- 
moving the  drainage  tube  four  or  five  times  a  week,  using  a  mild 
solution  of  Wampole's  formalid.  The  patient  washes  it  out 
daily  through  the  drainage  tube,  using  a  solution  of  boric  acid  or 
chlorid  of  sodium.  Numerous  bacteriological  examinations  of 
the  discharges  from  both  the  antrum  and  nasal  passages  have 
been  made.  Streptococci  and  staphylococci  and  pus  cells  have 
been  found  in  every  examination.  The  most  interesting  micro- 
scopal  examination  was  one  made  at  tlie  ^'crmont  State  Labora- 
tory of  Hygiene,  February  4th.  i8(»,  which  is  as  follows: 


384  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Growth  reddens  litmus. 

Ferments  Smith  soKition. 

Grows  with  gas  production  in  gelatin  stab. 

Gives  indol  reaction  with  Dunham's  solution. 

Bacterium  is  B.  coli  communis. 

Pathogenic  for  guinea-pig  in  nine  days. 

I  think  that  this  bacillus  has  not  been  found  since. 

The  condition  of  the  patient  to-day  is  that  of  returning  health 
and  vigor.  In  washing  out  the  antrum,  the  water  as  it  comes 
away  is  usually  clear,  showing  but  little  discharge  from  the  an- 
trum. There  is  considerable  discharge  from  the  nasal  passages. 
The  last  microscopical  examination  made  a  few  weeks  ago 
showed  the  same  bacilli  in  both  antrum  and  nasal  passages. 

Trans-illumination  of  the  antrum  shows  slight  hypertrophy 
in  one  or  two-  places.  No  trace  of  caries  of  the  bone  can  be 
found. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  if  the  nasal  passages  were  in  a  normal 
condition,  it  w'ould  be  safe  to  take  out  the  drainage  tube  and 
close  up  the  antrum. 

I  am  indebted  to  Dr.  H.  E.  Lewis,  the  eye,  ear,  nose  and 
throat  specialist  of  the  Fanny  Allen  Hospital,  for  the  data  of  the 
surgical  operations  and  the  microscopical  examinations. 


PORCELAIN  INLAY.* 
H.  Burbridge,  D.DS.,  Woodstock,  Vt. 

Up  to  the  present  time  nothing  has  ever  been  introduced  to 
the  profession  for  the  stopping  or  filling  of  cavities  in  the  natural 
teeth  caused  by  decay  that  in  any  sense  of  the  word  produces  an 
artistic  result. 

The  choice  so  far  being  gold,  the  excellent  qualities  of  which 
cannot  be  denied.  But  from  an  aesthetic  point  of  view  it  is  sadly 
at  fault. 

How  often  do  w^e  hear  our  patients  say:  "Will  the  gold 
show?"  Now,  if  our  work  was  of  the  highest  type  of  art,  and 
the  material  did  show%  there  would  be  no  need  of  this  question,  as 
it  would  not  show,  for  being  the  highest  type  of  art  it  would  con- 


*Read  before  the  Vermont  State  Dental  Society,  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt., 
March  22d,  1900, 


ORIGINAL   COMMUNICATIONS.  385 

ceal  itself.  Therefore,  with  the  advent  cf  porcelain  in  such  forms 
that  it  can  be  handled  by  almost  any  dentist  who  will  take  the 
pains  to  master  the  fundamental  principles,  this  main  objection 
has  been  removed. 

In  endeavoring  to  give  you  as  briefly  as  possible  an  outline 
of  the  work  as  I  have  been  able  to  acquire  it  from  time  to  time, 
those  of  you  who  take  it  up  will  bear  in  mind  that  you  will  suffer 
a  great  many  disappointments  and  failures,  especially  in  the  be- 
ginning; but  your  successes  will  always  outweigh  them,  as  your 
patients  will  be  very  grateful  to  you  for  what  you  accomplish  for 
them  when  you  obtain  a  good  result. 

As  is  not  generally  known,  the  making  and  inserting  of  a 
porcelain  inlay  consists  of  the  following  steps: 

1.  The  preparation  of  the  cavity. 

2.  The  adaptation  of  the  platinum  or  gold  form  in  which 
the  porcelain  is  baked  or  melted. 

3.  The  investing  of  the  gold  or  platinum  form;  the  packing 
and  melting  of  the  powder  or  paste. 

4.  Finally,  the  removal  of  the  form  from  the  finished  inlay 
and  the  cementing  in  place  of  the  same. 

Let  us,  therefore,  consider  the  proper  manipulation  of  the 
various  steps,  as  before  mentioned.  For  the  simplest  form,  let 
us  conceive  a  cavity  oblong  in  shape,  v^ith  flaring  walls  and  the 
floor  perfectly  smooth,  with  no  retentive  points.  Especial  care 
should  be  given  the  margin  of  the  cavity.  It  must  be  as  clearly 
cut  and  perfect  as  is  possible  for  human  agency  to  make  it,  or 
the  work  will  be  a  total  failure.  This  may  be  accomplished  by 
the  aid  of  small  stones,  diamond  points  or  finishing  burrs. 

The  next  step  is  the  making  of  the  platinum,  or  gold  form. 
This  is  conceded  as  the  most  difficult  part  of  the  whole  opera- 
tion, as  on  this  fitting  accurately  depends  the  success  of  the 
finished  piece  of  porcelain. 

In  accomplishing  this  I  prefer  rolled  gold,  No.  30,  it  being 
softer  and  more  pliable  than  platinum.  I  take  a  piece  larger 
than  the  orifice  of  the  cavity,  then,  with  a  round  smooth  bur- 
nisher, gently  rub  the  gold  upon  a  piece  of  soft,  smooth  and  clean 
cork,  depressing  it  in  the  center  to  the  approximate  size  of  the 
cavity  to  prevent  tearing  the  gold  in  carrying  it  to  the  bottom 
of  the  cavity.  After  which  I  anneal  and  place  it  in  the  cavity 
and  pack  it  tightly  with  small  balls  of  cotton  or  spunk,  repeat- 
edly burnishing  the  edges  and  annealing  as  often  as  required. 


386  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Being  satisfied  that  the  form  fits  accurately,  I  take  a  small  piece 
of  white  wax  which  is  slightly  warmed,  and  press  it  into  the 
cavity  with  a  flat  burnisher.  If  it  is  an  approximal  cavity,  in- 
volving labial  and  lingual  walls  where  the  burnisher  will  not  do, 
I  select  an  ordinary  polishing  strip  (one  of  the  finest,  wide 
enough  to  entirely  cover  the  cavity),  putting  the  smooth  linen 
side  next  to  the  wax,  and  I  pull  the  wax  into  the  cavity,  using 
care  in  not  drawing  the  tape  in  one  direction  or  the  other,  but 
with  a  steady  pressure  forcing  the  wax  into  all  parts  of  the 
form  and  avoiding  a  surplus  of  wax  beyond  the  margin.  The 
form  can  now  be  removed  with  very  little  danger  of  getting  it 
out  of  shape. 

After  this  I  imbed  the  form  in  an  investing  material  which 
will  stand  the  heat  and  can  be  dried  quickly  without  cracking. 
Then  I  warm  the  investment  over  a  spirit  lamp,  and  as  soon  as 
the  wax  warms  a  little  I  take  it  out,  not  allowing  it  to  melt. 
Next  I  wash  out  the  form  with  alcohol  in  order  to  remove  all 
traces  of  the  wax;  then,  as  a  further  assurance  of  this  result,  I 
place  the  investment  in  the  furnace  and  bring  it  to  a  red  heat. 

After  cooling,  it  is  ready  for  packing  with  the  porcelain 
paste.  Care  must  be  taken  in  packing  the  paste  so  that  it  will 
not  shrink  away  from  the  margins.  ^  I  generally  make  at  least 
three  bakings,  sometimes  more,  according  to  the  case.  Having 
selected  the  proper  color  or  colors  necessary,  I  mix  the  powder 
either  with  gum  water  or  distilled  water  (preferably  the  gum 
water,  as  you  can  then  carve  it  up  better  to  shape  if  necessary) 
to  the  consistency  of  thick  cream,  with  which  I  cover  the  bot- 
tom of  the  matrix,  letting  it  run  up  nearly  to  the  margin.  Then 
I  tap  with  an  instrument  to  bring  the  water  to  the  surface  and 
absorb  with  a  piece  of  clean  linen,  continuing  to  tap  until  the 
paste  is  closely  packed  down  and  all  the  surplus  water  absorbed. 
Now,  with  a  small  camel's-hair  brush,  remove  the  center  of  the 
paste,  leaving  just  a  ring  around  the  margin,  for  if  this  is  not 
done  it  will  shrink  toward  the  largest  mass  of  its  own  body, 
which  is  the  center;  but  this  center  has  been  removed,  therefore 
it  shrinks  toward  the  circumference. 

Then  place  it  at  the  mouth  of  the  furnace  and  turn  on  the 
current,  passing  the  investment  in  as  it  heats  up  until  it  is  car- 
ried to  the  back  of  the  furnace.  The  first  baking  should  be 
thorough,  as  this  will  not  move  in  subsequent  heatings  unless 
carried  to  an  extreme.     The  next  packing  should  fill  the  matrix 


I 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  3^7 

even  full.  Proceed  as  before,  tapping  and  absorbing  the  water 
with  linen.  At  this  stage  of  the  manipulation  care  should  be 
taken  to  remove  all  particles  of  paste  that  overhang  the  margin 
of  the  matrix. 

If  this  be  not  done,  the  margins  will  be  ragged,  and  there 
will  be  small  bubbles,  as  a  perfect  margin  is  the  most  essential 
feature  of  a  porcelain  inlay. 

After  the  second  baking,  there  may  or  may  not  be  a  shrink- 
age, according  to  the  fineness  of  the  powder  or  care  in  the  pack- 
ing of  it.  If  there  should  be  any  shrinkage,  add  sufficient  to 
supply  the  deficiency  wherever  it  may  be,  and  bake  again.  This 
can  be  repeated  any  number  of  times,  according  to  the  require- 
ments of  the  case  at  hand.  After  the  last  baking,  it  is  better  to 
leave  the  inlay  in  the  furnace  to  cool,  as  sudden  changes  of  tem- 
perature may  cause  fracture  of  the  finished  piece. 

When  cool  enough  to  handle,  the  gold  may  be  stripped  off, 
commencing  alt  the  margin  all  around  with  a  pair  of  pliers  to 
prevent  marring  the  edges,  and  when  once  it  is  free  of  the  mar- 
gin it  can  be  pulled  away  without  danger. 

The  walls  of  the  inlay  should  have  fine  grooves  cut  in  them 
to  assist  in  the  retention.  (If  possible,  these  should  not  be  op- 
posite to  one  another,  as  in  small  inlays  they  would  tend  to 
weaken  it.)  This  can  be  done  by  fine  diamond  disks,  which  are 
kept  wet  when  cutting. 

It  is  obvious  that  the  cementing  of  the  inlay  is  a  very  im- 
portant matter,  as  it  will  affect  the  color  by  many  shades,  gen- 
erally rendering  it  darker. 

Any  four-color  high-grade  cement  that  will  mix  thin  with- 
out deterioration  in  strength  will  answer.  Grey  and  white  are 
the  colors  that  will  match  the  majority  of  cases.  Mix  the 
cement  somewhat  thinner  than  for  filling  (few  trials  will  be  suffi- 
cient by  way  of  experiment). 

The  cement  should  be  thoroughly  smeared  over  the  walls  of 
the  cavity  and  inlay.  Carry  the  inlay  to  place  with  small 
wedges  or  points  of  orange  wood.  Pressure  should  be  main- 
tained, if  possible,  until  the  cement  has  nearly  hardened.  I  find 
it  better  to  wait  until  a  subsequent  sitting  to  remove  a  surplus 
of  cement,  also  to  examine  and  complete  the  operation.  A  few 
considerations  in  regard  to  details  woiild  not  be  out  of  place. 

The  inlay  will  go  to  place  better  if  a  double  thickness  of 
gold  is  placed  in  the  bottom  of  the  cavity. 


38S  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Never  bevel  the  margin  of  the  cavity  to  any  extent,  as  it  will 
be  very  liable  to  fracture,  being  thin,  if  much  pressure  is  applied 
when  cementing  to  place. 

In  all  proximal  cavities  it  is  better  to  choose  a  lighter 
shade  than  the  tooth,  itself,  as  the  inlay  is  not  translucent  like 
the  tooth  itself,  but  is  opaque,  making  it  look  darker. 

Now,  in  regard  to  cements  obtainable  at  the  present  day. 
In  order  to  get  the  best  results  from  them,  it  is  necessary  to 
incorporate  as  much  of  the  powder  with  the  liquid  as  possible. 
Now,  this  cannot  be  done  in  the  setting  of  an  inlay.  As  I  said 
before,  the  cement  must  be  mixed  somewhat  thinner  than  for 
filling;  we  necessarily  deprive  it  of  an  important  part  of  its  con- 
sistency. Again,  it  is  my  firm  belief  that  what  is  required  is  a 
cement  that  is  clear  in  color.  For  no  matter  how  perfect  the 
color  of  the  inlay,  any  cement  with  a  sem.blance  of  color  will  act 
as  a  cloud  coming  between  the  tooth  and  inlay,  thereby  increas- 
ing the  opaqueness.  And  it  will  not  be  until  we  can  produce  an 
inlay  having  the  same  translucency  as  the  tooth  itself  that  we 
shall  attain  the  highest  type  of  the  art. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


BEANS,  THEIR  MORPHOI.OGY  AND  FOOD  VALUE. 

Morphology  of  Beans. — Taking  the  bean  botanically,  it  is  the 
seed  of  the  phaseolus  species  of  the  leguminose  family.  The  seed 
is  made  of  the  germ  and  two  lobes,  called  cotyledons,  which  are 
seed  leaves  loaded  with  starch  to  serve  as  food  for  the  germ,  and 
for  animals.    The  points  of  interest  are: 

The  seed  is  covered  with  a  thick  skin  or  envelope,  which  is 
made  up  of  a  set  of  beautiful  prismatic  crystal-like  shapes  of  cel- 
lulose placed  side  by  side  longitudinally,  sO'  that  these  ends  make 
the  outside  and  inside  surfaces  of  the  skin  or  envelope  and  appear 
very  much  like  the  tops  of  the  Giant's  Causeway  crystals  of  trap- 
rock.  In  the  middle  of  each  prism  is  an  hour-glass  contraction, 
which  is  in  the  central  axis  and  is  surrounded  with  clear  cellulose, 
which  fills  out  the  contour.  The  crystal  elements  of  the  mem- 
brane are  quite  insoluble,  polarize  light,  and  resist  the  digestive 
influences  of  the  alimentary  canal.  They  are  found  in  large  quan- 
tities in  the  excrement  of  bean-eaters,  and  furnish  a  sure  proof, 


I 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  389 

when  found,  that  beans  or  peas  entered  into  the  diet  of  the  case 
under  examination.  In  the  Lima  beans  the  lateral  surfaces  are 
narrowed,  leaving  tack-like  heads  or  irregular  shapes  at  both 
ends.  Of  course,  the  membrane  thus  made  cannot  have  the 
strength  of  the  membrane  of  the  common  white  bean,  as  the 
prisms  do  not  touch  along  their  sides.  The  epithelia  of  the  com- 
mon bean  have  remarkable  interdigitations.  When  interlocked, 
unsoftened,  and  unseparated  by  cooking  they  must  hold  together 
the  parts  over  which  they  are  spread  with  great  firmness.  In- 
deed, if  beans  uncooked  sojourn  in  the  meatus  of  the  ear,  in  the 
nostril  or  in  the  alimentary  canal,  they  remain  unchanged,  more 
or  less,  for  a  time,  and  are  voided  almost  in  the  same  condition 
as  when  they  entered.  No  sane  person  would  think  of  eating 
mature  dry  beans  for  food.  The  toughness,  thickness  and  pecu- 
liar structure  of  the  envelope  of  the  bean  make  it  such  a  strong 
obstacle  to  digestion  and  assimilation.  The  substance  of  the  bean 
is  made  up  of  starch  grains,  connective  tissue,  spiral  vascular 
tissue,  etc. 

The  starch  is  not  peculiar  in  its  appearance,  and  is  readily 
recognized.  In  a  section  of  an  uncooked  bean  the  starch  grains 
appear  in  globular  masses  of  varying  sizes,  filling  up,  apparently, 
the  meshes  of  the  connective  fibrous  tissue,  which  is  quite  thick, 
fibrous,  hom.ogeneous,  polarizes  light,  and  is  probably  cellulose 
or  wooly  fibre,  very  resistant  to  outside  influences  of  any  kind. 
In  a  section  of  raw  Lima  bean  the  meshes  appear  as  in  one  con- 
tinuous network,  making  areolae;  but  when  cooked  by  baking  or 
boiling,  there  is  a  great  change  wrought,  which  is  surprising,  for 
the  starch  grains  are  found  to  be  contained  in  sacs  of  thick  cellu- 
lose, which  are  distinct  from  each  other  and  are  of  various  sizes, 
shapes  and  contours,  containing  a  variable  number  of  starch 
grains.  They  are  globular,  pyriform,  elongated,  compressed,  ap- 
parently triangular,  sometimes  reminding  of  difflugia  cratera, 
sometimes  of  pelomyxae,  and  so  on,  but  all  covered  with  a  trans- 
parent enevelope  or  sac  of  cellulose,  which  looks  like  the  clear 
margin  of  gemiasma  verdans,  rubra  and  plumba,  found  in  malaria. 
The  thickness  of  this  coat  is  worth  attention.  Taking  an  average 
sac,  I  found  it  measured  8.5  mm.,  while  the  thickness  of  the  clear 
investing  sac  measured  0.5  nnn.,  so  that  the  proportion  for  the 
case  measured  would  be  8.5  to  0.5,  one-seventeenth  of  the  whole 
diameter  for  the  investing  sac;  or,  to  put  it  differently,  if  the  sac 
were  an  egg  two  inches  long  and  had  a  proportionately  thick 


390  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

shell,  it  would  be  one-quarter  of  an  inch  thick,  which  certainly 
would  be  an  extraordinary  thickness  for  a  hen's  egg,  and  make 
it  tougher  than  an  ostrich's  egg,  one  of  which  exploded  at  the 
Peabody  Museum,  New  Haven,  the  other  day,  from  the  pressure 
of  internal  gases,  and  came  near  killing  the  scientific  gentleman 
who  was  studying  it.  It  is  probable  that  it  takes  a  great  force  to 
explode  one  of  these  sacs  of  baked  beans.  The  fact  that  so  few 
of  the  sacs  are  found  ruptured  after  cooking  and  after  migrating 
through  the  alimentary  canal  shows  a  great  power  of  resistance 
to  digestive  agencies.  In  beans  not  thoroughly  cooked  the  diag- 
nosis is  based  on  the  following: 

1.  Action  of  polarized  light. 

2.  Condition  of  the  starch  contained  within  the  sacs. 

First,  Polarized  Light. — On  the  uncooked  starch  grains  polar- 
ized light  sets  with  great  beauty,  but  when  the  starch  is  cooked, 
polarized  light  has  no  action;  hence  a  good  test  of  cooking  is  by 
polarized  light.  As  the  beans'  starch  grains  are  cooked  they 
polarize  light  less  and  less,  and  when  cooked  (to  repeat)  polarize 
it  not  at  all;  so  one  can  judge  at  once,  as  to  whether  beans  are 
cooked  or  not,  by  polarized  light.  The  purple  selenite  stage  slip 
is  the  best.  The  writer  discovered  this  about  ten  years  ago  (1877), 
and  thinks  he  has  the  priority.  However,  this  has  been  found  so 
good  a  practical  test  that  he  thinks  it  must  be  adopted  in  the 
future. 

Second,  Condition  of  the  Bean  Starch  Grains. — Before  cooking 
they  are  clean  cut,  distinct;  after  thorough  cooking  they  lose  their 
outlines  and  forms,  blend  into  one  homogeneous  mass  that  is 
granular,  devoid  of  structure,  sometimes  striated  in  coils,  looking 
much  like  the  solid  extract  of  a  herb  as  found  in  pharmacy,  only 
not  so  deeply  colored.  The  amount  of  disintegration,  breaking 
down  and  homogeneousness  constitute,  in  my  opinion,  a  very 
good  test  for  the  thorough  cooking  of  baked  beans. 

Boiling  the  beans  serves  to  coagulate  the  protoplasm  into  a 
nucleus  leaving  a  clear  ground-work  about  it;  the  grains  are 
swelled  and  disturbed  more  than  in  baking.  These  morpholog- 
ical changes  are  easy  to  study.  A  good  one-quarter  inch  objec- 
tive, a  two-inch  eye-piece,  with  a  slide,  cover,  stand,  and  tooth- 
pick, are  means  ample  enough  to  verify  these  statements  from  off 
one's  own  table.  With  the  toothpick  small  portions  of  the  baked 
beans  can  be  transferred  to  the  slide,  a  little  water  and  manipula- 
tion with  the  cover  will  disturb  the  specimens  into  an  even  field. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  391 

and  the  slide  is  ready  for  the  microscope.  Those  who  have  a 
polarizing  apparatus  can  test  the  specimens  with  it.  The  writer 
hopes  that  more  attention  will  be  paid  to  the  morphology  of  food 
in  time  to  come;  for  certainly  it  furnishes  a  field  of  study  always 
present,  easy  to  get  at,  and  of  vital  importance  to  the  human  race 
in  more  points  than  the  esthetic  one.  This  leads  to  the  physiol- 
ogical view. 

Baked  Beans  in  Relation  to  the  Functions  of  Digestion  and 
Assimilation. — (Provided  they  are  in  good  order  and  thoroughly 
cooked,  so  as  to  furnish  the  simplest  problem  of  solution  by  the 
functions  named;  provided  the  cellulose  structures  are  softened, 
macerated  and  separated;  provided  the  salivary  liquids  are  thor- 
oughly mixed  in  the  mouth,  and  the  beans  thoroughly  ground  by 
the  teeth.) 

In  the  stomach  the  beans  digest  little;  in  the  intestines  the 
bile,  the  pancreatic  and  intestinal  fluids  act  on  the  starch,  com- 
plete the  changes  already  begun  by  the  cooking,  the  mastication, 
and  the  gastric  juices,  and  turn  into  glucose,  in  which  soluble 
condition  it  is  taken  up  into  the  portal  circulation  and  transmitted 
to  the  liver. 

The  other  elements  of  the  beans  that  are  made  soluble  are 
also  absorbed  into  the  system,  and  it  is  fed  and  warmed  by  the 
beans.  The  longer  this  food  stays  in  the  stomach,  the  more  it 
ferments.  For  it  must  be  remembered  that  the  alimentary  canal 
is  a  great  reservoir  of  fermentative  vegetations,  as  a  rule,  so  that 
sedentary  persons  have  more  trouble  with  this  article  of  food. 
Persons  w^ho  live  out  of  doors,  and  who  move  about  actively  and 
work  hard,  digest  vegetable  foods  better  than  the  sedentary,  as 
the  food  is  accelerated  in  its  passage  through  the  alimentary 
canal,  and  the  indigested  remainder  has  less  time  in  which  to 
ferment.  Hence,  when  we  hear  of  a  Maine  lumberman  thriving 
on  baked  beans,  which,  frozen  solid  by  the  barrel  and  cut  with 
axes,  are  then  cooked,  we  lay  the  benefit  to  the  fresh  air  of  the 
woods  and  the  violent  exercise. 

From  what  has  been  said  it  must  be  admitted  that  baked 
beans  are  not  easy  to  digest,  and  that  there  is  good  reason  for 
the  unusual  amount  of  intestinal  gases  that  accompany  their 
digestion.  This  gas  is  usually  carbonic  acid;  it  is  formed  inside 
the  bean  sacs,  and  they  must  explode  like  microscopic  dynamite 
bombs  in  the  intestines!  If  we  consider  that  nerve  force  is  the 
agent  by  which  digestion  is  regulated,  if  not  produced,  other 


392  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

things  being  equal,  it  takes  more  nerve  energy  to  digest  baked 
beans  than  some  other  kinds  of  food,  and,  of  course,  there  is  less 
energy  left  to  run  the  rest  of  the  economy  in  the  departments 
where  nerve  force  predominates,  and  hence  the  cerebral  centers 
cannot  act  with  that  efficiency  and  energy  that  they  could  if  the 
system  was  fed  on  a  food  that  took  less  nerve  force  to  digest  it. 
To  be  sure,  allowance  must  be  made  for  differences  in  individuals 
in  the  power  of  digesting  baked  beans  and  other  articles  of  food. 
Some  will  digest  their  meals  when  others  cannot,  because  their 
organs  are  in  remarkably  good  condition  to  do  their  work;  but 
aside  from  this,  it  is  not  profitable  to  abuse  a  good  digestion; 
sometimes  there  will  be  a  break-down. 

Baked  Beans  as  a  Cause  of  Disease. — Some  years  ago,  some 
imique  but  most  valuable  experiments  were  made  as  to  baked 
beans.  A  physician  and  six  strong,  healthy  laboring  men  were 
placed  on  an  exclusive  diet  of  baked  beans,  cofTee  and  milk.  They 
were  sedentary,  save  that  in  the  morning  and  evening  they  all 
marched  out  on  the  street  in  military  order  for  exercise.  Almost 
immediately  there  was  diarrhoea,  followed  in  all  the  cases  (in 
about  fourteen  days)  by  consumption  of  the  bowels.  If  any  one 
doubts  this,  he  is  asked  to  live  on  the  same  diet  exclusively  for 
the  same  time,  and  report  results,  which  were  so  uniform  in  the 
above  cases  that  there  is  no  hesitation  in  predicting  like  issues. 
This  may  be  called  too  severe  treatment  of  any  food,  and  that 
no  food  would  stand  such  a  test,  because  so  unnatural.  The 
diarrhoea  was  caused  by  the  alcoholic  fermentation  of  the  baked 
beans,  producing  alcohol,  carbonic  acid  and  vinegar.  The  alcohol 
showed  itself  by  the  fuddling  of  the  men,  while  it  did  good  by 
arresting  for  the  time  the  active  process  of  the  fermentation.  The 
results  of  the  action  of  the  alcohol  were: 

1.  Distension  of  the  bowels  by  gas. 

2.  Paralyzing  them  by  direct  contact. 

3.  Paralyzing  the  epithelia  of  the  mucous  membrane,  making 
them,  as  it  were,  drunk,  causing  a  thickened  catarrhal  condition; 
hence  the  profuse  liquid  discharges,  and  later  on  some  sulphur- 
etted hydrogen. 

It  is  always  possible  to  detect  the  eating  of  baked  beans  by 
a  microscopical  examination  of  the  forms  found  in  the  feces  of 
the  eater.  The  beautiful  cellulose  prisms  or  double  tack-headed 
elements  of  the  outer  membrane  of  the  bean  or  pea  will  tell  the 
tale,  while  an  abundance  of  the  sacs  filled  with  starch  grains,  sure 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  393 

to  be  found,  will  testify  to  the  same  thing.  At  one  time  the  writer 
verified  this  in  his  own  person,  and  was  astonished  at  the  quan- 
tity of  undigested  beans  and  other  food  that  ran  the  gauntlet  of 
an  alimentary  canal  which  was  called  healthy.  Once  the  writer 
visited  Massachusetts  State  Prison  at  Concord  (before  it  was  used 
as  a  reformatory).  Passing  by  the  latrine,  he  saw  a  pile  of  baked 
beans,  large  enough  to  load  a  horse-cart,  most  of  which  had 
passed  through  the  digestive  organs  of  the  prisoners.  Certainly, 
if  this  exhibition  meant  anything,  it  showed  that  these  baked 
beans  are  a  poor  prison  ration.  I  think  it  would  be  more  rational 
to  feed  the  beans  to  animals  whose  organs  are  better  adapted  to 
digest  them  than  man's,  and,  if  need  be,  let  man  eat  the  animals. 
If  the  sacs  of  the  bean  grains  could  be  ruptured  before  eating,  con- 
siderable objections  would  be  removed.  They  might  be  crushed 
between  rollers  or  pounded  in  a  mortar,  or  mashed  like  potatoes. 
If  bean-eaters  would  take  time  to  thoroughly  cook  and  chew 
them,  the  situation  would  be  improved.  But  probably  one  great 
recommendation  of  baked  beans  is  their  smallness,  so  that  they 
are  swallowed  whole,  easily,  and  thus  save  time  in  eating.  If  man 
had  the  gizzard  of  fowls,  or  stomachs  like  bovines,  this  might 
answer;  but  it  seems  to  me  we  do  ourselves  harm  in  the  end  by 
imperfect  mastication,  which  fails  to  crush  the  bean  sacs  and  mix 
the  juices  of  the  mouth  with  the  starch  of  the  bean,  and  so  pre- 
pare it  for  the  digestive  processes  it  should  undergo;  for  if  they 
are  not  prepared,  a  good  portion  is  wasted,  as  the  Concord  latrine 
witnessed. 

Importance  of  Cooking. — The  writer  has  no  idea  of  influencing 
the  abandonment  of  baked  beans  as  a  food,  but  he  would  like  to 
put  in  a  plea  for  better  cooking.  It  goes  without  saying  that  the 
average  cooking  is  bad. 

1.  Soak  a  quart  of  beans  over  night  in  two  quarts  of  cold 
water. 

2.  In  the  morning  turn  ofl  the  water,  add  fresh  water,  and 
boil  them  till  the  membranes  begin  to  separate;  turn  off  the  water. 

3.  Put  the  beans  in  a  baking  pot,  with  half  a  pound  of  salt 
pork  buried  in  the  beans;  add  two  tablespoonfuls  of  molasses, 
and  cover  the  whole  with  water.  Bake  in  a  slow  oven  all  day; 
a  baker's  oven  is  best.  Watch  the  beans,  and  if  they  become  too 
dry  add  more  water.  When  tlioroughly  cooked  it  will  be  known 
by  the  softness  of  the  beans  in  the  mouth  between  the  teeth,  by 

■the  taste  and  by  the  microscope  showing  the  starch  grains  broken 


J94  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

up  and  mixed  in  one  homogeneous  mass  that  will  not  polarize 
light  with  a  selenite  plate. 

4.  Take  time  to  eat  and  chew  thoroughly. 

Albany  Medical  Annals. 


DEATHS  FROM  ANESTHETICS. 

It  is  vy^ell  known  that  a  considerable  numiber  of  deaths  occur 
every  year  during  or  shortly  after  the  administration  of  anaes- 
thetics, and  especially  of  chlorofoirm.  It  must  be  confessed  that 
this  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  state  of  things,  and  that  the  means 
which  can  be  taken  to  diminish  this  mortality  is  a  subject  which 
calls  pressingly  for  the  attention  of  the  profession. 

Most  of  the  cases,  probably  all,  are  subjects  of  inquiry  by 
coroners,  but  it  cannot  be  said  that  very  much  light  has  hitherto 
been  shed  upon  the  subject  by  such  inquiries.  The  failure  to 
obtain  more  satisfactory  information  is  probably  due  to  a  large 
ejitent  to  the  fact  that  the  majority  of  coro'ners  in  this  country 
are  not  medical  men.  The  matter  to^  be  inquired  into*  is  essen- 
tially a  medical  question,  and  we  are  therefore  glad  to  see  that  Dr. 
Danford  Thomas,  coroner  for  Central  London,  has  given  his 
attention  to  the  matter,  and  has  drawn  up  a  schedule  of  ques- 
tions which  it  is  proposed  should  be  answered  by  the  m:edical 
practitioner  who^  administered  the  anaesthetic  in  any  fatal  case. 
The  schedule  is  somewhat  formidable  in  length,  but  there  can  be 
no  doubt  that  the  accumulation  of  evidence  of  this  kind  would 
eventually  supply  a  mass  of  information,  which,  if  carefully  ana- 
lized,  is  likely  tO'  be  of  great  value.  The  schedule,  which  is  to  be 
handed  tO'  the  coroner  at  the  inquest,  contains  the  following 
questions: 

1.  What  anaesthetic  or  anaesthetics  were  administered,  and 
what  influenced  your  choice? 

2.  Where  and  when  was  the  anaesthetic  administered?  State 
if  in  an  operating  theatre,  casualty  room,  out-patient  department, 
or  private  house? 

3.  What  was  the  temperature  of  the  operating  room?  Had 
the  room,  previous  to  the  operation,  been  well  ventilated? 

4.  Was  the  anaesthetic  given  by  artificial  light?  State  what 
kind.    If  gas,  was  the  flame  exposed? 

5.  For  what  purpose  was  the  anaesthetic  administered?  State 
nature  of  operation,  with  name  and  address  of  surgeon  operating! 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  395 

6.  How  many  patients  were  placed  under  anaesthesia  by  you 
that  day,  and  how  much  time  was  occupied  in  producing  com- 
plete anaesthesia  in  each  case? 

7.  Was  there  any,  and  if  so  what,  reason  for  administering 
the  anaesthetic  quickly? 

8.  How  was  the  anaesthetic  administered?  If  by  means  of 
an  inhaler,  state  what  kind  and  make. 

9.  How  was  the  mixture  of  air  with  the  vapor  of  the  anaes- 
thetic secured,  and  in  what  proportion? 

10.  What  quantity  of  the  anaesthetic  was  used? 

(a)  From   the   beginning   of   the   administration   until 

complete  anaesthesia  was  produced. 

(b)  From  then  until  the  administration  was  stopped. 

(c)  Was  the  anaesthetic  applied  by  drops  or  by  measure- 

ment? 

11.  How  was  the  deceased  prepared  for  the  anaesthesia  {re 
food,  clothing,  etc.)?  Was  there  any  mechanical  or  other  obstruc- 
tion to  the  respiration? 

12.  What  was  the  condition  of  the  heart,  lungs,  and  kidn-eys 
of  the  deceased  previous  tOi  the  administration?  Were  you  sat- 
isfied that  the  patient  was  in  a  safe  condition  to  be  placed  under 
the  anaesthetic?  Had  the  patient  previously  been  under  anaes- 
thesia? 

13.  Was  the  deceased,  at  the  time  of  the  administration,  suf- 
fering or  recovering  from  any  acute  or  chronic  illness,  or  from 
alcoholism? 

14.  Was  the  deceased  excited  or  violent  during  the  first 
stage  of  narcosis? 

15.  Was  the  pulse  and  respiration  watched  during  the  ad- 
ministration, and  if  so,  by  whom?  State  the  conditions  observed. 
What  was  the  state  of  the  pupils,  and  of  reflex  irritability  gen- 
erally? 

16.  At  what  period  during  the  administration  of  the  anaes- 
thetic was  the  first  symptom  of  impending  death  noticed?  What 
was  it?  Did  deceased  vomit  at  any  time?  If  so,  when  and  how 
often? 

17.  Did  the  deceased  die  during  the  administration  of  tlie 
anaesthetic?  If  so,  how  long  after  it  had  been  discontinued? 
Was  the  operation  then  completed?    If  so,  for  how  long? 

18.  What  efforts  were  made  to  restore  animation,  and  how 
long  were  they  continued? 


396  nrJXTAL  liRIEF. 

19.  To  what  immediate  cause  do  you  yourself  attribute  the 
sudden  death  of  the  deceased? 

20.  In  how  many  cases  have  you  given  an  anaesthetic  previ- 
ously?   If  any  fatal  cases,  say  how  many? 

British  Medical  Journal. 


NOTES    ON     A     CASE     OF     EXTRACTION     UNDER 

NITROUS  OXID. 

By  Herbert  Bailey. 

The  following  rather  interesting  case  came  under  my  notice, 
recently,  while  in  charge  of  my  partner's  practice  in  New 
Plymouth. 

About  7.30  p.  M.,  a  young  woman  about  twenty-four  years 
of  aige  camte  to  me  to  have  some  teeth  extracted.  She  was,  at  the 
time,  suffering  from  a  vioilent  attack  of  alveolar  abscess,  and  had 
not  touched  food  for  thirty-six  hours.  There  appeared  to  be  a 
general  want  of  tone  in  the  systemi,  and  the  patient  was  nervous 
to  such  a  degree  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  a  careful  ex- 
amination of  the  case.  I  decided  to  extract  the  upper  right  first 
and  secondi  molars  and  the  loiwer  right  first  molar.  I  adminis- 
tered nitrous  oxid  gas,  and  did  so. 

The  patient  behaved  very  well  during  the  administration  of 
the  gas.  Directly  the  operation  commenced,  she  struggled  vio- 
lently and  screamed  as  if  in  great  pain;  so  troublesome  did  she 
become,  that  at  the  end  of  the  operation  she  was  sitting  on  the 
floor. 

As  soon  as  she  became  conscious  she  was  seized  with  a 
violent  attack  of  rigors.  I  removed  her  to  a  couch,  examined  her 
pulse,  which  was  normal,  and  her  breathing,  which  was  fair. 

The  intensity  of  the  attack  increased,  and  was  supplemented 
by  an  attack  of  hysteria,  which  manifested  itself  in  crying  and 
violent  struggling  to  such  an  extent  that  she  had  to  be  held  down 
in  order  to  prevent  bodily  injury.  These  attacks  were  followed 
by  passive  moments,  when  the  patient  complained  of  pain  of  a 
severe  nature  in  the  region  of  the  pelvis  on  the  left  side  and  down 
the  side  of  the  left  leg  as  far  as  the  knee.  These  symptoms  sub- 
sided, only  toi  be  followed  by  acute  pain  in  the  region  of  the 
larynx,  inability  to  swallow,  and  difficult  respiration,  which  lasted 
some  fifteen  minutes;  during  this  time  there  was  little  pain  in 
the  pelvis.     The  pain  in  the  larynx  subsided,  only  to  be  followed 


\ 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  397 

by  a  recurrence  of  the  pelvic  troubles  as  before  described,  sup- 
plemented by  hysteria,  struggling,  rigors,  pain  in  the  back  of 
neck,  livid  blue  appearance  of  the  face,  and  cold  extremities. 

Three-quarters  of  an  hour  had  now  elapsed  since  the  opera- 
tion. As  matters  showed  no'  tendency  to  improve,  I  deemed  it 
advisable  to  call  in  the  patient's  medical  attendant,  who  examined 
the  case  carefully,  diagnosed  an  attack  of  ''perineal  peritonitis," 
to  which  he  attributed  the  pelvic  pains;  the  struggling  and 
hysteria  he  put  down  to  the  patient's  neurotic  disposition.  The 
patient  remained  in  my  room  for  half  an  hour  longer,  during 
which  time  the  symptoms  gradually  subsided,  and  was,  at  the 
end  of  that  time,  removed  in  a  cab  in  a  state  of  exhaustion. 

I  may  state,  in  conclusion,  that  during  the  administration  of 
gas,  the  patient  had  no  unpleasant  impression  on  her  mind,  and 
had  no  recollection  of  the  operation  after  she  became  conscious. 
Fourteen  days  previously  she  had  two  teeth  extracted  by  my 
partner,  who  administered  gas  for  the  operation,  without  any  ill 
effects.  The  patient  was  suffering  no  apparent  pain  previous 
to  the  operation,  except  as  a  result  of  alveolar  abscess.  As  a 
result  of  the  operation,  the  dental,  pains  and  facial  neuralgia  at- 
tendant thereon  had  ceased.  Tlie  patient  came  to  me  three  or 
four  days  after  the  incident,  and  to  all  appearances  was  quite  well. 

Australian  Journal  of  Dentistry. 


CHICAGO  DIPLOMA  MILL  MEN  IN  JAIL. 

After  four  years  of  defiance  of  the  State  Board  of  Health  of 
Illinois  the  proprietors  of  the  Metropolitan  Medical  College  were 
arrested  yesterday  by  United  States  Marshals  on  the  charge  of 
using  the  mails  to  defraud.  The  institution  has  been  graduating 
1,000  "physicians"  a  year  without  serious  molestation  because  of 
the  inadequacy  of  the  State  health  laws. 

The  arrest  of  the  men  is  the  result  of  a  final  effort  of  the 
State  Board  of  Health  tO'  abolish  the  "medical"  college.  The  in- 
stitution was  organizea  in  1895  under  the  name  of  the  Illinois 
Health  University.  The  charter  for  this  name  was  revoked  by 
the  board  two  years  later.  Immediately  the  college  was  reor- 
ganized by  the  same  owners  under  the  name  of  the  Independent 
Medical  College.  A  revocation  of  this  charter  in  December  last 
resulted  in  the  college  being  started  anew  under  the  name  of  the 
Metropolitan  Medical  College.     Finding  that  the  promoters  of 


398  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

the  institution  had  seven  charters  remaining  under  which  the  in- 
stitution could  be  conducted,  Attorney  John  A.  Barnes,  counsel 
for  the  board,  interested  the  post-office  authorities  in  the  prose- 
cution. 

Evidence  that  the  college  sold  diplomas  to  persons  possess- 
ing ''superior  medical  knowledge"  was  presented  to  Commis- 
sioner Humphrey  by  graduates  of  the  institution.  Dr.  Joseph  De 
Barthe  asserted  that  while  he  was  a  resident  of  Baker  City,  Ore., 
he  bought  a  diploma  from  the  college  through  the  mails  for  $25. 
He  said  the  diploma  had  been  granted  on  the  representation  that 
it  would  entitle  him  to  a  physician's  license  in  any  State.  He 
complained  that  the  diploma  was  worthless.  On  coming  to  Chi- 
cago he  said  he  was  advertised  as  a  member  of  the  faculty  with 
the  title  of  ''Professor  of  Medical  Judisprudence." 

The  books  of  the  college  show,  among  other  things,  that  the 
price  graduates  paid  for  diplomas  varied.  Here  are  some  of  the 
"purchasers"  and  the  price  paid  by  each: 

Adelfo  de  Clairmont,  Toledo^,  $75;  \V.  S.  Wodey,  Cleburne, 
Tex.,. $25;  J.  C.  Riesdon,  San  Francisco,  $40;  S.  H.  Matthews, 
New  York,  $5;  J.  B.  DuBoise,  Sandy  Point,  Tex.,  $10;  H.  O. 
Hofstad,  New  York,  $10;  R.  C.  McCreary,  East  Prairie,  Mo., 
$25;  A.  J.  Rimbers,  Elbow  Lake,  Minn.,  $20;  Leo  Berson,  Mex., 
$20;  F.  W.  Derrick,  San  Francisco,  $38;  R.  J.  Balch,  Seneca, 
Mo.,  $10;  J.  P.  S.  Canno,  Tex.,  $100;  Joseph  S.  Van  Nort,  Balti- 
more, $50;  J.  T.  Carroll,  Pryorcreek,  L  T.,  $30;  H.  G.  Roth,  San 
Antonio,  Tex.,  $25. 

The  struggle  of  local  authorities  to  end  this  diploma  fraud 
has  been  as  persistent  as  it  has  been  ineffectual.  Meanwhile  the 
fair  fame  of  the  city  has  been  injured  abroad,  especially  in  Eng- 
land, where  the  "fake"  colleges  have  been  heralded.  The  evil 
has  even  been  the  subject  of  discussion  in  Parliament. 

Chicago  Daily  Tribune,  June  ^th,  ipoo. 


DENTAL  ADVERTISING. 

The  General  Medical  Council  at  its  last  meeting  dealt  with 
several  matters  of  great  interest  to  the  dental  profession,  the 
results  of  which,  no  doubt,  will  be  extremely  beneficial  when  they 
are  carried  to  their  conclusion.  But  one  of  their  acts,  whether 
regarded  as  a  solitary  attack  of  disciplinary  zeal,  or  the  first  step 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  399 

Oiii  the  road  to  the  reform  of  the  profession,  must  be  regarded 
as  undoubtedly  the  most  momentous  decision  they  have  ever  pro- 
nounced affecting  dentists. 

Our  readers  need  not  be  told  that  we  refer  to  the  case  of  Mr. 
Arthur  Oglesby,  whose  name  was  ordered  to  be  struck  off  the 
Register  for  advertising,  and  to  the  resolution  passed  by  the 
Council  tO'  send  to  every  dentist  whose  name  is  upon  the  Register 
a  copy  of  the  resolution  adopted  on  May  20th,  1894,  to  the  follow- 
ing effect: 

"That  the  attention  of  the  Council  having  been  called  to  the 
practice  of  advertising  by  certain  dentists,  it  is  hereby  resolved: 
That  the  issue  of  advertisements  of  an  objectionable  character, 
and  especially  of  such  as  contain  either  claims  of  superiority  over 
other  practitioners,  or  depreciation  of  them,  may  easily  be  car- 
ried so  far  as  tO'  constitute  infamous  or  disgraceful  conduct  in  a 
professional  respect.'  " 

The  case  against  Mr.  Oglesby  as  presented  to  the  Council  is 
as  follows : 

(i)  That  Arthur  Oglesby  was  registered  in  the  Dentists' 
Register  on  July  loth,  1891,  as  having  been  in  practice  before 
July  22d,  1878,  and  his  address  in  the  Dentists'  Register  is  21, 
Cheapside,  Barnsley. 

(2)  That  Arthur  Oglesby  has  systematically  sought  to  at- 
tract professional  practice  by  the  issue  of  public  advertisements 
of  his  name,  address,  appliances,  and  professional  qualifications. 

(3)  That  in  particular  he  advertises  himself  as  D.D.S.,  Uni- 
versity, 111.,  which  alleged  diploma  he  admits  that  he  obtained 
without  visiting  America  or  being  subjected  to  any  examination. 

(4)  That  the  public  advertisements  issued  by  Arthur 
Oglesby  are  highly  objectionable. 

(5)  That  Arthur  Oglesby  states  that  since  the  month  of  Sep- 
tember, 1899,  he  has  discontinued  the  issue  of  the  advertisements 
which  were  brought  before  the  committee,  but  he  continues  to 
advertise  himself  by  the  issue  of  an  objectionable  card  in  the 
local  newspapers. 

The  president  said  the  dental  committee  had  agreed  to  the 
facts  and  the  Council  must  take  their  report  as  conclusive,  the 
only  question  was  how  should  they  deal  with  it?  Having  decided 
tO'  hear  Mr.  Oglesby,  that  gentleman  said  he  had  not  any  idea 
until  last  September  that  there  was  anything  wrong  in  the  course 
he  took.  He  had  never  before  that  date  received  any  warning 
from  anyone,  and  when  such  a  notice  did  come  he  ceased  to  print 
any  further  advertisements  and  simply  issued  a  card  which,  if  it 
could  be  called  objectionable,  then  almost  every  advertisement 


400  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

in  the  land  was.  The  D.D.S.,  University,  111.,  was  granted  in 
absentia  on  proof  of  his  skill  and  knowledge.  It  was  an  honorary 
degree. 

This  defense,  however,  did  not  avail  Mr.  Oglesby,  and  the 
president  of  the  General  Medical  Council  inflicted  their  highest 
penalty  and  ordered  his  name  to  be  erased  from  the  Dentists' 
Register. 

No  doubt  the  Council's  decision  will  be  considered,  under 
the  circumstances,  to  be  very  severe,  and  that  Mr.  Oglesby  has 
been  made  an  example  of,  not  only  to  show  that  the  Council  is 
determined  tO'  put  a  stop  to  professional  advertising,  but  tO'  make 
it  clear  tO'  any  offender  that  he  is  sinning  at  tbe  risk  of  the 
severest  penalties.  It  seems  now  impossible  toi  doubt  the  fact 
that  the  Council  will  take  the  extreme  view  of  the  conduct  of  any 
registered  man  who'  advertises,  and  it  is  tO'  be  hoped  that  those 
who  have  offended  in  the  past  vvill  take  the  hint  given  by  the 
Council  and  live  cleanly  as  gentlemen  should.  For  there  is  no 
doubt  if  dentistry  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  profession,  advertising 
must^ease.  The  advertisements  some  dentists  issue  are  certainly 
no  different  in  their  nature  or  higher  than  those  of  the  tea  shop 
or  the  boot  maker.  As  Dr.  Woods  said,  it  was  notorious  that 
the  advertisements  of  some  dentists  have  reached  the  lowest 
depths  of  advertising,  and  while  such  cases  exist  it  will  be  the 
most  difficult  thing  in  the  world  to  make  outsiders,  whether  lay 
or  professional,  regard  dentistry  as  a  learned  profession.  There 
is  no  doubt  now  that  the  General  Medical  Council  regards  dental 
advertising  as  infamous  co^nduct,  and  the  sooner  the  state  of 
affairs  is  recognized  by  the  profession  the  better  for  it,  and  the 
sooner  it  will  take  that  rank  among  the  learned  professions  which 
it  deserves  and  which  those  most  interested  in  dental  progress 
wash  for  it.  The  British  Dental  Journal. 


AN  UP-TO-DATE  REPORT  OF  PROCEEDINGS  OF  AN 
UP-TO-DATE  MEDICAL  SOCIETY. 

Dr.  Frank.  E.  Bunts. 

First  Surgeon:  I  have  to  bring  before  the  members  of  this 
society  a  report  of  an  extremely  interesting  case  of  rupture  of  the 
liver.  The  patient  was  accidentally  kicked  over  a  fence  by  a 
mule,  and  fell  with  his  right  side  striking  on  a  nigger's  head.    No 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  401 

symptoms  developed  for  twenty-four  hours,  when  the  family, 
becoming  alarmed  at  the  absence  of  symptoms,  I  was  called  in  to 
see  the  case,  and  at  once  diagnosed  a  rupture  of  the  liver.  The 
signs  were  somewhat  obscure,  but  an  operation  made  some  thirty- 
six  hours  subsequent  proved  the  correctness  of  my  observations. 
The  liver  and  portal  vein  were  carefully  sutured,  the  abdominal 
wound  closed  by  four  rows  of  sutures — catgut,  silk,  silk-worm 
gut  and  silver  wire  respectively — and  the  patient  made  an  un- 
eventful recovery,  the  stitches  being  removed  on  the  seventh  day, 
and  the  patient  returned  to  his  occupation  as  mule  driver  two 
days  later,  or  nhie  days  from  date  of  operation.  In  conclusion,  I 
would  say  that  the  chief  points  of  interest  in  this  case  are  the  ac- 
curacy of  the  diagnosis,  as  well  as  of  the  facts  in  the  case,  and  the 
most  excellent  results  following  a  most  hazardous  and  desperate 
operation. 

Chairman :  The  most  interesting  paper  of  Surgeon is 

now  open  for  discussion. 

Oculist:   I  am  sure  we  are  very  much  indebted  to  Surgeon 

for  his  most  valuable  contribution  to  surgical  knowledge, 

and  the  case  reminds  me  of  a  rupture  of  an  eyeball  in  a  well- 
known  man  about  town,  following  an  attempt  to  watch  all  the 
ballet  girls  at  once.  In  this  case  I  made  a  careful  examination 
with  the  ophthalmoscope,  finding  marked  evidence  of  blepharo- 
spasm posterior  synechiae  and  choked  disc  and  external  strabis- 
mus. The  treatment  consisted  of  a  prompt  removal  of  the  eye. 
The  cure  was  prompt  and  uneventful,  and  up  to  this  date  he  has 
not  attempted  again  to  attend  a  ballet  performance.  In  conclu- 
sion, I  again  wish  to  congratulate  the  author  and  the  society  upon 
his  paper. 

Gynecoilogisv :  The  subject  under  discussion  is  somewhat 
out  of  my  line  of  work,  but  it  is  a  very  brilliant  result  and  re- 
minds me  of  a  case  of  endometritis  fungoidis  complicating  a 
Bartholinian  cyst  in  a  patient  96  years  of  age.  In  this  case  I  re- 
moved the  uterus  and  appendages  per  vagina  after  excision  of 
the  cyst.  She  made  an  uneventful  recovery,  and  has  since  mar- 
ried and  feels  as  young  as  she  did  seventy  years  ago.  I  thank  the 
doctor  for  the  opportunity  which  his  paper  has  given  me  to  pre- 
sent this  case. 

Rhinologist:  I  cannot  allow  this  opportunity  to  pass  with- 
out referring  to  a  case  which  this  valuable  report  of  a  rupture  of 
the  liver  has  brought  to  mind.    Some  years  ago,  Mary  G.  snuffed 


402  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

a  bean  up  her  nose.  A  careful  inquiry  at  the  time  failed  to  reveal 
the  bean,  but  yesterday,  or  two  years  from  date  of  first  observa- 
tion, there  appeared  an  unmistakable  bean  sprout  extending  at 
the  anterior  nares.  I  at  once  diagnosed  a  sprouting  bean  and 
removed  it,  under  cocain.  No  untoward  effect  was  produced, 
the  patient  making  an  uneventful  recovery.  The  interesting  fea- 
ture in  the  case  was  that  the  patient  came  from  Boston  and  had 
probably  been  addicted  to  the  bean  habit  for  many  years.  I  con- 
gratulate the  doctor  upon  his  very  able  paper. 

Neurologist:  Rupture  of  the  liver  must  call  to  mind  of  all 
of  us  that  from  sudden  jars  we  may  obtain  ruptures  of  the 
cerebral  sinuses,  or  hemorrhage  into  the  spinal  canal.  In  a  simi- 
lar case  to  that  related  by  the-  doctor,  motor  paralysis  was  present 
from  the  moment  of  receipt  of  shock  incident  to  receipt  of  check 
for  an  outlawed  bill.  I  made  the  diagnosis  without  any  difficulty 
and  offered  to  relieve  the  patient  of  the  exciting  cause.  This  he 
refused,  and  his  paralysis  was  recovered  from  in  time  tO'  take  in 
the  races  the  next  day.  Again  I  wish  to  congratulate  the  doctor 
upon  his  very  elaborate  and  painstaking  paper. 

Second  Surgeon:  I  can  but  endorse  everything  that  the 
author  has  said  and  appreciate  fully  the  value  of  the  paper.  I 
wish  to  take  exception,  however,  to  the  means  of  diagnosis  and 
to  say  that  from  the  symptoms  related  there  could  not  possibly 
have  been  a  rupture  of  the  liver — nor  could  he,  in  my  estimation, 
have  sewn  up  the  portal  vein  without  seriously  interfering  with 
the  functions  of  the  liver  and  bringing  on  an  attack  of  the  piles. 
In  all  the  cases  of  this  kind  in  which  I  have  operated  I  have  made 
it  a  point  at  the  same  time  to  dissect  out  very  carefully  the  pile 
bearing  area.  In  conclusion,  Mr.  Chairman,  I  would  say  that  I 
hope  no  one  will  think  from  my  remarks  that  I  differ  in  any  es- 
sentials from  the  practice  of  my  distinguished  confrere. 

Orthopedist:  During  my  connection  with  the  Hospital  for 
Cripples  I  noticed  very  often  and  have  the  records  of  150  cases 
which  show  the  difference  in  appreciation  of  pain  in  different 
children.  In  some  of  the  cases  of  kyphosis  a  plaster  bandage  was 
well  tolerated,  notwithstanding  the  formation  of  decubital  sores, 
extending  down  to  and  laying  open  the  spine — while  in  others 
bitter  complaint  was  made  by  the  patients  and  it  was  necessary 
to  remove  the  plaster  and  apply  it  according  tO'  an  original 
method  devised  by  me.  The  resemblance  between  these  cases  and 
that  related  in  the  paper  this  evening  is  very  marked,  and  I  appre- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  403 

ciate  the  value  of  this  addition  to  medical  knowledge  as  confirm- 
atory of  my  own  experience  at  the  Hospital  for  Cripples. 

Chairman:  As  there  is  no  further  discussion  upon  this  paper 
I  would  say  that  we  are  all  very  much  pleased  by  the  elaborate 
and  carefully  prepared  discussion  which  it  has  called  forth — and  I 
will  ask  Surgeon to  close  the  discussion. 

Surgeon :  The  field  of  surgery  has  been  so  fully  cov- 
ered that  I  feel  it  impoissible  for  me  to  add  anything  to  that 
which  has  been  already  said.  Cleveland  Medical  Gazette. 


WHAT  IS  DONE  WITH  THE  BI-PRODUCTS  OF  MEAT 

PACKERS. 

The  great  Chicago  packing-houses  get  a  great  deal  more 
money  for  the  bi-products  incidental  to  the  killing  of  a  steer 
than  the  meat  sells  for.  On  the  average  the  meat  and  its  com- 
pounds bring  $40,  while  the  bi-products  bring  in  at  whole- 
sale $55.  The  latter  sum  is  roughly  made  up  as  follows:  Hide, 
horns,  hoofs,  and  hair,  $25;  fats,  blood,  sinews,  and  bones,  $15; 
miscellaneoius  and  other  wastes,  $15. 

It  is  only  in  the  large  and  well-appointed  slaughter-house 
that  the  full  value  of  the  animals  dealt  with  can  be  realized,  and 
these  become  factories  for  a  great  many  products,  besides  finding 
the  proper  and  most  profitable  markets  for  each  of  the  raw 
products  into  which  they  separate  the  animals.  Nothing  is 
allowed  to  go  to  waste,  and  ten  years  ago  one  of  the  largest 
butchers  in  the  city  declared  that  the  Chicago*  packers  were  pay- 
ing the  entire  cost  of  slaughtering  cattle  out  of  what  the  butchers 
here  were  paying  to  have  carted  away.  Horns,  hides,  hoofs,  and 
hair  have  had  their  markets  for  many  years  and  their  value  in- 
creases steadily.  This  is  particularly  true  of  horns,  for  the  prac- 
tice of  dehorning  cattle  has  become  so  general  that  in  one  great 
Chicago  packing-house  it  was  found  during  a  two-year  count 
that  the  returns  only  showed  one  horn  to  every  three  bullocks. 
Horns  are  now  worth  about  $150  a  ton.  The  hides  go  to 
the  tanner,  the  hair  for  mixing  in  mortar.  The  tails  don't  go 
with  the  hides.  Down  at  the  tip  is  some  long  hair,  and  this  is 
said  to  be  turned  into  curled  hair  for  upholstering. 

If  the  hoofs  are  pure  white  they  have  a  peculiar  value.     They 


404  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

are  sent  to  China  for  jewelry  making.  Those  which  are  striped 
black,  or  damaged,  go  into  the  kettle  to  be  boiled  for  glue  and 
the  residue  made  into  hoof  meat,  a  valuable  fertilizer.  In  fact, 
everything  which  is  not  used  for  other  purposes  is  at  last  turned 
into  some  form  of  fertilizer,  even  to  the  tankage  water  in  which 
the  coarsest  of  the  refuse  is  boiled  to  extract  its  fats.  The  coarse 
bones  are  either  carbonized  and  sold  for  sugar  refiners'  use  or 
turned  into  fertilizers,  and  the  blood  is  mostly  dried  and  turned 
into  another  aid  to  agriculture.  Some  of  the  blood  is  sold  in 
liquid  form  to  sugar  refiners,  but  not  a  great  deal.  The  white 
bones,  suitable  for  knife  handles  and  such  purposes,  bring  from 
$70  to  $90  a  ton,  and  go  mostly  to  Germany. 

The  main  parts  of  the  animal  as  they  are  sent  to  market  are 
all  carefully  trimmed,  but  there  is  no  piece  of  good  meat  but  has 
its  market.  Tongues  and  tails  are  regular  articles  of  commerce, 
and  even  the  meat  from  the  cheeks  is  added  to  the  supply  for 
sausages,  and  the  lips  are  cut  off  and  pickled.  Each  character 
of  fat  is  separated  from  the  others,  and  finally  these  are  marketed 
in  the  various  forms  of  neat's-foot  oil,  oleo  oil,  tallow  and 
stearine,  and  oleomargarine.  Before  the  horns  are  sold  the  pith 
is  extracted  from  them,  and  the  finest  grade  of  gelatine  is  ob- 
tained from  the  pith. 

The  sinews  are  all  separated  to  be  used  for  glue  stock,  the 
bladders  are  sold  for  holding  snuf¥,  and  the  greater  part  of  the 
intestines  are  used  for  sausage  casings.  Parts  of  these  have, 
however,  a  special  use  and  value,  and  are  sold  separately  to  be 
made  into  goldbeaters'  skins.  The  lining  of  the  windpipe  is  also 
of  particular  value,  being  used  for  a  fancy  sausage  casing,  and 
also  as  a  lining  for  pipes  through  which  beer  is  passed  in  brew- 
eries. Beef  extract,  pepsine,  and  many  other  things  are  made 
in  some  of  the  biggest  houses. 

A  new  use  has  recently  been  discovered  for  the  contents 
of  the  paunch,  which  until  lately  had  to  be  thrown  away.  It 
has  been  discovered  that  a  good  quality  of  cardboard  can  be 
made  of  it,  and  it  is  now  being  saved  for  that  purpose.  Of 
course,  the  large  receipts  from  these  bi-products  are  not  all 
profit,  but  there  is  a  manufacturer's  profit  made  out  of  each  one 
of  them  which  aggregates  a  handsome  sum,  and  all  of  this  helps, 
says  the  Retail  Butchers'  Review,  from  which  we  quote,  to  keep 
down  the  price  of  the  fresh  meats  to  the  consumer. — Dietetic  and 
Hygienic  Gazette. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  405 

THE  ENAMEL  OF  COOKING  UTENSILS. 
A  recent  case  of  poisoning  at  Bordeaux,  which  resulted  in 
the  death  of  one  person  and  the  serious  illness  of  several  others, 
was,  in  the  first  instance,  attributed  to  the  ingestion  of  some  cream 
soup  which  had  been  prepared  in  an  enameled  saucepan  similar 
to  those  which  are  now  in  such  general  use,  and  which  are  coated 
on  the  Inside  with  a  white  enamel,  and  on  the  outside  with  a  dark 
blue  one.  The  poisoning  in  this  instance  appears  to  have  been 
due  to  a  ptomaine;  but  the  case,  which  excited  a  good  deal  of 
public  attention,  has  led  M.  L.  Barthe  to  carry  out  an  investiga- 
tion into*  the  character  of  the  enamels  employed  for  coating 
saucepans,  the  results  of  which  are  of  considerable  interest.  M. 
Barthe  found  but  little  information  in  technical  works,  and,  in 
fact,  special  analyses  of  the  enamels  used  for  cooking  utensils 
do  not  seem  to  have  been  made.  He  cites  A.  Granger,  who,  in 
a  paper  published  in  June,  1898,  upon  the  pastes  and  coatings 
used  in  pottery,  states  that  the  enamels  consist  of  complex  sili- 
cates, or  borates,  in  combination  with  potash,  soda,  lime,  or 
oxid  of  lead.  Binoxid  of  tin  is  employed  to  make  the  enamel 
opaque,  and  so  also  are  arsenious  anhydrid,  phosphate  of  lime, 
and  high  proportions  of  alumina.  Villon  and  Guichard,  in  their 
''Dictionary  of  Chemical  Industry,"  point  out  the  danger  attend- 
ing the  use  of  cooking  utensils  coated  with  enamels  containing 
poisonous  metals,  and  give  the  formulae  for  several  such  enamels, 
in  all  of  which  oxid  of  lead  is  one  of  the  constituents.  In  1896 
O.  Emmeriing  published  in  the  "Berichte"  an  analysis  of  an 
enamel  intended  for  domestic  utensils,  showing  that  it  contained 
52.51  per  cent,  of  oxid  of  lead,  and  3.74  per  cent,  of  arsenic 
acid.  M.  Barthe  appears  only  to  have  himself  examined  the 
enamels  respectively  removed  from  four  saucepans.  These  were 
the  saucepan  in  which  the  soup  which  caused  the  poisoning  at 
Bordeaux  had  been  prepared,  another  taken  from  the  same  place, 
and  the  other  two  respectively  purchased  in  a  shop  and  in  the 
street.  The  enamels  were  easily  detached  in  thin  laminae  by  a 
few  heavy  blows  with  a  hammer  on  the  bottom  of  the  saucepans. 
They  were  powdered  in  an  agate  mortar,  and  at  least  two  fusions 
with  the  usual  fusion  mixtures  were  necessary  to  obtain  complete 
disintegration.  The  four  enamels  were  found  to  be  similar  in 
composition,  and  to  consist  mainly  of  silica,  tin,  and  alumina, 
with  small  proportions  of  zinc,  lime  and  potash,  and  traces  of 
iron  and  cobalt.     A  trace  of  manganese  was  found  in  one  case. 


4o6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Lead,  boric  oxid,  and  arsenic  were  entirely  absent.  These 
enamels  were  fusible  with  great  difficulty,  but  there  is  no  doubt 
that  many  others  are  used  which  are  easily  fusible,  and  which 
contain  oxid  of  lead  and  other  dangerous  ingredients.  Dr.  G. 
Ambiihl,  the  official  analyst  for  the  canton  of  St.  Gall,  Switzer- 
land, in  his  report  for  1897,  calls  attention  tO'  the  fact  that  certain 
itinerant  workmen  make  use  of  preparations  largely  composed 
of  oxid  of  lead  for  enameling  cooking  utensils,  and  states  that 
a  preparation  of  this  kind  used  by  a  local  enameler  at  St.  Gall 
was  found  to  contain  35  per  cent,  of  oxid  of  lead.  It  is  certain 
that  similar  facts  would  be  revealed  if  the  matter  were  looked 
into  in  this  country.  The  necessity  of  prohibiting  the  use  of 
dangerous  or  injurious  materials  for  making  or  coating  cooking 
utensils  and  vessels  intended  to  contain  food,  should  not  be  lost 
sight  of  by  the  Legislature.  British  Food  Journal. 


.ULCERATION  OF  THE  GUMS  IN  MIASMATIC 
FEVERS. 

During  the  war  in  our  island — our  war  for  independence — 
I  had  the  opportunity  to  observe  its  pathological  effects. 

The  war  terminated;  almost  all  of  those  who  took  part  in  it 
were  attacked  by  a  species  of  chills  and  fever,  and  in  the  ma- 
jority of  revolutionists,  on  account  of  lack  of  medicines  and 
food,  anaemia  made  great  progress;  on  account  of  this  anaemia 
ulceration  of  the  gums,  fetor  unsupportable,  painful  and  difficult 
mastication,  and  slight  hemorrhages  were  the  result. 

The  infirmity  presented  itself  in  the  form  of  small  ulcera- 
tions on  the  gums,  and  if  not  cured  in  time  these  ulcerations  at- 
tacked the  throat,  cheeks  and  soft  palate. 

In  view  of  these  symptoms  I  employed  disinfectants  and 
astringents,  such  as  tannic  acid,  permanganate  of  potash,  tinc- 
ture of  rhatany,  borate  of  soda,  etc.,  and  the  caustics,  such  as 
iodine,  sulphate  of  copper,  nitrate  of  silver,  etc.;  but  none  of 
these  gave  m.e  satisfactory  results,  so  that  days  and  days  passed 
without  realizing  either  cure  or  alleviation. 

Among  other  experiments  I  prepared  an  official  solution  of 
chromic  acid,  crystallized — one  part  of  acid,  one  part  of  distilled 
water,  and  afterwards  diluted  with  two  parts  of  water. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  407 

Before  undertaking  the  cauterization  I  prepared  a  con- 
centrated solution  of  cocain,  and  with  a  brush  I  Hghtly  painted 
the  affected  parts  to  produce  slight  anaesthesia.  Taking  a  fine 
instrument  I  wrapped  it  with  a  film  of  cotton,  and  dipping  this 
into  the  acid  I  carefully  touched  the  afifected  parts  of  the  gums. 

I  repeated  this  operation  every  two  days,  maintaining  the 
aseptic  condition  of  the  mouth  with  the  following  wash: 

Be.     Acid  boric. . ,. i  gramme. 

Listerine 30       " 

Honey ...    20       " 

Decoction  of  quinine  bark 300       ** 

In  four  days  the  patients  found  themselves  practically 
cured. 

Among  my  patients  one  who  had  been  attended  a  long  time 
by  a  physician  became  wearied  and  solicited  my  services  the 
first  of  the  week;  by  Thursday  he  could  eat  food  with  ease, 
which  greatly  astounded  him,  as  he  had  only  partaken  of  milk 
for  twenty-two  days. 

It  is  my  opinion  that  any  morbid  growth  or  affection  of  the 
mouth,  excepting  malignant  tumors,  can  be  cured  by  these 
therapeutic  agents. 

Dr.  Manuel  Ignacio  Polo,  Dentiste,  Trinidad,  Cuba, 

In  "La  Revista  Dental  Americana,''  Marzo,  IQOO. 


i^^^^^^^^^ 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 
PUBUSHED  Monthly. 


WILBUR    F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


KDITORIAI.. 


The  Race  Problem. 

The  letter  from  Dr.  Houston,  of  Corsicana,  Texas,  published 
on  another  page  of  our  current  issue,  invites  renewed  attention 
to  the  grave  sociological  problem  involved  in  the  present  and 
future  relations  of  the  white  and  black  races  in  America. 

Specifically,  Dr.  Houston  enters  protest  against  a  statement 
in  the  chapter  on  miscegenation  which  forms  a  part  of  Dr.  A.  H. 
Thompson's  paper  on  "The  Causes  of  Congenital  Defectiveness 
and  Deformity  of  the  Teeth"  in  the  American  System  of  Dentistry. 

In  justice  to  Dr.  Thompson  the  passage  to  which  exception 
is  taken  should  be  read  in  connection  with  the  context,  and  for 
this  reason  the  entire  paragraph  in  which  it  occurs  is  here  re- 
produced: 

'The  ethnological  problem  of  the  ultimate  effect  of  the  total 
absorption  of  the  negro  race  in  the  United  States  is  a  most  seri- 
ous one.  Its  effect  upon  the  population  at  large  does  not  yet 
amount  to  much,  but  general  absorption  by  the  white  laborincr 
classes  of  the  South  and  West,  such  as  is  going  on,  cannot  be 
without  momentous  results.  The  destiny  of  the  negro  in  this 
nation  is  absorption  by  intermarriage  with  the  white  race.  As 
race  prejudice  dies  out  intermarriage  will  become  more  frequent, 
iivennow  the  union  of  negro  men  and  white  women  in  the  South- 
west  is  not  uncommon.  As  the  negro  blood  is  far  from  pure, 
and  as  the  whites  with  whom  they  chiefly  intermarry  are  of  the 
408 


EDITORIAL.  409- 

vicious  and  impure  classes,  this  miscegenation  is  an  unmixed  evil. 
Even  the  mongrels  who  come  down  to  us  from  slavery  days,  and 
who  are  the  result  of  crossing  with  comparatively  pure  white 
blood,  are  a  degenerative  people.  So  we  conclude  that  the  cross- 
ing of  the  negroes  and  whites  is  not  for  good,  and  this  is  demon- 
strated by  the  physical  and  moral  degeneracy  of  the  hybrids  re- 
sulting from  the  combination.  Regarding  their  dental  organiza- 
tion it  is  of  the  worst.  The  American  negro  is  saturated  with 
scrofula,  with  which  every  individual  is  more  or  less  tainted,  and 
this  crossed  with  the  weakness  of  the  white  races  does  not  con- 
tribute to  good  dental  organization.  Very  few  mulattoes  are 
found  who  possess  good  teeth;  many  of  the  pure  negroes  do,  how- 
ever. One  cause  of  their  degeneracy  may  be  found  in  the  fact 
that,  like  the  white  races,  they  too  are  a  foreign  race  in  a  strange 
land,  not  yet  acclimated  and  harmonious  with  their  environments. 
With  no  influx  of  pure  blood  flowing  into  their  veins  from  the 
native  land  of  the  blacks,  degeneration  and  absorption  is  their 
destiny.  As  the  negro  blood  becomes  weakened  and  attenuated 
by  further  mixture  with  the  superior  white  blood,  the  racial  fea- 
tures gradually  disappear,  the  last  trace  to  vacate  being  a  consti- 
tutional pulmonary  weakness." 

That  Dr.  Thompson  is  far  from  being  an  advocate  of  mis- 
cegenation is  of  course  self-evident.  That  he  was  mistaken  in 
his  prognostication  as  to  the  future  destiny  of  the  negro  race  in 
America  is  probable.  That  he  overestimated  the  frequency  of 
intermarriages  between  negro  men  and  white  women  in  any 
portion  of  the  South  is  not  to  be  questioned.  Such  marriages, 
either  in  the  North  or  South,  are  absolutely  exceptional;  in  the 
South  they  are  forbidden  by  law  and  are  regarded  with  horror 
and  indignation,  and  in  the  North,  although  not  illegal,  they  are 
by  all  classes  looked  upon  with  amazement  and  reprobation. 

The  theory  that  absorption  of  the  negro  by  intermarriage 
with  the  white  race  is  to  be  the  solution  of  the  race  problem  can 
hardly  have  found  much  acceptance  even  at  the  time  when  Dr. 
Thompson's  paper  was  written,  but  in  the  light  of  our  national 
experience  since  that  time,  and  of  our  present  knowledge,  it  is  a 
theory  which  must  be  recognized  as  entirely  untenable. 

There  is  an  alluring  glamour  about  a  broad  generalization 
which  often  blinds  us  to  the  specific  fallacy  it  conceals,  and  blinds 
us  to   our  undoing.     Humboldt's   affirmation,   in   Cosmos,   that 


4IO  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

"there  are  some  races  more  cultured  and  advanced  and  ennobled 
by  education  than  others;  but  there  are  no  races  nobler  than 
others"  is  a  generalization  which,  though  based  upon  a  fallacious 
sentiment  rather  than  upon  a  reasonable  deduction  from  the  re- 
corded facts  of  human  history,  was  once  widely  accepted,  and, 
with  kindred  utterances,  has  been  made  the  basis  of  political 
action  now  recognized  as  unwise  and  mistaken. 

If  the  philosophy  of  history  and  the  laws  of  physiology 
teach  anything  it  is  that  some  races  are  so  far  inferior  to  others 
that  any  admixture  of  blood  must  result  not  only  in  the  deterior- 
ation of  the  superior,  but  generally  in  the  loss  of  the  better  quali- 
ties of  the  inferior  strain. 

The  physical  degeneracy  resulting  from  such  racial  contami- 
nations is  obvious  and  unquestionable;  it  is  a  degeneracy  de- 
pendent not  merely  upon  the  admixture  of  inharmonious  ana- 
tomical elements,  but  upon  the  unwise  blending  of  those 
psychical  forces  through  which  types  are  determined  and  char- 
acter formed. 

That  such  considerations  are  sometimes  disregarded  when 
animal  passion  dethrones  judgment  is  most  true;  but  such  unions, 
even  when  moral,  in  the  sense  that  they  are  not  illicit,  are  im- 
moral in  the  sense  that  they  are  subversive  of  the  well  being  of  the 
individual  and  of  the  race.  Hence  whatever  may  be  the  ultimate 
solution  of  the  race  problem  it  cannot  and  should  not  be  mis- 
cegenation. 

Dr.  Houston's  assertion  that  instead  of  diminishing,  race 
prejudice  is  increasing  in  the  South  is  doubtless  fully  warranted 
by  the  facts;  and  the  statement  is  unfortunately  alsO'  applicable 
to  the  North.  Indeed  the  assertion  may  be  safely  ventured  that 
in  the  Northern  States  the  prejudice  partakes  far  more  of  the 
character  of  personal  aversion  than  among  the  people  of  the 
South,  whose  prejudices  are  those  of  a  ruling  as  opposed  to  an 
inferior  class.  Their  personal  relations  with  the  negro  as  a  sub- 
ordinate or  dependent  are  far  more  cordial  and  sympathetic  than 
is  usual  with  those  of  Northern  birth  and  breeding.     While  the 


EDITORIAL.  411 

negro  since  his  emancipation  and  enfranchisement  has  looked  to 
the  North  for  at  least  abstract  sympathy  with  his  political  aspira- 
tions, he  still  finds  that  he  must  look  Southward  for  a  sympa- 
thetic recognition  of  and  a  true  affection  for  all  the  better  quali- 
ties of  his  child-like  nature. 

That,  as  with  all  childhood,  the  negro,  as  a  race,  when  un- 
restrained by  discipline  and  untrained  by  the  moulding  force  of  a 
superior  will  inevitably  reverts  to  lawlessness  and  barbarism  is  a 
fact  demonstrated  by  the  whole  recorded  history  of  his  race,  not 
only  in  his  native  habitat  but  in  all  lands  to  which  he  has  been 
transplanted. 

A  general  recognition  of  the  fact  that  the  negro's  is  a  child 
race,  with  the  undeveloped  understanding  and  undisciplined  will 
of  childhood,  would  seem  to  be  essential  to  a  wise  solution  of  the 
race  problem  in  America.  With  a  fuller  realization  of  this  truth 
will  come  a  truer  comprehension  of  the  duty  imposed  upon  the 
nation  to  whose  guardianship  and  guidance  the  negro  has  been 
consigned. 

That  duty  is  not  to  entrust  him,  to  the  undoing  of  society, 
with  political  powers  for  whose  independent  and  unrestrained  ex- 
ercise he  is  at  present,  as  a  race,  unfitted,  but  to  train  him  along 
industrial  lines,  for  the  fuller  and  more  perfect  fulfillment  of  those 
social  obligations  which  are  essential  alike  to  his  own  growth  and 
development  and  to  the  welfare  of  the  society  of  which  he  has 
been  made  a  part. 

In  America  the  burden  of  this  task  falls  most  heavily  ujxDn 
the  people  of  the  South,  where  the  negro  is  found  in  greatest 
numbers,  and  where,  owing  to  climatic  conditions,  he  is  most 
valuable  as  a  laborer.  The  growing  hostility  of  the  white  labois 
ing  classes  of  the  South  to  their  negro  competitors  still  further 
complicates  a  problem  already  full  of  difficulty.  If,  however,  as 
Dr.  Houston  intimates,  the  North  has  tears  to  shed  regarding 
this  racial  enmity,  it  would  be  well  to  reserve  a  goodly  portion  of 
that  lachrymal  outpour  for  home  consumption;  for  here  a  similar 
spirit  of  race  antagonism  to  a  great  extent  bars  the  negro  from 


412  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

acquiring  any  skilled  handicraft  whatever,  and  here,  too,  owing 
to  his  relative  inefficiency,  he  is  rapidly  being  supplanted  even  as 
an  unskilled  laborer  by  competitors  of  foreign  birth. 

Notwithstanding  these  discouraging  features  of  the  situation 
it  is  not  well  to  take  too  gloomy  a  view  of  the  future  of  the  col- 
ored race.  To-day  the  vast  agricultural  interests  of  the  South 
are  carried  on  chiefly  by  his  labor.  It  is  a  transition  period,  and 
there  is  of  course  friction  and  abundant  cause  for  reciprocal  com- 
plaint as  between  employer  and  employed ;  but  this  is  also  true  of 
similar  relations  the  w'orld  over. 

The  establishment  of  industrial  schools  at  Hampton,  Tus- 
kegee  and  elsewhere  in  the  South  for  the  practical  training  of  the 
negro  in  industrial  arts  is  an  educational  movement  whose  efifects 
are  already  far-reaching  and  beneficent,  and  which  should  receive 
abundant  support  not  only  from  State  and  National  governments, 
but  through  the  individual  contributions  of  all  well  wishers  for 
the  colored  race,  both  North  and  South.  For  the  furtherance 
of  a  movement  so  important  and  so  necessary  to  the  welfare  of 
society  the  people  of  both  sections  can  and  should  unite  in 
hearty  cooperation. 

The  softening  influences  of  time  and  the  logic  of  events  have 
cleared  away  many  of  the  causes  of  sectional  misunderstanding 
and  enmity.  France  has  in  her  literature  no  aphorism  more 
benignant  and  beautiful  than  this,  that  ''to  comprehend  all  is  to 
pardon  all."  With  a  mutual  recognition  of  the  fact  that  men  are 
moulded  by,  quite  as  much  as  they  are  moulders  of  circumstance; 
that  the  primal  forces  which  determine  action  are  often  as  remote 
and  impersonal  in  their  origin  as  they  are  imperious  in  their  in- 
fluence and  incalculable  in  their  effects,  and  that  motives  of  high- 
est worth  may  inspire  the  most  mistaken  courses  of  action,  there 
should  surely  come  a  final  obliteration  of  animosities  which  were 
nurtured  into  virulency  chiefly  because  these  broad  and  elemental 
truths  in  the  philosophy  of  human  existence  were  ignored  by  the 
violence  of  passion  or  contemned  by  the  narrowness  of  creeds. 
"Tout  comprcndre,  c'est  tout  pardonncr." 


EDITORIAL.  413 

Dr.  Theodore  Menges. 

To  a  large  and  widening  circle  of  friends,  both  lay  and  pro- 
fessional, the  announcement  of  the  death  of  Dr.  Theodore  Men- 
ges will  bring  with  it  a  keen  sense  of  personal  loss. 

In  dentistry  he  was  not  known  so  much  as  a  practitioner  as  a 
teacher  and  organizer,  his  career  being  inseparably  associatd 
with  the  great  and  successful  school  which  was  raised  from 
comparative  obscurity  largely  by  his  energy,  executive  ability  and 
wise  judgment  in  the  selection  of  educational  associates. 

Dr.  Menges  was  thoroughly  and  typically  American.  His 
active  participation  in  business  affairs  previous  to  entering  upon 
professional  life  had  given  to  him  a  breadth  of  view  and  knowl- 
edge of  men  and  affairs  which,  joined  to  his  experience  in  ped- 
agogy, stood  him  in  good  stead  in  college  work.  Although  a 
shrewd  business  man  and  eminently  practical  in  his  methods,  he 
knew  the  value  of  judicious  liberality,  and  hesitated  at  no  ex- 
penditure, as  he  spared  no  labor,  when  a  purpose  was  to  be  pro- 
moted or  an  advantage  to  be  gained. 

Endowed  with  a  wealth  of  vital  energy,  a  forceful  will  and 
dauntless  courage,  the  opposer  might  well  beware  of  him  when 
confronted  by  the  fierce  ardor  of  his  championship  of  a  cause  in 
which  his  heart  was  enlisted,  for  when  the  fight  was  on  he  was  a 
foe  to  be  feared  as  well  as  a  friend  to  be  trusted. 

With  a  full  measure  of  devotion  he  gave  ungrudgingly  of  his 
time  and  labor  for  the  furtherance  of  the  interests  of  his  profes- 
sion. Especially  in  association  work,  in  which  his  zeal  and  in- 
dustry were  so  indefatigable,  will  his  death  leave  a  void  not  easily 
filled. 

As  a  frontispiece  to  the  present  number  an  excellent  half- 
tone engraving  of  Dr.  Menges  will  be  found,  and  the  leading  de- 
tails of  his  Ijfe  and  work  are  briefly  outlined  upon  another  page. 


414  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

OBITUARY. 


Dr.  Theodore  Menges,  Secretary  and  Business  Manager  of 
the  Northwestern  University  Dental  School  of  Chicago,  died  in 
that  city  at  8.20  p.  m.,  June  ist,  1900.  On  Friday,  May  25th,  he 
was  seized  with  severe  pain  in  the  abdominal  region,  which  on 
the  Sunday  following  was  diagnosed  as  appendicitis,  and  an  im- 
mediate operation  decided  on.  The  operation  confirmed  the  cor- 
rectness of  the  diagnosis,  but  was  followed  by  septic  peritonitis. 
His  strong  constitution  enabled  him  to  rally  from  this  condition, 
and  on  Wednesday  he  appeared  to  be  on  the  road  to  recovery, 
but  the  conditions  became  more  serious  that  night  and  on  Friday, 
one  week  after  his  first  attack,  another  operation  was  necessary 
to  relieve  an  obstruction.  He  sank  rapidly  after  this  and  died  the 
same  night. 

Dr.  Menges  was  born  of  German-American  parents,  near 
Bristol,  Ind.,  May  2d,  1854.  He  received  his  education  in  the 
country  and  normal  schools  of  that  section  and  at  once  became 
identified  with  educational  work,  soon  finding  congenial  em- 
ployment in  the  position  of  Superintendent  of  the  Normal 
School,  which,  under  his  able  management,  prospered  and  as- 
sumed a  very  prominent  place  in  the  list  of  such  institutions. 
This,  however,  was  not  attained  except  through  friction  and  op- 
position such  as  men  of  strong  convictions  invariably  excite. 

About  the  year  1883  he  removed  to  the  far  West  and  engaged 
in  real  estate  and  mining  operations  in  Wyoming  and  Nebraska, 
where  he  was  very  successful,  locating  the  sites  of  several  thriving 
communities;  most  prominent  among  these  was  the  town  of  Kimi- 
ball,  Nebraska,  which  he  located  and  made  the  county  seat,  in 
the  face  of  violent  opposition  from  men  whose  interests  were  in 
another  direction,  and  who  opposed  Dr.  Menges  even  with  drawn 
revolvers.  He  returned  to  Chicago  seven  years  later  and  en- 
tered the  American  College  of  Dental  Surgery,  from  which  in- 
stitution he  graduated  and  assumed  its  control  in  1892. 

Through  his  energy  and  skillful  management  this  school 
prospered  and  assumed  a  place  among  the  leading  colleges  of 
the  West,  and  in  1896  was  consolidated  with  the  Northwestern 
University  Dental  School,  assuming  the  name  of  the  latter  in- 
stitution. Dr.  Menges  retaining  the  business  management. 

Under  the  influence  of  his  unbounded  enthusiasm  and 
energy  and  by  his  business  methods  the  consolidated  school  in- 


CORRESPONDENCE.  415 

creased  in  extent,  adding  constantly  to  its  equipment  and  the 
number  of  its  students,  until  it  is  now  acknowledged  to  be  one 
of  the  leading  institutions  of  dental  education  in  the  world. 

For  a  number  of  years  past  he  was  a  strong  advocate  of 
higher  requirements  and  more  advanced  preliminary  training  for 
students  of  dentistry,  and  conscientiously  carried  out  his  views 
in  the  institution  to  which  he  gave  his  ripened  judgment  and  the 
most  fruitful  years  of  his  life.  The  very  last  work  he  was  en- 
gaged upon  before  his  final  illness  was  the  preparation  of  a  paper 
on  "Dental  Education,"  which  was  to  have  been  read  before  the 
Kentucky  State  Dental  Society,  at  its  recent  meeting  in  Louis- 
ville. It  is  said,  by  one  to  whom  Dr.  Menges  read  it,  to  be  a 
masterly  paper,  and  it  will  undoubtedly  be  published  soon. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Chicago  Dental  Society,  Odonto- 
graphic  Society,  of  Chicago;  the  Illinois  State  Dental  Society, 
and  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  of  the  National  Asso- 
ciation of  Dental  Faculties. 

Dr.  Menges  leaves  a  wife,  but  had  no  children. 

The  funeral  services  were  conducted  by  the  Rev.  H.  W. 
Thomas,  at  Unity  Church,  corner  Dearborn  avenue  and  Walton 
place,  and  the  body  conveyed  from  there  to  Graceland  cemeter}^ 
where  at  his  request  it  wac  cremated,  the  ashes  placed  in  a  casket 
and  taken  to  his  old  home  near  Elkhart,  Ind.,  and  placed  in  the 
family  lot  in  Zion  churchyard.  F.  L. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Dear  Dr.  Litch: — On  page  362,  Vol.  3,  "American  Sys- 
tem of  Dentistry,"  Dr.  A.  H.  Thompson,  in  speaking  of  the 
destiny  of  the  negro  and  his  absorption  by  the  white  laboring 
class  of  the  South,  says : 

"As  race  prejudice  dies  out  intermarriage  will  become  more 
frequent.  Even  now  the  union  of  negro  men  with  white  wo- 
men in  the  Southwest  is  not  uncommon." 

He  surely  made  this  statement  from  hearsay,  and  not  from 
observation. 

Practically  all  the  Southern  and  Southwestern  States  have 
laws — very  rigidly  enforced,  too — forbidding  the  intermarriage 


4i6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

of  the  races.  The  facts  are  that  to-day,  about  fourteen  years,  I 
suppose,  after  Dr.  Thompson's  writing,  race  prejudice  in- 
stead of  dying  out  is  intensified  all  the  time.  The  only  white 
woman  who  will  have  anything  to  do  with  a  negro  is  the  prosti- 
tute of  the  very,  very  lowest  class.  A  respectable  negro,  man 
or  woman,  would  not  marry  a  white  person;  but  a  black  negro 
almost  always  marries  a  light-colored  one.  And  this  suits  the 
light-colored  ones;  for  they  seem  to  prefer  a  black  one  to  one 
of  their  own  shade. 

It  is  true  there  is  a  constant  mixing  of  the  races ;  but  they 
are  bastards — the  offspring  of  white  men,  of  the  lowest  class, 
and  negro  women. 

And  the  laboring  class,  of  which  Dr.  Thompson  speaks  as 
mixing  with  the  negro,  would  be  the  last  to  do  so,  legitimately. 
For  if  the  negro  has  an  enemy  in  the  South — over  which  fact 
the  North  sheds  so  many  tears — it  is  that  class. 

So  I  wish  to  enter  a  protest  against  that  passage,  as  an 
injustice  to  both  the  negro  and  the  Southern  laborer,  and  hope 
that  \vhen  the  ^'American  System  of  Dentistry"  is  revised  it  w-11 
be  stricken  out;  in  which  I  think  every  Southern,  and  every 
other  dentist  acquainted  with  the  facts,  will  join. 
Yours  truly. 

Trim  Houston,  Corsicana,  Texas. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


BIENNIAL    MEETING    OF    THE    NEW    BRUNSWICK 
AND  NOVA  SCOTIA  DENTAL  SOCIETIES. 

All  members  of  the  profession  who  can  possibly  do  so  are 
invited  to  attend  the  joint  biennial  meeting  of  the  New  Bruns- 
wick and  Nova  Scotia  Dental  Societies  which  will  be  held  in  St. 
John,  N.  B.,  on  the  29th  of  August  next,  when  a  program  of 
especial  interest,  information  and  sociability  will  be  carried  out 
during  its  three  days'  session. 

The  dental  manufacturing  companies  and  supply  houses 
will  exhibit  at  this  meeting. 

Frank  A.  Godsoe,  Registrar, 

Coiineil  of  Dental  Surgeons,  N.  B. 


ANNOUNCEMENTS.  417 

THE  TEXAS  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 

At  the  fourth  annual  session  of  the  Texas  State  Dental  As- 
sociation, held  at  Dallas,  May  15th  to  17th,  the  following  officers 
were  elected: 

Dr.  O.  B.  Love,  San  Angelo,  President;  Dr.  H.  L.  Pearson, 
McKinney,  First  Vice-President;  Dr.  J.  M.  Nash,  Brenham, 
Second  Vice-President;  Dr.  J.  G.  Fife,  Dallas,  Secretary  and 
Treasurer;  Dr.  A.  F.  Sontag,  Waco,  Curator  of  Museum;  Exec- 
utive Committee,  Dr.  L.  P.  Robertson,  Marlin,  Chairman;  Dr. 
Samuel  G.  Duff,  Greenville;  Dr.  Bush  Jones,  Dallas. 

Next  convention  at  Sherman,  the  third  Tuesday  in  May, 
1901.  /.  G.  Fife,  Secretary. 


PATENTS  OF  INTEREST  TO  DENTISTS   RECENTLY 

GRANTED. 

649424,  Manufacture  of  tooth  crowns,  Aaron  E.  Adams, 
assignor  of  one-half  to  E.  L.  Truelove,  Ardmore,  I.  T. 

649717,  Gas-administering  apparatus,  Arthur  W.  Browne, 
New  York,  N.  Y.,  assignor  to  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufactur- 
ing Company,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

649642,  Shaft-coupling  for  dental  engine  handpieces,  Ros- 
coe  F.  Ludwig,  Chicago,  111. 

649854,  Dentist's  mouth-dilator,  etc.,  John  A.  W.  Lund- 
borg,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

649742,  Dental  forceps,  Benjamin  B.  Mories,  Markesan, 
Wis. 

649624,  Manufacture  of  artificial  teeth,  Friederich  A.  Wie- 
nand,  Pforzheim,  Germany. 

650350,  Dental  impression  tray,  Louis  A.  Block,  assignor 
of  one-half  to  R.  C.  Graham,  Chicago,  111. 

650042,  Dental  chair,  Abraham  L.  Gilmer,  Alamosa,  Cal. 

650088,  Dental  instrument,  Alfred  D.  Hoag,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

650153,  Dental  tray,  Charles  McLear,  assignor  to  A.  I. 
Wyatt  and  R.  C.  Graham,  Chicago,  111. 

650260,  Dental  trimmer,  Charles  F.  C.  Mehlig,  New 
York,  N.  Y. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  solicitor  of  patents,  Fendall  Build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C. 


4iS  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Question  94.  What  surgical  treatment  is  indicated  in  a  se- 
vere case  of  trifacial  neuralgia,  and  what  are  the  results  from; 
such  operations?  In  what  per  cent,  of  cases  does  the  extraction 
of  teeth  afiford  permanent  relief? 

The  surgical  treatment  for  true  facial  neuralgia  consists  in 
resection  of  the  nerve  or  nerves  involved,  or  by  a  direct  operation 
on  the  ganglion.  Dr.  W.  W.  Keen,  a  recognized  authority  on 
such  conditions,  favors  in  most  instances  peripheral  resections, 
and  claims  that  they  should  be  done  early,  before  the  disease 
has  had  time  to  invade  the  ganglion.  Early^  operations,  say  after 
a  month  or  two  of  ineffectual  medication,  may  in  some  instances 
result  in  a  permanent  cure.  After  the  experience  of  very  many 
operations.  Dr.  Keen  is  of  the  opinion  that  the  relief  obtained  is 
seldom  permanent.  In  severe  cases  the  temporary  relief  obtained 
is  ^so  gratefully  received  that  the  patient  readily  submits  to  a 
succession  of  operations.  In  some  instances  a  year  may  elapse 
without  a  recurrence  of  pain,  in  others  but  a  month  or  so,  and 
very  frequently  no  relief  is  obtained.  When  the  Gasserian  gan- 
glion is  operated  upon.  Dr.  Gushing  believes  that  the  possibility 
of  non-recurrence  of  pain  after  operation  depends  to  a  great  de- 
gree upon  the  degree  of  entirety  with  which  the  ganglion  has 
been  removed.  In  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Journal  for  May 
I2th,  both  Drs.  Keen  and  Gushing  report  the  results  of  anumber 
of  cases,  including  both  peripheral  resection  and  direct  operation 
upon  the  ganglion,  but  the  results  are  anything  but  encouraging. 
Out  of  nine  cases  reported  but  a  single  one  appears  to  have  been 
permanently  successful. 

The  writer  has  in  mind  the  case  of  a  gentleman  now  seventy- 
five  years  of  age,  who'  has  for  forty  years  been  a  constant  sufferer 
from  trifacial  neuralgia.  Many  operations  have  been  performed, 
but  the  relief  each  time  is  but  of  very  short  duration.  In  reply 
to  the  second  question  it  may  be  said  that  very  few,  if  any,  cases 
of  true  trifacial  neuralgia  are  of  dental  origin,  and  a  protest 


*  Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
Instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 
Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomell^  D.D.S.,  1420  Chestnut  St.,  Phila, 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  419 

should  be  entered  against  the  useless  extraction  of  teeth  with  a 
view  of  obtaining  relief.  Of  course  the  dentist  must  feel  con- 
fident in  his  ability  tOi  distinguish  between  a  case  of  dental  neu- 
ralgia and  one  of  facial  neuralgia,  the  former  having  its  origin 
and  continuance  in  some  pathologic  condition  of  a  tooth  pulp, 
while  the  latter  is  confined  tO'  the  substance  of  the  nerve  fibre. 
One  very  interesting  feature  of  Dr.  Keen's  report  is  the  result 
of  the  microscopic  examination  upon  nerve  fibres  thus  affected. 
These  were  teased  and  stained  by  a  one  per  cent,  solution  of 
osmic  acid,  and  found  to  contain  numerous  black  balls,  varying 
but  little  in  size,  and  placed  at  remarkably  regular  intervals  along 
the  edge  of  the  fibre,  leaving  the  center  free  from  such  obstruc- 
tion. It  would  appear  from  these  reports  and  others  of  like 
character  that  about  the  only  value  from  surgical  operations  in 
such  conditions  lies  in  the  hope  of  temporary  relief. 

Question  95.  I  would  Hke  your  opinion  on  the  following 
case.  A  lady  aged  37  (anaemic)  has  only  the  eight  anterior  lower 
teeth  in  her  mouth.  The  mesial  surface  of  the  left  cuspid  is  de- 
cayed to  the  extent  of  causing  pulpitis,  and  she  seeks  dental  aid. 
A  full  upper  and  partial  lower  denture  are  placed  in  the  mouth. 
The  cuspid  is  treated  by  devitalizing  with  arsenic,  the  pulp  being 
removed  with  a  Gates-Gliddon  drill,  as  I  could  readily  get  at  the 
canal.  The  canal  is  filled  with  cement  carried  on  a  few  fibres 
of  cotton.  This  much  of  the  work  was  done  on  Friday.  On  the 
following  Tuesday  a  gold  filling  was  placed  over  it.  Five  weeks 
afterward  the  patient  returns  with  the  tooth  in  an  extremely  sen- 
sitive condition,  the  gums  inflamed  and  having  excruciating  pain. 
Aconite  and  iodine  were  applied  as  counterirritants.  After  the 
tissues  were  locally  depleted,  antikamnia  was  given  to  allay  pain 
and  the  patient  was  advised  to  take  hot  foot-baths  before  retiring. 
In  the  morning  swelling  had  begun  and  hot  applications  were 
applied  in  the  way  of  hot  raisins  and  hot  water.  The  following 
morning  fluctuation  was  noticed,  and  on  lancing  pus  bubbled  up 
through  the  newly-made  exit.  Periostitis  is  now  established,  re- 
sulting in  a  necrosis  of  the  immediate  jaw  and  the  adjoining 
teeth.  The  question  is,  could  anything  have  been  done  which 
would  have  positively  and  infallibly  prevented  this  condition? 

Question  96.  Has  there  been  an  attempt  made  to  establish 
reciprocity  in  regard  to  professional  fees  between  the  dental  and 
medical  professions?  Also,  what  is  the  prevailing  custom  in  re- 
gard to  a  charge  for  professional  services  rendered  a  minister 
of  the  gospel? 

It  is  quite  probable  that  many  attempts  have  been  made  to 
establish  such  a  fee  system  in  certain  local  districts,  and  that  it 


420  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

has  met  with  more  or  less  favor.  In  the  rural  districts  it  is  a 
common  practice,  even  at  the  present  time,  for  physician  and  den- 
tist to  exchange  professional  services  regardless  of  a  money  con- 
sideration. So  far  there  has  been  no  attempt  to  establish  such 
reciprocity  between  the  two  professions  in  general,  and  it  is  not 
likely  that  such  an  arrangement  will  ever  take  place.  Such  a  sys- 
tem would  be  impracticable.  While  the  two  professions  are 
closely  allied,  the  character  of  the  service  rendered  by  the  den- 
tist differs  so  vastly  from  that  rendered  by  the  physician  that  no 
just  comparisons  as  to  their  relative  value  could  be  computed. 
For  very  many  years  it  was  the  custom  among  many  dentists  to 
make  no  charge  for  services  rendered  a  minister  of  the  gospel. 
In  most  cases  this  applied  only  to  the  head  of  the  family,  in  others 
it  extended  to  the  wife  and  children  and  in  some  instances  to  the 
near  relatives.  This  practice  was  probably  instituted  at  a  time 
when  the  minister  received  the  greater  part  of  his  earthly  reward 
in  donations  of  various  kinds  from  members  of  his  congregation. 
At  .the  present  day  there  would  appear  to  be  no  just  reason  why 
a  minister  of  the  gospel  should  not  pay  for  the  healing  of  his 
dental  lesions.  In  former  times  the  physician  or  dentist  gave  as 
his  share  to  the  support  of  the  pastoral  district  his  time  and  his 
services,  to-day  his  contributions  are  for  the  most  part  made 
upon  a  cash  basis,  a  goodly  portion  of  which  is  paid  to  the  min- 
ister in  charge  in  the  form  of  a  fixed  salary. 


In  reply  to  Dr.  Zinkan  in  the  May  issue  of  the  "Brief,'* 
who  inquires  as  to  the  methods  of  making  a  successful  denture 
for  a  mouth  in  which  the  palate  is  very  flat  and  hard,  and  many 
of  the  soft  tissues  come  almost  to  the  bottom  of  the  ridge,  it  may 
be  said  that  a  perfectly  satisfactory  denture  under  such  adverse 
conditions  is  in  very  many  instances  an  impossibility.  This  is 
paticularly  true  when  both  the  labial  and  buccal  frense  are  given 
off  from  the  summit  of  the  ridge.  The  first  condition  referred 
to,  the  flat  and  hard  palate,  is  of  itself  somewhat  of  a  barrier  to 
success,  but  when  the  two  are  in  combination,  the  result  is  a 
complication  difficult  to  cope  with.  With  a  hard,  flat  palate 
care  must  be  taken  when  securing  the  impression  not  to  ahow 
the  slightest  lateral  movement  while  the  plaster  is  setting,  in  fact 
an  absolute  fit  is  the  only  means  of  success  in  such  cases. 

The  fact  that  the  palate  is  hard  does  not  interfere  with  the 
result  in  the  least,  providing  it  is  equally  hard  all  over,  and  a 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  421 

perfect  reproduction  of  the  palate  is  made  on  the  plate.  With 
a  palate  of  equal  hardness  all  over,  no  scraping  of  the  cast  is 
called  for.  The  same  relationship  and  conditions  must  exist 
between  the  hard  palate  and  the  hard  surface  of  the  plate  as  that 
found  where  two  hard  flat  surfaces  are  held  together  by  atmos- 
pheric pressure,  i.  e.,  perfect  contact,  and  almost  complete  ab- 
sence of  air.  These  features,  and  no  others,  can  be  depended 
upon  to  bring  you  success  in  the  class  of  cases  to  which  you 
have  referred. 

The  operation  of  cutting  the  frense  is  sometimes  resorted 
to,  particularly  when  they  are  isolated  and  well  defined,  but 
when  all,  or  nearly  all,  of  the  soft  tissues  are  in  the  way,  com- 
pletely destroying  the  vestibule  of  the  mouth,  there  remains  but 
little  choice  in  the  manner  of  procedure  save  that  already  men- 
tioned. A  plate  made  with  a  flexible  rubber  rimi  sometimes 
gives  comparative  satisfaction. 

In  regard  to  the  second  clause  of  your  question,  such  ap- 
pliances should  be  so  constructed  that  very  few,  if  any,  irritating 
points  are  left  exposed.  When  a  screw  and  nut  are  used  they 
may  be  temporarily  covered  up  by  a  small  piece  of  rubber 
tubing,  sufficiently  small  to  slip  over  and  hug  tightly  around  the 
parts.  In  other  cases,  where  it  is  impossible  to  finish  the  appli- 
ance without  leaving  some  irritant  points,  and  the  parts  are  im- 
movable, they  may  be  covered  up  with  a  good  phosphate  cement. 


practical  joints.* 

To  Hasten  Setting  of  Cement. — A  small  proportion  of  pow- 
dered borax  added  to  the  cement  mixture  will  cause  it  to  set 
quickly  and  give  a  hard  and  tenacious  cement  product. 

B.  J.  Cigraud  (Translation),  Dental  Rcviezv. 

Immediate  Root-filling  (from  the  Financial  Point  of  View). 

— Confidentially,  from  the  financial  point,  the  method  is  not  a 
success.  When  I  sperfd  two  hours  over  a  patient  and  end  by 
filling  with  gutta-percha,  the  patient  is  generally  dissatisfied 
with  the  charge,  and  may  exclaim:  "Why,  Dr.  So-and-So  treated 
my  tooth  for  three  months  and  only  charged  half  as  much!'* 
F.  Milton  Smith,  International  Dental  Journal. 


•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.  Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings,  Waveland, 
Mississippi. 


422  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Oral  Hygiene. — No  labor  performed  for  a  patient  is  more 
valuable  nor  worth  a  greater  price  than  the  time  given  to  prop- 
erly impressing  and  teaching  in  every  detail  the  routine  of  or- 
dinary oral  hygiene.  M.  L.  Rhcin,  Itcnis  of  Interest. 

"Big  Words." — "They  are  the  dried  catnip  of  literature. 
Like  bunches  of  herbs  hanging  on  the  rafters  of  housewives' 
garrets,  they  swing  and  rattle  in  empty  heads,  giving  forth  only 
an  ancient  medicinal  odor." 

Edmund  Andrezvs,  M.D.,  Journal  American  Medical  Ass'n. 

Hemorrhage  After  Pulp  Removal. — Insert  a  pledget  of  cot- 
ton dipped  in  "Pond's  Extract"  (hamamelis).  Renew  once  or 
twice  or  until  there  is  no  trace  of  blood.  Then  apply  absolute 
alcohol,  dry  the  canal  thoroughly  and  fill. 

Chas.  L.  Hungerford,  Western  Dental  Journal. 

Ethocain. — This  is  a  12J  per  cent,  solution  of  beta-eucain 
hydrochlorate  in  ether,  and  as  an  obtundent  in  sensitive  dentin. 
The  advantages  over  all  the  cocain  solutions  are  (i)  80  per  cent, 
less  toxic  action;  (2)  permanent  solution;  (3)  does  not  irritate 
when  applied  to  the  tooth. 

Report  of  Committee  on  Materia  Me  die  a, 

New  Jersey  S.  D.  Soc,  Items  of  Interest. 

The  *Tisli-line"  Method  of  Wedging. — When  the  teeth  are 
snugly  in  contact  at  the  masticating  surface  with  a  V-shaped 
space  at  the  gum,  pass  a  piece  of  doubled  waxed  floss  silk  be- 
tween the  teeth,  leaving  the  loop  sticking  out.  Into  this  loop  the 
fish  line  (grass  line)  of  the  size  decided  upon  is  threaded  and 
drawn  through.  The  two  ends  of  the  line  are  then  tied  with  a 
square  knot  a  little  to  one  side  of  the  masticating  surface.  Suf- 
ficient space  for  filling  may  often  be  gained  in  twelve  hours  with 
but  little  soreness,  but  the  line  will  continue  swelling  for  two 
or  three  days,  when  extensive  wedging  is  needed. 

vS'.  E.  Davenport  J  International  Dental  Journal. 

The  X-Rays  and  Vulcanite  Plates. — A  woman  having  died 
from  swallowing  a  small  plate  carrying  two  teeth,  and  the 
statement  made  that  a  plate  of  vulcanite  "would  be  transparent 
to  the  X-rays  and  hence  could  not  be  localized,"  the  matter 
was  tested  as  follows  by  Henry  Blandy,  L.D.S. :  A  number  of 
old  vulcanite  plates,  a  metal  plate,  and  other  articles  were  ar- 
ranged on  a  Rontgen  plate,  when  it  was  found  that  red  and 
pink  vulcanite  show  as  distinctly  as  metal — black  vulcanite  less 
so,  the  teeth  and  platinum  pins  being  perfectly  definable  in  all 
the  cases.  A  knowledge  of  this  fact  may  be  used  to  prevent 
cutting  in  the  dark  and  exploratory  incisions  in  future  similar 
cases.  Dental  Record. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  423 

To  Remove  Vulcanite  from  Between  the  Teeth. — Mount  a 
stiff,  fine  needle  in  a  small  handle  or  broach  holder;  sharpen  on 
two  sides  and  you  have  a  useful  little  tool. 

A.  E.  H.  Leister,  Items  of  Interest. 

Porcelain  Inlays.  Selection  of  Color. — Selecting  the  color 
after  the  tooth  has  been  dried  under  the  rubber-dam  is  always 
misleading.  The  color  must  correspond  with  that  of  the  tooth 
in  its  natural  moist  condition. 

A^.  vS'.  Jenkins,  National  Dental  Association,  i8pp. 

Filling  the  Hypodermic  Syringe. — Drop  a  small  piece  of  ab- 
sorbent cotton  into  the  fluid  to  be  drawn  into  the  syringe. 
Press  the  syringe  against  the  cotton,  thus  filtering  the  solution; 
there  will  be  no  specks  to  stop  the  syringe  and  less  risk  of  after- 
irritation.  Welch's  Dental  Magazine. 

Overcoming  Recession  of  Gum  Tissue. — In  case  of  recession 
of  the  gum  over  the  root  of  an  anterior  tooth  to  be  crowned, 
make  a  horizontal  incision  and  put  in  a  stich  in  the  part  of  the 
gum  below  the  incision,  tie  it  close  to  the  tooth,  the  idea  being 
that  the  gap  will  fill  in  with  granulations. 

Dr.  Nase,  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 

Introducing  Cement  Into  a  Pulp-canal. — To  prevent  the 
cement  from  drawing  away  with  the  instrument  moisten  a  small 
square  of  blotting  paper  with  aromatic  sulphuric  acid  and  pass 
the  face  of  the  instrument  over  that,  slightly  moistening  it. 
The  cement  may  be  forced  up  with  the  instrument  and  will  not 
be  drawn  away.  /.  W.  Beach,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Treatment  of  Abscessed  Deciduous  Teeth. — Cleanse  canals  as 
thoroughly  as  possible.  Fill  pulp-chambers  with  cotton  sat- 
urated with  oil  of  cloves,  and  by  means  of  unvulcanized  rubber 
exert  pressure  on  cotton  until  oil  of  cloves  is  forced  through 
sinus.  Then  flood  cavity  with  solution  gutta-percha  in  eucalyp- 
tus and  force  temporary  stopping  into  each  canal  until  the  euca- 
lyptus appears  at  fistulous  opening.  Will  rarely  give  any  fur- 
ther trouble.  C.  N.  Johnson,  Niagara  Falls,  i8pp. 

To  Keep  the  Hands  Soft  and  White. — To  counteract  the 
effects  of  frequent  immersions  in  antiseptic  solutions  the  follow- 
ing will  be  found  one  of  the  very  best  of  formulas  : 

R .    01.  rosse gtt.  xv. 

Glycerin oi- 

Spts.  myrcios ^iii. 

01.  cajuput gtt.  XX. 

M. — Apply  at  night  before  retiring,  first  washing  the  hands  thoroughly  in 
hot  water.  jj^^In  cold  weather  apply  before  going  out. 

Journal  Anwrican  Medical  Associafio)i. 


424 


DENTAL  BRIEF, 


To  Make  Smooth  Cavity  Margins. — Take  an  ordinary  fine- 
cut  plug-finishing  bur  of  suitable  size  (I  use  half  worn-out  burs), 
dip  in  water  and  then  in  coarse  carborundum  powder.  Use  in 
the  usual  way,  dipping  it  in  the  water  and  powder  as  often  as 
necessary.     Faster  and  better  than  any  diamond  burs. 

IV.  C.  Gray  stone,  Items  of  Interest. 

Ihsert  Dentures  Immediately  After  the  Extraction  of  the 
Teeth. — Frequent  use  exerts  an  influence  in  maintaining  the 
shape  of  the  jaw,  the  presence  of  dentures  preventing  the  de- 
generation of  the  facial  and  masticating  muscles,  the  jaws  con- 
sequently retaining  longer  the  form  characteristic  of  adult  life. 
W.  H.  Dolomare,  Journal  British  Dental  Association. 

Second  Soldering. — When  a  second  soldering  becomes 
necessary  place  a  piece  of  lower  karat  solder  than  was  first  used 
in  mercury  until  the  surface  is  slightly  amalgamated.  It  will 
flow  readily  and  the  mercury  being  sublimated  in  the  heating 
the  appearance  of  the  finished  piece  is  the  same  as  it  originally 
was.  American  Dentist. 

The  Deciduous  Molars. — If  thoroughly  exposed  the  pulps 
will  die,  but  probably  painlessly,  and  the  tooth  may  remain 
comfortable  for  some  time.  If  the  deciduous  second  molars 
can  be  held  in  place  at  almost  any  cost  until  the  first  permanent 
molars  have  come  through,  and  are  well  articulated,  this  should 
be  done.  C  Edmund  Kelts,  Welch's  Dental  Journal. 

Root-canal  Filling. — Dr.  Pruyn,  of  Chicago,  has  recently 
adopt»ed  the  method  of  filling  canals  with  sandarac  varnish  and 
gutta-percha  points,  his  theory  being  that  the  varnish  follows 
the  remaining  alcohol  used  for  drying  out;  the  results  seem  very 
good,  the  varnish  appearing  to  enter  all  the  openings  of  the 
canaliculi.  /.  M.  Wallis,  Dental  Review. 

Root-canal  Filling. — A  deviation  from  the  usual  method  of 
filling  with  chloro-percha  and  gutta-percha.  A  gutta-percha 
cone  is  first  placed  in  the  canal  and  then  the  chloro-percha  is  ap- 
plied, dissolving  the  point;  another  point  is  then  inserted  and 
forced  to  place,  insuring  the  complete  filling  of  the  root  without 
danger  of  confining  air  in  the  canal. 

/.  /.  Wright,  Dental  Digest. 

Reproduction  of  Gum  Tissue. — Irritate  the  gum  with  a  metal 
band  to  stimulate  granulations,  and  protect  the  parts  with  rub- 
ber hood  so  as  to  allow  granulations  to  organize.  Retain  the 
band  and  hood  with  silk  ligatures  and  examine  about  once  a 
month,  stimulating  with  .the  application  of  a  solution  of  nitrate 
of  silver  5i  or  5ii  to  the  ounce  of  water.  With  time  and  patience 
good  results  can  be  obtained. 

Geo.  T.  Carpenter  (Clinic) ,  Dental  Review. 


MISCELLANY,  425 


A  Man  With  a  Quiver  Full. — A  French  Canadian  living  in 
Rhode  Island  was  recently  presented  by  his  third  wife  with  his 
forty-first  child.  His  first  wife  gave  birth  to  several  pairs  of 
twins,  and  his  second  presented  him  with  three  sets  of  triplets. 
Thirty-six  of  the  children  are  living  and  many  of  them  have 
families  of  their  own.  Eight  of  the  grandchildren  also  are 
parents. 

The  Age  of  Medical  Graduates  in  Japan. — A  Japanese  paper, 
the  Jiji  Shimpo,  finds  reason  for  lamentation  in  the  fact  that 
whereas  medical  students  in  Europe  graduate  at  twenty-two  or 
twenty-three  years  of  age,  in  Japan  the  age  is  over  twenty-six. 
The  paper  in  question  points  out  that  Japanese  mature  and  age 
earlier  than  in  Europe,  and  that  as  the  period  of  usefulness  in 
life  in  Japan  is  considered  to  be  over  at  fifty,  the  period  of  active 
labor  is  short.  In  Europe  a  man  is  usually  at  his  best  at  fifty, 
and  even  at  sixty,  seventy  and  over,  grave  and  reverend  seniors 
are  not  looked  upon  as  uselessly  J\arring  the  way  of  ambitious 
juniors.  Journal  of  Tropical  Medicine. 

Fused  Silica. — Silica  is  now  being  extensively  used  in  many 
physical  investigations,  and  since  its  manipulation  in  the  oxy- 
hydrogen  blow-pipe  has  been  understood,  its  value  is  the  more 
appreciated.  That  quartz  could  be  drawn  out  into  fibres  was 
first  noticed  by  M.  Gaudin  in  1839,  but  the  fact  was  not  made 
use  of  until  1887,  when  Prof.  C.  V.  Boys  rediscovered  the  pro- 
cess of  making  quartz  threads  and  applied  them  to  a  number  of 
uses.  Since  that  time  quartz  tubes  have  been  made,  and  also 
bulbs  suitable  for  thermometers.  The  silica  used  for  this  work 
is  rock  crystal,  which,  when  perfectly  clean  and  freed  from  outer 
impurities,  is  heated  in  a  vessel  containing  boiling  water,  and 
then  suddenly  immersed  in  cold  water.  This  cracks  the  crystal 
and  makes  possible  its  division  into  small  masses,  which  must 
be  carefully  examined  to  make  sure  that  there  is  no  foreign 
matter  present.  The  selected  pieces  are  then  heated  in  a  plat- 
inum dish  to  a  yellow  heat  and  are  quickly  thrown  into  deep 
cylinders  containing  distilled  water.  This  process  is  repeated 
and  the  quartz  is  found  to  have  a  semi-opaque  appearance,  sim- 
ilar to  white  enamel.  It  can  now  be  used  in  the  blow-pipe 
flame,  and  the  manipulation  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of  glass. 
It  is  possible  to  construct  Geissler  tubes,  small  distilling  tubes, 
and  thermometers  of  silica,  but  as  yet  a  way  has  not  been  found 
of  soldering  electrodes  into  the  tubes.  Emerald  also  gives 
threads,  and  they  are  said  to  be  even  more  tenacious  than  those 
of  silica. 


426  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

How  Frozen  Meat  Deteriorates. — Meats  frozen  and  kept  in 
cold  storage  for  long  periods  do  not  undergo  organic  changes 
in  the  ordinary  sense — that  is,  they  do  not  putrify,  soften,  or 
smell  bad,  but  they  certainly  do  deteriorate  in  some  intangible 
way.  After  a  certain  time  frozen  meat  loses  some  life-principle 
essential  to  its  nourishing  quality.  Such  meat  lacks  flavor;  it 
is  not  well  digested  or  assimilated.  Its  savorless  condition 
cannot  be  remedied  or  successfully  disguised  by  the  use  of  sauces 
and  condiments.  Those  who  eat  cold-storage  food  for  any 
length  of  time  develop  diarrhoeal  disorders,  lose  in  weight,  and 
would  eventually  starve  to  death  unless  a  change  of  diet  was 
made.  The  same  reasoning  applies  to  tinned  fruits  and  vege- 
tables. They  should  not  be  used  after  a  certain  period  has 
elapsed.  Especially  should  people  be  warned  against  using 
stale  eggs  and  old  milk  and  cream.  Milk  and  cream  are  kept 
for  days,  rancid  butter  is  washed  and  treated  chemically,  but  all 
food,  and  especially  cold-storage  food,  is  damaged  by  long  keep- 
ing, and  will  not  nourish  the  body  properly.  There  is  the 
greatest  abundance  of  food,  but  it  does  not  satisfy. 

Sanitary  Record. 

Largin  for  the  Eye. — Mkrczel  Falta  reports  (Wiener  klin. 
Rundschau,  January  21st,  1900)  on  the  newest  of  the  silver  prepa- 
ratioiis,  namely,  largin.  Heretofore,  protargol  possessed  marked 
superiority  over  its  fellows,  both  in  the  percentage  of  silver  and  in 
its  general  therapeutic  properties.  Largin,  however,  has  super- 
seded it,  inasmuch  as  it  contains  fully  11  per  cent,  of  silver, 
whereas  protargol  has  but  8  per  cent.  Not  only  in  this  respect 
does  largin  merit  consideration,  but  it  also  far  exceeds  protargol 
(Pezzoli)  in  its  germicidal  powers.  Indeed,  even  the  nitrate  of 
silver  suffers  in  comparison  with  this  preparation.  A  solution 
of  1-4000  of  largin  will  kill  the  gonococci  of  a  pure  culture  in  ten 
minutes,  while  neither  silver  nitrate  1-2000  nor  protargol  will 
accomplish  this.  Pezzoli  has  demonstrated  that  none  of  the  other 
silver  compounds  has  such  a  power  of  penetration  as  has  largin. 
The  power  of  the  tissues  to  take  up  this  drug  is  one  of  the  chief 
reasons  for  its  successful  use,  especially  in  cases  of  conjunctivitis 
and  diseases  of  the  lachrymal  ducts.  The  eye  can  readily  bear  a 
solution  of  10  per  cent,  strength,  although  a  slight  inflammation, 
evidenced  by  reddening  and  a  Httle  pain,  is  caused  thereby.  In- 
stillations of  largin  several  times  daily  are  recommended  in  severe 
conjunctival  affections  with  large  amounts  of  secretion.  The 
secretion  rapidly  diminishes  in  amount,  and  a  return  to  the 
normal  condition  follows.  In  cases  in  which  both  protargol  and 
largin  have  been  used,  the  author  prefers  and  recommends  the 
latter.  The  only  drawback  is  a  slight  inflammation  following  its 
use.  This  is  caused  by  its  alkalinity,  which,  instead  of  being 
baneful,  is  in  reality  of  great  use  to  the  drug  in  its  therapeutic 
application. — Med.  News. 


MISCELLANY,  427 

Cause  of  Cancer. — An  interesting  contribution  to  our  knowl- 
edge of  the  etiology  of  cancer  is  given  by  A.  Adamkiewicz  {Klin, 
therap.  Woch.,  March  i8th,  1900).  This  author  holds  to  the 
parasite  theory  and  considers  the  cancer-cell  to  be  not  a  typical 
epithelium,  but  a  species  of  coccidia  which  infects  those  parts  of 
the  body  most  closely  in  contact  with  the  outer  world.  Several 
instances  are  quoted  in  which  the  mere  sting  of  an  insect  was 
followed  by  epithelioma  of  full  malignancy  and  in  which  irrita- 
tion or  diminished  resistence  of  the  parts  involved  could  not 
explain  the  lesion.  The  fact  that  gastric  and  intestinal  cancer 
is  endemic  in  certain  parts  of  France  where  stagnant  water  is 
used  in  the  manufacture  of  cider  seems  to  corroborate  this 
theory.  Medical  News. 

American  Dentists  in  Germany. — Consul  Pitcairn  writes 
from  Hamburg  that  the  number  of  practicing  physicians  in  the 
German  Empire  has  increased  during  the  last  thirteen  years 
from  15,824  to  21,725,  or  56.25  per  cent.  During  the  same 
period  the  population  has  only  increased  14  per  cent.  In 
Prussia,  of  1,620  military  and  marine  physicians,  only  thirty- 
one  out  of  every  one  hundred  now  become  general  practition- 
ers. Formerly  fifty-seven  out  of  every  one  hundred  left  the 
service  and  entered  general  practice,  demonstrating  that  the 
ranks  of  the  general  practitioners  of  medicine  are  becoming 
more  and  more  crowded.  The  number  of  midwives  is  not  in- 
creasing in  comparison  with  the  population. 

There  are  12,099  practicing  dentists  in  the  German  Empire. 
American  dentists,  or  German  dentists  who  have  received  their 
education  in  the  United  States,  command  the  best  fees  and  are 
held  in  the  highest  repute. 

Anaesthesia  by  Cocain  to  Spinal  Cord. — ^The  production  of  a 
general  anaesthesia  confined  to  the  lower  portion  of  the  body  by 
means  of  cocain  injected  through  a  Quincke's  lumbar  puncture 
of  the  spinal  cord  was  carried  out  successfully  in  six  patients, 
while  in  the  case  of  one  of  the  physicians  the  anaesthesia  pro- 
duced was  carefully  studied  by  the  physician  who  submitted  him- 
self to  this  method.  The  anaesthesia  in  the  area  below  the  seat 
of  puncture  and  up  to  the  nipples  was  complete  in  8  minutes  and 
lasted  for  45  minutes.  The  amount  employed  was  0.005  gi'a-nis 
of  cocain  (about  8-100  grain).  No  harmful  effects  were  seen, 
except  in  the  cases  of  physicians  who  did  not  go  to  bed  and  con- 
tinued about  their  daily  work  the  following  day.  One  of  the 
physicians  was  compelled  to  go  to  bed  and  remain  upon  his  back 
for  a  number  of  days.  While  lying  down  he  was  comfortable, 
but  became  giddy  when  he  sat  up.  This  he  accounts  for  by  the 
fact  that  he  lost  a  considerable  amount  of  cerebrospinal  fluid 
during  the  operation.  This  should  be  carefully  guarded  against 
and  the  patient  confined  to  his  bed  for  some  days  after  the  oper- 
ation. Philadelphia  Medical  Journal. 


428  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Chloretoiie,  C4H-OCI3,  is  a  derivative  of  chloroform  and 
acetone,  and  is  also  known  as  acetonchloroform ;  it  is  chemically 
described  as  a  trichlor-tertiary-butyl-alcohol.  When  caustic 
potash  is  gradually  added  to  equal  weights  of  chloroform  and 
acetone  a  reaction  ensues  which  results  in  this  new  substance, 
which  is  isolated  by  steam  distillation  for  the  removal  of  what- 
ever of  the  two  principal  substances  may  be  found  to  exist. 
Having  been  cooled,  after  the  removal  of  water  by  melting,  it 
appears  in  white  acidular  crystals  with  a  strong  odor  of  camphor. 
In  chloroform,  acetone,  strong  alcohol,  ether,  benzin,  and  glacial 
acetic  acid,  it  is  freely  soluble;  in  cold  water  it  is  soluble  to  the 
extent  of  one  per  cent.,  which  corresponds  in  therapeutic  value 
to  a  four  per  cent,  cocain  solution.  It  is  hypnotic,  but  that  does 
not  limit  its  applicability.  It  is  an  analgesic  of  value,  and  very 
successful  as  a  local  anaesthetic.  Med.  News. 

Dangers  in  Making  Phosphorus  Matches. — Dr.  Talbot,  the 
medical  officer  of  health  for  the  ''match  factory  district"  of  East 
London,  has  just  made  a  report  on  the  phosphorus  danger  which 
is  unexpectedly  encouraging.  He  asserts  that  yellow  phos- 
phorus can  be  used  in  making  matches  with  perfect  safety,  pro- 
vided certain  parts  of  the  process  are  carried  out  practically  in 
the  open  air.  He  bases  this  conclusion  and  change  of  view  on 
his  part  on  a  visit  recently  made  to  a  factory  in  his  district  whera 
500  hands  are  constantly  employed,  and  yet  where  not  a  single 
death  from  necrosis  has  occurred  in  ten  years,  and  only  two 
mild  cases  of  ''phossy  jaw."  The  secret  lies  in  doing  the  mix- 
ing of  the  paste  and  the  dipping  of  the  matches  on  the  roof  of 
the  factory,  under  little  more  than  an  awning  to  protect  from  the 
weather.  The  fumes  escape  so  rapidly  that  no  odor  even  is 
perceptible. 

The  laborde  Methode. — On  July  5th,  1892,  Prof.  Laborde 
communicated  to  the  Paris  Academy  of  Medicine  a  new  method 
of  resuscitating  the  apparently  dead,  by  a  method  called  by  him 
"the  rhythmic  traction  of  the  tongue."  This  method  consists  in 
the  rhythmic  traction  of  the  tongue  by  two  fingers  covered  with 
ordinary  cotton  or  a  handkerchief,  the  traction  being  at  the 
respiratory  rate  of  18  to  20  per  minute  in  adults,  a  little  more 
rapid  in  the  newborn.  The  author  explains  the  success  of  his 
method  by  saying  that  the  action  results  in  a  reflex  irritation, 
which  is  referred  to  the  respiratory  center  through  the  motions 
at  the  base  of  the  tongue,  the  nerves  which  respond  being  the 
superior  laryngeal,  glossopharyngeal,  the  lingual,  and,  finally,  the 
phrenic.  The  method  was  first  used  exclusively,  and  even  now  is 
used  by  the  majority  of  the  profession,  in  resuscitating  those  who 
stop  breathing  under  chloroform,  the  drowned,  the  would-be 
suicides  by  hanging,  but  later  has  been  used  successfully  in 
asphyxia  neonatorum. 


MISCELLANY.  429 

Peroxid  of  Hydrogen  as  a  Local  Ansesthetic. — Injected  under 
the  epidermis  peroxid  of  hydrogen  produces  immediate  and 
complete  anaesthesia  of  the  whole  skin.  I  have  used  it  for  over 
a  year  in  opening  abscesses^  cutting  off  redundant  tissue  in  in- 
growing toe  nails,  opening  the  pleural  cavity,  and  in  one  case 
the  abdominal  cavity.  I  do  not  think  any  absorption  takes 
place,  as  the  intercellular  inflation  from  the  gas  generated  seems 
to  produce  such  pressure  that  the  skin  cuts  like  frozen  tissue. 
H.  E.  Kendall,  M.D.,  Medical  Record. 

Extraction  of  Rubber. — A  new  process  has  been  discovered 
for  the  extraction  of  india-rubber  from  the  tree.  The  bark  and 
roots  are  cut  up  and  soaked  in  dilute  sulphuric  acid,  which  de- 
composes the  woody  portions  and  does  not  affect  the  india- 
rubber.  In  this  way  the  rubber  is  separated  from  the  bark  and 
roots,  and  is  obtained  in  quite  a  pure  state.  The  inventor  of 
this  process  stated  before  the  Society  of  Civil  Engineers  of 
France  that  one  pound  of  india-rubber  could  be  produced  by 
this  method  at  a  cost  of  about  five  cents. 

Treatment  of  Carbolic  Acid  Poisoning. — ^Harnsberger  {Char- 
lotte Med.  Jour.,  February,  1890),  saw  a  boy,  aged  sixteen  years, 
within  thirty  minutes  of  the  time  that  he  had  swallowed  1.5 
ounces  of  carbolic  acid.  He  was  in  a  limp  and  comatose  state, 
the  pulse  being  imperceptible.  A  pint  of  cream  was  at  once 
poured  into  the  stomach,  which  was  kneaded  in  order  to  mix 
thoroughly  the  cream  and  the  carbolic  acid.  Dry  heat  and  fric- 
tion were  applied  to  the  legs  and  arms.  In  two  or  three  hours 
consciousness  returned.  The  administration  of  cream  and  un- 
skimmed milk  was  continued  at  short  intervals  for  several  hours. 
The  patient  entirely  recovered  in  two  days.  Harnsberger  has 
found  that  an  adult  can  take  four  drams  of  pure  carbolic  acid 
mixed  with  cream  and  glycerin,  or  with  alcohol,  without  any 
toxic  symptoms  developing.  Med.  Nezvs. 

Facial  Hyperidrosis  of  Nervous  Origin. — E.  Ruggiero  reports 
the  case  of  a  young  sailor,  aged  twenty  years,  whose  face  is 
constantly  covered  with  perspiration,  both  summer  and  winter, 
day  and  night.  There  are  no  symptoms  of  hemicrania,  facial 
neuralgia,  cephalolgia,  disturbance  of  facial  muscles,  or  cutane- 
ous or  olfactory  sensation.  The  chief  seat  of  the  disturbance 
is  the  tip  of  the  nose,  where  in  freezing  weather  the  perspiration 
freezes.  The  author  believes  the  trouble  to  be  of  nervous 
origin,  probably  in  the  anterior  nerves  of  the  cervical  spinal 
marrow,  the  lesion  involving  the  fibres  which  the  trigeminal 
receives  from  Gasser's  ganglion.  The  prognosis  in  this  case  is 
bad,  as  the  disorder  has  already  lasted  several  years.  Local 
remedies  have  had  no  effect,  and  nothing  can  be  hoped  from  the 
use  of  electricity.  It  might  be  useful  to  recut  the  nerves  distrib- 
uted to  the  affected  region,  the  naso-lobular  nerves  of  Chaussier. 
Annali  di  Mcdic'nia  Naz'olc,  MarcJi,  1000. 


430  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

A  Rival  of  the  Famous  Crowbar  Case. — Barritt  (Lancet,  Jan- 
uary 7th,  1899)  gives  the  details  of  a  case  which  fairly  rivals 
the  famous  instance  in  which  a  Vermont  qitarryman,  while 
tamping  home  a  blast,  exploded  the  same  and  lost  one  eye,  by 
reason  of  the  crowbar  passing  clear  through  his  head,  entering 
below  his  chin  and  passing  out  through  the  frontal  bone.  He 
recovered  and  lived  some  years  in  unimpaired  vigor,  and  his 
skull  now  adorns  the  Warren  museum  in  Boston.  Barritt's 
patient  was  a  lad,  aged  14,  who  rammed  a  muzzle-loading  gun 
with  a  thirty-inch  iron  rod.  The  gun  was  cocked  and  had  a  cap 
on.  The  jar  brought  down  the  hammer,  and  the  ramrod,  which 
measured  |-inch  in  diameter  at  its  big  end,  passed  point  fore- 
most into  the  boy's  forehead  over  his  left  eye,  and  out  of  his  left 
parietal  bone.  He  walked  200  yards  to  the  house,  and  rode  three 
miles  to  a  hospital.  In  three  weeks  his  wounds  were  so  far  healed 
that  he  went  home.  There  was  a  discharge  during  convalescence 
of  a  thimbleful  of  bits  of  gray  matter  of  the  brain.  The  aphasia 
and  partial  paralysis  of  the  right  arm  which  followed  the  acci- 
dent gradually  disappeared. 

Powders  for  the  Teeth. — 

Camphor  Dentifrice — 

R     Camphor 1  eg. 

Powdered  soap 3i 

Saccharin 2.5  c. 

Thymol V  eg. 

Calcium  carbonate ol 

Oil  of  sassafras [  to  2  drops. 

Wintergreen  oil  or  cassia  oil  may  be  substituted  for  the  sassafras  oil,  if 
preferred. 

Violet  Tooth  Powder — 

R     Naphthol fl.   v  eg. 

Saccharin 2.5  eg. 

Calcium  carbonate 3i 

Powdered  soap 31 

lonone  and  oil  of  cananga 15  ^  i     2  drops. 

Astringent  Tooth  Powder — 

B     Myrrh Z\ 

Sodium  chlorid ^ . .  5i 

Powdered  soap 1  eg. 

Calcium  carbonate 31 

Otto  of  rose,  q.  s. 

Menthol  Tooth  Powder — 

R     Menthol xcg. 

Naphthol fl.    V  eg. 

Saccharin 2.5  eg. 

Calcium  carbonate 31 

Powdered  soap 1  eg. 

Otto  of  rose,  q.  s. 

Odantologie, 


■ 

^p^B 

1 

^^^^^^^^^^^Hg    i^^v                  l^^^l 

^H 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^■^^                               ^^^^^1 

H 

^^^^^^^^^^B     jfl»  .^^^HhB'  -^  ^^1 

I 

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^/  ^^^^^^^^H| 

^ 

-J 

,^^^t>:^. 


THE 


DENTAL   BRIEF. 


Vol..  V.  PHIIvADELPHIA,  AUGUST,  1900.  No.  8 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


ARTICULATION  AND  ARTICULATORS.* 

/.  A.  Robinson,  Morrisville,  Vt. 

"All  things  I  thought  I  knew;  but  now  confess 
The  more  I  know,  I  know  I  know  the  less." 

The  subject  of  "Prosthodontia,"  using  Dr.  Ottolengui's  new 
word,  has  received  but  little  attention  of  late  years  from  this 
society,  especially  that  branch  relating  to  articulation  of  artificial 
teeth.  I  present  it  as  a  part  of  our  work  which  needs  vastly  more 
attention  than  it  has  received  from  us,  as  the  more  one  studies  it 
the  more  we  will  find  there  is  to  know. 

I  have  been  at  work  on  several  different  ideas  pertaining  to 
this  subject  for  some  time,  and  have  arrived  at  this  conclusion: 
The  successful  cases  we  have  are  more  accidental  than  intentional. 
I  will  as  briefly  as  possible  summarize  the  work  others  have  done 
in  this  line  before  I  bring  to  your  attention  some  things  which  I 
found  were  interesting  to  me  and  perhaps  may  be  to  you. 

We  all  know  of  the  life-work  of  the  late  Dr.  Bonwill  on  this 
subject;  of  his  circles,  equilateral  triangles,  etc.  You  will  find 
many  solid  truths  in  his  works,  though  there  may  be  several 
things  therein  that  are  not  essentially  necessary  to  the  proper 
articulation  of  the  teeth,  still  there  are  ideas  which,  if  rightly 
understood,  will  help  us  to  be  more  certain  in  this  line  of  work. 
There  are  certain  laws  which  govern  every  motion  of  the  human 
body,  and  the  nearer  we  approach  those  laws  when  supplying 
artificial  members  to  that  body — be  it  teeth,  eyes,  hands,  feet, 
arms,  legs,  or  what — the  more  perfect  the  use  of  that  substitute. 


*Read  at  the  Vermont  State  Dental  Society  meeting.  ]\Iarch  2ist-23d, 
1900,  St.  Johnsbury,  Vt. 


43t 


432  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

While  Dr.  Bonwill  may  have  gone  further  than  he  need  in 
some  directions,  he  did  not  carry  his  work  far  enough  in  some 
others,  as  I  will  explain  further  on.  I  think  the  Bonwill  articu- 
lator was  perhaps  the  first  step  in  advancement  in  the  right  direc- 
tion. The  work  as  done  on  the  ordinary  articulator  in  use  can 
be  but  faulty  and  is  tolerated  because  of  its  necessity.  I  believe 
it  is  possible  to  do  better  and  more  perfect  work  in  this  line. 

Too  much  of  this  work  is  left  to  the  three-dollar  men,  and  for 
want  of  anything  better  the  time  is  soon  coming  when  that  class 
of  work  will  answer  the  purpose  as  well  or  better,  because  of  that 
necessity.  Perfect  work  cannot  be  done  on  the  ordinary  articu- 
lator; there  are  certain  movements  of  the  human  jaw  that  should 
be  had  in  the  articulator  to  get  the  best  results.  If  there  is  an 
average  of  four  inches  from  the  center  of  one  condyloidal  process 
to  the  other,  and  the  same  from  the  center  of  either  condyle  to  the 
center  line  at  the  point  of  meeting  of  the  cutting  edges  of  the 
lower  centrals,  does  it  not  stand  to  reason  that  artificial  teeth  set 
up  on  an  articulator  built  on  the  Bonwill  triangle  would  be  more 
sure  of  perfect  articulation  in  the  mouth?  I  would  most  seri- 
ously ask  you  toi  study  Dr.  Bonwill's  writings.  Read  and 
re-read  his  last  articles  in  the  September  and  December  numbers 
of  the  Items.  He  has  there  placed  the  subject  in  a  much  better 
manner  than  I  can.  I  wish  you  would  also  read  carefully  the 
paper  on  Articulation  by  Dr.  Snow  in  the  January  number  of  the 
Cosmos. 

In  these  I  think  you  will  find  the  necessity  of  using  an  articu- 
lator of  different  construction  from  the  ordinary  one,  which 
measures  but  two-  inches  or  less  across  the  condyles  or  bearings ;. 
one  which  will  give  the  motions  of  the  lower  jaw  or  maxillary 
not  only  in  the  hinge  or  direct  up  and  down  swinging  motion,  but 
more  particularly  in  the  lateral  motion  or  the  motion  made  in 
chewing.  After  studying  these  you  will  not  wonder  at  the  re- 
marks made  by  many  who,  wearing  artificial  teeth,  say  they  do 
not  chew  their  food  but  simply  pound  it.  Their  teeth  were  made 
to  be  used  in  but  one  way,  and  that  directly  up  arid  down — any 
other  motion  would  tend  tO'  dislodge  their  plates. 

I  wish  it  understood  I  am  not  advertising  or  advocating  any 
particular  articulator,  but  in  order  to  make  my  work  a  success,. 
I  have  used  several  different  ones,  and  I  propose  to  show  several 
here,  and  shall  give  what  to  me  are  the  strong  and  weak  points- 
of  such  as  I  have. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  433 

You  all  have  seen  the  Bonwill  articulator.  I  need  not  say 
much  about  that  one.  The  Gritman,  while  embodying  the  better 
qualities  of  the  Bonwell,  excepting  its  lightness,  simplicity,  and 
freedom  of  vision  of  the  work  from  the  back,  goes  a  little 
further,  and  provides  for  adjustment  of  space  between  the  bows, 
and  also  trying  to  better  imitate  the  natural  movement  by  pro- 
viding for  the  downward  motion  of  the  condyles  at  the  same  time 
as  giving  the  lateral  movement  of  the  lower  maxillary.  You 
will  do  well  to  read  Dr.  Gritman's  paper  in  the  November  Items, 
which  is  very  readable  and  instructive.  I  have  with  me  one  of 
those  articulators,  which  I  have  used  for  about  five  months,  and 
while  I  think  it  can  be  improved  in  some  ways,  as  I  will  show 
later,  I  will  say  this:  The  work  done  on  it  has  been  very  satis- 
factory to  myself  and  patients.  I  also  have  the  Snow  face  bow, 
which,  though  made  to  be  used  with  the  Gritman  articulator,  can 
be  adapted  to  any  of  those  made  wide.  This  has  proven  in  my 
hands  to  be  another  advancing  step. 

It  is  but  a  short  time  ago-  the  idea  as  to  how  the  models  went 
into  the  articulator  made  any  difference  with  the  w^ork,  was 
brought  to  my  attention,  nor  have  I  taken  any  particular  trouble 
to  get  the  mesial  line  at  the  front  of  trial  plates  within  the  pre- 
scribed four  inches  from  the  joint,  to  say  nothing  as  to  whether 
the  line  was  in  the  centre  of  the  articulator,  or  the  back  of  models 
were  up  or  down,  or  swung  to  either  side  from  the  position  they 
should  be  in.  I  take  it  that  ''right  is  right,"  rather  than  'Svhat 
is  is  right,"  and  if  we  wish  to  meet  with  universal  success,  we 
must  have  everything  as  nearly  right  as  possible.  If  the  face 
bow  was  used  by  operatOTS  to  set  their  models,  more  successful 
work  would  be  the  result,  I  verily  believe;  since  using  it  my  suc- 
cess has  been  gratifying,  as  the  teeth  when  in  the  mouth  more 
correctly  fill  the  place  of  the  lost  natural  organs. 

I  wish  now  to  take  you  a  little  further  toward  what  is,  to  my 
mind,  a  bettering  of  results  in  the  articulating  of  artificial  teeth, 
the  better  tO'  imitate  the  natural  ones.  I  do  not  say  what  I  have 
to  offer  is  new,  for  it  may  be  old,  but,  if  so,  I  have  never  seen  it 
described  or  used. 

The  work  of  those  I  have  mentioned,  as  well  as  of  others,  is 
all  in  the  right  direction.  There  is  but  little  to  be  added  to  their 
work,  and  I  wish  I  could  as  ably  express  my  ideas  as  they  have 
theirs. 

I  claim  the  usual  relation  of  the  jaws,  or  rather  the  two  sets 


434  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

of  the  human  teeth,  are  as  a  ball  and  socket,  or,  better,  a  ball  and 
cup,  as  some  might  think  I  referred  to  the  ball  and  socket  joints; 
not  so.  But  to  explain :  the  lower  jaw  carried  either  laterally  or 
forward  and  back,  will  resume  its  place  when  carried  to  its  natural 
position  with  a  motion  as  though  a  cup  was  being  placed  on  the 
side  of  a  ball  just  adapted  to  it.  Take  a  small,  straight  edge  like 
a  pencil,  lay  it  across  the  lower  teeth,  and  you  see  that  while  the 
buccal  cusps  touch  the  pencil,  the  lingual  do  not.  By  reversing 
the  pencil  to  the  upper  teeth,  you  will  find  the  opposite;  the  pal- 
atal cusps  touch  while  the  buccal  do  not — showing  the  idea  of 
the  ball  and  cup,  the  upper  teeth  forming  the  ball,  while  the  under 
form  the  cup. 

The  line  drawn  in  conformity  to  the  faces,  or  grinding  sur- 
faces of  the  posterior  teeth  is  a  curved  line,  and  the  arc  of  a  circle 
varying  from  a  very  small  one  to  almost  a  straight  line.  I  have 
used  the  arc  of  a  circle  twelve  inches  in  diameter,  as  that  perhaps 
is  an  average  and  a  fair  one  to  work  on,  though  you  will  find 
many  which  are  much  smaller. 

Looking  at  the  Bonwill  diagrams  in  the  September  Items, 
illustrating  the  teeth  in  mastication,  you  find  he  has  the  line 
drawn  across  the  masticating  surfaces  of  the  molars,  a  straight 
line  (see  Fig.  i).  I  claim  the  line  should  be  the  arc  of  a  circle 
(see  Fig.  2).  Then,  when  the  lower  jaw  is  carried  to  the  left 
in  the  act  of  chewing,  the  cup  slides  to  its  place  on  the  ball  and 
stops  against  the  cusps  on  other  side. 

Dr.  Bonwill  curved  his  line  toward  the  ramus,  but  not  in  the 
direction  I  have  just  mentioned,  as  you  will  see  in  his  figures,  Ai, 
6  and  7,  and  in  Figs.  3,  4  and  5.  The  teeth,  if  without  cusps, 
and  arranged  as  in  Dr.  Bonwill's  drawings,  would  continually 
slide  from  side  to  side;  while  arranged  as  I  claim  is  right,  would 
come  to  a  common  center  and  remain  there  until  again  carried  to 
either  side,  as  in  masticating. 

I  will  give  you  an  outline  of  my  methods:  Impressions, 
models,  bites  or  articulation  taken  and  made  as  usual,  being  sure 
each  step  as  taken  is  correct.  The  bite-plates  are  then  locked 
together  with  the  little  bite  locks  made  for  that  purpose,  and 
which  I  devised  several  years  ago,  as  illustrated  in  the  Cosmos 
of  August,  1896,  also  in  "taking  impressions  of  the  mouth"  by 
the  S.  S.  W.  Co.,  1898.  These  do  away  with  all  the  uncer- 
tainties of  the  usual  method  of  marking  them  with  a  series  of 
crosses,  etc.,  taking  from  the  mouth  separately  and  trying  to 


ORIGINAL  trOHTMUNICATIONS,  43S 

■get  them  m'm  the  same  pijsition  they  were  while  in  the 
mouth.  By  locking  and  removing  them  together,  they  must 
needs  be  just  -as  they  were  in  the  mouth;  then  by  using  the  face 
bow  yon  will  get  the  models  in  the  articulator,  so  there  is  n<J 
doubt  but  fhey  are  right.  Then  set  up  the  front  teeth  of  both 
sets,  fastem-ng  them  to  trial  plates  slightly,  as  you  may  wish  to 
change  some  of  them  a  trifle.  Then,  turning  back  the  upper  bow 
or  top  of  articulator  with  the  upper  model,  and  attaching  the 
convex  disc,  setting  the  remaining  under  teeth  to  the  disc,  mak- 
ing sure  the  inner  cusps  touch  it  as  well  as  the  outer.  Thus, 
making  plain  the  reason  for  wanting  plenty  of  space  at  back  of 
articulator  the  better  to  view  the  work,  even  the  front  under 
teeth  are  to  be  set  to  the  disc. 

After  the  lower  ones  are  set,  remove  the  disc,  turn  back  the 
upper  model,  and  articulate  the  teeth  to  the  lower  ones;  when  I 
say  articulate  to  the  lower  teeth,  I  mean  just  what  I  say,  and  not 
merely  touching  them  on  the  outside  or  buccal  cusps;  be  sure  of 
the  articulation  on  the  palatal  side. 

It  is  sometimes  difficult  to  secure  teeth  that  will  conform  to 
this  method  without  some  grinding — not  of  the  cusps,  if  avoid- 
able— to  shorten  them  so  as  to  go  under  the  arch.  It  is  also 
difficult  to  use  gum  teeth  as  now  made.  I  am  sometimes  obliged 
to  turn  a  bicuspid  or  molar  round  wrong  side  out  to  make  it  con- 
form to  my  idea.  Sometimes,  when  articulating  to  natural  under 
teeth,  I  crowd  a  tooth  in  nearly  out  of  sight,  at  other  times 
turn  nearly  or  quite  a  quarter  round."  The  over-bite  of  the 
superior  incisors  should  not  be  enough  to  interfere  with  the  per- 
fectly free  lateral  and  forward  and  back  motion  of  the  lower 
maxillary. 

When  the  plates  are  completed,  the  lower  set  is  touched  up 
on  the  convex  side  of  a  corundum  wheel,  which  is  made  on  the 
same  arc  as  the  disc,  and  the  upper  on  the  concave  side;  this  is  to 
grind  off  any  particular  cusp  that  might  interfere  with  the  free 
motion  of  the  jaws,  as  the  slightest  obstacle  may  tend  to  destroy 
the  easy  sliding  movement  necessary  to  the  perfect  working  of  the 
teeth. 

The  wearer  of  plates  carefully  made,  following  these  methods, 
has,  I  believe,  as  nearly  a  perfect  denture  as  it  is  possible  to  make; 
they  do  not  have  to  pound  up  their  food,  but  can  masticate  or 
chew  it  as  well  as  is  possible  with  other  than  the  natural  organs. 
I  have  had  the  very  best  of  success  with  my  cases  since  adopting 
these  methods. 


436  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

I  will  call  particular  attention  to  two  or  three  things:  First, 
the  usual  method  of  articulating  an  upper  set  to  the  natural  lower 
teeth ;  as  a  general  thing  the  masticating  surface  of  the  lower 
teeth  turn  into  the  mouth  perhaps  more  and  more  as  time  goes 
on.  and  when  we  set  up  teeth  to  articulate  with  such,  there  is  a 
tendency  on  the  part  of  many  to  articulate  simply  to  the  buccal 
cusps — more  especially  in  using  gum  or  block  teeth.  This  will 
undoubtedly  make  a  set  that  looks  well  out  of  the  mouth,  but  it 
is  like  eating  with  pegs  to  use  such  a  plate.  It  should  be  our  aim 
in  all  our  work  to  give  our  patients  the  best  we  can.  With  teeth 
articulated  like  some  I  have  brought  with  me,  how  much  better 
the  act  of  mastication  can  be  carried  on  than  if  the  teeth  touched 
but  on  buccal  cusps!  Secondly,  articulate  the  teeth  in  such  a 
manner  that  when  the  lower  jaw  is  carried  forward,  the  pressure 
or  bearing  is  on  some  of  the  back  teeth  rather  than  on  the  incisors, 
also  the  same  while  using  the  lateral  movements. 

Some  think  there  would  be  no  difference  between  teeth  set  up 
on  articulators  two  and  four  inches  between  bearings.  There  Is 
a  difference.  The  circle  or  arc  of  a  circle  cut  from  the  center  of 
lower  centrals  is  much  different,  whether  the  compasses  are  set 
one  or  two  inches  from  a  line  drawn  backward  from  said  center 
and  intersecting  a  line  running  at  right  angles  from  it,  represent- 
ing the  line  of  bearing  of  the  articulator,  or  from  condyle  to  con- 
dyle; and  as  there  is  this  difference,  and  one  is  right,  the  other 
wrong — and  right  is  and  must  be  right,  and  just  as  cheap;  let  us 
adopt  it. 

You  expect  me  to  show  an  articulator  ol  my  ow^n  make,  and 
inform  you  I  think  it  a  little  ahead  of  the  others  in  some  respects. 
It  does  have  several  features  to  recommend  it  to  your  attention; 
it  is  not  quite  so  nicely  finished  as  those  w^hich  are  made  where 
such  work  is  done.  One  thing  is  the  space  at  back  to  facilitate 
the  work  of  setting  up  the  teeth,  observing  the  inner  cusps  should 
make  w^ork  a  trifle  easier;  it  is  light  and  still  strong;  it  is  adjust- 
able where  it  ought  to  be;  it  has  the  movements  ol  the  lower 
mandible  more  correctly  than  some  others.  It  is  not  yet  com- 
pleted. I  have  been  unable  to  do  the  work  on  it  that  I  wished 
on  account  of  our  machine  shop  being  too  full  of  w^ork  to  bother 
with  it.  I  have  not  the  disc  connected,  w'hich  is  to  be  done 
with  a  ball  and  socket  joint  that  it  may  be  properly  adjusted  and 
held  there  firmly.  The  Gritman,  while  it  has  the  sliding  motion 
at  the  joints  to  imitate  the  downward  motion  of  the  lower  jaw  at 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  437 

the  same  time  as  the  forward  and  lateral  movements,  still  when 
in  use  the  bows  are  nearer  together  by  one-eighth  inch  when 
lower  bow  is  brought  forward  than  when  at  rest.  I  have  over- 
come that  fault  in  mine,  as  you  will  notice  the  bows  are  further 
apart  when  in  that  position,  thus  doing  away  with  the  breaking 
down  of  plaster  cusps  when  articulating  teeth  to  such.  The 
upper  bow  can  be  turned  back  further  than  the  Gritman,  and  is 
easily  removed  when  desired.  The  springs  used  are  too  stiff  in  all 
of  them.  I  have  used  mine  with  but  a  small  rubber  band,  and 
som*e  of  the  time  without  any  sort  of  spring,  as  when  left  alone 
the  weight  of  the  cast  will  usually  bring  it  tO'  its  right  position. 

I  make  my  principal  claims  on  the  disc,  and  method  of  articu- 
lating the  teeth. 

I  have  with  me  several  cases  articulated  by  my  friends. 
When  sending  the  models  and  teeth  I  asked  them  to  dO'  the  work 
just  as  it  is  done  in  their  office  in  every-day  practice.  There  are 
no  marks  on  them  to  show  who  did  the  work,  and  you  are  ai 
liberty  to  examine  them  and  make  all  the  comments  you  please, 
for  you  will  hurt  no  one's  feelings,  as  we  are  here  to  learn  all  we 
can  regarding  this  subject — in  fact,  you  are  asked  to  criticize  the 
articulations.  There  are  several  sets  of  my  own  with  the  lot, 
and  I  expect  you  will  select  others  as  being  the  best,  most  correct 
work;  if  that  is  the  case,  it  will  make  no  difference  to  me,  for  I 
believe  I  am  right,  and  shall  stick  to  my  ideas.  These  cases  wxre 
set  up  on  almost  every  conceivable  make  of  articulators. 

I  have  also'  several  of  the  most  approved  articulators: 
the  Gritman,  the  Antes,  one  made  by  the  C.  D.  M.  Co.,  the 
Bonwill,  as  made  by  the  S.  S.  W.  Co.,  having  a  screw  to  adjust 
the  space  between  bows,  which  was  not  advocated  or  used  by  Dr. 
Boawill,  but  to  my  mind  is  quite  essential;  the  Bridge,  made  by 
a  young  student  in  the  Boston  Dental  College — this  one  has 
several  good  features,  but  lacks  the  essential  width  of  bearings. 
I  also  have  a  modification  of  the  Bonwill,  made  by  myself. 

The  Gritman  is  the  one  I  have  used  the  most,  as  I  have  had 
it  the  longest.  It  has  not  enough  space  for  viewing  the  work 
from  the  back;  the  inability  to  turn  the  top  over  further  is  to 
me  a  detriment,  as  is  the  lowering  or  nearing  of  the  bows  when 
giving  forward  motion  to  lower  bow;  this  latter  trouble  can 
be  easily  remedied  by  filing  off  the  plane  on  which  the  regu- 
lating screw  works  to  a  proper  bevel.  It  is  of  the  right  width, 
uses  bows,  and  on  the  whole  I  am  much  pleased  with  it.     The 


438  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Antes  has  several  g-ood  points  as  well  as  bad  ones;  the  lacking  of 
lateral  motion  may  be  an  advantage  to  some,  but  not  particularly 
so  to  myself;  the  locking  back  of  the  top  is  all  right.  It  might  be 
made  a  first-class  articulator  with  a  few  changes;  it  is  not  wide 
enough  at  the  bearings,  has  no  provision  for  raising  the  upper 
bow  when  springs  are  deflected;  the  spring  in  this  as  well  as  in 
others  is  stilTer  than  is  necessary;  the  vision  of  work  from  back 
is  not  materially  obstructed,  but  would  be  if  made  wider,  except 
across  bearings.  I  much  prefer  the  bows  to  the  cast-plates^  to 
which  to  attach  the  models.  The  one  sent  me  by  the  C.  D.  M. 
Co.  is  very  nicely  made  and  finished — tooi  nicely  in  some  of  its 
parts;  it  has  but  the  up-and-down  swing,  very  much  the  same  as 
the  ordinary  one  in  use,  arid  excepting  its  being  adjustable  to 
thick  and  thin  models,  is  the  same;  is  but  two  inches  wide  across 
bearings,  and  does  not  have  any  lateral  movement. 

The  No.  7,  or  improved  Bonwill,  is  similar  to  the  original, 
and  is  light,  strong,  well  made  and  nicely  finished,  and  is  all  in 
all  a*  very  good  articulator,  needing  but  two  or  three  changes  to 
make  it  all  right.  The  plate  for  the  adjusting  screw  is  too  small, 
not  of  right  angle,  and  it  does  not  allow  of  different  thicknesses 
of  models.  The  Bonwill,  as  m^ade  by  myself,  does  away  with 
part  of  these  objections,  as  I  have  more  space  to  view  the  work 
from  the  back,  the  adjusting  screw  above  out  of  the  way,  and 
the  angle  or  bevel  of  plate  below  the  screw  is  such  as  to  drop 
the  lower  model  when  using  lateral  movements. 

The  little  crown  articulator  sent  me  by  the  makers  of  the 
Antes  is  an  improvement  over  any  I  have  before  seen. 

I  wish  to  thank  my  friends  who  have  helped  me  so  kindly  by 
setting  up  the  teeth  I  sent  them,  also  the  manufacturers  for  the 
different  articulators  that  have  been  sent  me.  They  have  all 
aided  me  in  my  work.  I  have  endeavored  to  bring  you  some- 
thing that  would  instruct  as  well  as  interest  you,  and  all  these 
have  been  of  assistance  in  the  information  gained  by  comparison. 

Do  you  have  upper  plates  to  repair  that  are  broken  or 
cracked  down  through  the  center?  Nearly  all  of  us  do.  I  think 
they  are  cracked  or  broken  principally  from;  one  of  two  causes, 
perhaps  both.  One  cause  is  the  setting  together  of  the  jaws, 
while  sleeping,  so  hard  and  tight  that  something  has  to  give;  1 
believe  this  causes  more  trouble  by  grinding  or  knocking  off  the 
teeth  than  breaking  the  plate.  The  chief  cause  of  the  cracked 
plates  to  my  mind  is  articulating  the  teeth  on  the  principle  just 


ORiaiNAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  439 

the  opposite  from  what  I  have  been  describing,  /.  e.,  using  the 
under  teeth  as  the  ball,  the  upper  as  the  cup;  then  when  in  use 
the  upper  teeth  are  spread  every  time  the  mouth  is  closed,  owing 
to  the  wedging  motion.  Tlie  same  conditions  exist  when  articu- 
lating upper  teeth  to  the  buccal  cusps  of  the  lower  ones. 

One  thing  more  I  have  to  say:  I  never  sacrifice  adaptabifity 
to  looks  when  articulating  artificial  teeth,  and  that  is  my  first  and 
chief  reason  for  using  plain  teeth,  and  if  we  had  a  more  perfect 
imitation  of  the  natural  gums  I  would  never  think  of  using  block 
teeth  unless  the  patient  particularly  demanded  them;  they  make 
the  best  looking  set  out  of  the  mouth — there  is  no  disputing 
that — but  that  is  the  only  thing  to  recommend  them,  for  you 
cannot  articulate  as  you  should  and  keep  good  joints.  If  you 
are  making  a  set  to  look  well  out  of  the  mouth,  use  block  teeth, 
but  if  you  are  making  a  set  for  use  in  the  mouth,  use  plain  teeth 
every  time.  I  wish  to  be  emphatic  on  this  point;  never  sacrifice 
adaptability  to  looks.  You  may  possibly  find  you  have  really 
both  when  you  put  your  case  in  the  mouth. 


In  connection  with  Dr.  Robinson's  paper  he  had  some  twenty 
sets  of  teeth  that  were  articulated  by  different  plate-workers, 
making  a  very  interesting  and  instructive  display.  It  cannot  be 
said  that  many  of  them  were  perfect  specimens  of  the  art,  for 
there  were  but  few  that  would  be  accepted  by  some  of  the  better 
operators.  As  there  were  no  marks  on  them  to  enable  one  to 
know"  who  did  the  work,  no  one  could  feel  hurt  at  just  criticism. 
The  greatest  mistake  made  by  many  is  in  articulating  (they  do 
not  articulate,  so  should  not  be  called  articulations),  the  setting 
the  teeth  so  they  only  touch  the  buccal  cusps,  and  do  not  furnish 
any  grinding  surface.  The  set  the  doctor  showed,  where  he 
turned  the  second  bicuspids  and  molars  inside  out  in  order  to 
articulate  with  plaster  lower  molars  and  bicuspids,  indicated  the 
idea  very  plainly;  others,  using  gum  teeth  especially,  in  order  to 
keep  within  line,  sacrificed  the  articulation  for  sake  of  the  looks. 
Dr.  Robinson  does  not  approve  of  that  unless  in  case  of  the  eight 
front  teeth,  including  the  first  bicuspids  with  the  six  anterior 
teeth.  You  must  care  more  for  adaptability  back  of  them.  He 
advocates  the  throwing  away  of  the  cuspids  and  using  the  second 
bicuspids  in  their  place  when  patient  has  but  few  lower  teeth, 
and  in  setting  up  an  upper  set.  Many  a  good-looking  articulation 
set  up  on  an  ordinary   articulator  showed   pronounced   defects 


440  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

when  shifted  to  an  articuhitor  having-  the  lateral  and  forward  and 
back  motion,  as  is  made  in  chewing.  As  soon  as  articulator  was 
used  by  depressing  the  springs,  the  teeth  would  fall  like  hail 
(being  mounted  in  wax  or  gutta-percha  only).  Some  under  teeth 
were  so  set  in  from  the  arch  that  if  made  up  in  actual  practice  the 
tongue  would  lift  the  plate  every  time  used.  While  some  were 
set  up  somewhat  in  conformity  to  Dr.  Robinson's  method,  others 
were  directly  the  opposite. 

As  to  the  articulators,  the  one  the  doctor  calls  his  own  has 
several  points  to  recommend  it,  and  he  was  asked  by  many 
as  to  when  they  could  get  one  like  it.  It  was  to  be  regretted  it 
was  not  completed,  so  it  could  be  shown  up  to  better  advantage. 
The  Gritman  w^as  considered  too  heavy,  and  as  nothing  is 
stronger  than  its  weakest  part,  so,  too,  wdth  this  articulator;  its 
weakest  place  is  in  the  joints,  and  as  it  springs  there,  there  is  no 
necessity  of  making  the  rest  so  heavy.  It  will  also  break  ofif 
plaster  cusps,  as  it  is  not  constructed  rightly  to  raise  the  upper 
model  a  trifle.  The  Bonwill,  as  handled  by  the  C.  D.  M.  Co.  and 
the  S.  S.  W.  Co.,  are  defective  in  several  ways,  as  mentioned  in 
the  doctor's  paper.  The  Bonwill,  as  made  by  Dr.  Robinson, 
corrects  many  of  those  objections.  Nothing  is  to  be  said  for 
those  similar  to  the  ordinary  articulators  in  use  for  years,  only  a 
word  of  advice  to  those  using  them:  Don't.  And  as  to  those 
like  the  Antes  and  the  Bridge,  which  have  the  lateral  and  forward 
and  back  movements,  but  lack  the  requisite  width  of  bearings, 
there  can  be  but  little  to  say,  except  to  advise  the  makers  to  make 
them  wider,  similar  to  those  first  mentioned. 

The  doctor  found  a  new  articulator  in  one  of  the  depots  after 
getting  to  St.  Johnsbury,  one  invented  by  Dr.  Cushings,  of  New 
Hampshire.  It  is  too  light  in  its  construction,  and  would  easily 
get  out  of  condition — toO'  complicated. 

The  greatest  fault  to  be  found  with  the  articulators  like  the 
Gritman  or  Snow  (which  it  should  be  named),  the  Bonwill  and 
others  having  requisite  width,  but  still  lacking  in  not  having 
space  enough  at  back  to  easily  articulate  the  teeth.  And  this  may 
be  one  of  the  causes  of  poor  articulations,  the  operator  being 
often  unable  to  see  the  working  of  things  inside,  and  so  neglects 
to  give  it  proper  attention.  • 


ORiarNAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  44^ 

THE  USE   OF  FLEXIBLE   STRIPS. 
Mary  E.  Blake,  D.D.S.,  Springfield,  Mass. 

The  manifold  advantages  of  the  carefully  adjusted  matrix 
commends  itself  ever  daily  anew  to  the  painstaking  dentist^ 
strong  factor  as  it  is  in  the  placing  of  fillings  almost  ideal  in 
character,  perfect  in  contour,  closely  knuckled,  with  the  well 
protected  margins  so  good  to  look  upon  with  the  passage  of 
time. 

There  are  many  excellent  matrices  in  the  market,  and  sev- 
eral band  devices,  more  or  less  universal  in  application,  while 
those  made  and  fitted  for  each  individual  case,  and  wedged  into 
correct  position,  are  of  real  worth.  Their  use,  however,  is  con- 
fined almost  exclusively  to  the  bicuspid  and  molar  regions, 
and  there  is  no  denying  the  fact  that  they  become  more  and 
more  advantageous  with  each  tooth  posteriorly,  where  the  prob- 
lem of  reaching  the  highest  or  lowest  point  of  the  cavity,  the 
vulnerable  cervical  margin,  becomes  a  test  not  only  of  one's 
skill,  but  patience  as  well. 

Of  course,  the  cavities,  posterior  to  the  cuspid  teeth,  are 
usually  reached  from  the  coronal  surface,  or  cutting  edge,  the 
matrix  forms  the  missing  wall,  and  one  proceeds  to  the  filling 
with  ease;  but  in  the  anterior  teeth  the  conditions  are  different, 
the  cavities  are  almost  invariably  of  mesial  or  distal  aspect,  and 
the  use  of  a  fixed  matrix  is  both  impracticable  and  undesirable. 

The  writer  has  derived  an  immense  amount  of  satisfaction 
from  the  use  of  flexible  metal  strips,  as  an  adjunct  to  the  in- 
sertion of  cement  fillings  in  the  twelve  anterior  teeth,  and  each 
day  is  impressed  with  their  value. 

The  usual  soft,  half-hearted,  discouraged,  easily-creased 
and  twisted  German  silver  strip  of  commerce  is  not  meant,  but 
one  of  steel,  fine  of  temper,  well  planished,  smooth  of  edge,  and 
full  of  spirit  and  spring  in  length,  stiff  and  rigid  from  side  to 
side,  as  a  whalebone  is  both  flexible  and  rigid  at  the  same  time. 
Such  strips  can  be  procured  and  should  be  about  two  inches  in 
length,  one-quarter  inch  wide  and  No.  42  B.  and  S.  gauge. 
These  should  be  kept  clean  and  bright;  this  point  is  of  prime 
importance.     Now  as  to  their  use. 

Everything  being  ready,  except  the  actual  mixing  of  the 
cement,  pass  the  strip  between  the  teeth,  letting  the  ends  remain 


442  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

loose,  or  tucking  them  around  adjacent  teeth.  Often  I  request 
my  small  people  to  hold  them  back,  allowing  them  to  watch  the 
procedure  in  the  glass  side  of  my  table.  The  filling  material, 
rolled  into  a  tiny  cone,  is  inserted  into  the  cavity  with  suitable 
instruments,  pressed  well  against  the  strip  until  the  desired 
amount  is  used.  Then  bend  the  strip  around  the  tooth,  again 
and  again,  drawing  the  cement  into  and  not  out  of  the  cavity, 
form  the  contour  carefully,  pass  up  to  the  cervical  margin,  leav- 
ing it  smooth  and  well  shaped,  then  withdraw  it,  allowing  the 
cement  to  harden  thoroughly.  The  closest,  most  workmanlike 
proximal  fillings  can,  in  this  manner,  be  well  placed,  correct 
contour  secured,  and  the  old-time  laborious  methods  of  finish- 
ing be  obviated. 

Space  of  a  minimum  amount  and  the  passage  of  a  thin  strip 
has  already  been  secured,  with  no  danger  of  dislodgment  of  fill- 
ing, and  certainly  no  discomfort  to  patient — there  remains  but 
trifling  work  to  trim  down  nicely  wdth  curved  chisels  and  sharp 
scalers,  disks  and  strips. 

When  the  orifice  to  the  cavity  is  deepest  on  the  lingual  sur- 
face hold  the  strip  firmly  on  the  labial  side,  press  the  cement 
into  place  from  underneath,  using  a  ball  burnisher,  securing 
concave  form  at  once — indeed  "the  stitch  in  time  saves  nine," 
and  advantage  should  be  taken  of  every  second  of  working  time 
while  the  material  remains  plastic.  Should  it  be  necessary  to 
insert  the  cement  of  rather  soft  consistency,  it  is  well  to  oil  the 
strip  very  slightly,  or  dust  over  it  the  powder  of  oxyphosphate 
mixture,  while  in  case  of  gutta-percha  fillings  the  strip  may  be 
slightly  warmed,  or  not,  as  the  operator  likes  best. 


ABSTRACTS  AS D   .^ELECTIONS. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 

DENTAL  AND  ORAL  SURGERY. 


443 


Its  Relation  to  the  General  Field  of  Medicine  and  Sur- 
gery, AND  the  True  Professional  Status  or  Rank 
of  the  Properly  Educated  Practition'er  of 
Dental  and  Oral  Surgery."^' 

A^  6^.  Daz'is,  M.D.,  LL.D.,  Chicago. 

The  American  Dental  Association  was  organized  in  Wash- 
ington, D.  C,  in  July,  i860,  by  twenty-three  delegates  repre- 
senting the  chief  dental  societies  and  dental  colleges  then  exist- 
ing in  the  country. 

The  fifth  annual  meeting  of  the  association  was  held  in  Chi- 
cago during  the  last  week  in  July,  1865,  and  its  members  were 
welcomed  in  a  brief  but  excellent  address  by  the  late  W.  W.  All- 
port,  D.D.S.,  M.D.,  of  that  city.  On  the  evening  of  July  27th, 
1865,  during  the  annual  meeting,  I  had  the  pleasure  of  entertain- 
ing the  members  in  my  own  home,  and  was  called  on  to  respond 
to  the  following  sentiment  offered  by  Dr.  C.  \V.  Spaulding,  then 
President  of  the  Association:  'To  the  President  of  the  American 
Medical  Association,  Medicine,  Surgery  and  Dentistry,  depart- 
ments of  a  common  science,  their  disciples  should  constitute  a 
common  brotherhood."!  I  cannot  now,  after  thirty-five  years 
have  passed,  give  a  better  expression  of  my  present  views  con- 
cerning the  true  relations  of  dental  and  oral  surgery  to  the  gen- 
eral field  of  medicine  than  by  quoting  a  large  part  of  the  re- 
sponse made  by  me  on  that  occasion,  as  follows:  That  medicine, 
surgery  and  dentistry  are  actually  departments  of  a  common 
science,  very  few  will  be  disposed  to  deny.  I  say  a  ''conmion 
science"  in  deference  to  popular  custom.  It  would  be  more 
proper,  however,  to  use  the  plural  form  of  expression,  for  what 
is  generally  styled  medical  science  is  really  an  aggregation  of 
many  sciences  and  their  cultivation  with  direct  reference  to  the 
prevention  and  alleviation  of  human  suffering.  The  science  of 
medicine   properly    so-called    consists    of   facts    and    principles 

*  Presented  at  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  tlie  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fitty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5ih-8th,  1900. 

t  Chicago  Medical  Examiner y  September,  1S65,  p.  576. 


444  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

selected  from  every  department  of  the  natural  sciences,  from 
philosophy,  psychology,  political  and  social  economy,  and  their 
application  to  the  elucidation  of  the  causes,  nature  and  treat- 
ment of  such  diseases,  deformities  and  injuries  as  are  liable  to 
afflict  our  race.  Therefore,  the  student  of  medicine  in  its  gen- 
eral sense  is  emphatically  a  student  of  nature.  And  not  only 
so,  but  he  studies  the  broad  fields  of  nature  for  the  highest  and 
noblest  of  temporal  objects,  namely,  to  qualify  himself  for  miti- 
gating or  relieving  the  imperfections,  deformities  and  diseases 
of  his  fellow-men,  whether  they  occur  in  the  teeth,  the  organs 
of  special  sense,  the  extremities,,  or  the  more  vital  organs  within 
the  body. 

^Medicine,  surgery  and  dentistry  are  all  based  on  chemistry, 
anatomy,  physiology,  pathology  and  materia  medica.  Without 
chemistry  and  anatomy  no  one  of  you  as  dentists  can  know 
either  the  composition  or  structure  of  a  single  tooth,  or  its  con- 
nection with  the  jaws,  gums,  blood-vessels,  nerves,  etc.  With- 
out, physiology  no  one  could  know  the  natural  uses  and  influ- 
ences of  the  several  parts  just  named  or  the  relations  of  the 
teeth  to  the  whole  processes  of  digestion,  assimilation  and  nu- 
trition. 

As  pathology  bears  the  same  relation  to  organized  struc- 
tures in  an  imperfect  or  diseased  condition  as  physiology  does 
to  them  in  the  natural,  so  without  a  knowledge  of  it,  neither  the 
physician,  surgeon  nor  dentist  could  know  anything  of  the  origin, 
nature  and  tendencies  of  the  diseases  and  defects  he  professes  to 
treat.  The  materia  medica  in  its  full  scope  includes  everything 
that  can  be  made  useful  in  the  mitigation  or  removal  of  any  of 
the  ills  to  which  our  race  is  liable.  The  gold  that  fills  the  cavity 
in  a  tooth,  the  wash  that  soothes  an  irritated  gum  and  the  in- 
struments used  for  adjusting  them  are  as  much  a  part  of  the 
materia  medica  as  are  the  pills  and  powders  administered  by  the 
physician. 

Consequently,  these  five  branches  of  medical  study  are 
fundamental,  and  no  man  can  do  full  justice,  practically,  to  the 
most  limited  specialty  without  a  thorough  knowledge  of  them 
all.  Every  member  of  the  American  Dental  Association  will 
doubtless  acknowledge  that  a  dentist  certainly  understands  the 
composition,  structure  and  mode  of  development  of  the  teeth, 
together  with  the  causes  that  render  their  development  defective 
or  induce  in  them  disease  and  decay.     But  in  every  tooth  you 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIOXS.  445 

have  three  of  the  five  primary  forms  of  hving,  structural  organ- 
ization, namely,  the  fibrous,  vascular  and  nervous,  with  the  pe- 
culiar arrangement  of  inorganic  matter  to  give  it  solidity. 

A  knowledge  of  these  structures,  whether  chemically,  ana- 
tomically or  microscopically,  involves  a  knowledge  of  the  same 
structure  in  all  other  parts  of  the  body.  To  understand  devel- 
opment of  a  tooth  and  its  appendages  from  materials  furnished 
by  the  blood  involves  a  knowledge  of  the  blood  itself  and  of  all 
the  laws  that  govern  the  intricate  processes  of  assimilation, 
nutrition  and  disintegration  in  living  structures  generally. 

The  same  remark  applies  with  equal  propriety  to  the  causes 
of  imperfections  and  diseases  of  the  dental  organs  and  the 
means  for  remedying  them.  Therefore,  so  far  as  dentistry  in- 
volves scientific  knowledge,  as  distinguisrhed  from  a  mere  me- 
chanical art,  it  rests  on  the  same  foundations  and  necessarily 
involves  the  same  series  of  studies  as  all  other  departments  of 
medicine  and  surgery.  The  various  organs  and  structures  of 
the  human  body  are  not  as  so  many  isolated  parts,  the  functions 
and  diseases  of  which  have  no  influence  on  each  other,  but  they 
are  so  intimately  connected  and  mutually  dependent  that  not  a 
single  morbid  impression  can  be  made  on  one  organ  that  will 
not  exert  some  modifying  influence  on  all  the  rest. 

The  same  heart  sends  the  blood  to  every  organ  and  struc- 
ture of  the  body.  The  same  nerve-centers  radiate  the  delicate 
threads  that  are  to  impart  sensibility  or  to  connnand  motion  in 
the  remotest  part  of  our  organization.  And  the  same  vital 
properties  pervade  every  living  atom.  Every  link  in  the  chain 
of  actions  constituting  digestion,  assimilation,  nutrition,  disinte- 
gration and  excretion  is  so  connected  that  not  one  can  be 
broken  without  embarrassing  the  action  of  the  whole.  Conse- 
quently, it  is  not  possible  to  comprehend  the  nature,  tendencies 
and  results  of  the  diseases  of  one  organ  without  studying  their 
influence  on  all  the  others,  and  vice  versa.  There  can  be  no 
such  thing,  therefore,  as  specialism  proper  in  the  study  of  path- 
ology or  the  nature  of  diseases.-  The  whole  field  must  be 
studied  before  any  one  of  its  parts  can  be  fully  understood. 

There  is  still  another  aspect  of  this  subject  that  is  worthy 
of  a  moment  of  thought.  From  the  nature  of  the  laws  that 
govern  mental  processes,  exclusive  practical  attention  to  any 
one  department  of  a  general  subject  tends  to  contract  and  bias 
the  mind  by  giving  undue  relative  importance  to  one  series  of 


446  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

facts,  while  neglecting  another  series  of  equal  importance.  An 
evil  of  much  greater  magnitude,  however,  consists  in  the  strong 
tendency  of  specialism  to  encourage  incompleteness  of  profes- 
sional education.  During  a  connection  with  medical  teaching 
for  sixteen — now  more  than  fifty — years  I  have  rarely  found  a 
student  who  on  his  final  examination  proved  himself  ignorant 
of  some  important  department  without  his  alleging  that  he  did 
not  intend  to  practice  that  particular  department  and  conse- 
quently had  paid  less  attention  to  it.  Indeed,  incompleteness  of 
education  leading  to  the  adoption  of  partial  and  restricted  views 
and  the  universal  tendency  to  neglect  whatever  is  not  intended 
to  be  turned  directly  to  practical  pecuniary  advantage  constitute 
the  foundation  of  a  large  part  of  the  evils  that  exist  in  the  pro- 
fessions of  our  country.  During  the  thirty-five  years  that  have 
elapsed  since  the  first  expression  of  the  foregoing  views  the 
last-named  evil  has  been  developed  to  an  extraordinary  degree. 
Instead  of  a  few  divisions  of  the  wide  field  of  medicine,  we  have 
seen  it  cut  into  almost  as  many  specialties  as  there  are  organs  or 
groups  of  organs  in  the  human  body.  And  we  are  told  that 
every  individual  member  of  the  profession  should  limit  his  study 
and  practice  to  some  one  class  of  diseases,  or  to  the  diseases  of 
some  one  organ  or  group  of  organs.  By  thus  concentrating  at- 
tention upon  a  limited  number  of  diseases  or  injuries,  it  is 
claimed  that  greater  skill  will  be  acquired  in  their  treatment  and 
greater  advancement  in  our  knowledge  of  their  nature  and  tend- 
encies. It  is  also  claimed  that  the  whole  field  of  medical  sci- 
ences with  their  practical  application  is  so  extensive  that  it  is 
impossible  for  one  man  to  so  master  the  whole  as  to  properly 
qualify  himself  for  the  practice  of  all  its  departments. 

This  process  of  reasoning  is  plausible  and  to  a  limited  ex- 
tent true.  It  is  true  that  in  all  the  mere  mechanical  arts,  the 
greater  the  division  of  labor,  and  the  more  perfectly  each  man 
is  restricted  to  a  certain  series  of  movements,  the  greater  will 
be  the  accuracy  and  skill  acquired  in  their  performance. 

The  dentist  who  restricts  his  work  entirely  to  the  processes 
of  filling  teeth  may  possibly  acquire  greater  skill  in  that  partic- 
ular work — provided  he  has  enough  of  it  to  do — than  he  would 
if  in  addition  he  extracted  teeth,  fitted  artificial  teeth,  treated  dis- 
eases of  the  mouth,  etc. 

The  surgeon  who  restricts  himself  entirely  to  the  more  im- 
portant and  delicate  operations  on  the  eye,  or  the  ear,  or  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  447 

blood-vessels,  may  acquire  greater  dexterity  in  performing  these 
operations  than  if  he  attended  the  whole  field  of  operative  sur- 
gery. But  the  rule  applies  only  to  such  operative  procedures 
as  are  essentially  mechanical,  and  cannot  be  extended  to  the 
treatment  of  the  diseases  of  particular  organs  without  causing 
much  more  evil  than  good,  simply  because  there  is  no  living 
structure  or  organ  in  the  body  so  isolated  that  its  functions  both 
in  health  and  disease  are  neither  influenced  by  other  organs  nor 
by  the  general  functions  of  the  tissue  metabolism.  Yet  to  such 
an  extent  has  specialism  been  carried,  both  in  education  an<l 
practice,  that  we  have  special  colleges  not  only  for  the  education 
of  dentists,  but  also  for  midwives,  for  psychoneurologists,  for 
electrotherapeutists,  for  psychopathists,  for  physicopathists,  for 
osetopaths  and  even  evening  or  night  colleges  for  the  accommo- 
dation of  those  who  are  obliged  to  pursue  some  other  occupa- 
tion for  a  living  during  the  day.  In  consequence  of  all  this 
special  or  one-sided  education,  it  is  quite  common  to  see  pa- 
tients suffering  with  headaches,  indigestion  and  general  prostra- 
tion vainly  treated  week  after  week  by  local  applications  to  the 
vagina  and  neck  of  the  uterus  when  all  they  needed  was  fresh 
air,  judicious  exercise  and  proper  diet;  or  patients  suffering 
with  plain  scrofulous  ophthalmia  and  being  treated  exclusively 
by  local  applications  to  the  eyes  until  the  edges  of  the  eyelids 
are  being  denuded  and  the  cornea  ulcerated,  when  the  prompt 
internal  administration  of  alteratives  and  tonics  in  the  beginning 
would  have  soon  removed  the  whole  difTficulty;  or  patients  witii 
decaying  teeth,  diseased  gums  and  aphthous  sore  mouths  being 
treated  solely  by  teeth  cleaning,  mouth  washes  or  powders  and 
local  anaethetics  to  relieve  pain,  when  the  whole  trouble  de- 
pended on  faulty  assimilation  and  imperfect  nutrition.  Another 
consequence  is  that  every  family,  instead  of  one,  needs  from  si.s: 
to  ten  doctors  to  supply  its  needs  properly.  There  must  be  a 
special  obstetrician  to  see  that  the  children  are  born  properly; 
another  for  diseases  of  the  children;  a  third  for  the  diseases  of 
the  mother;  a  fourth  for  those  of  the  father;  a  fifth  for  the  eyes; 
a  sixth  for  the  ears;  a  seventh  for  the  nose,  throat  and  air-pass- 
ages; an  eighth  for  the  lungs  and  heart;  a  ninth  for  the  nervous 
affections;  a  tenth  for  the  teeth,  etc. 

Doubtless  before  this  you  are  ready  to  ask  if  I  oppose  all 
specialists  in  the  medical  profession.  I  answer,  "by  no  means." 
There  is  a  natural  basis  on  which  a  limited  nunil^er  of  specialties 


448  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

can  be  founded  with  g^reat  advantage;  and  which  indeed  develop 
themselves  by  the  natural  and  inevitable  course  of  circum- 
stances. For  instance,  the  diseases,  deformities  and  defects  of 
the  dental  organs,  involving  no  immediate  changes  to  life  and 
requiring  for  the  treatment  of  many  of  them  a  special  mechan- 
ical manipulation,  naturally  and  almost  necessarily  constitute  a 
special  department  of  surgery — a  department,  indeed,  that 
should  be  regarded  as  equal  in  importance  and  dignity  and  con- 
sequently requiring  equal  education  with  every  other  brancli 
of  the  profession.  Those  conditions  of  the  eyes  requiring  deli- 
cate and  dexterous  operations  are  also  mostly  chronic  and  allow 
the  patient  time  to  seek  and  obtain  the  services  of  men  who 
have  acquired  more  than  ordinary  skill  in  the  performance  o^ 
such  operations.  The  same  is  true  of  those  conditions  requir- 
ing the  most  dangerous  and  difficult  surgical  operations  on 
other  parts  of  the  body,  such  as  lithotomy,  ovariotomy,  the 
liggiting  of  large  and  deep-seated  arteries  for  aneurysms,  etc. 

Hence  it  is  eminently  proper  that  in  all  large  cities  where 
the  required  opportunities  are  afforded,  men  should  devote 
special  attention  to  such  departments.  But  this  can  never  jus- 
tify or  excuse  any  class  of  medical  men  for  being  content  with 
only  a  partial  medical  education.  In  strict  harmony  with  the 
foregoing  view^s,  several  of  the  leading  dentists  in  New  York, 
Chicago  and  other  cities,  who  had  studied  medicine  as  a  wdiole 
and  received  the  degree  of  M.D.,  became  members  of  the  local 
medical  societies;  and  from  these  they  were  sent  as  delegates 
and  became  members  of  the  American  Medical  Association. 
They  wxre  not  only  treated  as  actual  members  of  the  "Common 
Brotherhood,"  but  at  the  annual  meeting  in  Richmond,  Va.,  in 
1881,  on  the  motion  of  the  late  Dr.  Samuel  D.  Gross,  seconded 
by  Dr.  L.  A.  Sayre  and  myself,  a  section  of  dental  and  oral 
surgery  was  created  on  the  same  footing  as  all  the  other  sec- 
tions of  the  association.  The  section  was  organized  by  the  ap- 
pointment of  Dr.  D.  N.  Goodwillie,  of  New  York,  as  Chairman, 
and  Dr.  T.  W.  Brophy,  of  Chicago,  as  Secretary,  and  it  has 
maintained  an  active  and  honorable  existence  to  the  present 
time,  as  your  presence  here  to-day  abundantly  attests.  To  still 
further  promote  the  union  of  dentistry  with  all  the  other  legiti- 
mate departments  of  medicine  and  surgery,  at  the  annual  meet- 
ing of  the  American  Medical  Association  in  Chicago,  in  1887, 
the  following  resolution  w-as  adopted  by  nearly  a  unanimous 
vote: 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  449 

Resolved,  That  the  regular  graduates  of  such  dental  schools 
and  colleges  as  require  of  their  students  a  standard  of  prelimi- 
nary education  and  a  term  of  professional  study  equal  to  the 
best  class  of  the  medical  colleges  of  this  country  and  embrace 
in  their  curriculum  all  the  fundamental  branches  of  medicine, 
differing  chiefly  by  substituting  practical  and  clinical  instruction 
in  dental  and  oral  medicine  and  surgery  in  place  of  clinical  in- 
struction in  general  medicine  and  surgery,  be  recognized  as 
members  of  the  regular  profession  of  medicine,  and  eligible  to 
membership  in  the  Association  on  the  same  regulations  as  all 
other  members. 

Obviously  there  is  no  more  propriety  in  having  a  separate 
profession  of  dentistry,  than  there  is  of  ophthalmology,  or  neur- 
ology, or  gynecology.  The  same  standard  of  preliminary  edu- 
cation and  the  same  curriculum  of  medical  studies  covering  the 
four  years'  course  should  be  required  of  all  who  propose  to 
practice  in  any  of  the  departments  or  specialties  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  All  should  be  required  to  pass  the  same  rules,  both 
ethical  and  legal.  Let  there  be  in  every  medical  college  faculty 
a  professor  of  dental  and  oral  pathology  and  practice  on  the 
same  basis  that  you  have  a  professor  of  ophthalmology,  neur- 
ology or  gynecology. 

The  instruction  by  an  efficient  occupant  of  such  a  chair  is 
needed  as  an  important  aid  to  every  practitioner  of  medicine, 
whether  his  field  of  practice  is  in  the  city  or  the  country.  For  if 
he  never  attempts  to  treat  a  defective  tooth  or  a  diseased  gum, 
he  should  be  able  to  recognize  the  existence  of  such  conditions 
and  promptly  direct  the  sufferers  to  those  who  would  treat 
them.  And  for  those  members  of  the  college  class  who  intend 
to  make  dentistry  their  special  field  of  practice,  it  would  only  be 
necessary  to  supplement  their  general  course  by  from  six  to 
twelve  months  of  post-graduate  mechanical  and  clinical  dental 
work,  as  do  most  of  those  who  choose  other  specialties  after 
their  graduation.  By  thus  unifying  all  departments  of  medical 
and  surgical  practice,  including  dentistry,  under  the  same  edu- 
cational standards  and  the  same  title  of  doctor  of  medicine,  the 
influence  of  the  profession  would  be  increased.  Better  econ- 
omy could  be  practiced,  inasmuch  as  it  would  dispense  with  the 
necessity  for  providing  separate  laboratories  and  professorships 
for  teaching  dental  students  the  fundamental  branches  of  medi- 
cal science,  as  well  as  separate  State  Boards  of  Examiners,  and 
some  embarrassments  pertaining  to  professional  rank  and  posi- 
tion would  be  removed. 


450  DEXTAL  BRIEF. 

At  the  first  annual  meeting  of  the  section,  in  connection 
with  the  American  Medical  Association,  in  1882,  one  of  its  mem- 
bers  presented  an  interesting  paper  on  the  importance  of  hav- 
ing dental  practitioners  for  both  the  army  and  navy  service,  and 
the  need  of  such  has  become  so  apparent  since  the  war  with 
Spain  that  serious  propositions  have  been  made  in  government 
circles  to  have  at  least  one  dental  and  oral  surgeon  appointed 
for  every  1,000  enlisted  men  in  the  military  service.  But  if 
they  are  not  fully  educated  and  graduated  M.D.'s  can  they  rank 
as  regular  members  of  the  army  and  navy  medical  corps?  Or 
will  they  be  ranked  simply  as  artisans?  These  same  questions 
were  raised  recently  on  a  proposition  to  appoint  a  dentist  on 
the  staff  of  one  of  the  London  hospitals.  Another  important 
embarrassment  arises  every  time  a  dentist  educated  in  an  ex- 
clusively dental  college  desires  to  become  a  practitioner  of  med- 
icine. In  his  application  to  a  medical  college  he  always  insists 
that  he  ought  to  be  graduated  M.D.  by  simply  attending  the 
senior  year  of  the  medical  college,  when  not  one  out  of  twenty 
of  stich  applicants  has  been  educated  in  either  anatomy,  physi- 
ology, pathology  or  materia  medica  and  therapeutics,  and  it  is 
practically  impossible  for  him  to  make  up  these  fundamental  de- 
ficiencies while  attending  the  practical  and  clinical  instruction 
of  a  senior  year. 

This,  however,  brings  us  back  face  to  face  with  the  most 
radical  evil  that  pervades  all  departments  of  professional  edu- 
cation in  our  country,  namely,  the  dominant  spirit  of  com- 
mercialism that  is  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  mental  discipline, 
breadth  of  knowledge  and  soundness  of  judgment  for  whatever 
leads  most  directly  to  the  chance  of  earning  the  dollar. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  451 

COURSE  OF  STUDY.- 
W.  A.  Evans,  M.D.,  Chicago. 

In  preparing  this  paper  I  have  had  before  me  the  time- 
cards  of  several  of  the  very  best  dental  schools  that  this  country 
has  produced.  Some  of  these  have  rather  nominal  university 
connection;  some  have  considerable  university  control;  some 
have  close  medical  school  affiliations.  Such  figures  as  I  use  are 
obtained  by  averaging  those  derived  from  these  schedules. 

The  question  is  not  one  of  condemnation  of  the  dental 
course  as  now  existing.  Lest  there  be  some  misunderstanding 
in  this  regard,  I  hasten  to  say  that  the  average  dental  course  is 
better  than  the  average  medical  course.  I  will  even  state  the 
matter  more  strongly:  For  the  average  dental  student  any  good 
dental  course  is  better  than  is  the  best  medical  course  for  the 
average  medical  student. 

Unquestionably  the  past  demand  has  been,  and  the  present 
one  is,  for  a  dentist  who  can  meet  the  ordinary  questions  that 
arise  in  the  course  of  dentistry  without  any  special  reference  to 
the  more  abstruse  or  remote  problems,  or  to  the  more  remote 
bearings  of  ordinary  problems.  This  demand  is  changing,  and 
the  dentist  of  the  future  who  succeeds  will  be  a  man  somewhat 
differently  educated. 

If  I  may  institute  a  comparison  between  the  medical  and 
dental  courses,  I  should  call  attention  to  these  facts:  A  small 
proportion  of  the  medical  graduates  go  through  hospitals,  thus 
learning  the  handling  of  patients,  the  every-day  care  for  medical 
details  and  the  bearing  of  responsibility,  whereas,  every  dental 
student  has  two  years  of  practical  ordinary  work  in  which  he 
learns  the  handling  of  patients,  the  every-day  care  of  dental  de- 
tails, the  doing  of  things  and  the  bearing  of  responsibility. 

This  matter  of  responsibility  is  no  small  item.  When  we 
must  suffer  the  consequences  or  gain  the  rewards  of  a  certain 
position,  we  learn  that  position  more  accurately,  more  judi- 
ciously and  more  permanently  than  we  could  ever  have  learned 
it  otherwise.  The  medical  dispensary  in  efficiency  is  not  to  be 
ranked  with  the  dental  infirmary. 

When  all  this  has  been  said,  the  fact  remains  that  we  do 

*  Presented  iu  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N,  J.,  June  5th-8th,  1900. 


452  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

not  make  of  the  dentist  as  broad  a  man  as  is  possible.  In  look- 
ing over  these  catalognes  I  find  that  59  per  cent,  of  the  pro- 
fessors of  the  dental  schools  investigated  have  some  profes- 
sional title  in  addition  to  their  D.D.S.,  or  without  the  D.D.S.  I 
do  not  refer  to  literary  degrees.  This  is  evidence  of  recognition 
of  the  truth  of  my  statement  on  the  part  of  these  men  whose 
brains  have  put  them  in  positions  of  authority. 

How  are  we  to  increase  not  only  their  breadth,  but  their 
desires  for  greater  breadth?  The  second  clause  is  more  impor- 
tant than  the  first. 

In  averaging  these  time-cards  I  find  that  in  the  first  year  in 
prosthetic  technics  prosthetic  dentistry  and  other  purely  dental 
subjects,  an  average  of  sixteen  hours  a  week  is  spent.  In  anat- 
omy, physiology,  chemistry,  histology,  bacteriology  and  materia 
medica  twenty-one  hours  are  spent.  If  we  figure  on  Dr.  Bayard 
Holmes'  basis  of  two  hours  of  preparation  and  one  of  recitation 
constituting  an  hour  of  study,  then  the  twenty-one  devoted  to 
foiuidation  work  would  increase  perceptibly.  Nevertheless, 
wdien  we  compare  the  number  of  hours  of  preparatory  study  re- 
quired by  the  dental  student  with  the  preparation  time  required 
by  the  medical  student,  vre  find  that  the  first  year  in  dentistry 
does  not  require  as  much  work  as  the  first  year  in  medicine. 
It  would  be  advisable  to  make  several  changes.  One  would  be 
to  add  a  competent  course  in  physics.  It  is  usually  given  in 
connection  with  chemistry  or  made  a  nominal  entrance  require- 
ment. The  importance  of  this  subject  is  so  great  in  dentistry 
that  it  requires  special  consideration;  it  should  not  be  left  to  the 
hazard  of  an  entrance  requirement.  Dental  physics  also  should 
be  taught. 

I  find  but  little  reference  to  embryology  and  comparative 
anatomy.  Yet,  when  you  finally  solve  the  disease  known  as 
pyorrhoea,  you  will  have  to  thank  the  dog.  There  are  any  num- 
ber of  dental  diseases  apparently  impregnable,  whose  flanks  can 
be  turned  through  knowledge  of  the  lower  animals. 

I  do  not  know  whether  I  would  decrease  that  average  of 
technics  in  the  first  year  or  not;  but  the  number  of  hours  de- 
voted to  the  broader  subjects  ought  to  be  increased.  I  find  one 
school  scheduling  infirmary  in  its  first  year.  This  is  wise.  It 
seems  desirable  to  put  the  student  in  the  infirmary  in  the  begin- 
ning of  his  work.  A  proper  plan  would  be  to  assign  each  first- 
year  man  to  a  third-year  man.  and  have  the  former  serve  the  lat- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  453 

ter  in  the  capacity  of  an  assistant.  He  would  do  no  work,  but 
would  watch  the  senior,  wait  on  him,  dry  cavities,  etc.  The  ad- 
vantage of  this  would  be  twofold.  It  would  give  the  senior 
confidence  and  self-control.  It  would  save  his  energies.  It 
would  increase  his  observation  and  his  mental  acuteness.  The 
first-year  man  would  gain  in  many  ways.  Most  important  of  all 
would  be  the  fact  that  it  would  give  him  an  idea  as  to  the  dental 
bearings  of  anatomy,  histology,  chemistry,  etc.  The  declara- 
tion of  Mr.  Flannagan,  of  Texas,  to  wit:  ''What  are  we  here 
for?"  has  been  somewhat  lost  to  sight.  While  we  must  ever 
broaden,  we  must  always  remember  that  the  object  is  to  make 
a  dentist  a  broad,  learned,  growing,  developing  dentist,  but 
always  a  dentist. 

Coming  to  the  second,  or  junior,  year  we  find  that  the  in- 
firmary gets  an  average  of  eight  hours  a  week  on  the  assign- 
ment schedule.  In  a  few  schools  the  infirmary  is  conditional. 
The  purely  dental  subjects  get  an  average  of  sixteen  hours. 
This  includes  prosthetic  technics,  orthodontia  technics,  pros- 
thetic dentistry,  operative  dentistry,  instrumentology,  oral  sur- 
gery and  orthodontia.  Other  subjects,  such  as  anatomy,  physi- 
ology, pathology,  bacteriology,  chemistry,  and  materia  medica 
and  therapeutics  get  sixteen  hours.  My  general  criticism  of 
the  first  year  would  apply  with  more  force  here.  The  dispro- 
portion is  too  great.  There  should  be  less  of  technical,  labora- 
tory and  didactic  instruction,  and  more  of  other  work:  less  of 
the  art,  and  more  of  the  science  of  dentistry — dentistry  broadly 
considered. 

In  the  third  year  I  find  infirmary  gets  an  average  of  twenty- 
five  hours.  In  my  observation  the  student  actually  puts  in  over 
twenty-five  hours.  To  orthodontia,  oral  surgery,  operative  den- 
tistry, prosthetic  dentistry,  porcelain  and  bridge-work,  and  ap- 
plied pathology,  eight  hours  are  given;  to  other  subjects  about 
three  hours.  The  criticism  that  I  would  make  here  is  that  too 
little  study  is  required  of  the  senior  student.  He  is  kept  busy 
during  the  day,  but  the  system  of  clinics  and  lectures  without 
quizzes  does  not  employ  all  his  time.  This  is  bad,  because  in 
this  way  he  fails  to  get  the  full  advantage  of  what  is  going  on 
around  him  and  thus  gets  out  of  the  habit  of  studying  while  he 
is  still  in  the  school. 

Finally  there  are  two  general  considerations  to  be  noted. 
The  dental  course  should  be  a  four  vears'  course.     The  criti- 


454  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

cism  against  lengthciiing-  the  medical  course  does  not  apply  hero, 
for  you  keep  your  student  far  better  in  contact  with  his  ultimate 
aim,  and  there  is  little  danger  of  your  making  a  scientist  and 
ruining  a  practitioner.  The  dentists  now  practicing  want  it;  the 
people  do  not  oppose  it.  It  rests  with  the  possibility  of  unity 
in  the  dental  faculties. 

The  second  general  point  is  this:  Dentistry  suffers  when- 
ever it  is  dissociated  from  medicine.  They  are  not  only  natural 
allies;  they  are  of  the  same  body.  Any  effort  at  dissociating 
them  tends  to  make  of  dentistry  an  art  and  possibly  a  trade 
rather  than  a  science.  Therefore,  every  possible  effort  should 
be  made  to  hold  them  together.  That  which  a  young  man  gets 
in  college  comes  in  two  general  ways — what  he  gets  from  lec- 
turer and  demonstrator,  and  what  he  absorbs  from  his  atmos- 
phere. The  latter  transcends  the  former.  Believing  this,  I 
must  think  the  medical  schools  and  the  dental  schools  should  be 
joined;  that  certain  classes  should  be  taught  in  the  same  section 
rooms;  certain  subjects  should  be  covered  in  identically  the 
same  way;  certain  aims  should  be  common,  and  association  be- 
tween the  student  should  be  free  and  untrammeled.  This  does 
not  mean  any  loss  of  dignity  to  that  which  is  properly  a  spe- 
cialty, but  it  means  an  added  dignity  from  an  equal  position  in 
a  great  sisterhood. 


THE  DENTIST  AND  PER  CENT. 

G.  B.  Squires,  Ph.G.,  D.D.S.,  Somcrville,  Mass. 

After  the  article,  "Dentists  as  Prescription  Writers,"*  was 
published  the  author  received  several  letters  from  dentists,  ask- 
ing for  information  in  regard  to  per  cent.  In  the  Dental  Cosmos 
for  June,  1898,  there  is  a  short  editorial,  in  reply  to  queries,  on 
the  same  subject;  showing  that  there  are  many  dentists  who  do 
not  understand  the  meaning  of  per  cent.,  and  therefore  are  un- 
able to  prepare  a  certain  per  cent,  solution  of  a  substance  or 
to  find  the  amount  of  a  substance  in  an  already  prepared  solu- 
tion of  known  percentage. 

A  professor  in  one  of  our  dental  colleges,  while  delivering 
a  lecture  to  the  senior  class,  informed  them  that  two  and  a 
quarter  grains  of  cocain  hydrochlorate  in  a  drachm  or  eighteen 
*  Dental  Cosmos,  March,  1899. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  455 

grains  in  an  ounce  of  water  made  a  four  per  cent,  solution. 
This  statement,  although  practically  correct,  is  rather  arbitrary, 
and  subsequent  conversation  with  the  class  showed  that  only  a 
small  minority  knew  why  it  required  this  particular  amount  to 
make  a  four  per  cent,  solution. 

In  the  editorial  previously  refer-f«d  to  there  is  a  paragraph 
which  reads  thus:  "The  Troy  ounce  of  water,  however,  weighs 
455.69  grains,  so  that  if  the  percentage  solution  were  to  be 
made  by  weight,  a  one  per  cent,  solution  would  be  made  by 
adding  45.6  grains  to  one  fiuid  ounce  of  water."  The  above 
statement  is  not  correct — evidently  a  misprint — but  the  present 
writer  ventures  to  make  the  statement  that  a  good-sized 
minority  of  the  readers  of  that  article  took  the  figures  for 
granted,  and  would  not  have  been  able  to  verify  them  if  they 
wished.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  one  per  cent,  of  455.69  grains  is 
4.5569  grains,  or,  by  expressing  it  approximately,  by  cutting  off 
three  of  the  decimal  figures,  4.5  grains  instead  of  45.6  grains. 

The  following  is  an  attempt  to  review  certain  rules  in  per- 
centage, which  all  dentists  probably  learned  while  in  the  gram- 
mar school,  but  which  they  now  fail  to  apply  practically.  There 
are  some  who  seem  to  think  it  a  complicated  process  to  find,  for 
example,  the  amount  of  cocain  hydrochlorate  in  an  ounce  of  a 
four  per  cent,  solution,  but  who  could  easily  figure  it  out  if 
they  realized  it  was  merely  a  simple  example  in  percentage. 

Per  centum  is  from  the  Latin  per,  by,  and  centum,  hundred, 
meaning  by  the  hundred.  Therefore,  percentage  is  the  process 
of  computing  in  hundredths.  The  percentage  of  a  quantity  is 
so  many  hundredths  of  it,  as  is  indicated  by  the  per  cent. — /.  c., 
two  per  cent,  of  a  quantity  is  the  same  as  two  one-hundredths 
of  the  quantity.  For  example,  a  two  per  cent,  solution  means 
that  there  are  two  parts  of  a  certain  substance  in  one  hundred 
parts  of  the  solution,  or,  in  other  words,  two-one-hundredths  of 
this  solution  is  composed  of  this  particular  substance. 

Then,  if  per  cent,  is  the  number  of  hundredths,  we  may  ex- 
press it  in  the  form  of  a  decimal  or  common  fraction — e.  g.,  one 
per  cent,  may  be  written  .01  or  i-ioo;  five  per  cent.,  .05  or 
5-100;  ten  per  cent.,  .10  or  10-100,  and  so  on.  The  decimal  form 
is  generally  employed  in  getting  percentages,  it  being  the 
shorter  method.  Let  us  get  two  per  cent,  of  one  hundred 
grammes  both  ways.  Expressed  in  the  form  of  a  common  frac- 
tion, the  process  is  simply  multiplying  of  a  whole  number  by  a 


456  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

fraction,  and  this  is  done  by  nuitiplxing  the  whole  number  by 
the  numerator  and  dividing  the  product  by  the  denominator; 
thus:  lOO  X  2  =  200,  and  200  -^  100  =  2;  the  number  of  grammes 
in  a  hundred  to  represent  two  per  cent. 

Expressed  decimally,  it  is  the  multiplying  of  a  wdiole  num- 
ber by  a  decimal  fraction.  The  rule  is:  multiply  as  in  whole 
numbers,  pointing  off  as  many  decimal  places  in  the  product 
.as  there  are  decimal  places  in  the  multiplicand  and  multiplier — 
c.  g.,  100  X  .02  =  2.00;  the  number  of  grammes  in  a  hundred  to 
represent  two  per  cent.  Always  bear  m  mind  the  decimal  point 
in  getting  percentages.  Two  per  cent,  cannot  be  written  thus: 
.2;  this  would  be  two-tenths  or  tw'enty-one-hundredths,  wdiich  is 
twenty  per  cent.,  and  is  expressed  decimally  thus:  .20. 

Now,  if  we  all  used  the  metric  system  (the  only  proper  and 
scientific  system),  it  would  be  simply  a  case  of  multiplication  in 
making  any  per  cent,  of  an  aqueous  solution  of  a  solid,  because 
the  unit  of  dry  and  liquid  measure  corresponds — /.  e.,  one  cubic 
centimeter  of  pure  w^ater  at  its  greatest  density  w^eighs  one 
gramme.  For  example,  to  make  30  cc.  of  a  five  per  cent,  solu- 
tion of  cocain  hydrochlorate  we  proceed  thus:  30  X  .05  =  1.50, 
•  one  and  fifty-hundredths,  or  one  and  one-half  grammes,  being 
the  amount  of  cocain  hydrochlorate  to  use. 

But  when  w^e  use  the  apothecaries'  weight  and  measure  we 
find  that  the  unit  of  w^eight  (the  grain)  and  the  unit  of  measure 
(the  minim)  do  not  correspond — i.  e.,  one  minim  of  w-ater  at  its 
greatest  density  does  not  weight  just  one  grain,  but  a  little  less. 
One  fluid  ounce  of  w^ater  contains  480  minims,  but  this  w411  not 
weigh  one  troy  ounce,  or  480  grains,  but  455.6  grains.  Then 
it  necessarily  follows  that  if  w^e  w^eigh  one  substance  and  measure 
the  other,  we  must  convert  the  measured  substance  into  wxighc 
before  figuring  the  percentage.  For  example,  to  make  a  fluid 
ounce  of  three  per  cent,  cocain  hydrochlorate  w^e  w^ould  take 
the  equivalent  of  a  fluid  ounce  in  grains,  wdiich  is  455.6,  and 
multiply  by  three,  thus:  4.55.6  X  .03  =  13.668,  the  amount  of 
cocain  hydrochlorate  to  use — practically  thirteen  and  one-half 
grains.  If  you  wished  to  make  only  one  drachm  of  the  solution, 
get  one-eighth  of  455.6,  or  56.95,  practically  fifty-seven  grains; 
multiply  this  by  three,  thus:  57  X  .035  =  1-995,  practically  two 
grains. 

It  is  customary  in  making  aqueous  solutions  to  measure 
the  liquids  and  weigh  the  solids,  but  we  could  weigh  both,  and 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  457 

then  there  would  be  no  converting — e.  g.,  to  make  one  trov 
ounce  of  three  per  cent,  solution  proceed  thus :  480  X  .03  =  14.40, 
Take  14,40  grains  and  add  water  to  one  troy  ounce  (480  grains"), 
and  we  have  a  three  per  cent,  solution,  as  in  the  previous  ex. 
ample,  but  the  finished  product  is  not  the  same.  In  this  case 
we  have  made  a  little  more  than  a  fluid  ounce. 

If  we  were  using  a  two  per  cent,  solution  of  cocain  hydro - 
chlorate  for  injection  in  tooth-extraction  and  our  syringe  held 
one-half  drachm  (30  minims),  to  find  the  amount  of  cocain  hydro- 
chlorate  in  each  syringeful.  we  would  take  the  equivalent  of 
thirty  minims  in  grains,  or  28.5,  and  multiply  by  .02,  thus:  28.5 
X  .02  =  .570,  five  hundred  and  seventy  thousandths  or  fifty- 
seven  hundredths,  practically  one-half  grain. 

Dentists  should  be  able  to  reduce  from  a  higher  to  a  lower 
per  cent.,  especially  now  that  formaldehyd  is  being  used  quite 
extensively.  Formaldehyd  is  found  commercially  in  a  thirty- 
five  to  forty  per  cent,  aqueous  solution.  This  is  too  strong  for 
ordinary  use.  If  our  solution  is  forty  per  cent,  strength,  it  is 
a  simple  matter  to  reduce  it  one-half  with  water  and  get  a 
twenty  per  cent,  solution;  double  this  quantity  again  with  water 
and  get  a  ten  per  cent,  solution,  and  so  on.  But  if  your  solution 
is  thirty-five  per  cent.,  and  you  wish  to  reduce  it  to  a  three  and 
one-half  per  cent.,  for  example,  the  process  by  the  above  method 
would  not  be  so  easy.  There  are  several  rules  for  reducing 
from  a  higher  to  a  lower  per  cent.,  but  the  following  is  probably 
as  simple  as  any.  It  is  stated  in  proportion,  according  to  the 
rule  of  three,  thus:  The  per  cent,  of  the  stronger  is  to  the  per 
cent,  of  the  weaker,  as  the  quantity  of  weaker  desired  is  to  quan- 
tity of  stronger  required  to  produce  it. 

Now,  to  make  a  fluid  ounce  of  three  and  one-half  per  cent, 
formaldehyd  from  a  thirty-five  per  cent,  we  would  state  it  thus: 
35  •  3-5  •  •  4S0  :  X.  To  find  X,  or  the  unknown  quantity,  we 
multiply  the  second  and  third  terms  and  divide  the  product  by 
the  first  term,  thus:  480  X  3.5  =  1680.0,  and  1680.0  ^  35  =  48. 
Forty-eight  minims,  the  amount  of  the  thirty-five  per  cent,  solu- 
tion to  use  in  an  ounce  of  water  to  make  a  three  and  one-half 
per  cent,  solution.  We  convert  the  ounce  into  minims  in  the 
proportion,  so  as  to  get  the  product  or  unknown  quantity  in 
minims,  instead  of  in  a  fraction  of  an  ounce.  Another:  to  make 
sixteen  fluid  ounces  of  a  seven  per  cent,  solution  from  a  thirty- 
five  per  cent.— 35  :  7  :  :  16  :  X— 16  X  7  =  112,  and  112  ^  35  = 


458  DEXTAL  BRIEF. 

3.2.     Three  and  two-tenths  ounces,  the  amount  of  the  strong 
to  use. 

Every  dentist  should  have  a  knowledge  of  at  least  these  two 
forms  of  per  centage,  and  be  able  to  figure  them  out  himself 
and  make  the  solutions,  if  necessary,  without  recourse  to  his 
apothecary.  Dental  Cosmos. 


CHLORETONE— THE    IDEAL    LOCAL   ANESTHETIC 
IN  DENTAL  SURGERY. 

Michael  Leo,  D.D.S.,  Nezv  York  City. 

Some  time  ago  my  attention  was  called  to  the  superior  ad- 
vantages which  chloretone  possesses  as  a  local  anaesthetic.  I 
had  formerly  used  cocain,  but  lately  abandoned  it  in  favor  of 
beta-eucain.  I  think  cocain  would  have  given  satisfactory  re- 
sults if  its  toxic  effect  upon  the  heart  had  not  so  seriously  incon- 
venrenced  my  patients,  and  myself,  as  well.  Indeed,  I  have  been 
obliged  to  attend  for  hours  upon  persons  who  had  been  over- 
come by  an  injection  of  a  solution  of  cocain. 

I  am  firmly  convinced  that  a  simple  operation,  like  the  ex- 
traction of  a  tooth,  does  not  justify  the  use  of  any  drug  that 
will  give  rise  to  such  serious  after-effects.  Moreover,  in  many 
of  my  cases  the  use  of  cocain  caused  sloughing  of  the  tissues, 
despite  the  usual  antiseptic  precautions. 

After  reading  an  article  in  the  Medical  Record  for  June  loth, 
1899,  on  the  subject  of  local  anaesthetics,  I  experimented  with 
beta-eucain  in  a  large  number  of  cases.  This  drug  would  have 
proved  satisfactory,  so  far  as  its  local  anaesthetic  effect  is  con- 
cerned, but  its  injection  caused  considerable  swelling  in  the  sur- 
rounding tissues.  Patients^  would  return  and  ask  me  the  most 
disagreeable  questions  as,  for  instance,  "Doctor,  are  you  sure 
your  needle  was  clean?"  "Have  I  not  developed  blood  poison- 
ing?" and  so  on.  The  swelling  caused  by  beta-eucain  is  pain- 
less, and  seems  to  be  harmless;  but  people  do  not  like  to  be 
disfigured,  even  if  only  for  three  or  four  days,  for  usually  the 
swelling  subsides  within  that  period,  and  the  tissues  again  as- 
sume a  normal  appearance. 

A  pharmacist  suggested  to  me  that  I  make  a  trial  of  chlore- 
tone, a  new  local  anaesthetic  now  coming  into  use  in  the  hos- 
pitals and  clinics,  especially  in  minor  surgery.     Upon  investiga- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS,  459 

tion  I  found  that  while  chloretone  is  an  efficient  local  anaesthetic, 
it  has  no  toxic  effect  upon  the  heart,  and  it  d©es  not  cause 
sloughing  or  swelling  after  its  use.  Thereupon,  I  procured  an 
ounce  of  the  crystals  and  made  two  solutions  according  to  direc- 
tions. One  solution,  to  be  used  in  extracting,  was  prepared  by 
mixing  15  per  cent,  of  alcohol  with  85  per  cent,  of  distilled  water, 
and  adding  enough  chloretone  to  make  a  saturated  solution. 
I  have  used  this  solution  in  hundreds  of  cases,  with  perfect  suc- 
cess, and  I  am^  prepared  to  say,  as  a  result  of  my  experience, 
that  chloretone  possesses  all  the  good  qualities  of  cocain  and 
beta-eucain,  and  does  not  cause  any  of  the  objectionable  effects 
of  either. 

The  second  solution,  which  was  made  by  mixing  equal 
parts,  by  weight,  of  ether  and  chloretone,  proved  very  efficient 
as  an  obtundent  in  preparing  painful  cavities  for  fillings,  espe- 
cially when  sensitive  dentin  was  being  operated  upon;  also  in 
setting  crowns  and  in  bridge  work,  which  often  gives  rise  to 
considerable  pain,  caused  by  the  action  of  the  glacial  phosphoric 
acid  with  which  the  cement  is  mixed.  The  ethereal  solution  of 
chloretone  should  be  employed  by  the  careful  practitioner  when 
a  live  pulp  must  be  removed.  This  can  be  done  immediately 
and  painlessly,  after  a  thorough  application  of  the  solution. 

I  append  brief  notes  of  a  few  of  my  cases,  for  the  benefit 
of  the  profession,  and  I  hope  that  my  experience  will  prove 
valuable  to  my  confreres. 

Mrs.  S.  B.  Right  upper  third  molar;  pus  sac.  Injected 
25  minims.  Extraction  after  one  minute.  Three  attempts  were 
necessary,  as  the  tooth  was  wedged  and  hard  to  extract.  The 
patient  experienced  very  litte  pain,  even  though  it  required 
almost  three  minutes  to  complete  the  operation. 

W.  S.,  aged  eleven  year.  Right  lower  six-year  molar; 
two  pus  sacs.  Fifty  seconds  after  injection  tooth  extracted. 
Very  little  pain. 

Mrs.  L.  Left  upper  second  bicuspid;  pus  sac;  chloretone 
injection,  20  minims.  Extraction  after  one  minute.  No  pain  at 
the  time  or  afterward. 

M.  L.  Left  lower  second  molar;  two  pus  sacs  were  pain- 
lessly lanced  fifty  seconds  after  injection.  Extraction  with 
slight  pain.     After-pain  ceased  within  live  minutes. 

O.  F.  Left  upper  first  molar;  two  pus  sacs.  The  pain 
of  the  alveolar  abscess  was  intense,  but  ceased  fifteen  seconds 


46o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

after  injection.  The  tooth  was  extracted  with  very  httle  pain, 
as  the  patient  affirmed. 

C.  D.  Left  upper  third  molar;  pulp  exposed;  chloretonc 
injection  and  painless  extraction  after  fifty  seconds 

A.  R.  Left  upper  second  molar;  alveolar  abscess  wa.> 
lanced.  Pain  ceased  after  injection.  Fifty  seconds  after  pain- 
less extraction.  Some  months  later  this  patient  said  the  extrac- 
tion was  very  neatly  and  painlessly  done. 

M.  McG.  Anterior  root  of  left  lower  first  molar;  pus  sac. 
Forty  seconds  after  injection,  painless  extraction.  No  after- 
pain  so  characteristic  of  alveolar  abscess. 

!Miss  E.  L.  Left  upper  lateral  incisor;  right  upper  lateral 
incisor.  Injected  20  minims  chloretone  solution.  One  minute 
afterward  painless  extraction. 

]\Irs.  D.  j\L  I  injected  the  ethereal  solution  of  chloretone 
into  the  pulp  of  a  right  upper  cuspid.  As  the  needle  of  the 
syringe  advanced  into  the  pulp  chamber,  I  pressed  warm  wax 
around  it,  thus  closing  the  cavity  so  that  the  liquid  could  not 
escape.  Forty  seconds  later  I  withdrew  the  instrument  and 
wax,  to  permit  the  ether  to  evaporate.  I  also  used  the  precau- 
tion to  place  the  solution  in  a  small  test  tube,  which  I  held  in  my 
hand.  Thus  I  was  enabled  to  keep  the  temperature  of  the  fluid 
at  blood  heat  in  order  not  to  create  pain  by  the  injection  of  the 
cold  solution. 

I  then  removed  the  pulp  with  a  broach  one  minute  after  the 
injection.     The  patient  stated  that  the  operation  was  painless. 

Miss  L.  D.  Right  second  bicuspid.  Right  cuspid;  20 
minims  chloretone  solution;  painless  extraction  fifty  seconds 
later. 

F.  P.  Right  lower  cuspid;  sensitive  dentin.  The  mere 
touch  of  an  instrument  seemed  to  be  unbearable.  Ethereal  so- 
lution of  chloretone  applied  until  w4iite  crystals  deposited.  I 
then  proceeded  to  excavate.  After  a  while  it  was  nfecessary  to 
repeat  the  application  of  chloretone,  wdien  I  was  enabled  to  coni- 
plete  my  W'Ork  without  complaint  from  the  patient. 

]\L  M.  Left  lower  six-year  molar;  pulp  exposure.  Ex- 
traction, with  very  little  pain,  forty  seconds  after  injection  of 
chloretone  solution. 

]\L  D.  Right  lower  first  molar;  exposed  pulp.  Chlore- 
tone injection;  after  forty  seconds  painless  extraction. 

F.  P.     Extraction  left  lower  first  molar;  pus  sac.     Injec- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS,  461 

tion  of  20  minims  chloretone  solution.  In  fifty  seconds  pain- 
less extraction.     No  after-pain. 

M.  R.  Left  upper  third  molar.  Injection  of  25  minims 
chloretone  solution.     After  fifty  seconds,  painless  extraction. 

F.  J.  Right  lower  second  molar;  pus  sac.  Injected  20 
minims  chloretone  solution.  After  fifty  seconds,  painless  ex- 
traction. I  might  add  that  the  pain  of  the  abscess  ceased  at 
once  after  the  chloretone  had  been  injected. 

F.  P.  Setting  of  gold  crown,  which  was  of  necessity  in- 
serted deep  under  the  gum  in  order  to  reach  the  edge  of  the 
root — a  second  lower  left  bicuspid.  I  applied  the  ethereal  so- 
lution of  chloretone  on  a  cotton  pellet,  until  the  white  crystals 
were  visible  upon  the  gum.  The  crown  was  then  set  without 
pain.  A  few  days  before  I  became  acquainted  with  the  anaes- 
thetic properties  of  chloretone  I  placed  a  crown  in  a  case  sim- 
ilar to  this  one;  the  operation  was  very  painful,  on  account  of 
the  action  of  the  glacial  phosphoric  acid  in  the  cement,  it  being 
necessary  to  use  a  very  thin  solution.  Items  of  Interest. 


GUTTA-PERCHA. 

There  are  important  distinctions  between  India-rubber  and 
gutta-percha,  and  in  the  majority  of  purposes  for  which  they 
are  employed,  one  cannot  replace  the  other.  The  trees  yield- 
ing India-rubber  are  well  distributed  over  the  tropical  parts  of 
the  world  and  may  be  cultivated  with  more  or  less  facility,  but 
the  tree  which  furnishes  gutta-percha  is  to  be  found  only  in 
Borneo,  Sumatra,  and  the  Malay  Archipelago  generally.  Pres- 
ent methods  of  collection,  in  spite  of  government  interference, 
tend  to  destroy  the  trees,  and  also  enable  the  native  collector  to 
mix  the  milk  of  the  first  quality  with  commoner  and  often  worth- 
less sorts.  In  Borneo,  the  milk,  which  is  called  "susu,''  is  pur- 
chased from  the  natives  by  buyers,  and  is  then  coagulated  by 
pouring  the  milk  into  boiling  water  without  the  aid  of  chemicals,, 
as  in  the  case  of  India-rubber. 

In  regard  to  the  acclimatization  of  the  gutta-percha  tree, 
known  as  the  Isonandra  gutta,  in  other  parts  of  the  world,  there- 
does  not  seem  to  have  been  any  marked  success,  and  the  French 
experts  state  that  the  climatic  conditions  required  by  the  tree 
are  for  the  most  part  not  to  be  found  in  the  French  colonies. 


462  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

Important  tests  are  being  made  with  a  new  gutta-percha  plant 
from  northern  China,  now  under  cultivation  at  the  Colonial 
gardens  in  Paris,  whose  fruit  is  said  to  contain  27.34  per  cent, 
of  gutta  of  fine  quality,  but  they  have  not  as  yet  progressed  suf- 
ficiently to  enable  definite  conclusions  to  be  reached.  Gutta- 
percha is  said  to  contain  from  20  to  40  per  cent,  of  resins,  which, 
when  found  in  the  smaller  quantity  specified,  do  not  affect  its 
properties  as  an  insulator,  but  which  must  be  removed  entirely 
when  the  material  is  used  for  golf-balls.  It  is  reported  that  500 
tons  of  gutta-percha  are  used  annually  in  England  for  the  man- 
ufacture of  golf-balls,  for  which,  as  yet,  no  satisfactory  substi- 
tute has  been  found.  In  making  the  French  cable  from  Brest 
to  New  York,  550  tons  of  gutta-percha  were  used,  and  in  the 
new  Pacific  cable  it  is  expected  that  a  still  greater  amount  will 
be  employed. 


WHY  BILE  IS  BITTER. 

Sir  Thomas  Lauder  Brunton  (Clinical  Journal,  January  loth), 
in  an  address  on  ''Bile,  Biliousness  and  Gallstones,"  recently  de- 
livered before  the  Northwest  London  Clinical  Society,  says: 

''Some  years  ago  an  investigation  was  made  into  the  phy- 
siological action  of  certain  substances  that  are  formed  by  split- 
ting up  albuminous  articles  of  food  during  the  process  of  diges- 
tion, and  it  was  found  that  the  foods  that  we  eat  are  capable  of 
yielding  poisons  that  will  destroy  us  if  they  pass  directly  into  the 
circulation.  But,  as  a  rule,  they  cannot  do  this;  they  have  to 
pass  through  the  liver  on  their  way,  and  there  some  of  them  are 
caught,  and  passed  back  by  the  liver  into  the  intestine  with  the 
bile,  while  others  are  actually  destroyed.  This  is  true  not  only 
of  the  poisons  formed  from  food,  but  of  actual  poisons  formed  in 
other  ways,  such  as  the  Indian  poison,  curara,  and  others  of  like 
kind.  Now,  we  usually  say  "as  bitter  as  gall,"  and  we  are  ac- 
customed to  associate  bitterness  with  bile.  But  fresh  bile  is  not 
bitter.  I  was  once  making  some  experiments  on  myself  regard- 
ing the  action  of  digitalin,  and  I  took  a  big  dose,  so  big  that  I 
nearly,  but  not  quite,  killed  myself.  It  made  me  very  ill,  how- 
ever, and  I  vomited  violently.  I  brought  up  something  which 
appeared  to  be  undoubtedly  bile,  because  it  was  like  yolk  of  egg, 
and  it  could  not  be  anything  else,  but  it  lacked  the  characteristic 
bitterness.     Now  this  bile  was  probably  freshly  formed.     In  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  463 

ordinary  course  of  things  it  would  not  have  been  vomited,  but 
under  the  influence  of  the  poison  it  was  brought  up.     Some  time 
afterward  I  had  a  letter  from  a  doctor  who  had  under  his  care  a 
patient  with  a  permanent  biliary  fistula,  and  he  discovered  in  his 
patient  also  that  fresh  bile  is  not  bitter.     Whence  comes  the 
bitterness,  then,  that  is  associated  with  the  name  of  gall?     In 
all  probability  it  comes  from  the  absorption  from  the  intestine 
of  bitter  substances  formed  during  digestion.     These  are  ab- 
sorbed by  the  portal  system,  carried  to  the  liver,  and  stopped 
there  on  their  way  into  the  general  circulation,  so  that,  instead 
of  being  allowed  to  proceed  on  to  the  heart,  to  the  brain,  and 
to  the  various  organs  of  the  body,  these  bitter  substances  are 
turned  back  and  are  excreted  again  in  the  bile.     You  can  see, 
then,  that  if  bitter  substances  are  constantly  being  formed  in  the 
intestine  by  the  process  of  digestion,  and  constantly  being  ab- 
sorbed and  turned  back  in  the  bile,  the  bile  itself  will  become 
very  bitter  after  a  certain  length  of  time,  varying  with  the 
amount  of  these  bitter  substances.     And  this,  I  believe,  is  the 
cause  of  the  bitterness  of  bile  and  what  we  call  biliousness.     I 
believe  that  after  a  while  the  power  of  the  liver  to  arrest  these 
substances  is  exceeded,  and  that  it  cannot  pass  them  all  back. 
Consequently,  some  go  on  and  give  rise  to  symptoms  of  poi- 
soning." New  York  Medical  Journal. 


THE  TEETH  IN  CIVILIZATION  AND  BARBARISM. 

It  was  somewhat  startling  to  learn  that  many  candidates 
offering  themselves  for  service  in  South  Africa  were  rejected  by 
the  authorities  on  the  ground  that  they  had  bad  teeth.  In  for- 
mer days,  when  the  cartridge  had  to  be  bitten,  a  soldier  with  bad 
teeth  was  a  mere  consumer  of  rations.  The  healthiness  of  the 
teeth  may  be  taken  as  an  index  of  general  health  and  nutrition, 
and  when  the  diet  consists  mainly  of  hard  biscuits,  the  impor- 
tance of  healthy  incisors  becomes  very  marked.  It  is  an  essen- 
tial requirement  on  the  part  of  young  women  applying  for  the 
•office  of  nurses  that  they  shall  possess  good  teeth.  The  im- 
portance of  this  cannot  be  overestimated,  and  we  are  glad  to 
note  that  a  periodical  inspection  of  the  teeth  of  school  children 
is  about  to  be  made.  Mr.  Denison  Pedley  some  years  ago  in- 
spected the  mouths  of  3,145  children.     Of  this  number  only  707 


464  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

had  healthy  teeth.  Among  no  children  of  four  years  old  nc^ 
less. than  29Q  teeth  were  diseased.  At  nine  years  390  children 
were  each  found  to  have  three  bad  teeth  on  an  average.  The 
causes  of  diseased  teeth  are  very  complex;  popularly  it  was  as? 
eumed  that  sugar  caused  the  teeth  to  decay,  although  on  that 
theory  it  was  difficult  to  understand  why  savages,  who  live 
largely  in  sugar  districts  and  are  constantly  nibbling  sugar-cane, 
scarcely  ever  have  a  bad  tooth.  It  is  difficult,  also,  to  explain 
why  animals  living  in  a  state  of  nature  seldom  suffer  from  dis- 
eases of  the  teeth.  Man  seems  to  be  an  exception.  Even 
among  the  heads  of  ancient  cave  dwellers  and  in  the  mummified 
skulls  of  ancient  Egyptians  traces  not  only  of  bad  teeth  are 
found,  but  relics  which  clearly  show  that  at  that  time  people 
were  alive  to  the  importance  of  dentistry.  It  appears  that  so 
Jong  as  our  forefathers  lived  in  a  condition  of  healthy  barbarism 
the  teeth  remained  perfect;  it  is  refinement  of  eating  and  drink- 
ing especially  which  damages  the  teeth.  The  following  descrip- 
tion of  the  antiquity  of  the  dentist's  art  is  taken  from  an  interest^ 
ing  article  in  The  Evening  Standard:  'The  dentist's  art  is  very 
old.  In  the  museum  at  Boulak,  now  removed  to  Cairo,  there 
were  mummies  whose  teeth  had  been  'stopped'  with  gold.  They 
show  Greek  skulls  thus  treated,  in  the  museum  at  Athens,  and 
Etruscan  at  Bologna.  And  in  all  these  instances  the  operation 
has  been  performed  with  skill  and  neatness.  False  teeth  also 
are  not  unknown.  Probably  the  Egyptians  were  first  to  prac- 
tice scientific  dentistry,  since  they  first  had  need  of  it.  That 
civilization  injures  the  teeth  is  a  rule  so  universal  that  even  the 
quahfied  form  of  it  established  in  Peru  under  the  Incas  pro- 
duced the  same  effect.  And  there  also  the  process  of  'stopping' 
was  discovered,  under  pressure  of  necessity." 

At  Quito  is  preserved  the  skull  of  some  great  personage 
whose  vaulted  tomb  was  full  of  treasure.  It  contains  a  "false 
set"  complete,  kept  in  place  with  gold  wire  drilled  into  the  cheek 
bone!  We  regard  the  teeth  as  a  great  beauty;  it  is  sufficiently 
uncommon  to  be  valued.  But  savages,  among  whom  disease, 
irregularity,  or  discoloration  are  scarcely  to  be  found,  think  so 
little  of  it  that  they  give  themselves  great  pain  and  trouble 
to  destroy  the  perfection  which  nature  supplies.  Some  carefully 
grind  away  the  enamel,  others  file  the  incisors  to  a  point,  multi- 
tudes in  every  quarter  of  the  world  knock  some  of  them  out 
or  break  them  off.     It  is  recorded  by  the  veracious  Caillie  that 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  465 

the  Moors  of  Timbuctoo  positively  admire  an  imperfection 
which  French  caricaturists  treat  as  characteristic  of  ourselves. 
A  girl  who  has  the  two  front  teeth  projecting  is  thought  lovely, 
and  "ambitious  mothers  •  employ  all  possible  means  to  make 
their  daughter's  teeth  grow  in  this  manner."  In  all  Malay 
countries,  an  enormous  .area,  peopled  by  many  millions, /the 
children's  teeth  are  blackened  at  a  certain  age.  In  the  house  of 
a  white  resident  one  may  see  occasionally  a  favorite  boy  or  girl 
who  has  been  preserved  from  the  operation — with  no  small 
trouble  if  he  or  she  have  parents  in  the  neighborhood;  the  pretty 
white  teeth  of  such  a  child  seem  almost  startling  among  the- 
black  of  the  other  servants.  But  it  is  not  to  be  hoped  that  the 
charm  will  endure;  so  soon  as  the  boy  begins  to  feel  an  interest 
in  the  other  sex  he  is  ashamed  of  it — as  for  the  girl,  she  cannot 
hope  for  a  husband  until  she  has  undergone  the  process.  White 
teeth  are  as  distasteful  to  these  people  as  black  to  us;  they  are 
called  "pigs'  teeth."  But  also  Malays  file  off  the  enamel — per- 
haps to  take  the  dye;  one  operation  suffices  for  a  lifetime. 
Gradually  the  juice  of  the  betel  nut,  which  they  chew  all  day  and 
much  of  the  night,  works  in,  with  very  curious  results.  The 
teeth  become  iridescent  like  bits  of  glistening  foil.  We  never 
heard  that  this  was  thought  an  additional  attraction,  but  it  is 
likely  enough.  In  Borneo,  besides  these  vagaries,  a  man  will 
sometimes  drill  a  hole  into  each  of  his  front  teeth  and  insert  a 
pin  with  a  little  brass  knob;  in  the  famous  collection  of  Dr. 
Davis  was  a  skull  in  which  six  teeth  were  ornamented  thus. 
Conceive  the  horror  of  this  person's  smile!  Finally,  there  arc 
savages  who  suppress  their  teeth  altogether.  Many  knock  out 
a  proportion,  but  the  Lampings  of  Sumatra  rub  them  down  with 
a  whetstone  until  they  are  even  with  the  gums. 

Physician  and  Surgeon. 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 

PUBUSHKD   MONTHI^Y. 


WILBUR   F.    I.ITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


The  Dental  Brief  at  the  International  Dental  Congress. 

Our  readers  will  be  glad  to  learn  that  at  the  International 
Dental  Congress  to  be  held  in  Paris,  beginning  on  the  8th  of 
the  present  month,  the  Brief  will  be  represented  by  Dr.  I. 
Norman  Broomell,  who  will  furnish  for  publication  in  this 
journal  a  series  of  reports  of  the  clinics,  papers  and  general 
proceedings  of  the  Congress. 

The  interest  and  value  of  these  reports  will  be  enhanced  by 
illustrations  from  Dr.  Broomell's  camera  of  such  features  of  the 
Congress  as  lend  themselves  to  photography. 

Readers  of  the  Brief,  who  will  thus,  in  a  sense,  visit  the 
Congress  with  him,  will  be  interested  in  the  excellent  portrait 
of  their  traveling  companion,  which  appears  as  a  frontispiece  to 
this  issue.  The  first  report  of  the  series  will  appear  in  the  Sep- 
tember number. 


The  Third  Annual  Meeting  of  the  National  Dental  As- 
sociation. 

The  third  annual  meeting  of  this  representative  organiza- 
tion was  held  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.,  commencing  Tuesday, 
July  loth,  1900,  under  auspicious  conditions.  While  the  meet- 
ing lacked  the  large  attendance  and  some  of  the  more  attractive 
features  of  the  gathering  at  Niagara  Falls  last  year,  still  there 
was  much  to  interest  in  the  papers  read  and  much  to  instruct 
in  the  clinical  exhibits  and  demonstrations.  Indeed,  the  latter 
466 


EDITORIAL,  467 

features  alone  must  have  amply  repaid  those  who  availed  them- 
selves of  their  opportunities,  for  the  time  spent  and  expense 
incurred  in  attendance  on  the  meeting. 

The  address  of  the  President,  Dr.  B.  Holly  Smith,  was 
thoughtful  and  suggestive,  and  many  of  the  papers  contained 
features  of  permanent  value  to  dentistry.  Special  interest  was 
manifested  in  the  paper  of  Dr.  Mary  E.  Gallup,  of  Boston,  on 
"Art  in  Prosthetic  Dentistry,"  in  which  a  forcible  and  eloquent 
plea  was  made  for  higher  ideals  in  art  as  applied  to  dental 
prosthesis,  and  an  abandonment  of  the  unlifelike  product  of  the 
machine-made  mould  for  a  denture  in  which  mechanical  crudi- 
ties are  transformed  by  the  trained  touch  of  the  human  hand 
into  a  thing  in  harmony  with  nature,  and  beautiful  in  itself  be- 
cause fashioned  after  nature  by  art. 

The  paper  of  Dr.  C.  N.  Johnson  on  the  "Advantages  and 
Disadvantages  of  Inlays"  excited  considerable  attention  because 
of  its  opposition  to  the  recent  trend  of  practice  in  regard  to  in- 
lays. Dr.  Johnson  took  the  position  that  they  possess  so  many 
defects  as  to  render  them  prohibitory  in  a  majority  of  cases,  and 
that  they  are  useful  chiefly,  if  not  solely,  in  cavities  "not  exposed 
to  attrition,  but  fully  exposed  to  view."  For  conspicuous  cavi- 
ties, subject  to  attrition,  fillings  of  gold  and  platinum  were  rec- 
ommended as  giving  the  maximum  of  strength  combined  with 
the  minimum  of  unsightliness;  while  in  large  open  cavities  in 
molars  and  bicuspids  inlays  of  solid  gold  were  commended  as 
being  an  effective  and  satisfactory  compromise  between  the 
laborious  and  time-consuming  requirements  of  a  gold  filling  and 
the  undesirable  sacrifice  of  tooth  substance  necessary  for  the 
placing  of  a  crown.  These  contentions  seemed  to  meet  with 
quite  general  commendation  during  the  course  of  the  discussion. 

The  address  of  the  President,  Dr.  B.  Holly  Smith,  con- 
tained suggestions  of  so  much  value  that  an  abstract  of  its  more 
salient  features  is  here  presented: 

Dr.  Smith  stated  that  though  but  three  years  had  elapsed 
since  the  organization  of  the  National  Dental  Association  as 


468  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

at  present  constituted,  it  had  secured  the  confidence  and  esteem 
of  the  entire  dental  world.  He  regarded  it  as  of  vital  impor- 
tance to  the  purposes  of  the  Association  to  establish  and 
strengthen  an  influential  if  not  authoritative  relation  between 
this  and  other  dental  organizations,  such  as  the  National 
Association  of  Dental  Faculties,  the  National  Association  of 
Dental  Examiners,  the  Institute  of  Pedagogics,  and  State  and 
local  societies  generally.  Such  a  relationship,  he  thought, 
would  strengthen  immeasurably  the  influence  and  helpfulness  of 
the  national  organization,  and  give  force  and  power  to  its  edicts, 
both  at  home  and  abroad. 

With  a  view  to  promoting  the  full  fraternization  of  dentists 
throughout  the  world  the  establishment  of  associate  member- 
ship of  non-residents  was  also  recommended,  such  membership 
to  be  filled  by  appointment  or  election  by  foreign  societies.  By 
this  means  the  good  work  already  initiated  by  the  Committee 
on  Foreign  Relations  of  the  National  Association  of  Dental 
Faculties  and  the  American  Society  of  Europe  would  be  pro- 
moted and  would  be  further  advanced  if,  at  the  meeting  of  the 
International  Dental  Congress  in  Paris  in  August  of  the  pres- 
ent year,  formal  expression  was  made  of  a  desire  on  the  part  of 
the -National  Association  to  establish  permanent  relations  of 
affiliation  wdth  the  various  dental  organizations  of  the  world. 

To  promote  the  educational  value  of  Association  work  the 
appointment  of  commissions  by  the  various  sections  was  recom- 
mended, whose  function  should  be  to  collect  data  and  prosecute 
research;  they  should  make  a  careful  examination  of  all  papers 
presented  and  read  at  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Association, 
and  give  a  succinct  report  of  essential  deductions  and  the  essence 
and  outcome  of  the  work  of  the  year.  Such  reports,  if  thought 
proper,  to  be  made  inclusive  of  deductions  from  work  done  be- 
fore other  organizations. 

The  preliminary  training  of  the  dental  student  was  sug- 
gested as  a  fitting  subject  for  the  consideration  of  one  of  these 
commissions,  as  the  dignity  and  influence  for  good  of  the  pro- 
fession depend  upon  the  character  of  the  men  who  are  year  by 
year  added  to  its  ranks.  Protest  was  entered  against  the  tend- 
ency to  lightly  regard  mechanical  ability  and  to  erect  an  arbi- 
trary and  false  division  between  such  ability  and  intellectual 
power.  Many  of  the  men  who  have  had  the  advantages  of  ex- 
tended so-called  mental  training,  and  who  possess  the  degrees 
conferred  by  colleges  and  universities  as  an  evidence  of  such 
training,  make  the  most  impossible  of  all  material  out  of  which 
to  make  dentists;  the  fault  being  that  the  motor  centers  have 
been  neglected.  He  had  found  that  the  best  all-round  men 
were  those  whose  motor  nerve  centers  had  been  developed  by 
mechanical  training  in  youth.  At  present  few,  if  any,  dental  stu- 
dents pursue  preliminary  studies  in  manual  training  schools  or 
institutes  of  technolog}',  and  such  institutions,  he  believed,  could 


EDITORIAL.  469 

be  made  to  do  good  service  in  fitting  students  for  the  subse- 
quent study  of  dentistry. 

These  suggestions  were  reinforced  by  extracts  from  the 
contributions  of  various  educators  and  psychologists  emphasiz- 
ing the  importance  of  training  the  motor  centers  as  a  means  to 
stimulating  the  will,  judgment  and  memory,  thus  exercising  a 
Normative  influence  upon  the  development  of  the  mental  char- 
acter as  a  whole.  By  these  authorities  it  was  shown  that  as 
primarily  the  motor  area  of  the  brain  is  fully  one-third  the  en- 
tire area,  to  train  it  imperfectly  involves  an  exclusion  of  fully 
•one-third  of  intellectual  capacity,  power  and  enjoyment. 

As  relates  to  the  material  welfare  of  the  individual  members 
of  the  dental  profession  the  claim  was  made  that  while  dentistry 
has  grown  into  a  position  of  assured  appreciation,  still  its  best 
men,  as  compared  with  those  of  like  rank  in  other  callings,  are 
but  poorly  paid,  a  fact  attributed  to^the  low  general  estimate  by 
a  majority  of  dentists  as  to  what  compensation  good  attention 
should  command. 

Fees  lack  uniformity  often  because  of  failure  to  compare 
notes.  Skilful  young  men  often  begin  the  practice  of  dentistry 
without  any  familiarity  with  custom  as  to  fees.  In  many  sec- 
tions it  is  not  customary  to  make  a  charge  for  treatment  or 
consultation.  The  tabulation  of  statistics  as  to  fees,  the  infor- 
mation to  be  obtained  from  four  or  five  men  of  good  standing 
in  all  the  larger  cities  of. this  country  and  Europe,  was  recom- 
:mended;  such  data  to  be  published  in  pamphlet  form  by  the 
Association. 

Regret  was  expressed  that  the  bill  for  the  appointment  of 
dentists  in  the  army  failed  of  passage.  A  continuance  of  effort 
was  urged  and  the  retention  of  the  present  committee  of  three 
recommended.  It  was  also  suggested  that  the  Association  give 
its  formal  endorsement  to  three  candidates  to  be  selected  for 
the  supervisory  positions  provided  for  in  the  bill. 

The  National  Dental  Association  numbers  among  its  mem- 
bers many  able  investigators,  and  its  treasury  holds  a  liberal 
endowment;  hence  it  has  long  been  felt  that  a  larger  share  of 
its  potential  energy,  personal  and  monetary,  should  be  expended 
in  original  investigation.  For  this  reason  the  feature  of 
President  Smith's  address  which  aroused  the  most  interest  was 
the  recommendation  for  the  appointment  by  the  various  sec- 
tions of  commissions  for  the  prosecution  of  original  research. 
It  is  gratifying  to  know  that  this  suggestion  was  promptly 
acted  upon  by  the  Association,  and  it  is  confidently  believed 
that,  if  properly  prosecuted,  the  labors  of  these  commissions 


470  DEyTAL  BRIEF. 

will  result  in  substantial  gain  to  dentistry,  both  as  an  art  and 
science,  if  not  by  the  discovery  of  new  facts  and  principles,  at 
least  by  the  more  thorough  systematization  of  our  present 
knowledge  and  the  more  definite  and  authoritative  formulariza- 
tion  of  existing  modes  of  practice. 

The  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  will  be  held  in 
Milwaukee,  Wis.,  beginning  on  the  first  Tuesday  in  August, 
1901.  Dr.  G.  V.  Black,  of  Chicago,  whose  reputation  as  in- 
vestigator, teacher  and  author  is  world-wide,  was  unanimously 
elected  President  of  the  organization  for  the  coming  year. 


The  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties. 

The  seventeenth  annual  meeting  of  the  National  Associa- 
tion of  Dental  Faculties  was  held  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.,. 
on  July  13th  and  14th,  1900.  The  meeting  throughout  was 
characterized  by  harmony  and  good  feeling.  On  motion  of  Dr. 
Barrett  the  following  resolution  was  adopted: 

"The  minimum  preliminary  educational  requirement  of  col- 
leges of  this  Association,  beginning  with  the  session  of  1902- 
1903,  shall  be  a  certificate  of  entrance  into  the  third  year  of  a 
high  school,  or  its  equivalent.  The  preliminary  examination  to- 
be  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  State  Superintendent  of  Public 
Instruction." 

This  change  in  entrance  requirement  is  in  conformity  with 
the  progressive  advance  to  a  higher  standard  to  which  the  As- 
sociation is  committed,  and  which  is  demanded  by  every  con- 
sideration of  professional  and  public  policy. 

The  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Association  will  be  held  at 
Milwaukee,  beginning  on  Thursday  of  the  week  immediately 
preceding  the  meeting  of  the  National  Dental  Association.  The 
President  for  the  coming  year  is  Dr.  B.  Holly  Smith,  of  Balti- 
more. 


EDITORIAL.  471 

The  Annual  Meeting  of  the  Stomatological  Section  of 
THE  American  Medical  Association.     • 

In  this  issue  of  the  Brief  appears  the  first  of  the  series  of 
papers  read  as  a  part  of  the  symposium  on  dental  education  at 
the  recent  meeting  of  the  section  on  stomatology  of  the  Ameri- 
can Medical  Association.  They  will  be  followed  by  the  other 
papers,  or  abstracts  thereof,  and  by  a  special  stenographic  re- 
port of  the  discussion  which  ensued. 

This  symposium,  as  well  as  that  which  succeeded  it  on 
interstitial  gingivitis,  developed  so  much  of  interest  and  value  to 
the  dental  profession  that  it  is  believed  that  the  publication  of 
the  proceedings  should  not  be  confined  to  the  official  organ  of 
the  society,  the  Journal  of  the  American  Medical  Association, 
which  has  a  relatively  limited  circulation  among  dentists,  but 
should  find  a  place  in  dental  journals  as  well. 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  the  meetings  of  the  stomatological 
section  are  not  more  largely  attended  by  our  representative 
dentists.  In  a  most  liberal  spirit  the  American  Medical  Asso- 
ciation has  made  fully  eligible  for  membership  in  that  section 
all  qualified  dental  graduates,  whether  holding  the  doctorate  in 
medicine  or  not.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  specialists  of  every  kind 
to  occasionally  get  out  of  their  relatively  narrow  groove  of  in- 
terests and  look  upon  the  broader  vistas  of  medicine  as  a  whole, 
and  thus  correct  those  too  prevalent  aberrations  in  the  sense  of 
proportion  which  result  in  the  distorted  conviction  that  the  part 
is  greater  than  the  whole. 

The  most  interesting  and  valuable  exhibition  arranged  by 
the  section  on  pathology  of  the  Association  received  unbounded 
commendation  and  constituted  in  itself  an  ample  compensation 
for  attendance  upon  the  meeting.  The  exhibit  contained  ex- 
amples of  nearly  all  known  forms  of  pathological  growth  found 
in  the  human  organism.  A  large  number  of  eye  specimens, 
beautifully  mounted  under  glass,  clearly  demonstrating  all  the 
typical  disorders  and  diseases  to  which  that  organ  is  subject, 
were  on  exhibition.     Under  numerous   excellent   microscopes 


47«.  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

were  shown  many  specimens  illustrating  the  various  abnormali- 
ties of  the  blood,  as  a  malaria,  chlorosis,  progressive  pernicious 
anseniia,  etc.  By  aid  of  the  Ives  "Kromskop"  pathological 
specimens  were  displayed  in  the  full  freshness  of  their  distinc-s 
tive  colors,  while  cutaneous  disorders  were  illustrated  by  a  long 
series  of  life-size  photographs. 

Of  popular  as  well  as  professional  interest  was  the  large, 
-exhibit,  furnished  by  Dr.  D.  E.  Salmon,  Chief  of  the  United. 
States  Bureau  of  Animal  Industry,  of  the  pathological  condi- 
tions found  in  meat  inspection.  These  specimens  were  col- 
lected in  abattoirs  throughout  the  country  and  sent  to  the 
place  of  meeting  in  cold  storage.  They  constituted  an  appall- 
ing object  lesson  as  to  the  contaminations  to  which  our  food 
supply  is  subject,  and  in  a  fashion  which  required  no  further  em- 
phasis enforced  the  need  for  a  more  rigid  inspection  of  all  ani- 
mal food  than  is  at  present  generally  exacted. 

Why  cannot  the  chief  features  of  the  pathological  exhibit 
at  Atlantic  City  be  duplicated  at  the  meeting  of  the  National 
Dental  Association  next  year,  reenforced,  of  course,  by  speci- 
mens illustrating  the  pathology  of  the  mouth,  teeth  and  max- 
illae? It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  section  in  pathology  will  take 
this  suggestion  into  serious  consideration.  Specimens,  under 
proper  guarantee  as  to  their  safe  return,  will  doubtless  be  cheer- 
fully loaned  by  the  curators  of  colleges,  museums  and  patholog- 
ical laboratories,  as  well  as  by  private  practitioners,  and  thus 
can  be  secured  an  exhibit  which  will  not  only  ensure  an  in- 
creased attendance  and  an  enlarged  membership,  but  will  be  a 
broadening  educational  power. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  475 

CORRESPONDENCE. 


MEETING  OF  THE  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  DENTAL 

SOCIETY. 

After  a  ride  of  two  hours  by  steam  and  twenty  minutes  by 
trolley  from  Philadelphia,  I  arrived  at  one  of  the  most  pictur- 
esque spots  in  Eastern  Pennsylvania,  Neversink  Mountain,  at 
which  place  the  Pennsylvania  State  Dental  Society  was  hold- 
ing its  annual  meeting.  A  stroll  through  the  corridors  and 
about  the  porches  of  the  hotel,  and  a  glance  at  the  assembly 
room,  gave  me  the  assurance  that  the  meeting  was  to  be  one 
of  unusual  interest.  Being  one  of  the  late  arrivals  I  was  denied 
the  privilege  of  attending  the  morning  session  and  a  greater 
part  of  the  afternoon  session  of  the  first  day,  and  as  a  conse- 
quence I  failed  to  hear  the  President's  address  and  the  papers 
of  Dr.  J.  J.  Burke,  of  Mahanoy  City,  on  'The  Best  Filling 
Material  for  Temporary  Teeth,"  and  Dr.  L.  Webster  Fox,  of 
Philadelphia,  on  ''Gold  Blindness,  or  Retinal  Asthenopia  and 
Its  Treatment." 

From  those  who  were  fortunate  to  be  present  at  these 
sessions  I  learned  that  the  address  of  President  Huey  was  one 
worthy  the  occasion,  containing  many  timely  references  to 
professional  matters  of  importance  which  have  transpired  dur- 
ing the  past  year,  together  with  some  wholesome  suggestions 
for  the  future. 

At  the  close  of  the  afternoon  session  there  was  a  general 
reunion  of  those  present,  handshaking  and  well-wishing  being 
the  order  of  the  hour.  To  those  who  habitually  attend  these 
gatherings,  the  social  feature  makes  a  strong  appeal,  and  this 
year  more  than  ever  it  was  paramount.  By  this  I  do  not  mean 
to  intimate  that  the  meeting  was  made  up  of  those  w^ho  came 
simply  pour  passer  le  temps,  on  the  contrary,  never  in  the  his- 
tory of  the  Society  were  the  sessions  better  attended  or  the 
interest  more  profound. 

All  parts  of  the  State  were  represented  at  this  meeting,  the 
large  cities,  the  small  cities,  the  borough  and  the  country  town 
alike  contributing  to  the  success  of  the  occasion.  Two  patri- 
archs of  the  professsion  who  seldom  fail  to  attend  the  State 
meetings  were  present  in  the  persons  of  Drs.  Jesse  Green,  of 
West  Chester,  and  Henry  Gerhart,  of  Lewisburg,  the  former 


474  DBNTAL  BRIEF. 

having  celebrated  his  fiftieth  year  in  practice  some  five  or  six 
years  ago,  while  the  latter  will  have  reached  the  half  century 
mark  in  May  of  next  year.  These  of  course  are  but  matters  of 
record,  but  there  are  many  attributes  and  qualities  in  the  lives 
of  these  two  men  to  be  admired,  much  that  cannot  be  meas- 
ured by  count.  Many  members  of  the  Society  were  glad  to 
welcome  Dr.  H.  D.  Knight,  of  Lancaster,  a  past  president  of 
one  of  the  oldest  if  not  the  oldest  dental  society  in  the  State,  the 
Harris  Dei^tal  Association. 

The  evening  session  of  the  first  day  was  taken  up  by  the 
reading  and  discussion  of  a  paper  by  Dr.  Grant  Mitchell,  of 
Pittsburg,  "Are  the  Morbid  Processes  Variously  Designated 
Interstitial  Gingivitis,  Phagedenic  Pericementitis,  etc.,  Inflam- 
matory or  Necrobiotic?"  This  paper  was  particularly  well  re- 
ceived, dealing  with  the  subject  as  it  did  in  a  generous  way  as 
to  previous  writings  on  the  same  theme,  but  still  presenting 
much  that  was  new.  The  paper  was  followed  by  an  interesting 
discussion. 

Friday  morning  was  devoted  to  clinics,  and  in  this  con- 
nection the  fact  should  be  noted  that  out  of  eight  or  ten  per- 
sons who  had  expressed  to  the  Chairman  of  the  Clinic  Com- 
mittee their  willingness  to  be  present  as  clinicians  only  two  or 
three  put  in  an  appearance.  Such  action  upon  the  part  of  mem- 
bers and  others  cannot  be  too  strongly  condemned.  This  is 
not  a  new  feature  by  any  means,  and  it  is  not  confined  to  the 
Pennsylvania  Society,  but  appears  to  be  a  much-abused  privi- 
lege among  dental  societies  in  general,  and  should  be  corrected. 
The  clinics  given  were  principally  confined  to  methods  of  pro- 
cedure in  porcelain  inlay  work,  and  they  appeared  to  be  of 
much  interest  and  profit  to  the  onlookers. 

The  first  paper  of  the  afternoon  session  of  the  second  day 
by  the  writer  of  this  brief  report,  entitled  'The  Water-Bag 
Method  of  Making  Porcelain  Inlays,"  evoked  some  discussion. 
Dr.  Joseph  Head,  of  Philadelphia,  as  an  expert  in  this  work  con- 
demned the  method  in  extenso.  The  stand  taken  by  Dr.  Head, 
however,  failed  to  fully  impress  the  entire  assembly,  and  many 
of  those  present  were  inclined  to  the  belief  that  the  method  had 
some  good  qualities. 

Dr.  W.  J.  Roe,  of  Philadelphia,  read  a  paper  on  "Hyper- 
trophy of  the  Gums,"  and  exhibited  an  interesting  case  in  a  boy 
14  years  old,  previous  to  operation.     By  the  aid  of  the  micro- 


CORRESPONDENCE,  475 

scope  the  speaker  exhibited  sections  of  epithehum,  showing 
many  of  the  pathalogical  characteristics  of  this  gingival  dis- 
turbance. 

The  final  paper  of  this  session  was  that  of  Dr.  S.  B.  Luckie, 
of  Chester,  on  "Relations  of  the  Pulp  to  the  Apical  Region." 
For  unavoidable  reasons,  and  much  to  my  regret,  I  failed  to 
hear  this  paper.  The  subject  is  one  of  deep  interest  and  un- 
bounded importance,  including  as  it  does  a  field  for  earnest  re- 
search.    Its  publication  will  be  anxiously  looked  for. 

At  the  Friday  evening  session  Dr.  M.  H.  Cryer,  of  Phila- 
delphia, entertained  the  society  with  an  illustrated  lecture,  his 
subject  being,  "Some  Variations  in  the  Anatomy  of  the  Facial 
Region."  It  is  needless  to  comment  on  the  nature  of  the  re- 
ception accorded  this  speaker.  The  work  of  Dr.  Cryer  in  his 
special  line  is  so  well  known  and  so  fully  appreciated  that  I  can 
add  nothing  to  what  has  already  been  said  in  his  praise.  At  the 
conclusion  of  the  lecture  the  portraits  of  a  number  of  honored 
members  of  the  profession,  both  living  and  dead,  were  projected 
upon  the  screen. 

After  the  reading  of  a  paper  by  Dr.  C.  V.  Kratzer,  of  Read- 
ing, on  "Dental  Dispensaries,"  at  the  final  session  on  Saturday 
morning,  the  election  of  officers  and  announcement  of  com- 
mittees brought  to  a  close  a  most  successful  convention,  re- 
markably so  when  it  is  considered  that  the  National  meeting 
followed  so  closely  upon  it.  The  next  meeting  will  be  held  in 
Pittsburg  in  July  of  next  year.  /.  A^.  B. 


PULP  MUMMIFICATION. 

Editor  of  The  Dental  Brief: — In  the  March,  1900,  num- 
ber of  The  Brief,  I  note  with  a  great  deal  of  interest  your 
editorial  on  "Pulp  Mummification ;"  also  Dr.  Gebhardt's  paper 
on  the  same  subject  read  before  the  Wisconsin  State  Dental 
Society  in  July  last. 

For  the  last  sixteen  months  I  have  been  using  the  same 
formula  for  mummifying  paste,  and,  I  must  say,  with  entire  satis- 
faction— although  my  methods  of  procedure  differ  considerably 
from  those  laid  down  by  Dr.  Soderberg.  I  think  you  will  agree 
that  not  every  operator  can  remove  the  pulp  from  all  and  any 
pulp-chamber,  but  of  course  we  meet  one  occasionally  who 


476  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

claims  to  be  able  to  do  so,  I  can  hardly  believe  that  Dr.  Soder- 
berg  would  have  us  leave  the  contents  of  root-canals  untouched 
and  proceed  to  fill,  either  by  using  mummifying  paste  or  any 
agent  that  might  be  discovered. 

My  method  is  as  follows,  and  I  believe  (after  using  it  in  no 
small  number  of  cases — many  of  them  where  other  methods 
had  failed)  that  I  may  pronounce  it  a  success : 

After  devitalization,  using  the  formula  below  for  nerve 
paste — 

Arsenous  acid, 

Cocain  hydrochlorate,  aa.  gr.  x. 

Carbolic  acid  q.  s.  to  make  a  paste. 

I  open  up  the  pulp-chamber,  thoroughly  removing  all  and 
every  particle  of  the  pulp  possible,  by  use  of  barbed  nerve  ex- 
tractors, etc. — my  aim  being  first,  to  remoye  every  vestige  of 
the  pulp  I  can;  second,  to  know  that  the  pulp  is  totally  devital- 
ized. I  then  check  the  hemorrhage,  if  any,  dry  the  chamber  as 
best  I  can,  wipe  out  with  some  one  of  the  essential  oils  or  Blacks 
I,  2,  3,  introduce  the  mummifying  paste  at  the  consistency  of 
thick  cream,  and  then  insert  gutta-percha  nerve  points  previ- 
ously selected  to  approximate  length  and  diameter  of  pulp- 
canals;  then  wipe  away  all  surplus  paste,  and  cap  canals  with 
best  cement,  after  which  the  permanent  filling  is  introduced.  If 
the  mummifying  paste  becomes  hard  and  brittle,  soften  with  a 
few  drops  of  glycerine. 

I  realize  that  this  method  might  meet  with  success  even 
without  the  use  of  mummifying  paste,  but  if  there  is  one  fibre 
of  the  pulp  left  in  the  canal  I  prefer  to  use  the  paste.  I  am  of 
the  opinion  that  there  can  be  no  shrinking  or  shriveHng  in  cases 
treated  as  above,  because,  first,  we  remove  all  or  most  of  the 
fibrous  matter;  and  second,  we  do  not  fill  the  entire  chamber 
with  mummifying  paste,  but  simply  use  it  to  quiet  a  few  fibres 
that  cannot  be  removed.  A  tooth  can  be  opened  in  twenty 
minutes  should  subsequent  trouble  occur. 

I  think  we  will  all  agree  that  a  pulp-chamber  should  be  filled 
its  entire  length  by  some  substance  that  will  not  disintegrate, 
and  that  is  compatible  with  tooth  structure.  I  only  use  mum- 
mifying paste  when  I  am  in  doubt  as  to  the  removal  of  the 
entire  pulp. 

F.  S.  Child,  D.D.S.,  p^j  Broadway,  New  York  City.. 


OBITUARY.  477 

OBITUARY. 


E.  HENRY  NEALL,  D.D.S. 

On  Sunday  morning,  July  8th,  there  died  one  of  Phila- 
delphia's well-known  dentists,  Dr  E.  Henry  Neall,  in  the  63d 
year  of  his  age,  at  his  late  residence,  114  E.  Washington  Lane, 
Germantown. 

Dr.  Neall  studied  the  art  of  dentistry  in  the  office  of  his 
father,  Dr.  Elijah  M.  Neall,  a  pioneer  in  the  profession.  His 
specialty  was  the  carving  and  baking  of  block  teeth,  and  he  was 
recognized  as  an  expert  along  that  line. 

As  late  as  1899  he  gave  demonstrations  in  that  difficult 
dental  branch  before  the  students  of  the  Medico-Chirurgical 
College. 

Practicing  long  before  a  college  diploma  was  thought 
necessary,  Dr.  Neall  nevertheless,  recognizing  the  advantage  of 
possessing  the  same,  matriculated  in  the  Pennsylvania  College 
of  Dental  Surgery,  from  which  he  graduated  in  1868. 

Many  little  devices  and  labor-saving  tools,  in  connection 
with  his  beloved  profession,  can  be  traced  to  his  ingenuity  and 
fertile  brain.  He  was  ever  active  in  dental  society  work  and 
was  a  member  of  the  old  Pennsylvania  Society,  the  Odonto- 
logical  Society  and  the  Pennsylvania  State  Dental  Society. 

Besides  this,  he  gave  of  his  services  at  frequent  intervals  ta 
the  dental  students,  being  upon  the  clinical  staff  of  both  the 
University  of  Pennsylvania  and  the  Medico-Chirurgical  College. 

Dr.  Neall  was  a  Christian  gentleman  in  the  fullest  sense 
of  the  word.  He  was  a  member  of  Calvary  P.  E.  Church,  Ger- 
mantown, and  an  earnest  worker  in  the  Brotherhood  of  St. 
Andrew. 

During  the  war  he  went  to  the  front  with  the  Christian 
Commission  to  relieve  the  sick  and  suffering  soldiers. 

Dr.  Neall  was  twice  married,  his  first  wife  being  Miss  Eliza- 
beth Enyard  Montgomery,  of  Philadelphia;  his  second  wife, 
formerly  Miss  Emily  L.  White,  also  of  Philadelphia,  survive;^ 
him. 

He  leaves  six  children  by  his  first  wife,  Dr.  Walter  H. 
Neall,  Mrs.  W.  K.  Matsinger,  Robert  M.  Neall,  Mrs.  Charles  J. 
Pilling,  Benjamin  T.  Neall  and  Miss  Edith  Neall. 


478  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

COLLEGE  COMMENCEMENT. 


THE  LOUISVILLE  COLLEGE  OF  DENTISTRY. 

The  fourteenth  annual  commencement  of  the  Louisville 
College  of  Dentistry  was  held  June  27th,  8  p.  m.,  at  Macauley's 
Theatre.  The  graduating  class,  numbering  forty-five,  repre- 
sented tw^elve  different  States.  The  time  of  session  has  been 
changed  and  the  next  term  begins  October  loth. 


PATENTS  RECENTLY  GRANTED  OF  INTEREST  TO 

DENTISTS. 

32715,  Design,  dental  cabinet,  Wm.  E.  Harper,  Chicago,  111. 

650464,  Dental  bite-plate,  Louis  F.  Hough,  Hamilton,  Va. 

650400,  Device  for  swaging  dental  cap-crowns,  George  F. 
Krieger,  assignor  of  one-third  to  A.  B.  Horn,  Chicago,  111. 

650467,  Hand-press  for  making  metal  caps,  George  F. 
Krieger,  assignor  of  one-third  to  A.  B.  Horn,  Chicago,  111. 

650685,  Dental  tooth-crown  stamping  machine,  Norman  S. 
Lea,  Charleston,  S.  C. 

651753,  Dental  compound,  Benjamin  C.  Fowlkes,  Mobile, 
Alabama. 

651469,  Dental  motor,  Oscar  H.  and  A.  F.  Pieper,  Roch- 
ester, N.  Y. 

651388,  Artificial  tooth,  Finis  E.  Roach,  Chicago,  111. 

651922,  Dental  instrument,  Wm.  E.  Harper,  Chicago,  111. 

652047,  Artificial  tooth.  Nelson  T.  Shields  and  G.  F.  Jerni- 
gan.  New  York,  N.  Y. 

652197,  Dental  heater,  Willie  F.  Slack,  Northwood,  N.  H. 

652719,  Fan  attachment  for  dentists'  fountain-spittoons, 
Jacob  F.  Mayer,  assignor  of  one-half  to  J.  M.  Cornyn,  Philadel- 
phia, Pa. 

652404,  Dental  appliance,  Lee  C.  Sharp,  Omaha,  Neb. 

TRADE-MARKS. 

34765,  Certain  named  dentists'  supplies,  Dental  Protective 
Supply  Company  of  the  United  States,  Chicago,  111. 

Copies  of  the  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents 
each  by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  solicitor  of  patents,  Fendall 
building,  Washington,  D.  C. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  479 


In  reply  to  query  number  95  in  the  July  number  of  the 
Dental  Brief  concerning  the  loss  of  a  freshly  devitalized  in- 
ferior cuspid  after  the  canal  had  been  treated  and  filled  with 
cotton  and  cement: 

The  first  question  one  might  ask  is:  Was  all  of  the  pulp 
tissue  removed  from  the  canal?  The  doctor  says  he  removed 
it  with  a  Gates-Glidden  drill,  and  that  he  could  ''get  readily  at 
the  canal,"  not  into  the  canal,  for  he  says  the  cavity  was  in  the 
mesial  surface,  which  might  have  interfered  with  a  direct  line 
of  action  throughout  the  entire  length  of  an  attenuated  and  per- 
haps crooked  canal.  Assuming  that  a  small  quantity  of  dead 
pulp  was  left  in  the  canal  it  is  not  difficult  to  account  for  the 
suppuration  which  followed  five  weeks  after  the  operation. 

The  second  question  is :  Was  the  "cement"  carried  on  a  few 
iibers  of  cotton,  the  best  material  for  immediate  root-canal 
filling? 

The  third  question  is:  Was  the  canal  in  question  filled 
throughout  its  entire  length? 

There  is  probably  no  method  in  vogue  that  will  always 
"positively  and  infallibly"  prevent  such  a  condition  of  afifairs  as 
the  doctor  has  mentioned. 

My  experience,  however,  would  have  prompted  me  in  such 
a  case  to  have  utilized  the  chemico-metallic  method.  Its  supe- 
rior germicidal,  mummifying  and  physical  qualities  would  have 
rendered  such  a  canal  permanently  aseptic,  and  have  very  much 
diminished  the  chances  of  after-trouble. 

Benjamin  W,  Smith,  New  York. 

Apropos  of  question  85  in  the  April  Dental  Brief,  signed 
C.  E.  K.,  concerning  a  right  inferior  bicuspid,  its  treatment  and 
the  after-trouble  which  occurred.  The  fact  that  the  tooth  "was 
loose"  and  that  pus  was  found  at  the  apex  would  seem  to  indi- 
cate eithei:  the  presence  of  a  blind  abscess  or  a  condition  of 
chronic  pericementitis. 

^Underthis  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 

Edited  by  I.  Norvian  Broomcll,  P.D.S.,  1420  Chcshiut  St.,  Phila. 


48o  DSNTAL  BRIEF. 

Of  all  the  semi-dead  teeth  we  are  called  upon  to  treat  the 
first  inferior  bicuspids  are  likely  to  cause  the  most  trouble.  As 
a  rule  a  tooth  containing  a  putrescent  pulp  and  mephitic  gases, 
partially  distended,  tender  to  the  touch,  with  more  or  less  peri- 
cementitis, should  not  be  treated  to  any  very  great  extent  at  the 
first  sitting. 

Open  into  the  pulp  chamber  and  remove  the  pulp  in  the  pulp 
chamber  ojily;  apply  counter  irritation,  if  necessary,  introduce  a 
loose  pellet  of  cotton  and  dismiss  the  patient  for  twenty-four 
hours. 

Where  the  so-called  "blind  abscess"  exists,  or  where  from 
an  internal  putrid  condition  of  the  root-canal  and  the  perice- 
mentum in  an  irritable  condition,  a  predisposition  to  inflame 
makes  after-trouble  very  probable.  The  condition  of  affairs  is 
chronic  or  subacute.  Overmedication,  or  the  premature  and 
careless  introduction  of  steel  broaches  into  the  canal,  in  fact 
anything  which  adds  the  slightest  burden  to  the  unhealthy  and 
irritable  pericementum  is  very  apt  to  lead  up  to  an  acute  stage — 
the  sequel  being  congestion,  inflammation  and  ulceration  of  the 
surrounding  tissues. 

No  system,  however,  was  ever  devised  for  the  treatment 
and  filling  of  root-canals,  in  the  writer's  opinion,  that  will  pre- 
clude the  possibility  of  root  disturbance  in  some  cases  after  the 
filling.  G.  W.  Weld,  D.DS.,  M.D.,  New  York. 

Question  97.  I  would  like  to  have  some  information  on  the 
following  condition,  which  I  think  you  will  admit  frequently 
happens,  and  I  am  sure  I  seldom  see  it  discussed.  In  opening 
up  pulp  canals  which  are  more  or  less  tortuous,  or  in  cases 
where  pulp  stones  are  present,  the  drill  may  pass  through  the 
wall  of  the  root  into  the  process,  resulting  in  more  or  less  in- 
flammation of  a  character  difficult  to  control.  What  is  the 
best  treatment?  /.  Wycliif  Marshall,  Owen  Sound,  Ont. 

Question  98.  Will  you  please  give  your  preferred  method 
for  the  removal  of  a  Richmond  crown?  I  refer  to  a  case  in 
which  the  porcelain  is  broken  and  it  is  desired  to  replace  with 
new  facing. 

Your  question  is  hardly  sufficiently  definite  in  character  to 
give  a  very  decided  answer,  one  that  would  be  applicable  to  all 
teeth.  In  the  first  place  the  tooth  involved  decides  whether  or 
not  the  rotation  method  may  be  employed.  If  the  extremity  of 
the  root  is  almost  a  perfect  circle,  the  method  of  grasping  the 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  481 

remaining  portion  of  the  crown,  that  is  the  metallic  portion, 
with  a  pair  of  extracting  forceps  may  be  used  with  consider- 
able satisfaction,  placing  one  beak  of  the  forceps  against  the  flat 
side  of  the  backing  and  the  other  against  the  convex  body  of 
solder.  By  a  firm  grip  and  with  careful  rotation  the  crown  will 
in  most  instances  gradually  succumb;  of  course  the  amount  of 
force  employed  must  be  limited. 

Another  method,  but  one  which  has  many  disadvantages, 
is  to  drill  through  the  base-plate  of  the  crown  either  from  the 
labial  or  palatal  side,  and  in  this  way  sever  the  post  from  the 
crown  proper.  This  of  course  involves  the  loss  of  the  post  and 
frequently  causes  considerable  trouble  in  its  removal  from  the 
root,  besides  necessitating  the  replacement  of  a  new  pin  to  the 
appliance.  Where  the  crown  is  set  with  gutta-percha,  sufficient 
heat  may  be  applied  to  the  crown  to  soften  the  attaching 
medium  and  the  crown  removed  in  this  way.  The  circum- 
stances are  so  variable  in  such  conditions  that  no  fixed  methods 
can  be  given. 

Question  99.  Within  the  past  two  or  three  years  there  has 
been  published  in  nearly  all  the  dental  journals  a  formula  for 
mummifying  paste,  as  follows: 

R .     Dried  alum, 
Thymol, 

Glycerol aa  3j- 

Zinc  oxid,  q.  s.  ad.  stiff  paste.  M. 

What  is  the  preparation  here  described  as  glycerol?  Geo. 
B.  Evans,  of  Philadelphia,  has  filled  the  prescription  for  me, 
but  none  of  the  other  druggists  seem  to  know  what  the  prep- 
aration is.  They  say  there  are  many  glycerols,  just  as  there  are 
many  tinctures.  /.  C.  A^.,  Altoona,  Pa. 


482  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

i^ractical  joints.* 


A  Preventive  of  Grating  the  Teeth  During  Sleep. — Open  the 
bite  at  night  by  means  of  caps  fitting  over  the  bicuspids  and 
molars.  Items  of  Interest. 

Removal  of  Green  Stain. — Apply  iodin  to  the  stained  sur- 
face, followed  by  weak  aqua  ammonia,  repeating  until  the  stain 
disappears.  Recurrence  will  be  proportioned  to  the  subsequent 
care  given  the  teeth.  ^S.  B.  Palmer,  Ohio  Den.  lour. 

Medicinal  Vapors. — An  excellent  method  of  introducing 
medicinal  vapors  into  root-canals  is  by  heating  an  ordinary 
syringe  in  the  flame  and  then  drawing  a  drop  of  the  medica- 
ment into  the  syringe,  returning  it  as  vapor. 

W.  St.  George  Elliott,  International  Den.  lour. 

To  Prevent  "Gagging." — Bromidin,  in  half  teaspoonful 
doses  every  four  hours  for  two  days  before  operating,  benumbs 
the  sensory  nerve  tips  of  the  buccal  cavity  and  thus  facilitates 
taking  impressions  or  adjustment  of  rubber-dam,  otherwise  im- 
possible, because  of  the  annoying  gagging  peculiar  to  some  in- 
dividuals. Virginia  Medical  Semi-Monthly. 

The  Aqueous  Treatment  of  Sensitive  Dentin. — This  consists 
in  causing  a  continuous  stream  of  water — brought  to  the  tem- 
perature which  experience  has  shown  to  give  the  best  results — 
to  flow  into  the  cavity  while  the  excavation  is  being  performed. 
This  causes  a  remarkable  diminution,  if  not  complete  loss  of 
sensitiveness  in  the  dentin.  Water  at  blood  temperature  will 
give  better  results  than  at  105°  F.,  probably  because  the  latter 
causes  a  dilatation  of  the  capillaries. 

A.  E.  Sykes,  Pa.  Den.  Gazette. 

Cementing  Crowns  and  Bridges. — Having  everything  in  per- 
fect readiness,  warm  the  crown  and  apply  a  thin  coating  of 
chloro-gutta-percha  to  the  post.  The  chloroform  evaporating 
leaves  a  film  of  heated  gutta-percha.  Adjust  the  crown  to  the 
root  and  remove  immediately.  This  shapes  the  gutta-percha  on 
the  post.  Allow  the  crown  to  cool  and  then  cement  to  place  as 
though  no  gutta-percha  had  been  used.  A  crown  so  cemented 
can  be  removed  at  any  time  by  the  application  of  heat  to  the 
metallic  portion  of  the  crown,  communicating  heat  to  the  post 
and  softening  the  sheath  of  gutta-percha. 

Geo.  Evans,  Ohio  Dental  lournal. 


*  Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedlngg,  Bay  St.  Louis, 
Mississippi. 


PIUOTJOAL  POINTS,  4^ 

To  Relieve  Pain  in  a  Socket  after  an  Extraction. — A  small 
quantity  of  powdered  borax  with  very  warm  water  is  often  all 
that  is  required  to  give  relief.  C.  L.  Tool,  Dental  World. 

In  Using  the  Mallet. — If  you  would  have  your  patient  thank 
you,  use  a  piece  of  cork,  trimmed  square,  between  the  teeth 
when  inserting  a  gold  filling.  The  impact  of  the  mallet  blows 
is  less  severe  on  a  tooth  thus  supported  by  a  cushion  of  cork. 

Dental  Hints, 

Soap  as  an  Antiseptic  and  Disinfectant. — From  an  extended 
series  of  experiments  Symes  concludes  that  "*  *  organisms 
which  get  rubbed  into  a  soap  in  the  process  of  washing  hands, 
clothes,  or  other  surfaces,  or  which  may  settle  upon  soap  from 
the  air,  are  not  capable  of  multiplication  thereon."  He  did  not 
find  it  possible  to  grow  moulds  or  bacteria  on  the  surface  of 
soap  kept  under  ordinary  conditions. 

British  Med.  Chir,  Journal. 

Porcelain-faced  Crown;  to  Make  a  Perfect  Joint. — After  the 
crown  is  ground  to  proper  length  and  approximate  point,  when 
investment  is  thoroughly  set,  carefully  remove  porcelain,  char- 
ing away  every  particle  that  might  prevent  its  exact  return  to 
place.  Tear  open  a  gold  cylinder,  No.  ^  or  |,  and  place  in  such 
position  about  the  abutment  in  the  investment  that  the  fibers  of 
gold  will  be  loosely  engaged  between  the  abutment  and  the 
porcelain  when  the  latter  is  again  placed  in  position.  The  pure 
gold  fibers,  if  carefully  adjusted,  will  take  up  the  solder,  and  the 
crown  will  finish  up  without  a  trace  of  space  between  gold  and 
porcelain.  A.  M.  Jackson,  Dental  World. 

Tin  and  Gold  as  Filling  Material. — The  employment  of  tin 
and  gold — one  sheet  of  tin  folded  between  a  varying  number 
of  sheets  of  gold — though  old,  is  but  little  used  at  this  time. 
It  has,  however,  in  many  cases  advantages  over  either  all  gold 
or  all  tin.  The  compound  is  very  malleable,  and  is  readily 
adapted  to  the  walls  of  a  cavity.  The  filling  when  first  com- 
pleted is  less  hard  than  all  gold,  but  much  harder  than  all  tin. 
Through  electro-chemical  action  molecular  change  takes  place, 
and  after  a  few  months  the  entire  mass  becomes  harder  than 
amalgam,  over  which  it  has  the  advantage  that  it  neither  shrinks 
nor  expands.  It  is  rapidly  introduced,  thereby  saving  time  and 
fatigue  to  both  patient  and  operator.  Its  therapeutic  action,  its 
great  adaptability,  its  lack  of  conductivity,  and  the  rapidity  with 
which  cavities  can  be  filled,  with  no  necessity  for  the  rubber- 
dam,  make  its  use  especially  desirable  for  the  teeth  of  children 
up  to  the  age  of  15,  for  which,  in  the  great  majority  of  cases^ 
fifold  is  the  least  desirable  filling  material. 

A.  Hugenschmidt,  Rcviic  de  Stomafologie. 


484  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Finishing  Gutta-Percha  Fillings. — Hot  vaseline  is  a  solvent 
of  gutta-percha,  and  is  useful  in  trimming  gutta-percha  fillings. 
Apply  the  vaseline  and  use  a  warmed  burnisher. 

L.  Van  Orden,  Items  of  Interest. 

Germicide;  Acetic  Acid. — The  investigations  of  Drs.  Abbott 
and  McCormick,  of  the  Johns  Hopkins  University,  show  that  a 
solution  containing  7  per  cent,  of  acetic  acid  is  more  effective 
as  a  germicide  than  bichlorid  of  mercury. 

Items  of  Interest. 

Overcoming  Nausea. — In  case  of  nausea  arising  from  taking 
impressions,  placing  the  rubber-dam,  or  even  pregnancy,  a  2 
per  cent,  solution  of  cocain,  blown  directly  up  the  nostrils  by 
means  of  compressed  air,  so  as  to  have  the  fluid  in  contact  with 
the  olfactory  nerves,  will  often  relieve  the  severest  case  of 
retching.  ^.  Freeman,  International  Den.  Jour. 

To  Restore  Badly  Decayed  Root  for  Crowning. — Drill  canal 
as  for  pin;  trim  orange  wood  stick  to  fit  canal;  coat  the  stick 
with  thin  film  of  wax.  Having  the  canal  dry  and  amalgam 
mixed,  insert  the  waxed  stick  in  the  canal  and  pack  amalgam 
around  it,  filling  flush  with  gum  margin.  After  amalgam  has 
set,  remove  the  waxed  stick  and  proceed  as  required. 

C.  L.  Tool,  Dental  World. 

To  Sharpen  Files. — Wash  with  soap  and  a  stiff  brush,  and 
immerse  in  a  mixture  of 

Nitric  acid  i  part. 

Sulfuric  acid 3  parts. 

Water i  part. 

Let  them  remain  in  the  fluid  until  well  cut;  then  wash  in 
lime  water.  Dental  Hints. 

A  Metallic  Shell-Die  for  Rubber  Plates. — Take  two  impres- 
sions. Varnish  the  better  one  and  set  aside  to  dry.  In  the 
other  pour  a  model,  to  which  carefully  adjust  Stuck's  tin,  32  to 
34  gauge.  Do  this  with  the  fingers,  using  spunk  in  foil  carriers 
to  bring  to  close  adaptation.  Cut  and  lap  if  inclined  to  pucker 
in  places.  When  satisfactorily  fitted,  transfer  the  tin  plate  to 
the  other  impression,  forcing  it  into  every  depression  and  un- 
dercut, using  spunk,  ball  burnisher,  etc.,  if  necessary.  Remove 
the  impression  and  you  have  an  ideal  model.  After  waxing  up 
the  teeth,  and  when  the  case  is  ready  for  the  flask,  place  another 
piece  of  tin  over  the  whole,  burnishing  close  to  the  teeth.  Vul- 
canize between  these  two  metallic  surfaces  and  you  will  have  a 
dense,  tough,  flexible  plate  with  rugae  plainly  defined  and  the 
results  such  as  are  not  attainable  by  any  other  method. 

W.  K.  Slater,  Dental  Headlight. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  485 

Compressed  Air  in  Bleaching  Teeth. — In  bleaching  teeth  I 
find  that  by  the  appHcation  of  hot  air  at  high  pressure  I  am  able 
to  produce  the  required  conditions  in  one-half  the  usual  time, 
rapidly  evaporating  pyrozone  25  per  cent,  and  forcing  it  into 
the  tubuli.  S.  Freeman,  International  Den.  Jour. 

Cleansing  from  Borax. — Borax  can  be  removed  from  porce- 
lain and  gold  by  boiling  in  commercial  muriatic  acid,  full 
strength.  To  protect  the  facings  from  borax  coat,  previous  to 
investing,  with  a  paint  composed  of  yellow  ochre  four  parts, 
boracic  acid  one  part,  mixed  with  boiling  water. 

/.  L.  Young,  Dental  Register. 

What  to  do  with  Retained  Deciduous  Teeth. — We  should,  in 
the  absence  of  certain  knowledge,  hesitate  to  remove  retained 
deciduous  lateral  incisors,  their  retention  often  indicating  that 
their  successors  are  non-extant.  Retention  of  temporary  cus- 
pids, however,  often  results  from  impaction  of  the  permanent 
teeth.  R.  Ottolengui,  Items  of  Interest. 

Filling  Root-canals  of  Deciduous  Teeth. — When  the  root 
canals  of  deciduous  teeth  have  been  filled  absorption  ceases. 
The  teeth  should  therefore  be  kept  non-occluded  by  the  use  of 
the  carborundum  wheel  from  time  to  time,  as  suggested  by  Dr. 
J.  Y.  Crawford.  They  will  then  be  gradually  extruded  from  the 
socket;  otherwise  abnormal  eruption,  or  impaction,  of  the  per- 
manent teeth  may  result.      W.  J.  Morrison,  Dental  Headlight. 

Painless  Pulp  Removal. — Living  pulp  possessing  all  its 
physiological  functions,  and  not  having  previously  received 
escharotic  treatment,  may  be  painlessly  removed  as  follows: 
Apply  to  the  pulp  a  pellet  of  cotton  saturated  with  hydrochlorate 
of  cocain  in  90  per  cent,  alcohol.  Absorb  excess  of  alcohol, 
dry  with  hot-air  current  and  stop  the  cavity  with  gutta-percha, 
compressing  the  cotton  upon  the  pulp.  After  ten  minutes 
the  anaesthetized  pulp  may  be  painlessly  removed. 

H.  Rodier,  La  Revue  de  Stomatologie. 

A  Removable  Bridge. — For  those  cases  in  which  it  is  desir- 
able to  avoid  shaping  the  teeth  of  abutment  for  the  reception  of 
caps,  a  removable  single  tooth  bridge  can  be  constructed  by 
using  a  double  loop  clasp  of  platinum  wire  so  shaped  that  one 
wire  rests  on  the  tooth  just  above  the  gum,  the  other  just  above 
the  bulge  of  the  tooth,  the  bridge  being  further  supported  bv 
very  small  spuds  resting  upon  the  edge  of  the  occlusal  surface. 
A  saddle  of  very  soft  platinum  No.  33  is  swaged  to  the  plaster 
model,  and  stiffened  by  flowing  gold  over  it.  Tliis  is  especially 
adapted  for  the  replacement  of  single  molars. 

Howard  T.  Stewart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 


486  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Finishing  Amalgam  Fillings. — After  filling  is  trimmed  to 
shape  and  contour,  burnish  all  over  with  warm  (not  hot)  bur- 
nishers. The  result  will  be  surprising  to  those  who  had  not  tried 
this  method.  W.  Mitchell,  Dental  Reviczv. 

Pulp  Protection. — A  paste  of  hydronapthol  with  oxid 
powder  and  a  couple  of  drops  of  oil  of  cloves  and  creosote  is 
excellent  practice  to  prevent  consequent  irritation  that  might 
otherwise  follow  the  insertion  of  a  filling  ever  nearly  exposed 
pulp.  Grafton  Monroe,  The  Bur. 

A  Simple  Compressed  Air  Apparatus. — To  a  small  motor 
which  runs  a  fan  in  summer,  or  a  grinding  and  polishing  appa- 
ratus, I  connected  a  small  bicycle  pump,  which  pumps  air  into 
a  reservoir  containing  ten  gallons.  This  gives  a  pressure  of 
ten  pounds,  which  I  find  sufficient. 

W.  St.  George  Elliott,  International  Den.  Jour. 

Charcoal  in  Immediate  Root-canal  Filling  of  Abscessed  Teeth. 

— Finding  it  difficult  to  pulverize  the  charcoal  points  after  in- 
troduction into  the  canal  I  have  used  thoroughly  pulverized 
charcoal  mixed  with  creosote  with  great  success,  and  have 
as  yet  to  record  a  single  failure. 

/.  H.  Darham,  Pacific  Dental  Gasette. 

The  Operating  Stool. — For  all  operations  upon  the  teeth,  ex- 
cept the  introduction  of  filling  material,  I  use  the  ball  and  socket 
stool  of  Ransom,  &  Randolph  make.  This  stool  yields  to  every 
movement  of  the  body,  in  any  direction,  a  feature  which  I  find 
very  advantageous.  While  filling  a  cavity  I  use  an  ordinary 
revolving  desk-stool,  with  rim  for  foot  support.  The  preparation 
of  a  cavity  requires  many  movements  and  changes  of  position, 
while  no  great  amount  of  force  is  to  be  used.  For  inserting  the 
filling  we  need  a  firmi,  steady  position.  Hence  the  advantage  of 
the  different  stools. 

Hozvard  T.  Stewart,  Mississippi  Dental  Association,  ipoo. 

Tin  and  Gold;  Coloration. — Fillings  of  mixed  tin  and  gold — 
one  of  tin  to  six  of  gold — will  retain  permanently  the  color  of 
Roman  gold — a  pale  greenish  tint — laying  a  sheet  of  tin  on 
three  of  gold  and  covering  with  three  more  of  gold;  Abbey's 
non-cohesive  No.  4  and  White's  tin-foil  No.  4.  Cut  in  four  or 
five  strips,  and  then,  in  suitable  lengths,  rolling  between  the 
fingers  to  form  cylinders  and  avoiding  exposure  of  the  tin.  In 
finishing  the  filling  burnishers  must  not  be  used,  or  the  color  of 
the  tin  will  be  brought  out.  Simply  polish  with  an  instrument  of 
copper  or  wood,  with  pumice  powder.  This  must  be  done  im- 
mediately, or  the  filling  will  become  permanently  dark. 

A.  Htigenschmidt,  Revue  de  Stomatologie. 


MISCELLANY.  487 


Presbyatrics. — This  is  a  name  proposed  for  a  new  specialty 
in  medicine  devoted  to  the  study  of  the  diseases  and  conditions 
affecting  the  aged.  As  we  have  now  a  special  branch  known  as 
paediatrics,  there  is  no  reason  why,  if  the  diseases  of  the  young 
are  specially  studied,  the  conditions  affecting  old  age  should  be 
overlooked. 

Ice  Water  Without  Ice. — To  get  ice-cold  water  in  places 
where  there  is  no  ice  wrap  a  porous  jug  in  wet  flannel;  wrap  it 
all  around,  leaving  no  place  exposed  to  the  air;  place  it,  filled 
with  water,  in  an  open  window  exposed  to  all  the  air  there  is. 
Keep  the  flannel  wet.  In  an  hour  the  water  in  the  jug  will  be 
as  cold  as  if  it  had  been  iced.  Pediatrics. 

Artificial  sponges  are  being  made  in  Germany  by  Dr.  Gustav 
Pum,  of  Graz.  His  experiments  are  based  upon  the  action  of 
zinc  chlorid  solution  upon  pure  cellulose,  says  The  Trade  Jour- 
nal's Review.  The  resultant  product  swells  enormously  with 
water,  but  turns  to  a  horn-like  substance  on  drying.  In  order 
to  retain  for  the  product  the  property  for  also  absorbing  water 
after  drying,  alkali-haloids  are  employed  in  treating  the  cellu- 
lose with  the  zinc  chlorid.  The  mass  after  manipulation  and 
molding  is  said  to  take  the  place  of  sponge  in  all  its  uses.  It  is 
claimed  that  a  real  rubber  substitute  may  come  from  this  field. 

Celery  as  a  Vehicle  of  Infection. — The  dangers  of  typhoid 
from  truck  gardens,  with  their  free  use  of  fertilizers  from  all 
sources,  has  been  often  pointed  out.  A  rather  striking  object- 
lesson  is  reported  from  one  of  the  Eastern  States,  where  an  epi- 
demic of  fever  occurred  in  one  of  the  State  institutions.  It  was 
found  that  the  disease  could  apparently  be  traced  to  the  use  of 
celery  grown  on  some  sewage-fertilized  grounds,  the  practice 
of  banking  up  the  stalks  making  these  plants  specially  adapted 
to  receiving  and  holding  the  germs.  As  soon  as  the  use  of  the 
plant  was  stopped  the  epidemic  diminished,  and  finally  ceased 
altogether.  These  facts  indicate  the  need  of  a  caution  in  using 
this  popular  vegetable,  which,  with  its  corrugated  stems,  etio- 
lated by  banking  up  with  earth  often  saturated  with  fertilizers 
of  one  kind  or  another,  and  generally  eaten  raw,  might  very 
possibly  carry  the  germs  of  disease.  The  danger  is  not  great, 
or  we  would  hear  more  of  it,  but  that  it  may  exist  occasionally 
the  above  case  seems  to  prove.  It  is  not  intended  here  to  ad- 
vise against  the  eating  of  celery,  but  only  to  suggest  that  it  be 
well  cleansed  first,  and  to  call  the  attention  of  physicians  to  what 
may  be  a  possible  cause  of  some  rare  cases  of  disease  of  obscure 
etiology. 


488  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Vinegar  in  Syphilis. — The  Medical  Sentinel  says:  ''When 
about  to  examine  a  septic  case  or  where  syphilis  is  suspected, 
wash  the  hands  in  vinegar  or  dilute  acetic  acid,  and  the  smart- 
ing will  quickly  disclose  any  little  scratches  or  abrasions  in  the 
skin  which  might  become  starting  points  of  infection,  to  which 
collodion  may  be  applied." 

Prevention  of  Death  From  Chloroform. — In  France,  when  a 
patient  is  under  chloroform,  on  the  slightest  symptoms  appear- 
ing of  failure  of  the  heart,  they  turn  him  nearly  upside  down — 
that  is,  with  his  head  downward  and  his  heels  in  the  air.  This, 
they  say,  always  restores  him;  and  such  is  their  faith  in  the 
efficacy  of  this  method  that  the  operating  tables  in  the  Paris 
hospitals  are  made  so  that  in  an  instant  they  can  be  elevated 
with  one  end  in  the  air,  so  as  to  bring  the  patient  into  a  posi- 
tion resembling  that  of  standing  on  his  head.  Exchange. 

The  Chemistry  of  Perfumes. — An  interesting  branch  of 
chemistry  is  that  which  is  concerned  with  the  manufacture  of 
perfumes.  In  most  cases  these  substances  are  high-boiling  oils, 
which  are  complex  mixtures  of  a  number  of  compounds,  and 
unt-il  quite  recently  they  were  obtained  exclusively  from  flowers. 
The  essential  principles  which  give  the  perfumes  their  value 
belong  to  a  class  of  organic  compounds  known  as  terpenes,  and 
it  is  now  possible  to  produce  these  essential  principles  instead  of 
mere  imitations.  Within  ten  years  wonderful  progress  has 
b)een  made  in  experiments  dealing  with  the  terpenes  by  such 
chemists  as  Wallach,  Baeyer,  and  Tieman,  and  it  is  now  known 
that  nearly  every  substance  having  the  properties  of  a  perfume 
has  in  its  molecule  certain  atomic  groups,  whose  presence  has  a 
marked  effect  upon  the  odor.  The  more  Important  of  these 
groups  are  the  aldehyde,  ketone,  ester,  ether,  and  alcohol 
groups. 

Holocain. — ^This  is  a  synthetic  product,  related  to  phenacetin, 
so  that  its  name  is  merely  imitative  of  cocain,  which  in  many 
cases  it  may  supplant.  Its  salt,  the  hydrochlorid,  is  soluble  to 
about  twO'  and  a  half  per  cent,  in  cold  water,  and  should  be  applied 
in  a  one  per  cent,  acqueous  solution.  It  has  particular  advantages 
for  the  general  practitioner.  In  removing  foreign  bodies  from  the 
conjunctiva  or  cornea,  for  instance,  it  is  better  than  cocain,  as  it 
acts  quicker,  causes  little  pain,  does  not  dilate  the  pupil,  in  tem- 
porary use  effects  corneal  epithelium  less,  produces  no  ischemia, 
to  be  followed  by  hyperemia.  It  is  somewhat  antiseptic  (enough 
to  keep  itself,  at  least),  and  can  be  sterilized  by  boiling,  with  no 
disturbance  of  chemical  composition.  It  must  not  be  injected 
hypodermatically,  nor  be  applied  to  other  than  ocular  mucous 
membrane,  as  it  is  systematically  poisonous.  It  must  be  prepared 
and  kept  in  porcelain,  not  glass,  as  the  alkali  of  the  glass  in- 
fluences it. — Med.  News. 


MISCELLANY,  489 

Patient — Oh,  doctor,  I'm  afraid  I'm  pretty  well  at  death's 
door! 

Doctor — Don't  you  worry,  my  dear  sir;  we'll  pull  you 
through. 

A  New  Pulping  Machine. — Dr.  Silas  C.  Blaisdell,  of  the 
Eastern  District  Hospital,  Brooklyn,  performed  an  operation 
lately  on  eleven-year-old  William  Foley,  and  took  about  one 
and  a  half  pounds  of  wood  pulp  from  the  boy's  intestines.  The 
boy  had  been  ill  for  several  weeks,  and  for  a  while  physicians 
were  unable  to  diagnose  his  ailment.  He  finally  acknowledged 
that  he  had  been  in  the  habit  of  chewing  wood  and  swallowing 
the  pulp.     The  physicians  say  he  will  recover. 

Roentgen  Ray  Diagnosis. — According  to  Dr.  Lewis  Jones,  of 
St.  Bartholomew's  Hospital,  London,  who  recently  presented  a 
paper  on  medical  electricity  before  the  Institution  of  Electrical 
Engineers  of  Great  Britain,  it  is  possible  to  diagnose  pulmo- 
nary consumption  and  some  other  disease  of  the  chest  more 
satisfactorily,  and  at  an  earlier  stage  of  the  disease,  by  means 
of  the  X-rays  than  is  possible  with  the  stethoscope.  In  one  case 
mentioned  by  Dr.  Jones,  an  X-ray  photograph  showed  clearly 
the  presence  of  tubercles  in  the  lung,  where  the  ordinary  meth- 
ods of  auscultation  and  percussion  had  given  uncertain  results. 

Cause  of  Cancer. — Roswell  Park  (Buffalo  Medical  Journal, 
March,  1900),  in  discussing  the  cause  of  cancer,  gives  it  as  his 
personal  opinion  that  cancer  is  of  parasitic  origin.  Not  one 
parasite,  but  probably  many,  are  responsible  for  the  various 
malignant  growths.  In'their  labors  at  the  State  Laboratory  in 
Buffalo,  they  have  received  increasing  confirmation  of  this  be- 
lief. They  have  found  in  all  carcinomata  certain  bodies  re- 
sembling fat,  but  which  are  not  soluble  in  ether  or  alcohol. 
These  are  the  bodies  described  by  H.  G.  Plimmer  in  the  April 
number  of  the  London  Practitioner,  1899.  Park  says  that  in  their 
recent  work,  in  which  cancer-tumors  are  introduced  into  living 
animals,  they  were  able  to  find  these  bodies  in  large  num- 
bers in  the  enlarged  lymph-nodes  of  the  animals.  They  have 
been  able  in  one  case  to  produce  a  true  adenocarcinoma  in  an 
animal  by  inoculation  with  fluid  from  the  peritoneal  cavity  of  -. 
man  suffering  from  colloid  cancer  of  the  omentum.  In  this 
fluid  was  found  an  organism  which  apparently  belongs  to  the 
yeast  group,  but  which  they  were  unable  to  cultivate.  The 
laboratory  is  in  possession  of  pathogenic  yeasts  which  various 
investigators  have  isolated  from  cancer,  and  experiments  are 
being  performed  with  them.  These  organisms  are  exceedingly 
polymorphic  and  difficult  to  deal  with. 

Philadelphia  Medical  Journal. 


490  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Medicine  as  a  Business  Proposition.  By  Dr.  G.  Frank 
Lydston. — This  article,  which  is  amusing  and  instructive,  may 
be  summed  up  in  the  opening  words:  So  hve  that  when  thy  sum- 
mons comes  to  join  the  innumerable  caravan  which  moves  to 
that  mysterious  bourne  peopled  by  doctors  who  have  died  of 
innutrition,  thou  go  not  like  the  general  practitioner  called  at 
night,  scourged  from  his  office,  but,  sustained  and  soothed  by 
the  motto  ''Never  trust,"  approach  the  grave  like  one  who 
wraps  his  stocks  and  bonds  about  him  and  lies  down  to  pleas- 
ant dreams.  New  York  Medical  Journal. 


Horseflesh  as  a  Food. — France  is  not  the  only  country  where 
horseflesh  is  popular;  in  Denmark  it  is  preferred  by  many  peo- 
ple to  beef.  Hippie  butchers  at  Copenhagen  have  been  in  exist- 
ence since  1830,  and  in  Belgium  for  twenty  years.  In  Germany 
and  Austria  business  is  brisk  in  horse-meat  preparations,  and  is 
becoming  more  so  every  year.  England  is  still  reluctant  about 
accepting  the  new  aliment  and  classes  that  kind  of  food  along- 
side snails  and  frogs.  The  first  hippie  butchers  in  Paris  were 
only  established  in  1866;  ever  since  that  special  trade  is  legally 
carried  on,  and  is  considerably  increasing,  as  demonstrated  by 
municipal  statistics — so  much  so  that  to-day  over  five  thousand 
tons  of  horseflesh  are  consumed  annually  in  Paris,  sold  by  sixty 
licensed  horse-butchers,  who  receive  supplies  from  tv/o  special 
hippie  slaughter  houses,  both  outside  the  city  proper.  In  both 
these  abattoirs  the  sanitation  is  faultless,  while  the  inspection  of 
the  meat  itself  is  of  the  severest  and  most  satisfactory  nature, 
the  same  as  for  oxen,  sheep  and  pigs.  Sanitary  Record. 

Liquid  Albolene. — Coblentz  {The  ISfewer  Remedies)  describes 
liquid  albolene  as  a  colorless,  tasteless  and  odorless  fluid,  con- 
siderably lighter  than  water,  and  having  the  additional  advan- 
tages that  it  does  not  congeal  nor  become  rancid  and  is  not  de- 
composed either  by  acids  or  alkalies.  It  has  all  the  desirable 
qualities  of  a  lubricant,  and  is  especially  esteemed  as  a  spray  in 
the  treatment  of  nasal  and  aural  affections.  Besides  being  per- 
fectly bland,  it  is  an  excellent  solvent  of  nearly  every  medica- 
ment used  in  the  treatment  of  these  ailments.  It  forms  clear 
solutions  with  stronger  ether,  chloroform,  oil  of  turpentine,  oleic 
acid,  benzol,  toluol,  carbon  bisulphid,  etc.  Owing  to  its  light- 
ness, it  is  easily  applied  to  mucous  cavities  by  means  of  an  ordi- 
nary hand  atomizer.  It  is  also  frequently  employed  as  a  lubri- 
cant to  facilitate  making  a  digital  examination  or  passing  an 
instrument.  As  a  light,  oily  base  for  the  application  of  essential 
oils,  benzoin,  camphor,  hydrastis  and  similar  remedies  in  the 
most  efficient  sprays,  liquid  albolene  is  ideal.  Having  itself  no 
definite  chemical  or  physiological  action,  it  is  a  suitable  vehicle 
for  the  most  delicate  and  active  medicaments. 


THE 

DENTAL   BRIEF. 

Vol.  v.  PHILADEI.PHIA,  SEPTEMBER,  1900.  No.  9 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


Precisely  at  ten  o'clock  on  the  morn- 
®r  QBroomeffB       '"^  °^  J"'^  ^^'^  "'^  ^ood  ship  "La  Cham- 
*«r(^£e«e.en        P^^«"    1^^'.  her  /noorings     and    passing 
(Boufe<oflie3n(er.     ^°™\*"  river    through  the  bay  and  by 
f      f  ©    f  f  Island   Light  went  out  to   the   open 

^  sea  endowed  with    all    the    confidence    of 

the  modern  ocean  liner.  The  ship  was 
bound  for  Havre,  but  a  majority  of  her 
passengers  were  on  their  way  to  Paris,  to  which  point,  it  is 
said,  all  roads  lead  this  summer.  One  of  the  important  features 
in  connection  with  the  great  expositions  of  recent  years  has  been 
that  of  a  place  of  meeting  for  scientific  bodies,  and  I  had  not 
been  long  on  shipboard  before  being  impressed  with  the  fact 
that  the  International  Exposition  at  Paris  would  be  no  excep- 
tion to  the  established  custom.  Among  my  fellow  passengers 
were  representatives  to  the  International  Medical  Congress,  the 
Assembly  of  Civil  and  Mechanical  Engineers,  the  World's  Meet- 
ing of  Pharmacists,  the  Congress  of  Physicists,  the  Women's 
Congress,  etc.  This  coming  together  of  all  people  of  all  nations 
and  of  all  tongues  has  for  its  purpose  a  common  exhibit  of  the 
supreme  achievements  of  mankind,  and  such  an  assemblage 
becomes,  for  the  time  being,  deeply  conscious  of  its  unity. 

To  many  on  board  life  on  a  French 
^ome  Seafurec  of  a     liner  is  a  revelation,  and  to  not  a  few  it 
^ea  Cpogage.  has  proven  a  wholesome  lesson  in  methods 

and  politeness.  With  five  meals  a  day,  the 
stomach  never  lacks  for  that  which  the  French  claim  is  need- 
ful for  its  functional  sustenance — work.  Such  an  experience  is 
from  first  to  last  an  immense  novelty;  the  Frenchman,  in  his 

491 


492  DEXTAL  BRIEF. 

effort  to  master  English,  is  equally  amusing  with  the  American 
struggling  with  French ;  the  German,  with  a  determination  to 
accomplish  both  is  only  surpassed  in  his  linguistic  enthusiasm 
by  the  Italian  who  struggles  with  all  three.  Everywhere  about 
the  steamer,  on  deck,  in  the  salon  or  fumoir,  this  "confusion  of 
tongues"  is  the  amusing  feature  of  the  voyage. 

One  of  the  most  interesting  individ- 
$6e  ^3iy  "  "^Is  on  board  is  the  ship  physician,  Je 
^^gfiician.  docteur,  L.  JuUian.     Of    French    birth    and 

education,  this  gentleman,  by  his  continual 
association  with  other  nationalities,  has  acquired  a  fair  knowl- 
edge of  many  languages,  and  a  brief  interview  with  him  proved 
to  be  of  considerable  interest.  Naturally  the  first  question 
propounded  was  one  relative  to  the  most  frequent  pathological 
conditions  met  with  on  board  a  transatlantic  steamer.  With 
a  characteristic  shrug  of  the  shoulders,  accompanied  by  many 
nervous  gesticulations,  the  doctor  replied :  ''Ah ;  of  course, 
sea-sickness  among  the  passengers,  and  minor  surgery  in  case 
of  accident  to  the  employes;  besides  there  is  always  a  limited 
number  of  poor  souls  among  the  steerage  from  New  York  to 
Havre,  who,  in  bygone  years,  with  light  hearts  and  bright  pros- 
pects, have  emigrated  to  America,  and  after  months,  or  perhaps 
years,  of  struggle  find  their  hopes  blasted,  their  constitutions 
shattered,  and  as  a  final  satisfaction  are  going  home  to  die. 
Many  of  them  require  careful  and  constant  attention,  and  not 
infrequently  they  succumb  before  reaching  their  destination." 
''What  about  dentistry  in  France?  Are  all  the  successful 
dentists  those  who  have  received  their  dental  education  in 
America?" 

"No,  no,  no;  not  at  the  present  time;  no,  no.  A  few  years 
ago  only  the  American  dentist  was  recognized;  but  not  soi  now; 
the  French  dental  schools  have  revolutionized  the  profession  in 
that  country,  and  young  men  are  no  longer  compelled  toi  have, 
nor  does  the  public  demand,  American  training." 

One  evening,    while   in   the    fumoir,  I 
(5  iM  mi^  became    acquainted    with    Dr.    Reveire,    a 

®r.  QReueire.  celebrated  French    speciaHst,   and   the   de- 

scription and  history  of  some  of  the  French 
colleges  and  universities,  as  given  by  him,  I  will  attempt  to  re- 
late. As  early  as  1530  Francis  I.  founded  the  College  de 
France,  and  this  institution,  while  primarily  designed  for  the 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  493 

teaching  of  languages,  has  of  recent  years  developed  into  a 
school  of  medicine,  mathematics  and  the  sciences  generally. 
The  College  de  France  is  practically  the  outgrowth  from  two 
minor  institutions,  the  Trequier  and  Cumbrai  Colleges,  which 
originally  occupied  the  present  site.  The  college  maintains 
about  forty  professional  chairs,  ten  of  which  are  devoted  to 
medicine.  In  the  medical  school  much  account  is  made  of  the 
teaching  of  specialties,  and  while  there  is  no  department  de- 
voted to  dentistry,  this  specially  receives  careful  attention  from 
those  chairs  most  closely  associated  with  it,  and  it  is  thought 
that  in  the  near  future  a  distinct  dental  school  will  be  estab- 
lished. 

One  evening,  while  in  the  fiimoir,  I  became  acquainted  with 
Dr.  Reveire,  a  celebrated  French  specialist,  and  the  description 
and  history  of  some  of  the  French  colleges  and  universities,  as 
given  by  him,  I  will  attempt  to  relate.  As  early  as  1530  Francis  I. 
founded  the  College  de  France,  and  this  institution,  while  pri- 
marily designed  for  the  teaching  of  languages,  has  of  recent 
years  developed  into  a  school  of  medicine,  mathematics  and  the 
sciences  generally.  The  College  de  France  is  practically  the 
outgrowth  from  two  minor  institutions,  the  Trequier  and 
Cumbrai  Colleges,  which  originally  occupied  the  present  site. 
The  college  maintains  about  forty  professional  chairs,  ten  of 
which  are  devoted  to  medicine.  In  the  medical  school  much 
account  is  made  of  the  teaching  of  specialties,  and  while  there 
is  no  department  devoted  to  dentistry,  this  specially  receives 
careful  attention  from  those  chairs  most  closely  associated  with 
it,  and  it  is  thought  that  in  the  near  future  a  distinct  dental 
school  will  be  established. 

One  feature  of  this  school  not  common  to  most  institutions 
of  learning  is  the  course  of  free  lectures  given  from  December 
to  July.  These  lectures  are  open  to  men  and  women  alike,  and 
include  the  subjects  of  history,  philosophy,  physics,  literature, 
etc.  It  was  in  one  of  the  laboratories  of  this  college  that  Dr 
Claud  Bernard,  the  creator  of  modern  physiology,  and  the 
founder  of  experimental  medicine,  labored  for  many  years. 

Another  educational  institution  with  an  interesting  history 
is  the  Sorbonne,  founded  in  1256  by  St.  Louis,  receiving  its  name 
from  one  of  its  early  patrons,  Sorbon.  This  school  in  its  early 
days  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  theology,  but  rapidly  devel- 
oped into  an  academy  of  much  power  throuqlunit  continental 


ORIOI-NAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  495 

Europe.  For  a  period  it  was  the  recognized  seat  of  the  Uni- 
versity of  France,  but  recently  its  jurisdiction  has  been  limited 
to  Paris.  It  embraces  five  separate  faculties,  the  faculty  of 
medicine  being  installed  in  a  building  especially  constructed 
and  equipped.  Here,  too,  the  lectures  are  free  and  public.  No 
special  course  is  provided  for  the  dental  specialist,  but  careful 
and  systematic  preparatory  training  is  accorded  prospective 
students  in  dentistry. 

Dr.  Reveire  was  questioned  regarding  the  past  and  present 
of  the  American  dentist  in  France,  and  his  reply  was  directly 
adverse  to  that  given  by  Dr.  Jullian.  "The  legitimate  American 
dentist  has  for  many  years  occupied  the  foremost  place  in  his 
profession  in  the  French  Republic,  and  especially  in  the  city  of 
Paris,  and  at  the  present  time  the  same  distinction  is  accorded 
him." 

"How  do  you  account  for  such  a  condition,  doctor?" 
"The  average  French  dentist  pollutes  his  profession  by  his 
niggardly  fee  system,  in  most  instances  being  fifty  per  cent,  less 
than  his  American  brother." 

"How  are  the  deserving  poor  provided  for?" 
"Very  many  dentists  have  free  consultations  for  indigent 
persons,  and  in  this  respect  the  French  dentist  is  deserving  of 
much  praise." 

Among  the  gentlemen  on  board  en 
©efegafee  fo  t^t  route  to  the  Medical  Congress  the  physician 
(JPebicaf  ^ongreBB.  of  general  practice  was  not  to  be  found, 
but  the  rhinologist,  gynecologist,  oph- 
thalmologist, etc.,  each  in  his  own  way  representing  the  ever- 
increasing  disposition  to  speciaHze,  were  strongly  in  evidence. 
In  conversation  with  one  of  these  medical  specialists  the  ques- 
tion was  asked  if,  in  his  opinion,  the  time  would  ever  come  in 
which  the  practice  of  medicine  would  be  entirely  in  the  hands 
of  specialists?  He  replied:  "No;  such  a  change  is  an  impos- 
sibility." "Why  is  it  an  impossibility?"  "Because  the  smaller 
cities  and  towns  throughout  the  country  cannot  support  such 
specialists."  "Will  it  ever  take  place  in  the  large  cities?" 
"Yes,  it  undoubtedly  will  to  a  very  great  extent ;  but  even  here 
the  general  practitioner  will  always  be  found.  In  recent  years 
the  tendency  has  been  in  polyclinic  courses  to  impart  to  the 
general  practitioner  a  fair,  and  in  many  instances  a  complete 
knowledge  of  special  practice."     How  can  you  account  for  the 


1 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  497 

birth  of  a  new  specialty?"  "Undoubtedly  the  development  of 
asepsis  and  antisepsis  and  a  better  understanding  of  pathology 
are  responsible  for  any  specialty,  new  or  old.  One  specialty 
brings  on  another ;  thus,  when  surgery  married  obstetrics,  gyn- 
ecology was  born.  Of  course  there  are  some  specialties  which 
have  developed  regardless  of  aseptic  methods.  Take  the  spe- 
cialty of  ophthalmology;  this  has  been  the  outcome  of  an  ad- 
vanced knowledge  of  the  pathological  anatomy  of  the  eye,  to- 
gether with  the  mechanical  methods  of  treatment,  of  refraction, 
etc.  The  specialty  of  internal  medicine  is  the  result  of  new 
cHnical  methods,  a  clearer  reading  of  symptoms  and  a  conse- 
quent advance  in  diagnosis."  *'You  have  spoken  of  the  various 
medical  specialties;  why  do  you  not  refer  to,  or  include,  den- 
tistry or  the  stomatologist?"  ''Dentistry  is  best  compared  with 
ophthalmology,  and  neither  should  be  recognized  as  a  specialty 
of  medicine,  because  they  do  not  involve  the  saving  of  human 
life."  'T  am  afraid  you  do  not  appreciate  the  full  scope  of  the 
dental  practitioner  of  the  present  age."  ''Oh,  yes,  I  do,  fully; 
but  just  as  soon  as  any  pathological  condition  in  the  teeth 
or  within  the  mouth  becomes  of  serious  importance,  or  suf- 
ficiently so  to  endanger  life,  the  case  should  at  once  be  trans- 
ferred to  the  physician."  "Don't  you  think  it  possible  for  the 
dental  man  to  sufhciently  acquaint  himself  with  all  the  com- 
plications that  might  arise  from  some  aggravated  dental  or  oral 
lesion,  to  permit  him  to  succesfully  combat  with  the  same?" 
"Well,  perhaps  so ;  but  the  average  dentist  of  to-day  is  not  suf- 
ficiently informed  to  attempt  to  care  for  the  class  of  cases  re- 
ferred to,  and  I  repeat,  they  should  be  given  over  to  the  phy- 
sician." 

The  foregoing  conversation  is  given  for  what  it  is  worth, 
but  the  views  expressed  are  such  that  their  acceptance  becomes 
an  impossibility. 

I  had  hoped  that  a  number  of  gentlemen  prominent  in 
the  dental  profession  would  be  passengers  on  "La  Champagne," 
but  in  this  respect  the  voyage  was  disappointing. 

After  seven  days  and  eighteen  hours 
Omuaf  af  gaore.      of   unusually   rough   weather,   a   turbulent 
sea  and  disturbed  equilibrium,  the  pictur- 
esque harbor  of  Havre  was  sighted,  and  at  2.45  in  the  afternoon 
of  Friday  August  3d,  we  gladly  bade  adieu  to  our  faithful  trans- 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS,  499 

P'oxt,  and  boarding  a  special  train  in  waiting,  were  off  for  Paris.. 
By  this  very  acceptable  arrangement  little  or  no  opportunity 
was  afforded  to  visit  the  old  city  of  Havre,  with  its  dingy  stone 
buildings,  crumbling  party  walls  and  quaint  customs,  all  of 
which  combine  to  attract  the  American  .traveler,  and  to  make 
him  appreciate  the  fact  that  he  is  a  stranger  in  a  strange  land. 
Paris  is  a  good  four  hours'  run  from  Havre  (the  same  distance 
could  be  covered  in  America  in  three),  but  even  this  prolonged 
time  was  not  enough  to  fully  enjoy  the  beauties  of  Normandie, 
with  its  villas  and  graceful  villages  scattered  here  and  there,  its 
ideal  highways  and  well  cared-for  woods,  lending  an  animated 
and  smiling  aspect  only  too  welcome  to  the  eyes  now  somewhat 
dull  from  the  monotony  of  a  sea  voyage. 

Paris  was  reached  at  a  late  hour,  and 
(paxiB  Mxb  i^t  after  a  night's  rest  a  hurried  visit  is  made- 

(Bxpo&iiion,  to  the  Exposition.  It  is  not  my  purpose, 

nor  is  it  my  mission,  to  attempt  to  describe 
this  wonder  of  the  new  century ;  there  are,  however,  a  few  strik- 
ing features  to  which  reference  may  be  made.  The  Exposi- 
tion is.  French  only  in  so  far  as  its  location  and  the  mass  of  its 
attendants  are  concerned.  To  the  American  it  might  be  ac- 
cepted as  His  show  in  Paris,  while  the  Englishman  could  justly 
prove  the  same  claim.  Everywhere  among  the  visitors  the 
English-speaking  people  predominate,  and  they  appear  to  ex- 
ert a  ruling  influence  over  the  manners  and  customs  of  the 
patrons  of  the  Exposition. 

This  wonderful  city  within  a  wonderful  city,  stretching  out 
along  both  banks  of  the  river  Seine,  with  its  varied  architecture, 
its  myriads  of  lights  and  its  indescribable  exhibits,  affords  the 
visitor  a  confusing  and  gorgeous  panorama,  proving  to  a  few 
instructive,  but  to  the  masses  affording  a  dazzling  sensation  of 
amusement,  a  never-ending  and  delightfully  innocent  sense  of 
intoxication. 

Onge  within  the  massive  white  structure  on  the  west  side  of 
the  Champs  de  Mars,  the  sections  devoted  to  medicine  and  to 
surgical  appliances  were  sought  out,  and  a  hasty  examination  of 
those  pertaining  to  dentistry  proved  of  sufficient  interest  to  war- 
rant a  description  at  a  future  time.  The  department  of  "Higher 
Technical  and  Professional  Education"  was  visited,  and  a  note 
made  of  the  fact  that  dentistry,  of  all  the  professions,  made  the 
poorest  showing,  a  subject  that  will  also  receive  full  considera- 
tion in  a  comparative  way  at  another  time.     Before  leaving  the 


500  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Exposition  grounds  to  attend  a  session  of  the  Medical  Congress 
I  determined  to  ascertain,  if  possible,  the  location  and  character 
of  the  building  in  which  it  was  originally  intended  to  have  the 
various  congresses  assemble.  From  good  authority  it  was 
learned  that  the  Salle  des  Fetes,  a  permanent  memorial  struc- 
ture, was  primarily  designed  to  serve  this  purpose.  In  this  im- 
mense hall,  an  exterior  and  interior  view  of  which  accompanies 
this  paper,  at  least  four  separate  congresses  could  meet  at  one 
time,  the  immense  floor  space  serving  to  sufficiently  individualize 
the  various  assemblies,  and  the  lofty  dome  affording  both  free- 
dom and  protection  of  speech.  For  some  unknown  reason  the 
Exposition  management  decided  that  the  various  international 
gatherings  should  be  held  elsewhere,  and  as  a  result  the  Dental 
Congress  will  convene  in  one  of  the  dental  schools  of  Paris. 

The    International    Medical    Congress, 
43e  (VHebiccif  the  sessions  of  which  are  being  held  in  the 

^ongreBB.  Rue  de  I'Ecole  de  Medicine,  has  proven  to 

be  a  decided  success,  both  as  to  attendance 
and  the  character  of  the  papers  and  discussions.  The  number 
of  delegates  present  is  said  to  be  considerably  greater  than  at 
the  World's  Congress,  held  in  Chicago  in  1893,  and  the  rep- 
resentation is  more  evenly  proportioned  between  the  various 
countries  and  nationalities.  The  large  cities  of  America  are 
well  represented,  and  from  what  can  be  ascertained  these  del- 
egates appear  to  have  a  dominating  influence  over  the  delib- 
erations. The  section  of  stomatology  was  fairly  well  patron- 
ized, but  appeared  to  lack  enthusiasm. 

In  the   evening  of  my  second  day  in 
$0e  (Pafue  of  Paris  I  went  by  appointment  to  the  Hotel 

an  interpreter  Grand  on  the  Boulevard  Capucines,  a  pub- 

in  (paxiB.  lie    meeting    place    much    frequented   by 

American  and  other  tourists.  Soon  after 
being  seated  in  the  sidewalk  cafe  I  was  approached  by  a  very 
clever  guide  and  interpreter,  who  politely  tendered  his  services. 
The  evening's  program  being  already  arranged,  I  was  com- 
pelled to  decline.  An  exchange  of  names  disclosed  to  him  my 
identity,  and  forthwith  came  the  information  that  there  were 
other  gentlemen  nearby  whom  I  should  meet.  These  proved 
to  be  two  German  dentists,  who  had  arrived  in  Paris  but  a'  few 
hours  before  to  attend  the  congress.  Instantly  the  cunning 
of  the  guide  to  interpret  was  revealed  ;  he  had  succeeded  in 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  501 

bringing  about  a  very  clever  business  transaction.  Here  were 
three  souls  with  probably  but  a  single  thought  for  the  time 
being,  and  no  method  of  expressing  the  same  save  through 
the  medium  of  him  who  had  brought  us  together.  "Five  francs 
and  fifty  centimes  an  hour,"  said  the  artful  guide  and  inter- 
preter. "Ein  Frank  fiinfzig  fiir  die  Stunde,"  was  repeated  to 
the  German  representatives  of  the  little  party.  After  a  few  mo- 
ments of  thoughtful  consideration  our  common  position  was 
simultaneousy  recognized  as  somewhat  embarrassing;  a  hastv 
collection  was  taken  up,  and  the  work  of  communication  begun. 
'They  say  they  are  very  fond  of  the  American  dentist,"  said 
the  guide;  ''the  American  dentist  is  the  best  all  over  the  world," 
he  continued.  "They  want  to  know  if  you  are  acquainted  with 
Dr.  Miller,  of  Berlin."  In  reply  I  said,  "Yes;  we  were  classmates 
some  twenty  years  ago^  but  I  have  not  had  the  pleasure  of  m.eet- 
ing  him  since  that  time,  a  privilege  which  I  hope  to  enjoy  while 
in  Paris."  To  this  I  added,  "that  everybody  knows  Dr.  Miller, 
the  man  justly  famed  for  his  admirable  work  on  bacteria  of  the 
mouth."  This  latter  remark  appeared  to  please  my  newly-jnade 
friends,  but  after  a  very  few  minutes  the  conversation  slowed 
down,  the  guide  became  restless,  and  presently  bade  us  good 
night,  and  my  German  friends  quietly  sauntered  down  the 
Avenue  de  I'Opera. 


502 


DBNTAL  BRIEF. 


MAKING  GOLD  FILLINGS  OUT  OF  THE  MOUTH  BY 
THE  IMPRESSION  AND  MATRIX  SYSTEM.* 

By  R.  M.  Chase,  M.D.,  D.DS.,  Bethel,  Vermont. 

The  making  of  gold  fillings  out  of  the  mouth  would  at  first 
thought,  perhaps,  seem  a  little  strange,  yet  in  this  case,  as  in  all 
others,  a  title  has  no  significance  unless  possessing  merit  and 
capable  of  doing  some  good.  My  excuse  for  being  somewhat 
enthusiastic  in  this  line  of  work  is  perhaps  justified  by  the  results 
obtained  thus  far  in  my  own  practice.  I  do  not  stand  here  in 
the  presence  of  so  many  fine  operators  with  a  view  of  changing 
the  good  work  you  are  doing  at  your  chairs  daily.  I  simply  offer 
this  method  as  accessory. 

Any  means  whereby  the  burden  of  tooth-filling  can  be  less- 
ened to  both  the  patient  and  the  operator  without  losing  the 
artistic  effect  and  permanency  of  the  operation  seems  to  me  both 
justifiable  and  commendable.  In  the  special  field  for  which  this 
work  is  designated  it  has  given  pleasurable  satisfaction;  pleasur- 
able because  of  the  less  tedious  waste  of  time  and  vitality  of  both 
patient  and  operator,  overcoming  many  annoying  perplexities 
incident  tO'  the  filling  of  inaccessible  and  large  cavities.  The 
preparation  of  cavities  for  porcelain  inlays  has  been  so  well  and 
thoroughly  given  in  the  recent  dental  journals  that  a  repetition 
would  seem  unnecessary,  as  the  details  given  apply  equally  well 
to  gold  inlays  as  far  as  preparing  the  cavity  is  concerned,  remem- 
bering, of  course,  that  gold  has  a  wider  field,  and  can  be  utilized 
to  a  greater  extent,  restoring  fully  broken  and  decayed  molars 
to  usefulness  where  porcelain  would  be  impracticable. 

(When  there  are  large  undercuts,  as  is  often  the  case  in  the 
crown  of  molars,  cut  away  all  thin  edges  of  enamel,  and  excavate 
thoroughly.  If  the  cavity  is  deep,  cover  the  floor  or  bottom  of 
the  cavity  and  all  undercuts  with  some  good  non-irritating 
cement,  varnish  the  same  with  sandarac,  and  in  a  short  time  the 
cement  will  be  hard  enough  to  trim,  leaving  the  side  at  right 
angles  to  the  floor  of  the  cavity.  This  applies  to^  the  shaping  of 
crown  cavities  where  decay  has  progressed  rapidly  intO'  the  den- 
tine, and  you  wish  to  save  as  much  as  possible  of  the  occluding 
surface.     The  labial  cavities  of  the  anterior  teeth  and  the  buccal 


*  Read  at  the  twenty -fourth  annual  meeting  of  the  Vermont  State  Dental 
Society,  March  22d,  1900. 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS.  503 

cavities  of  the  bicuspids  and  molars  will  not  as  a  rule  require  any 
preparation  with  cement,  as  the  shape  of  these  is  usually  larger 
at  the  orifice. 

Proximal  cavities  of  incisors  and  cuspids  should  be  cut 
away  and  properly  shaped  from  the  palatal  and  lingual  sides. 
Proximal  cavities  of  the  bicuspids  and  molars  should  be  so 
formed  that  they  will  present  a  pyramidal  shape  with  the  base  of 
the  pyramid  at  the  occluding  surface.  The  object  of  this  shaping 
of  the  cavities  is  to  facilitate  the  withdrawal  of  the  impressions. 

The  impression  compound  which  I  shall  show  you  is  the  re- 
sult of  a  long  series  of  experiments  in  this  line  of  work,  and  I 
present  it  to^  you  with  the  full  confidence  that  it  fills  a  long-felt 
want  not  only  for  the  making  of  matrices  for  gold  and  porcelain 
inlay  work,  but  for  reproducing  the  exact  shape  of  the  crowns 
and  roots  of  teeth  for  crown-  and  bridge-work.  When  ready  to 
take  the  impression,  carefully  dry  and  protect  the  cavity  from 
moisture,  and  with  a  small  piece  of  the  compound  between  the 
thumb  and  index  finger  force  the  material  into  the  cavity,  using 
enough  force  tO'  make  sure  that  the  compound  occupies  every  part 
of  the  cavity.  Gently  withdraw  the  compound,  and  examine  to 
see  if  you  have  a  perfect  impression  of  the  shape,  angles,  sides 
and  edges  of  the  cavity.  When  you  can  use  an  impression  cup 
it  is  advisable  to  do  so.  If  there  is  any  tendency  of  the  compound 
to  adhere  to  any  part  of  the  cavity,  a  little  lycopodium  sprinkled 
upon  the  surface  of  the  compound  will  obviate  any  trouble  in  that 
line.  Around  the  impression  place  a  small  band  of  very  thin 
German  silver,  copper  or  platinoid.  This  band  should  be  at  least 
an  eighth  of  an  inch  larger  than  the  cavity  impression  and  about 
one-half  inch  high.  Be  careful  when  placing  this  band  that  you 
do  not  disturb  the  impression.  The  edge  of  the  band  should  be 
pushed  into  the  compound,  so  that  there  will  be  no  chance  for  the 
alloy  to  flow  underneath.  The  impression  is  now  ready,  and  a 
matrix  can  be  made  with  fusible  alloy.  To  obtain  a  fusible  alloy 
suitable  to  make  a  perfect  matrix  has  been  a  source  of  quite  a 
little  trouble  and  expense.  Most  of  those  in  the  market  are 
wholly  unfit  for  the  work.  I  have  experimented  until  I  am 
happy  to  say  that  I  have  succeeded  in  making  one  that  possesses 
the  essential  qualities,  viz.:  one  that  melts  at  a  low  temperature 
and  yet  is  hard  enough  to  make  a  sharp  and  perfect  reproduction 
of  the  impression,  is  non-shrinkable,  and  does  not  deteriorate  by 
remelting. 


504  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

As  soon  as  the  alloy  is  poured  into  the  band  onto  the  impres- 
sion, tap  the  impression  cup  gently  on  the  table,  or  when  the  cup 
has  not  been  used,  the  compound  should  be  held  in  a  napkin  or 
tissue  paper,  as  in  the  act  of  taking  the  impression  between  the 
thumb  and  finger,  the  napkin  will  prevent  burning  the  fingers 
should  any  melted  alloy  escape.  The  tapping  can  be  done  the 
same  with  the  hand  until  the  alloy  begins  to  set.  This  will 
insure  a  sharp  reproduction  of  the  edges  of  the  cavity,  and  a 
little  practice  will  enable  you  to  do  it  easily. 

After  you  have  produced  a  matrix  imbed  this  in  a  little 
plaster  of  Paris,  either  on  the  bench  or  on  something  that  will 
make  a  firm  foundation,  or  fasten  in  the  bench  vise  and  proceed 
to  fill  with  gold,  or  dismiss  your  patient  and  make  the  filling  at 
your  leisure;  gold  foil  pellets,  ropes  or  fibre  gold  can  be  used 
for  making  inlays,  holding  it  with  an  instrument  until  you  get  it 
well  anchored,  or  if  the  shape  of  the  cavity  is  such  that  it  may 
start,  one  or  two  retaining  pits  can  be  made  at  the  bottom  of  the 
cavity,  burnish  thoroughly  and  partly  finish  the  filling  in  the 
matrix. 

To  remove  the  filling  hold  the  matrix  over  a  spirit  lamp  and 
as  soon  as  the  alloy  melts  a  little  from  the  edge  of  the  inlay  give 
the  matrix  a  quick  jerk  and  the  filling  will  come  out  clean,  and  a 
perfect  inlay  to  the  tooth  cavity. 

In  building  up  a  bicuspid  or  molar  tooth,  after  the  cavity  is 
prepared,  mould  a  little  wax  into  the  cavity,  and  ask  your  patient 
to  close  the  mouth.  This  will  give  the  articulation  of  the  oppo- 
site tooth ;  this  placed  into  the  matrix  and  arranged  on  an  articu- 
lator will  enable  you  to  complete  the  occluding  surface  without 
any  subsequent  grinding;  when  placed  in  the  tooth  cavity,  make 
slight  undercuts  with  a  wheel  burr  at  the  sides,  also  some  little 
depressions  in  the  base  of  the  inlay.  Use  any  good  cement,  mixed 
to  a  creamy  consistency. 

Before  the  final  adjustment  of  the  inlay  try  it  in  the  cavity 
and  see  if  it  fits  perfectly  at  the  edges;  if  it  does  not,  a  perfect  fit 
can  be  secured  by  holding  the  filling  with  an  instrument  and  bur- 
nishing it  to  the  edge  of  the  cavity. 

Fill  the  cavity  with  the  cement,  and  force  the  inlay  into  place, 
holding  it  firmly  for  a  few  moments,  and  then  coat  the  edges  with 
sandarac  varnish.  After  a  short  time  it  can  be  finished  up  or 
left  for  a  subsequent  sitting. 

It  may  seem  to  you  from  the  description  of  this  operation 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATION fi.  505 

that  it  must  take  a  long  time  to  make  these  fillings.  I  can  only 
say  that  you  may  be  surprised,  after  becoming  famiiliar  with  it, 
how  quickly  you  can  make  them. 

I  wish  to  say  before  closing  that  you  will  find  the  impression 
and  matrix  system  equally  as  good  for  porcelain  inlays,  and  you 
will  get  positive  results  by  burnishing  the  foil  into  the  matrix, 
and  if  from  any  cause  you  do  not  get  a  perfect  inlay  the  first 
time  you  can  duplicate  it  without  access  to  your  patient. 

This,  gentlemen,  in  brief,  is  the  way  I  make  inlays.  The 
method  is  easy,  practical  and  artistic.  I  hope  that  you  will  take 
as  much  pleasure  in  doing  this  work  as  I  have  in  imparting  the 
results  of  my  labor. 


5o6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


TECHNICAL  VS.  THEORETIC  TRAINING.* 
John  S.  Marshall,  M.D.,  Chicago. 

The  subject  which  has  been  assigned  to  me  seems  to  con- 
tain some  very  interesting  and  serious  questions  which  He  at  the 
very  foundation  of  the  present  system  of  training  in  our  Ameri- 
can dental  colleges. 

This  is  a  practical  age  and  Americans  are  a  practical  people. 
Our  public  educational  systems  are  all  planned  on  the  basis  of 
practicality.  To  our  people  an  education  which  does  not  fit 
the  young  man  or  the  young  woman  for  the  practical,  every-day 
affairs  of  life  is  looked  on  as  being  of  little  value.  The  great 
aim  in  life  of  the  average  American  citizen  is  money-getting, 
and  therefore  the  education  which  does  not  fit  him  to  obtain  the 
object  of  his  ambition  is  in  large  measure  valuless  to  him. 

This  desire  for  money-getting  permeates  the  professions  to 
such. an  extent  that  the  young  men  who  seek  to  enter  their 
ranks  are  ambitious  to  reach  the  goal  by  the  shortest  possible 
road,  and  by  the  least  expenditure  of  money  that  will  fit  them 
to  begin  the  earning  of  a  livelihood,  rather  than  to  prepare 
themselves  in  every  possible  way  and  in  the  most  thorough 
manner  for  the  duties  and  responsibilities  of  their  high  calling, 
regardless  of  the  time  and  money  spent  in  the  preparation. 

This  desire  to  enter  the  professions  with  the  minimum  of 
preparation  that  will  enable  one  to  compass  a  living  does  not 
have  a  tendency  to  raise  professional  standards  either  in  cul- 
ture, scientific  attainments,  or  ethics.  In  fact,  the  whole  tend- 
ency is  degrading  and  can  work  only  ill  to  the  honor  of  the 
profession,  to  the  individuals  who  thus  prepare  themselves  for 
the  duties  of  professional  life,  and  to  the  innocent  public  on 
whom  they  practice. 

This  commercial  spirit  in  the  professions  has  made  it  pos- 
sible for  any  small  coterie  of  men,  imbued  with  the  money-mak- 
ing and  advertising  spirit,  to  establish  a  college  for  the  avowed 
purpose  of  educating  young  men  and  women  for  a  professional 
career — especially  in  medicine  and  dentistry — but  in  reality  for 
the  covert  purpose  of  gratifying  their  ambition  for  money-mak- 
ing and  to  see  their  names  in  the  public  prints,  and  this  many 
times  with  no  regard  to  an  honest  return  to  the  student  in  the 
way  of  sound  professional  teaching  for  the  money  paid  into  the 
treasury  of  the  institution. 

*  Presented  in  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-8th,  1900. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  507 

Even  the  best  of  the  professional  colleges  are  not  entirely 
free  from  this  commercial  spirit,  and  they  vie  with  each  other  in 
their  ambition  to  increase  their  student  body  beyond  that  of 
their  neighbor,  employing  means  sometimes  which  are  not  en- 
tirely above  reproach.  On  the  other  hand,  many  of  the  better 
class  of  dental  colleges  have  been  striving  to  deal  honestly  with 
their  students,  and  to  give  them  the  best  professional  training 
that  the  time  and  the  money  invested  would  permit.  To  this 
end  they  have  arranged  their  courses  of  instruction  with  the 
view  of  giving  their  students  a  good  technical  training  in  all 
that  pertains  to  the  purely  mechanical  and  operative  depart- 
ments. But,  in  striving  to  attain  the  highest  development  of 
the  student  in  these  directions,  the  equally  important  work  re- 
lating to  the  fundamental  medical  sciences,  which  are  the  basis 
of  our  knowledge  of  health  and  disease,  and  which  govern  the 
treatment  of  disease  in  all  its  forms,  has  not  been  studied  with 
the  same  degree  of  energy,  nor  has  it  been  given  the  prominence 
in  the  curriculum  which  its  importance  deserves.  As  a  result 
of  this,  the  dentist  who  is  graduated  from  our  colleges  to-day  is 
a  first-class  jeweler,  capable  of  making  the  most  beautiful  pieces 
of  crown,  bridge  or  plate-work,  and  inserting  the  most  bril- 
liantly finished  gold  fillings,  after  the  latest  and  most  approved 
methods  of  cavity  preparation,  anchorage,  condensation  and 
polishing.  But  what  is  all  this  worth  to  the  patient  if,  through 
ignorance  of  the  laws  which  govern  the  resistance  of  tissues  to 
irritation,  or  of  the  principles  of  antiseptics,  a  pulpitis  follow  the 
insertion  of  such  a  filling,  or  because  of  improper  treatment  of  a 
septic  root-canal,  the  crown  or  bridge  is  lost  by  reason  of  the 
development  of  alveolar  abscesses  which  might  have  been 
avoided  by  a  proper  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  antiseptics 
and  of  surgery? 

What  can  be  said  of  a  system  of  teaching  which  fails  to  pre- 
pare the  graduate  of  dental  surgery  to  distinguish  the  differ- 
ences between  a  case  of  aphtha — common  canker-sore  mouth — 
and  a  syphilitic  mucous  patch?  How  many  really  know  the 
differential  diagnosis  between  these  diseases?  Syphilis  is  so 
common  in  these  days  that  the  dentist  needs  to  be  well  grounded 
.  in  the  clinical  aspects  of  the  disease  in  order  to  guard  his  pa- 
tients and  himself  from  inoculation. 

Again,  if  the  dentist  has  not  a  good  knowledge  of  the  anat- 
omy, physiology  and  pathology  of  the  nervous  system  how  can 
he  diagnose  a  case  of  reflex  neuralgia  of  the  fifth  nerve  from  a 
case  of  hyperemia  of  the  pulp  in  a  tooth  which  gives  no  external 
evidence  of  injury  or  disease  of  the  crown?  It  is  not  sufficient 
that  he  have  a  good  knowledge  of  the  anatomy  of  the  teeth,  and 
of  the  bones,  muscles,  blood-vessels,  nerves  and  glands  of  the 
mouth  and  jaws.  He  must  have  a  wider  range  of  knowledge 
than  this  implies,  or  else  he  will  never  occupy  tliat  exalted  plane 
of  professional  equality  with  the  members  of  the  medical  pro- 
fession which  it  is  Lis  right  and  duty  to  do. 


5oS  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Dentists  sometimes  complain  that  their  medical  brethren 
do  not  always  treat  them  with  that  degree  of  respect  which  is 
due  to  them  as  professional  equals;  that  they  are  not  consulted 
as  to  the  best  method  of  treatment  to  be  pursued  in  a  given 
case  of  dental  or  oral  disease;  and  that  the  physician  presumes 
to  dictate  as  to  what  shall  or  shall  not  be  done  rather  than  to 
advise  with  the  dentist  as  he  would  with  the  oculist,  the  laryn- 
gologist  or  any  other  specialist,  in  a  case  that  came  under  their 
especial  departments. 

When  much  lack  of  courtesy  occurs  on  the  part  of  the 
physician,  it  may  usually  be  set  down  either  to  prejudice  and 
narrow-mindedness  or  to  some  unfortunate  experience,  for  it 
cannot  be  said  that  dentists  have  never  given  their  medical 
brethren  cause  to  doubt  their  ability  to  render  an  intelligent 
diagnosis  in  certain  oral  diseases,  or  to  treat  such  cases  after 
the  most  scientific  methods. 

Thirty  years  ago  a  large  majority  of  the  rank  and  file  of  the 
dental  profession  were  without  college  training,  and  conse- 
quently held  no  professional  degree,  while  many  of  them  were 
positively  ignorant  of  all  that  pertained  to  the  art  of  dental  sur- 
gery save  the  extraction  of  teeth,  the  making  of  a  rubber  plate 
ana  plugging  a  tooth  with  amalgam  or  gold.  Under  such  cir- 
cumstances it  was  no  wonder  that  medical  men  of  education  did 
not  feel  justified  in  calling  such  dentists  in  consultation  over 
serious  cases.  The  educated  dentist,  however,  has  never  had 
cause  to  complain  of  his  treatment  by  the  cultured  medical  man, 
for  no  class  of  men  are  more  anxious  to  divide  the  responsibility 
of  a  case  calling  for  special  knowledge  than  is  the  educated,  cul- 
tured physician.  No  man  more  fully  realizes  than  he  that  the 
field  of  medicine  has  become  so  large  that  it  is  impossible  for 
even  the  most  brilliant  mind  to  acquire  all  the  knowledge  com- 
prised in  the  various  branches  of  medicine  and  surgery,  or  even 
to  completely  assimilate  all  that  belongs  to  a  single  department, 
and  therefore  he  is  glad  of  the  opportunity  for  the  good  of  his 
patient  and  the  relief  of  his  own  mind,  to  call  in  consultation  a 
man  more  eminent  than  himself  in  that  particular  department 
by  reason  of  his  superior  knowledge  and  skill. 

Technique  or  technical  training,  as  it  is  generally  under- 
stood to-day,  was  not  a  realized  fact  ten  years  ago.  At  that 
time  the  system  was  still  in  the  embryo  stage.  The  idea  was  in 
the  minds  of  a  few  progressive  men  who  realized  the  great  need 
of  more  careful  training  in  the  manipulative  departments  of  den- 
tal surgery.  Little  by  little  a  system  has  been  evolved  w<hich 
covers  the  entire  field  of  mechanical  and  operative  dentistry,  so 
that  to-day  in  our  best  institutions  it  would  be  difficult  to  plan 
a  more  thorough  course  of  instruction  in  these  departments. 

The  difficulty,  however,  lies  in  the  fact  that  so  much  time 
is  being  spent  in  the  manipulative  training  of  the  student  that 
his  scientific  education  is  being  neglected,  and  instead  of  mak- 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  509 

ing  scientific  practitioners  out  of  our  students,  we  are  training 
them  largely  as  mechanics  and  artisans.  Do  not  misunder- 
stand me  on  this  latter  point,  for  I  would  not  have  his  technical 
training  made  any  less  thorough  or  complete  than  it  is  to-day, 
for  manipulative  skill  of  the  very  highest  order  is  required  in 
the  first-class  dental  surgeon.  But  he  needs  much  more  than 
this  if  he  is  to  intelligently  meet  the  grave  responsibilities  of  his 
calling.  The  health  of  his  patient,  and  often  life  and  death, 
wait  on  his  decision  in  the  treatment  of  many  forms  of  dentai 
and  oral  diseases.  Is  it  not  therefore  of  vital  importance  that 
he  should  be  well  grounded  in  all  of  those  scientific  departments 
of  study  which  are  the  foundation  of  a  broad  medical  education 
— anatomy,  physiology,  histology,  pathology,  chemistry,  materia 
medica,  therapeutics  and  surgery?  How  can  he  recognize  mor- 
bid conditions  if  he  knows  little  or  nothing  of  the  normal  ap- 
pearance of  tissues  or  of  the  physiologic  functions  of  the  vari- 
ous organs,  parts  and  systems  of  the  body,  and  their  interde- 
pendence on  each  other?  How  can  he  hope  to  successfully 
treat  even  the  ordinary  forms  of  disease  which  belong  to  his 
specialty  if  he  is  deficient  in  the  knowledge  of  general  and  sur- 
gical pathology,  or  of  the  administration  of  remedies  and  their 
therapeutic  effects? 

What  the  profession  needs  to-day  is  not  less  technique,  but 
a  more  thorough  training  in  those  sciences  which  make  the  in- 
telligent physician  and  surgeon. 

The  question  which  very  naturally  arises  in  the  considera- 
tion of  this  subject — provided  that  you  agree  with  me  that  this 
training  in  the  general  medical  sciences  is  necessary — is  how 
may  this  scientific  education  be  obtained? 

I  would  suggest:  i.  So  elevate  the  entrace  requirements 
that  only  the  most  intelhgent  and  studious  can  hope  to  gain 
admission  to  the  dental  colleges.  2.  Lengthen  the  college 
course  to  four-  years  of  nine  months  each.  Tliis  would  give 
ample  time  for  the  most  thorough  training.  3.  Place  the  dental 
students  in  the  same  classes  with  the  medical  students  for  the 
first  two  years  of  the  course  of  study,  and  require  them  to  take 
the  same  work  and  pass  the  same  examinations;  and  during  the 
last  two  years  devote  all  the  time  to  those  subjects  which  per- 
tain to  dental  surgery.  4.  Graduate  no  student  who  has  not 
fulfilled  all  of  the  requirements  of  the  course. 

But  then,  the  commercial  spirit  again  comes  to  the  front, 
and  contends  that  such  a  movement  would  ruin  our  schools. 
If  such  schools  were  organized  for  the  purpose  of  just  niakin^^ 
money,  then  the  sooner  they  disappear  the  better.  There  are 
already  too  many  schools  in  existence  and  only  the  better  ones 
should  live. 

If  dental  surgery  is  a  department  of  medicine,  then  let  it 
place  itself  on  the  same  plane  with  the  other  learned  profes- 
sions. But  it  can  do  so  only  by  adopting  the  same  high  stand- 
ards of  culture,  professional  attainments  and  ethics. 


510  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

SOME  THOUGHTS  ON  TEACHING  MATERIA  MEDICA 

AND  THERAPEUTICS,  EMPHASIZING 

OBJECT  TEACHING.* 

A.  H.  Peck,  M.D.,  D.DS.,  Chicago. 

This  subject  is,  I  presume,  rated  by  the  majority  of  teachers 
in  dentistry,  and  certainly  by  the  vast  majority  of  students  of 
dentistry,  as  the  dryest  and  most  uninteresting  of  the  entire  col- 
lege curriculum.  Why  this  is  so,  I  cannot  tell.  I  can  only 
leave  those  who  are  especially  interested  in  this  particular  work 
to  draw  the  inference.  As  for  me,  I  would  not  exchange  my 
position  as  teacher  of  materia  medica  and  therapeutics  for  that 
of  any  other  in  the  list  of  instructors.  This  work  is  anything 
but  dry  and  uninteresting,  as  I  find  it.  I  see  in  this  field  such 
opportunities  for  original  research,  for  broadening  of  one's  mind, 
for  extension  of  one's  knowledge,  for  general  rounding  of  one's 
mental  capabilities  and  character — teacher  or  student — as  are 
found  in  very  few,  if  any,  of  the  other  departments  of  college 
work.  Surely,  the  individual  who  is  unable,  in  the  light  of  such 
possibilities,  to  present  his  work  to  the  students  in  such  a  way 
as  to  command  at  the  very  outset,  and  to  hold  throughout,  their 
respect  and  interest,  is  certainly  not  the  kind  of  individual 
referred  to  by  the  gentleman  who  said,  "Poets  are  born,  not 
made ;"  for  this  saying  appHes  just  as  truthfully  to  the  teacher 
as  it  does  to  the  poet. 

One  of  the  first  and  most  important  questions  to  be  con- 
sidered in  a  paper  of  this  character  is :  Just  how  far  should  we, 
as  teachers  of  dental  students,  carry  our  pupils  in  this  great 
field?  Are  we  justified  in  being  content  to  teach  them  just 
enough  to  enable  them  to  treat  locally,  reasonably  well  and  with 
a  respectable  degree  of  success,  the  various  pathologic  condi- 
tions about  the  mouth?  Or  should  it  be  our  aim  to  so  instruct 
them  that  they  will  at  once  be  able  to  recognize  and  intelligently 
prescribe  for  the  various  systemic  disorders  that  are  constantly 
aggravating  the  local  pathologic  manifestations,  many  of 
which  are  only  indexes  of  the  systemic  disorders.  My  answer 
is  most  emphatically  in  favor  of  the  latter  course.  Please  do 
not  understand  from  this  declaration  that  I  would  have 
the  dental  student  subjected  to  as  thorough  and  complete  a 
course  in  materia  medica  as  is  required  of  the  medical  student. 
However,  I  am  strongly  inclined  to  the  belief  that  this  phase  of 
the  question  should  be  qualified  only  by  the  unfortunate  condi- 
tion invariably  imposed  upon  us,  namely,  lack  of  time.     Surely, 

*  Presented  in  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medica 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-8th,  1900. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  511 

no  one  will  deny  that  three  years,  of  six,  seven  or  even  eighe 
months  each,  is  insufficient  time  for  the  students  to  become 
thoroughly  learned  in  all  the  branches  now  included  in  our 
curriculum;  consequently  the  work  in  some  of  the  departments 
must  be  cut  down  as  much  as  possible,  and  perhaps,  chief  among 
these  is  materia  medica  and  therapeutics. 

Nothing  grieves  me  more  than  to  hear,  as  we  frequently  do, 
from  the  older  members  of  the  profession,  the  leaders,  those 
to  whom  we  are  accustomed  to  look  for  guidance  and  inspira- 
tion, this  sentiment,  that  it  is  a  mere  waste  of  time  to  teach  the 
dental  students  more  materia  medica  than  is  necessary  to  enable 
him  to  treat,  reasonably  well,  the  local  manifestations  of  trouble 
about  the  mouth. 

What  would  you  think  of  a  man  enjoying  a  lucrative  prac- 
tice in  a  large  city  like  Chicago,  or  elsewhere  for  that  matter, 
merely  treating  with  local  remedies  the  local  manifestations  in 
the  mouth  in  a  case  of  syphilis,  and  never  even  thinking  that 
this  disease  calls  for  systemic  treatment,  to  say  nothing  about 
possessing  the  knowledge  to  prescribe  for  it?  Such  a  case,  un- 
der these  conditions,  was  referred  to  me  only  a  short  time  ago. 

The  very  logic  of  medicine  lies  in  one's  ability  to  recognize 
the  primary  action  of  drugs  on  the  various  organs,  and,  through 
the  great  systems  of  the  body,  the  secondary  action  on  other 
organs,  in  this  manner  having  an  indirect  but  important  bear- 
ing on  the  local  pathologic  manifestations.  Thus  one  is  enabled 
to  note  the  paralleHsms  existing  between  the  action  of  drugs  and 
the  pathologic  conditions  in  disease — a  very  fascinating  study 
indeed. 

Let  it  be  understood,  then,  that  we  favor  the  following  as 
the  order  of  their  importance:  i.  The  therapeutics  of  these 
drugs  with  which  the  student  will  come  in  contact  daily  in  his 
practice,  such  as  the  antiseptics,  disinfectants,  germicides,  es- 
charotics,  counterirritants,  and  styptics.  2.  A  thorough  knowl- 
edge of  at  least  the  standard  remedies  that  may  be  indicated  for 
the  alleviation  of  all  the  systemic  disorders  that  may  in  any 
way  aggravate  or  affect  the  local  diseases  under  treatment.  3. 
A  thorough  knowledge  of  the  circulatory  stimulants  and  de- 
pressants; the  respiratory  stimulants  and  depressants;  the  nerve 
stimulants  and  depressants;  the  hemostatics,  diluents  and  anti- 
phlogistics.  4.  A  knowledge  of  the  most  important  of  those 
agents  which  in  any  way  assist  the  digestive,  assimilative  and 
eliminative  organs — the  last  comprising  the  sudorifics,  diuretics, 
and  cathartics.  Local  and  systemic  antidotal  treatment  is  of 
the  utmost  importance.  The  intelligent  prescribing  of  these 
medicines  must  never  be  neglected. 

Two  important  questions  now  present  themselves:  How 
much  regarding  these  various  agents  shall  we  teach,  and  how 
best  may  we  teach  it?  In  answer  to  the  first  question,  I  would 
say  that  we  cannot  teach  too  much  about  them.     Our  students 


512  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

should  be  well  grouiulcd  in  the  pliarniacology,  source,  constitu- 
ents, physical  cnaracteristics  ana  properties  and  physiologic  ac- 
tion— in  its  broadest  application — their  dosage  and  indications 
and  most  of  all,  their  therapeutic  value,  of  the  various  agents. 
An  individual  consideration  of  these  agents  or  groups  of  agents, 
however  desirable,  is  out  of  the  question  in  the  time  allotted  to 
this  paper. 

In  answer  to  the  second  question:  How  best  may  we  teach 
this?     I  will  reply  that  no  one  rule  or  set  of  rules  can  be  fol- 
lowed successfully  by  all.     As  indicated  above,  teachers,  as  well 
as  poets,  are  born,  not  made,  and  each  one  will  find  it  necessary 
to  follow  the  guidance  of  his  own  personal  capabilities  and  char- 
acteristics.    In  my  individual  w^ork  I  find  the  recitation  plan  of 
inestimable  value,  the  source  of  the  drugs,  their  physical  char- 
acteristics and  properties,   their   chemistry   and   dosage   being 
taught  almost  exclusively  after  this  plan.     The  physiologic  and 
therapeutic  action  of  the  agents  is  taught  by  lectures  and  by 
demonstration.    However,  ofttimes  I  find  the  recitation  method 
peculiarly  adapted  to  this  division  of  the  work.     We  should 
strive  to  make  our  teaching  in  these  two  phases  of  our  work 
just  as  interesting  to  our  students  and  as  thorough  as  possible. 
It  is  of  the  utmost  importance  that  we  be  able  to  select  the 
proper  drug  for  a  certain  form  of  disease.     Blundering  in  this 
respect  is  inexcusable,  and  often  results  in  the  most  serious  con- 
sequences.   To  understand  clearly  just  how  far  these  agents  are 
affecting  the  various  organs  through  which  they  are  passing  on 
their  disease-healing  mission,  is  most  important  and  necessary 
to  an  intelligent  use  of  them. 

Soon  after  assuming  the  duties  of  this  chair  in  college  work, 
I  became  especially  impressed  with  the  many  shortcomings  of 
our  various  text-books.  Indeed,  any  one  who  has  taken  the 
trouble  to  look  into  this  question  will  agree  with  me,  that  one 
has  only  to  consult  another  author  than  the  one  that  does  not 
suit  him,  to  find  teaching  to  suit  his  own  particular  fancy ;  so  at 
variance  are  the  statements  of  the  many  different  authors  per- 
taining to  these  various  questions  in  materia  medica  and  thera- 
peutics. 

Their  lack  of  harmony  as  to  the  relative  potency  of  the  vari- 
ous antiseptics  and  germicides  and  their  almost  total  lack  of 
consideration  as  to  what  special  agent,  under  certain  conditions 
of  irritation,  inflammation,  sepsis,  or  otherwise,  would  be  most 
desirable  especially  impressed  me.  I  consider  it  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  our  students,  and  we  practitioners,  shall  be  pos- 
sessed of  knowledge  that  is  accurate,  regarding  especially  the 
essential  oils  and  other  agents  we  are  daily  using.  We  should 
know  their  relative  value  or  potency  as  antiseptics,  disinfectants 
and  germicides.  When  we  select  an  agent  to  place,  perchance, 
in  the  root-canal  of  a  tooth,  it  is  important  that  we  be  familiar 
with  its  relative  ability  to  perform  that  work.     Not  only  this. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  513 

but  I  also  consider  it  equally  important  that  we  should  know  the 
action  of  these  drugs  on  the  soft  tissue  with  which  they  come 
in  contact.  The  antiseptics  and  germicides  are  poisonous  to  the 
vegetable  cell.  They  are  used  in  our  work  to  inhibit  the  de-  . 
velopment  and  to  destroy  the  germs  of  disease.  Many  of  them 
are,  as  well,  poisonous  to  the  animal  cell.  No  one  will  question 
the  great  value  of  being  able  to  select  an  agent  for  a 
certain  case  that  will  destroy  the  germs  present — render  the 
parts  antiseptic — and,  at  the  same  time,  will  remain  harmless  in 
contact  with  the  soft  tissue.  Frequently  it  is  desirable  that  an 
antiseptic  or  a  germicide  be  used  that  is  also  stimulating  to  the 
diseased  tissues,  causing  them  to  yield  more  readily  to  the  heal- 
ing influence  of  the  drug.  Again,  it  may  be  desirable  to  use  one 
of  these  agents  that  imparts  a  depressing  effect  upon  the  soft 
parts.  How  are  we  to  make  these  selections  with  judgment 
and  certainty  without  an  accurate  knowledge  of  their  action 
when  confined  in  contact  with  soft  tissue? 

That  I  could  have  something  definite  to  work  upon;  that 
I  could  feel  when  I  went  before  my  class  and  made  certain  state- 
ments in  this  connection  that  I  would  verify  those  statements 
by  actual  demonstration,  I  have  adopted  the  following  plan  of 
teaching  these  phases  of  the  subject:  During  each  term  a  thor- 
ough and  complete  series  of  tests  is  made  in  the  bacteriologic 
laboratory  and  before  the  class,  to  determine  the  exact  relative 
value  of  these  agents  as  antiseptics  and  germicides.  Also  an  ex- 
haustive series  of  experiments  has  been  conducted  on  soft  tissue, 
animal  and  human,  in  both  a  pathologic  and  normal  state,  to 
determine  which  are  irritating,  stimulating  or  depressing,  that 
we  may  make  our  selections  for  special  use  with  wisdom  and 
certainty. 

I  believe  the  same  individual  who  teaches  therapeutics 
should  teach  special  pathology.  The  two  fields  are  so  closely 
corelated  it  is  impossible  for  a  teacher  to  give  a  comprehensive 
course  of  instruction  in  the  one  without  trespassing  more  or  less 
on  the  other.  Since  special  pathology  has  been  assigned  me  in 
connection  with  therapeutics  I  find  I  am  able  to  present  the 
work  in  a  much  more  interesting  manner  that  I  otherwise  could 
do.  The  students  unquestionably  gain  a  clearer  and  more  sat- 
isfactory understanding  of  the  various  diseased  conditions,  their 
pathology  and  therapeutics,  than  was  formerly  possible. 

Throughout  this  brief  paper  I  have  hinted  at  the  value  of 
object  teaching;  I  wish  now  to  emphasize  this  method  as 
strongly  as  may  be.  No  one  can  denv  that  more  thorough  and 
satisfactory  work  can  be  done  by  object  teaching  and  actual 
demonstration,  where  the  nature  of  the  work  admits  it,  than  is 
possible  through  the  medium  of  lectures.  Suppose  it  is  our  pur- 
pose to  teach  the  class  the  effect  of  a  certain  drug  on  the  various 
organisms,  and  for  the  purposes  of  illustration  we  select  a  car- 
diac and  respiratory  stimulant.     Wc  go  before  the  class  and  in 


514  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

language  that  is  simple,  plain  and  cannot  be  misunderstood  tell 
the  manner  in  which  the  drug  affects  the  circulatory  system  and 
the  organs  of  respiration;  that  it  acts  directly  on  the  nerve- 
centers  in  the  medulla  and,  through  the  medium  of  the  vaso- 
motor system  of  nerves,  stimulates  the  muscles  of  the  heart  to 
greater  activity,  thus  increasing  the  force  and  frequency  of  the 
pulse;  and  that  it  acts,  through  the  medium  of  the  circulation 
of  the  blood,  on  the  respiratory  organs,  stimulating  them  to 
greater  activity,  thus  deepening  and  lengthening  the  inhalations. 
Again,  a  suitable  animal  is  provided,  placed  upon  the  table  in  an 
appropriate  manner,  is  anaesthetized  that  it  shall  not  suffer  pain, 
then  with  the  knife  and  proper  apparatus  these  internal  organs 
under  consideration  are  exposed  to  view;  the  students  see  them 
in  operation  performing  their  natural  functions.  Now  the  stim- 
ulating agents  are  administered  and  the  students  see  their  effect 
upon  these  organs.  In  turn  they  are  taken  to  the  laboratory 
and  required  to  make  the  demonstration  themselves.  Do  I  hear 
any  one  ask  which  method  of  teaching  will  make  the  profounder 
impression  on  the  students'  minds?  Personally,  I  can  see  no 
comparison.  The  simple  pleasing  word-picture  as  presented  by 
the  ''successful"  lecturer  makes  but  a  passing  impression  on  the 
mind  of  the  average  student.  This  cannot  be  called  knowledge, 
only  transient  information.  The  actual  demonstration  which  he 
has  made  and  observed  makes  a  deep  and  lasting  impression  on 
his  mind  and  imparts  to  him  knowledge  that  is  permanent. 

We  do  not  think  of  instructing  students  in  anatomy  by  only 
lecturing  to  them  on  the  subject.  The  institution  of  learning 
that  to-day  would  advocate  this  would  be  laughed  to  scorn. 
No,  we  take  the  students  to  the  dissecting-room  and  there  teach 
the  subject  by  actual  demonstration.  What  would  the  teaching 
of  chemistry  amount  to  without  the  laboratory?  And  the  same 
question  may  be  asked  in  regard  to  the  teaching  of  metallurgy. 
It  is  unnecessary  for  me  to  follow  this  line  of  illustration  farther. 

It  seems  to  me  that  object  teaching  in  all  branches  and  de- 
partments of  our  college  curriculum  which  admit  of  it  is  the 
only  true  effective  method  to  be  employed.  We  must  work  in 
this  manner  of  teaching  more  and  more  if  we  desire  to  make 
the  best  return  for  the  favor  and  patronage  of  our  students.  I 
confidently  hope  and  expect  in  the  near  future  to  see  a  general 
move  along  this  line  in  college  work. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  515 

LIMITATIONS  IN  DENTAL  EDUCATION.* 
By  Eugene  S.  Talbot,  M.D.,  D.DS. 

In  dealing  with  limitations  in  dental  education,  we  are 
brought  face  to  face  with  their  greatest  evil — divorcement  of 
dental  from  medical  teaching.  Removal  of  a  special  department 
from  general  medicine  and  tuition  along  narrow  lines  have  so 
narrowed  teaching  that  even  diseases  of  the  general  system 
which  affect  the  mouth,  jaws  and  teeth  are  excluded.  The  med- 
ical profession  has  been  content  to  let  the  dentist  entirely  alone. 
In  studying  systemic  diseases,  therefore,  it  has  not  trespassed  on 
the  field  of  dentistry.  The  result  is  that  study  of  the  general  dis- 
eases which  affect  the  mouth,  jaws  and  teeth  have  been 
neglected.  Limitations  of  a  dental  education  have  preventcj 
the  dentist  from  associating  local  diseases  with  systemic  causes. 

The  very  title,  "Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery,"  has  so  closely 
and  exclusively  limited  the  profession,  as  it  is  called,  that  the 
dentist  is  known  by  the  laity  as  doctor  of  the  teeth.  A  letter 
received  by  me  March  24th,  asking  me  to  deliver  an  address 
before  a  State  Society  in  a  city  of  50,000,  says  :  *'The  people  here 
don't  seem  to  realize  that  a  dentist  is  anything  more  than  a  man 
with  a  pair  of  forceps  who  can  yank  out  a  tooth  for  a  quarter. 

The  mental  atmosphere  of  the  colleges  is  such  that  the  stu- 
dent very  soon  imbibes  the  fixed  idea  that  repair  of  decayed  or 
dead  teeth  and  restoration  of  lost  ones  is  all  that  is  expected  of 
him  when  he  leaves  college.  Anatomy,  physiology,  chemistry 
and  pathology  are  so  taught  as  to  impress  the  student  with  the 
notion  that  these  subjects  have  little  to  do  with  dentistry,  and 
hence  a  feeling  results  that  to  obtain  the  degree  of  D.D.S.,  the 
student  need  have  but  the  dimmest  idea  of  these  sciences.  The 
result  is  that  the  graduate  of  dental  surgery  is  not  competent  to 
associate  systemic  diseases  with  their  effects  on  the  teeth,  nor  is 
he  capable  of  appreciating  systemic  lesions  due  to  overtreatment 
of  pathologic  conditions  of  the  teeth. 

The  jaws  and  teeth,  as  part  of  the  human  body,  are  influ- 
enced by  the  local  and  systemic  conditions  of  the  human  organ- 
ism. Narrowing  our  specialty  to  the  treatment  of  the  human 
tooth,  and  ignoring  the  influences  of  the  systemic  diseases  of  the 
body  and  the  local  diseases  which  surround  the  jaws  and  teeth, 
has  resulted  in  great  mental  limitations  to  the  dentist.  Only  a 
medical  education  can  remove  these  mentaUlimitations.  Dentists 
virtually  come  to  a  standstill  as  far  as  restoration  to  health  is 
concerned;  nay,  more,  owing  to  ignorance,  not  being  satisfied 
with  assisting  Nature  to  restore  diseased  teeth  to  health,  they 

*  Presented  in  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Kducation,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  INIeetinjj:  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-Sth,  1900. 


5i6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

are  in  many  ways  encouraging  disease  and  destruction  of  the 
very  tissues  which  they,  as  specialists,  are  supposed  to  protect. 

Embryonic  evolution  teaches  that  the  jaws  and  teeth  are 
transitory  structures,  degenerating  from  year  to  year.  They 
were  foreordained  to  destruction  from  the  very  beginning.  The 
teeth,  unlike  other  structures  of  the  body,  obtain  their  size  and 
growth  before  they  erupt.  Therefore  nourishment  and  repair 
are  out  of  the  question.  If  decay  of  the  teeth — which  is  a  natural 
process — will  not  remove  them,  a  simple  process,  interstitial 
gingivitis,  and  finally  a  still  simpler  process,  osteomalacia  or 
senile  absorption,  will  accomplish  the  result.  In  the  lower  verte- 
brates, such  as  the  whale,  shark,  snake,  etc.,  continuous  succes- 
sion of  teeth  is  produced  throughout  life.  Osteomalacia  or  senile 
absorption,  therefore,  is  the  outcome  of  the  law  of  atavism.  Na- 
ture is  trying  to  remove  the  second  set.  The  changes  in  the 
shapes  of  the  alveolar  processes  tend  to  lessen  the  blood-supply 
of  the  teeth.  A  society  fad — etiquette  in  mastication — whereby 
the  lips  are  closed  and  the  motion  of  the  jaws  is  barely  percepti- 
ble in  chewing  is  not  conducive  to  strength  and  vitality,  but 
atrophy  or  arrest  of  development  is  sure  to  follow.  Is  there  not 
a  limit  to  certain  operations  that  are  so  enthusiastically  advo- 
cated by  dentists?  In  early  races,  as  indicated  by  their  skulls, 
and  in  modern  nearly  pure  races,  decay  of  the  teeth,  when  ob- 
served, always  commences  in  the  fissures  of  the  crown  and  at 
the  necks  of  the  teeth  below  the  enamel.  These  are  the  de- 
fective places  in  otherwise  strong,  healthy  teeth.  In  the  teeth 
of  to-day,  owing  to  degeneration  in  shape,  size  and  structure, 
and  owing  to  modern  methods  of  life,  decay  takes  place  at  any 
locality,  owing  to  imperfectly  developed  tooth  structure.  Decay 
is  more  frequently  and  more  rapid  to-day  than  formerly,  and  is 
increasing  with  great  rapidity.  It  is  more  rapid  in  some  nation- 
alities than  in  others. 

One  is  almost  impressed  by  the  rapidity  of  decay  of  the  teeth 
when  comparing  those  in  ancient  and  modern  skulls,  of  nearly 
pure  races,  with  the  teeth  of  the  present  generation.  With  the 
concentration  of  all  the  knowledge,  energy  and  skill  that  has 
accumulated  in  the  dental  profession,  the  result  of  its  narrow 
teaching  in  the  past  sixty  years,  dentists  have  not  been  able  to 
prevent  the  ravages  of  decay.  Nor  will  they  be  if  they  practice 
present  methods  for  a  millenium. 

Fillings  are  inserted  no  better  by  dentists  to-day  than  they 
were  forty  or  fifty  years  ago.  All  that  any  one  can  or  ever  will 
be  able  to  do  is  to  insert  a  moisture-tight  filling,  excepting,  of 
course,  amalgam.  A  patient  comes;  cavities  in  the  teeth  are 
filled;  the  patient  is  dismissed  with  a  request  to  return  in  six 
months  or  a  year;  he  returns,  as  requested,  with  more  cavities 
and  decay  around  those  recently  filled,  but  the  dentist  is  not 
disappointed. 

With  the  existing  limited  knowledge,  the  central  idea  seems 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  517 

to  be  to  stop  the  cavity  in  the  tooth  so  that  it  will  not  decay- 
again.  This  being  the  case  the  entire  energy  and  brain  of  the 
profession — so-called — is  exerted  in  finding  some  means  to  carry 
out  this  idea.  The  filling  must  be  made  more  than  moisture- 
tight.  To  do  this  it  must  be  malleted  in  with  as  much  force 
as  patient  and  tooth  can  stand,  regardless  of  pericementitis, 
interstitial  gingivitis,  necrosis  of  the  jaw,  and  sensitiveness  and 
death  of  the  pulp  from  thermal  changes.  It  is  perfectly  absurd 
to  submit  the  patient  to  such  agony.  The  cavity  must  be 
measured.  If  it  be  the  size  of  a  pin  head,  the  entire  approximal 
surface  of  solid  tooth-substance  must  be  cut  away,  thus  sub- 
jecting the  patient  to  hours  of  torture — to  say  nothing  of  the 
expense  and  of  the  furnishing  of  a  larger  surface  for  the  de- 
struction of  the  pulp  by  thermal  agencies.  By  filling  the  teeth 
the  cause  is  not  removed.  Under  present  methods  dental  tech- 
nique will  never  prevent  decay.  * 

Apropos  to  what  has  already  been  said  may  be  quoted  a 
paper  read  before  the  British  Medical  Society,  at  the  meeting 
in  Portsmouth,  August  ist  to  4th,  1899,  by  Dr.  James  Cantlie,'*' 
on  "Early  Decay  of  the  Teeth  in  Britain."  He  says:  "That  the 
teeth  of  our  children  are  in  a  bad  way  is  an  acknowledge  fact, 
proved  over  and  over  again.  *  *  *  Xhe  result  of  all  such 
inquiry  has  been  the  publication  of  statistics  proving  an  abnor- 
mal amount  of  disease.  The  natural  importance  of  this  can 
hardly  be  overestimated.  We  cannot  expect  to  rear  a  healthy 
race  on  carious  teeth.     *     *     *" 

"The  cause  of  this  premature  and  abnormal  decay  is,  how- 
ever, scarcely  dealt  with.  *  *  *  The  dental  art  has  at- 
tained so  high  a  position  in  this  country  and  in  America,  so  far 
as  the  mechanics  of  the  art  goes,  that  there  is  but  little  more 
to  be  done.  *  *  *  g^^-  j  would  like  to  induce  our  dental 
brothers  to  look  a  little  farther  afield  and  to  tell  us  how  to  raise 
the  child,  so  that  the  teeth  while  yet  unerupted  and  within  the 
dental  sacs  may  be  allowed  to  grow  to  the  greatest  perfection." 

"The  National  School  of  Dental  Techniques"  is  the  last 
straw  on  the  camel's  breaking  back.  It  is  the  essence  of 
narrowness.  It  will  soon  wear  out  its  usefulness  and  become 
a  thing  of  the  past.  What  is  needed  to-day  is  a  broad  educa- 
tion in  pathology  that  wall  find  the  cause  and  remove  it.  Dr. 
Arch.  C.  Hart,  of  San  Francisco,  as  represented  in  his  paper 
on  "Evolution  of  the  Decay,"  has  worked  along  the  right  lines. 
He  deserves  credit  for  courage  in  presenting  the  subject  in  a 
new  aspect. 

Modern  methods  of  practice,  such  as  gold  crowns,  bridge- 
work — ^producing  irritation  of  the  gums — cutting  away  the  teeth 
— allowing  the  roots  to  come  close  together  (Bonwill),  thus  re- 
moving support  and  nourishment  from  the  teeth — are  fruitful 
sources  of  interstitial  gingivitis. 


*Brit.  Med.  Jour, ,  September  2d,  1899. 


5i8  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

The  application  of  bridge-work  when  one  or  two  roots  are 
required  to  support  two  or  more  crowns  is  certainly  pernicious 
practice.  Especially  is  this  true  in  those  cases  in  which  the 
alveolar  process  has  once  become  attacked  with  syphilis  or 
scurvy  or  poisons,  such  as  mercury,  lead,  etc.,  and  in  those 
cases  in  which  autointoxication  produces  interstitial  gingivitis. 
The  alveolar  processes  which  have  become  involved  are  more 
susceptible  to  irritation  and  finally  to  loss  of  structure.  From 
what  has  been  learned  in  the  past  four  years  of  the  alveolar 
process  and  its  absorption,  implantation  and  transplantation  of 
the  teeth  after  the  jaws  have  obtained  their  growth  can  never 
be  considered  a  successful  operation. 

Correcting  irregularities  of  the  teeth  by  the  use  of  springs, 
ligatures  and  elastics,  after  the  alveolar  process  has  obtained 
its  growth,  requires  great  skill  and  judgment  to  prevent  de- 
struction of  the  alveolar  process.  Many  mouths  have  been  in- 
jured by  the  too  rapid  movement  of  the  teeth  by  these  instru- 
ments. The  pernicious  habit  of  ''beautifying"  the  teeth  by  the 
use  of  silk  threads,  so  strongly  recommended,  has  been  an  ob- 
ject-lesson to  many  practitioners  in  the  neighborhoods  where 
such  operations  have  been  performed.  There  are  many  other 
mechanical  operations  in  which  the  enthusiast  overreaches  the 
mark,  the  discussion  of  which  is  not  apropos  at  this  time.  Since 
dental  technique  has  reached  such  a  high  state  of  perfection  in 
our  dental  schools,  it  is  high  time  the  faculties  should  turn  their 
attention  to  the  scientific  side  of  dental  teaching.  No  wonder 
that  our  British  and  European  confreres  have  such  a  poor 
opinion  of  our  dental  schools. 

Viewing  the  subject  from  a  university  standpoint,  dental 
college  teaching  is  in  a  rut,  and  a  deep  and  narrow  one  at  that. 
A  large  percentage  of  the  colleges  ought  not  to  exist.  While 
the  motive  of  many  of  the  teachers  is  honorable,  a  large  pro- 
portion of  them  have  not  the  proper  education  to  teach.  Pres- 
idents and  board  of  regents  of  the  universities  having  dental 
departments  should  reorganize  these  schools  and  place  dental 
teaching  on  as  broad  a  foundation  as  other  departments  of 
science.  The  preliminary  qualifications,  entrance  examinations 
and  length  of  course  of  study  should  be  the  same  as  in  other 
departments.  Tlien  and  not  until  then  will  dentistry,  hold  the 
position  in  the  community  which  it  deserves. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  519 

OXYPHOSPHATES. 
By  W.  V.  B.  Ames,  D.DS. 

The  cement-forming  phenomena  exhibited  by  bringing  to- 
gether certain  chlorids,  phosphates  and  sulphates,  and  certain 
bases,  are  usually  referred  to  as  pecuhar  if  not  mysterious. 
Dental  text-books  generally,  and  works  on  general  chemistry 
dismiss  the  phenomena  without  attempting  an  explanation  of 
the  pecuhar  hardening  process  which  ensues  under  proper  con- 
ditions. 

I  will  presume  to  place  myself  and  you  in  a  position  to 
consider  these  cements  tangibly  by  assuming  that  the  hardening 
or  setting  is  simply  the  result  of  the  formation  of  basic  salts. 
The  formation  of  basic  salts  is  sufficiently  familiar  to  us.  In 
adding  an  excess  of  the  oxid  of  any  negative  metal  to  an  acid 
which  is  a  solvent  of  that  oxid  there  will  be  instead  of  complete 
solution  the  natural  equivalent,  a  partial  solution  and  then  the 
formation  of  a  basic  salt,  which  will  dissolve  on  addition  of  ex- 
cess of  acid,  but  not  so  readily  as  would  the  oxid  if  added  slowly 
and  not  crowded  to  the  extent  of  causing  the  formation  of  a 
basic  salt. 

Thus  from  analogy  we  can  assume  that  oxyphosphate,  oxy- 
sulphate  and  oxychlorid  of  zinc  is  nothing  more  nor  less  than 
a  mass  in  which  an  excess  of  zinc  oxid  granules  are  held  together 
by  basic  phosphate,  sulphate,  or  chlorid  of  zinc,  more  or  less 
modified  by  other  salts  which  happen  to  be  in  solution  in  the 
liquid  portion  of  the  cement. 

Observations  under  the  microscope  of  the  differences  of 
texture  of  cements,  measurements  for  shrinkage  and  expansion 
and  tests  for  strength  have  led  me  to  believe  that  all  or  most 
of  the  differences  found  in  these  materials  can  be  attributed  to 
the  differences  in  the  basic  salt  giving  the  cement-making 
phenomena. 

For  example,  the  most  common  formula  for  oxyphosphate 
of  zinc,  the  one  almost  universally  copied  by  writers  having 
occasion  to  use  a  formula  for  this  material,  is  the  one  calling 
for  the  solution  of  glacial  phosphoric  acid  in  water,  for  the 
liquid.  Glacial  phosphoric  acid  is  really  a  mixture  of  meta 
phosphoric  acid  and  sodium  phosphate,  the  latter  being  added 
in  indefinite  quantity  to  give  the  glassy  form  desirable  for 
handling.  When  this  is  mixed  with  zinc  oxid  a  double  basic 
phosphate  of  zinc  and  sodium  is  formed  which  acts  to  cement 
together  the  excess  of  zinc  oxid  granules.  This  sodium  zinc 
basic  phosphate  is  a  more  porous,  friable,  cementing  substance 
than  would  be  a  straight  basic  phosphate  of  zinc,  such  as  would 
be  formed  if  pure  orthophosphoric  acid  were  used  as  the  liquid. 
This,  however,  would  not  give  the  smooth  plasticity  and  slow 
setting  which  is  obtained  by  the  addition  of  sodium  phosphate. 


520  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

This  salt  is  peculiar  in  imparting  those  quantities  to  cement,  but 
unfortunately  does  not  at  the  same  time  give  density  and  in- 
tegrity to  the  hardened  mass. 

A  happy  medium,  however,  of  easy  working  and  density  of 
mass  can  be  gotten  by  working  into  orthophosphoric  acid  the 
phosphates  of  some  of  the  metals  other  than  of  the  alkaline 
group,  such  as  magnesium,  zinc,  aluminum,  copper,  silver,  etc., 
which  will  impart  desirable  working  qualities  and  a  less  porous 
texture  than  is  found  in  the  glacial  phosphoric  acid  product. 
This  difference  in  oxyphosphates  which  really  divides  them  into 
two  classes,  the  alkaline  and  non-alkaline,  was  first  mentioned, 
I  believe,  by  me,  in  a  paper  read  before  the  Columbian  Dental 
Congress  in  1893.  No  special  cognizance  has  been  taken  of 
this  in  the  interim  by  others.  Writings  on  the  question  have 
not  been  voluminous.  It  is  a  considerable  satisfaction,  how- 
ever, to  know  that  in  some  work  being  done  by  another  for  the 
International  Congress  at  Paris,  of  this  year,  almost  the  identi- 
cal opinions  will  be  offered  and  the  cements  divided  into  the 
same  two  classes,  one  in  which  the  liquid  contains  alkaline  phos- 
phates in  solution,  and  the  other  in  which  they  are  absent.  Of 
the  first,  the  brands  are  legion;  of  the  second,  the  few  can  be 
counted  on  the  fingers. 

There  has  been  considerable  agitation  for  over  a  year,  of 
the  undesirable  porosity  in  cements  as  started  by  Dr.  E.  K. 
Wedelstaedt.  The  few  oxyphosphates  showing  little  or  no 
porosity  can  safely  be  said  to  be  of  the  small  minority  or  second 
class  mentioned.  It  is  safe  to  say  that  as  a  result  of  the  present 
agitation,  the  manufacturers  will  be  led  to  improve  their  prod- 
ucts, since  it  has  been  demonstrated  that  impervious  cements 
with  good  working  qualities  can  be  produced.  With  an  im- 
pervious cement,  which  makes  a  mass  of  almost  flinty  texture 
such  as  some  obtainable,  I  am  satisfied  that  results  can  be  ob- 
tained infinitely  better  than  writers  of  a  few  years  since  would 
venture  to  promise. 

When  the  liquid  portion  of  the  cement  contains  phosphates 
of  now-alkaline  metals  there  is  apt  to  be  considerable  trouble 
from  crytallization,  and  care  must  be  exercised  to  avoid  this 
to  as  great  an  extent  as  possible.  When  the  crytals  can  be 
easily  liquefied  the  objection  only  amounts  to  an  annoyance. 
When  the  liquid  only  takes  on  a  slight  cast  from  the  formation 
of  minute  crystals  which  will  be  in  suspension  or  loosely  settled 
at  the  bottom  of  the  bottle  from  long  standing,  these  can  usually 
be  disregarded  if  the  bottle  is  shaken  each  time  to  evenly  dis- 
tribute. When  crystals  form  which  are  not  easily  soluble  by 
warming,  and  which  adhere  to  the  bottom  or  sides  of  the  bottle, 
it  is  safe  to  say  that  the  liquid  is  not  up  to  the  ideal  intended  by 
the  manufacturer. 

The  use  of  this  class  of  cements  calls  for  greater  caution 
in  managing  the  ingredients,  than  with  the  stereotype  alkaline 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  521 

phosphate  cement.  It  is  more  essential  that  a  non-corrosive 
spatula  be  used,  as  free  acid  is  more  in  evidence  which  will 
attack  a  steel  spatula,  forming  phosphate  of  iron  to  the  detri- 
ment of  the  mix,  as  iron  is  not  one  of  the  metals  which  can  be 
worked  into  a  cement  liquid  to  advantage.  A  point  which  I 
hesitate  to  urge  is  the  necessity  of  scrupulously  avoiding  the 
contamination  of  the  liquid  within  the  bottle,  by  inserting  an 
unclean  instrument  of  any  sort.  A  glass  rod  or  dropper,  an 
orange  wood  point,  a  clean,  hard  tooth-pick,  or  clean  non-cor- 
rosive spatula  is  better  for  removing  the  desired  amount  of 
liquid  than  dropping  or  pouring  from  the  bottle,  but  be  very 
careful  to  avoid  contamination.  The  least  particle  of  the  ce- 
ment powder  gotten  by  carelessness  into  the  liquid  bottle  will 
tend  to  cause  crystallization. 

The  means  of  making  the  most  durable  cement  filling,  I 
will  not  presume  to  advance.  I  believe  in  mixing  cements  for 
fillings  as  stiff  as  they  can  be,  and  yet  have  sufificient  plasticity 
for  thoroughly  packing  to  the  cavity,  never  inserting  or  attempt- 
ing to  pack  a  crumbly  mass.  I  desire  to  have  the  cement  attain 
a  decided  crispness  before  attempting  to  trim  it,  especially  at 
the  cervical  margin,  and  then  trim  from  center  when  practicable. 
I  have  had  the  utmost  satisfaction  in  the  use  of  tin-foil  as  advo- 
cated by  A.  Booth  Pearsall,  for  compressing  and  confining  the 
cement,  and  for  getting  the  occlusion  where  necessary,  by  hav- 
ing the  patient  bring  the  occluding  teeth  into  contact  upon  a 
piece  of  tin  while  the  cement  is  still  plastic.  For  crown  setting 
I  can  only  say  that  the  cement  should  be  mixed  as  stifif  as  its 
working  qualities  will  admit.  Dental  Register. 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 
PuBUSHED  Monthly. 


WILBUR   F.    I.ITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


MAXILLARY  DEGENERACY. 

The  causal  agency  at  the  basis  of  all  physical  degeneration 
is  undoubtedly  disuse  or  misuse  of  function. 

The  fact  has  long  been  recognized  that  this  is  especially  true 
of* the  human  maxillae  and,  directly  or  indirectly,  of  human  den- 
tition as  well  as  of  that  complex  of  successive  and  progressive 
physical  and  mental  degenerations  which  culminate  in  the  de- 
formed and  neurasthenic  weakling  of  modern  social  life. 

It  would  seem  to  be  a  simple  proposition  that  if  disuse  or 
misuse  of  function  is  the  cause  of  perverted  physical  growth,  a 
return  to  normal  functional  usage  would  be  an  all-sufficient  cure, 
and  it  is  undoubtedly  true  that  if  children  in  the  formative  period 
in  which  the  trend  of  physical  development  is  established  and 
dietetic  habits  are  formed  and  fixed  could  be  given  their  starchy 
food,  not  in  the  form  of  mush  or  other  semi-fluid  mixtures,  but 
chiefly  in  well-baked,  hard-crusted,  home-made  bread,  not  too 
fresh  from  the  oven,  and  their  meat  diet  in  good,  sturdy  beef  or 
mutton,  with  plenty  of  fiber  and  a  bit  of  gristle  now  and  then 
to  give  their  teeth  a  wholesome  tussle,  and  were  made  to  chew 
these  slowly  and  well  to  full  insalvation  it  would  be  the  begin- 
ning of  better  things,  not  only  in  relation  to  dental  and  maxillary 
development,  but  that  of  the  whole  physical  organism. 

As  "the  child  is  father  to  the  man"  these  habits,  if  once 
established,  would  make  much  easier  the  displacement  from  too 
522 


EDITORIAL.  523 

exclusive  use  of  dishes  which,  while  generally  nutritious  and 
appetizing,  are  not  physically  of  a  character  demanding  much 
mastication.  Taken  largely,  or  exclusively,  as  they  are,  they  sat- 
isfy hunger  and  absorb  the  energies  of  gastric  digestion,  thus 
usurping  the  place  in  the  dietary  which  should  be  taken  by  foods 
far  more  wholesome,  and  by  their  character  better  fitted  to  bring 
into  play  those  important  digestive  processes  carried  on  in  the 
"first  stomach,"  the  mouth. 

These  facts  are  axiomatic,  and  yet  he  must  be  hopeful  even 
beyond  the  wont  of  reformers  who  can  expect  that  because  of 
such  considerations  there  will  be  any  general  abandonment  of 
the  gustatory  joys  of  the  tender  stew,  the  steaming  roll,  the 
savory  croquette,  the  appetizing  hash — its  humble  and  obscure 
poor  relation — or  even  the  unspeakable  pie  of  the  "hustler's" 
lunch  counter. 

Multitudes  of  Americans  have,  with  characteristic  resource- 
fulness, sought  to  bridge  the  dietetic  gulf  between  duty  and 
desire  with  chewing  gum,  a  material  which,  while  possibly  not 
without  its  advantages,  dynamically  and  physiologically  leaves 
much  to  be  desired  and  aesthetically  offers  much  to  be  deplored. 

Unfortunately,  the  hurry  and  rush  of  the  age  are  against  die- 
tetic reform,  there  is  not  time  for  mastication;  the  luxuriousness 
of  the  age  is  against  it,  for  a  perverted  taste  has  ceased  to 
crave  the  viands  which  make  efficient  mastication  possible. 

One  ray  of  light  which  has  broken  through  the  clouds 
obscuring  the  outlook  is  the  general  revival  of  interest  in  athletic 
sports  and  exercises. 

Darwin,  as  the  result  of  observation  upon  the  lower  animals, 
makes  the  statement  that  in  some  cases  a  correlation  exists  be- 
tween the  development  of  the  extremities  and  of  the  jaws,  and 
suggests  that  in  the  case  of  those  classes  which  do  not  labor  much 
with  their  hands  and  feet  the  jaws  are  reduced  in  size  from  that 
cause. 

If  this  contention  be  correct,  the  converse  of  the  proposi- 
tion is  of  course  true,  and  a  larger  use  of  the  hands  and  feet  will 
result  in  an  increased  size  of  the  jaws. 


534  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Without  discussing  the  question  as  to  whether  there  is  an 
obscure  trophic  basis  for  this  correlation,  a  sufficiently  obvious 
fact  is  that  a  hard  worker,  in  the  active  physical  sense,  is  a  hearty 
feeder,  with  a  decidedly  primitive  taste  for  substantial  food.  The 
hundreds  of  young  men  who  annually  are  put  upon  the  simple, 
but  nutritious,  dietary  demanded  by  training  for  athletic  sports 
become  examples  to  themselves,  as  well  as  to  others,  of  its  bene- 
ficial effects. 

Through  the  agency  of  the  bicycle,  tennis  and  golf  the  last 
decade  has  been  marked  among  women,  too,  by  a  wide-spread 
recognition  of  the  fact  that  work  is  the  chief  factor  in  physical 
well  being,  and  that  there  can  be  no  healthful  growth  of  any 
organ  or  tissue  of  the  body  without  it. 

Already  the  influence  of  this  active  physical  life  is  manifest 
in  the  improved  physical  endowment  of  the  growing  genera- 
tion; a  lustier  breed  is  coming  up.  Fashion,  too,  has  set  her  seal 
upon  health;  weakness,  sickliness  and  morbidity  are  no  longer 
"good  form,"  and  if  Fashion  be  for  a  cause  who  shall  be  against 
it!  True,  she  is  a  fickle  goddess,  but  as  a  proselyte  she  should, 
for  a  time  at  least,  be  zealous,  and  with  "the  sex"  she  is  esteemed 
all  powerful. 

And,  after  all,  it  is  to  das  ewig-weihlidve — ^to  the  bosom, 
where  the  race  is  cradled,  and  the  knee,  where  the  race  is  trained, 
that  we  mUiSt  turn  for  cure.  From  her,  infancy  and  childhood 
receive  their  ineflfacable  impress.  As  she  fits  herself  for  the 
sacred  office  of  maternity  and  acquits  herself  of  the  high  duties 
of  motherhood  so  will  the  race  wax  or  wane,  so  for  her  offspring 
will  there  be  a  higher  physical  and  spiritual  life  or  a  deeper 
degeneration. 

Questions  and  Answers. 
Owing  to  the  absence  of  Dr.  Broomell,  consequent  upon 
his  attendance  as  representative  of  the  Brief  at  the  Interna- 
tional Dental  Congress,  the  Questions  and  Answers  department 
will  be  omitted  for  this  month,  but  will  be  resumed  in  the  Octo- 
ber issue. 


CORRESPONDENCE.  525 

ANNOUNCEMENTS. 


COLORADO  STATE  DENTAL  ASSOCIATION. 
At  the  annual  meeting  of  the  Colorado  State  Dental  Asso- 
ciation, held  at  Boulder,  Colo.,  June  12th,  13th  and  14th,  1900, 
the  following  officers  were  elected  for  the  ensuing  year:  E.  R. 
Warner,  President,  Denver;  J.  Allen  Smith,  Vice-President, 
Colorado  Springs;  H.  F.  Hoffman,  Secretary,  Denver;  William 
Smedley,  Treasurer,  Denver. 

H.  F.  Hoffman,  Secretary. 


CORRESPONDENCE. 


Belleville,  August  9th,  1900. 
Editor  of  the  Dental  Brief. 

Dear  Sir: — In  the  interest  of  that  fruitful  field  of  chemical 
research,  the  oxyphosphate  field,  and  with  a  view  of  preventing 
a  growth  of  the  "veil  of  mystery"  (see  The  Dentist,  Vol.  II,  No. 
49,  p.  740),  in  which  the  dental  profession  finds  the  same  sur- 
rounded, I  ask  the  use  of  your  esteemed  periodical. 

So  little  is  known  regarding  the  composition  and  chemical 
structure  of  oxyphosphate  plastics,  that  no  definite  statements 
beyond  those  which  are  justified  by  well-known  laws  of  chem- 
istry, can  at  present  be  made  with  safety.  But  if  the  very  rudi- 
ments of  this  science  are  to  be  attacked  and  doubted,  then  fur- 
ther investigation  leads  to  conclusions  born  of  mental  gymnas- 
tics which  the  careful  thinker  refuses  to  follow. 

In  the  Pacific  Dental  Gazette,  Vol.  VIII,  p.  370,  Dr.  J.  Foster 
Flagg  has  created  a  "New  Departure  Creed,"  which  to  any  one 
acquainted  with  the  beaten  paths  of  scientific  thought  cannot  fail 
to  call  forth  surprise.  The  section  referred  to,  which  relates  to 
the  chemistry  of  oxyphosphates,  runs  thus: 

"It  is  not  to  be  denied  that  the  nomenclature  of  dentistry  ij 
to  be  credited  with  descriptive,  concise  practicality,  rather  than 
with  'scientific  accuracy,'  but  there  is  no  warrant  for  the  al- 
most universal  name  'Oxyphosphate'  as  given  to  those  cements 
which  are  the  nitrated  oxid  of  zinc  products,  such  as  Poulson's, 
Fletcher's,  Justi's,  Harvard,  Dawson's,  Hammond's  and  others 
of  that  class." 

With  reference  to  this  statement  let  us  ask  what  is  the 
meaning  of  the  term  "oxy."  To  the  chemist  it  has  a  twofold 
meaning.  For  his  own  convenience  the  latter  has  arranged  the 
various  elements  in  groups,  which  are  termed  "radicals."  A 
radical  may  consist  of  one  element  O",  divalent  oxygen  or  of 
two  or  more  elements  HO^,  monovalent  hydroxy  composed  of 
hydrogen  and  oxygen.  The  relation  of  the  latter  to  the  former 
is  readily  seen  in  the  compound  H-O-H,  water.  \\'here  cither 
of  these  groups  is  present  in  the  molecule  the  term  "oxy"  may 
properly  be  applied.    The  chief  factor  in  formation  of  either  is 


526  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

water  or  some  closely  allied  compound.  Salts  of  zinc  and 
aluminium  are  both  capable  of  reacting  with  water  to  form 
hydrates  or  oxy  salts,  and  that  this  is  especially  true  of  the  com- 
pounds used  in  dentistry  is  proven  by  the  fact  that  the  liquids 
used  contain  from  ten  to  thirty  per  cent,  water,  and  that  when 
zinc  oxid  and  phosphoric  acid  combine  water  is  liberated  in 
the  reaction.  What  becomes  of  the  water  from  these  two 
sources?  Experiments  conducted  by  me  show  that  the  greater 
portion  of  it  is  recombined  and  bound  fast.  There  is  only  one 
explanation.  The  water  has  combined  to  form  an  oxy  or 
hydroxy  phosphate.  In  this  instance  then  it  will  be  acknowl- 
edged that  'descriptive,  concise  practicality"  and  ''scientific  ac- 
curacy" are  identical. 

A  looser  sense  of  the  term  oxyphosphate  would  cover  a 
phosphate  of  zinc  containing  a  quantity  of  uncombined  oxid  of 
zinc  acting  as  concrete  or  in  very  loosely  bound  form. 

This  is  the  case  with  a  mixture  made  of  nearly  every  pow- 
der and  liquid  at  present  in  the  market.  A  plastic  mixture  made 
from  the  above  products  contains  in  the  neighborhood  of  three 
times  more  zinc  oxid  than  the  quantity  required  by  chemical 
laws  to  neutralize  the  available  phosphoric  acid.  In  every  sense 
then  the  term  oxyphosphate  is  applicable,  unless  Dr.  Flagg  be 
right  in  his  newly-made  discovery  concerning  the  composition 
of  zinc  oxid  made  from  the  nitrated  product.  Let  us  consider 
the  keynote  of  page  370  and  this  paper. 

'There  is  no  oxid  of  zinc  in  the  powders  of  any  properly 
prepared  zinc  phosphate" — not  that  it  might  not  be  possible  to 
again  make  oxide  of  zinc  from  nitrated  oxid  but  that  no  such 
transformation  is  made  by  the  processes  used  in  making  "zinc 
phosphate"  powder. 

There  is  considerable  ambiguity  and  lack  of  scientific  accu- 
racy in  this.  Considering  zinc  phosphate  as  the  compound  con- 
taining three  atoms  of  zinc,  two  of  phosphorus  and  eight  of 
oxygen,  I  fully  agree  with  Dr.  Flagg.  Furthermore,  there  are 
a  number  of  possible  cases  in  which  no  oxid  of  zinc  could  pos- 
sibly be  present  in  an  improperly  prepared  zinc  phosphate.  That 
this  is  not  meant  follows  from  the  remainder  of  the  sentence. 
We  are  left  to  suppose  that  the  term  "zinc  phosphate"  applies 
either  to  a  mixture  made  from  the  liquid  with  a  powder  no 
longer  zinc  oxid,  or  that  the  term  is  applied  to  the  powder 
which  at  first  was  oxid  of  zinc,  but  by  treatment  with  nitric 
acid  and  subsequent  ignition  changed  to  a  compound,  the  nature 
of  which  Dr.  Flagg  leaves  us  entirely  in  doubt. 

As  one  is  the  logical  result  of  the  other  it  matters  little 
which  is  given  preference.  The  fact  remains  that  Dr.  Flagg 
has  put  himself  in  direct  opposition  to  generally  accepted  views. 

"We  are  told  by  chemists  that  this  result  is  again  'oxid 
of  zinc,'  but  this  powder  has  nothing  in  common  with  that  from 
which  it  was  made  ;  its  'feel'  between  the  fingers  is   entirely 


CORRESPONDENCE.  527 

different  ;  its  color  is  light  yellow  instead  of  white  ;  its  weight, 
in  equal  bulk  is  more  than  twice  that  of  oxid  of  zinc,  while  its 
product  with  phosphoric  acid  is  utterly  distinct  from  that  of 
the  oxid." 

There  are  different  forms  of  many  chemical  compounds 
both  inorganic  and  organic. 

Groups  of  oxid  having  the  same  composition  chemically 
show  different  crystalline  structure,  different  solubilities  and 
gravities.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the  very  elements  which 
compose  these  compounds.  Carbon  exists  in  the  forms  of  dia- 
monds and  graphite — total  opposites  ;  one  brilliant,  hard  and 
transparent,  the  other  black  or  gray,  soft  enough  to  use  as  a  lu- 
bricant and  'opaque.  Phosphorus  exists  in  several  allotropic 
forms  and  so  does  silicon.  Titanium  and  aluminium  oxids  exist 
in  different  modifications,  etc.,  etc. 

That  zinc  oxid  from  the  nitrate  shows  physical  properties 
somewhat  distinct  from  that  obtained  from  other  sources  is  sur- 
prising only  to  one  unacquainted  with  the  above  facts.  Further- 
more, if  zinc  oxid  prepared  from  the  nitrate  is  not  zinc  oxid  it 
must  be  a  modification  of  the  nitrate  and  would  not  contain  the 
calculated  quantity  of  zinc  which  the  oxid  requires. 

Nitrate  of  zinc  requires  34.39  per  cent,  zinc  ;  oxid  of  zinc 
requires  80.24. per  cent.  zinc.  The  compound  suggested  by  the 
idea  of  Dr.  Flagg  must  have  a  percentage  of  zinc  lying  between 
these  two  extremes.  Such  is  not  the  case.  I  have  personally 
analyzed  the  powders  accompanying  the  Poulson,  Justi  and 
Harvard  cements,  and  with  the  exception  of  Harvard,  which 
is  a  compounded  powder  of  rather  complex  nature,  the  results 
show  them  to  be  fairly  pure  zinc  oxid.  But  whether  they  had 
their  origin  in  the  nitrate  I  have  no  way  of  telling,  not  being  in 
a  position  to  ask  the  manufacturers  to  reveal  their  business 
secrets. 

It  is  very  unsafe  to  venture  an  opinion  concerning  chemical 
composition  on  the  meagre  data  cited  by  Dr.  Flagg. 
Very  truly  yours, 
'  Herman  Fleck. 


528  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


COLLEGE  COMMENCEMENT. 

At  Los  Angeles,  California,  the  commencement  exercises 
of  the  College  of  Dentistry,  University  of  Southern  California, 
were  held  on  the  afternoon  of  June  13th  at  Blanchard's  Music 
Hall,  there  being-  eleven  graduates.    The  class  roll  is  as  follows: 

Harry  C.  Gleason,  President  of  Class. 

Eston  P.  Hilliker,  Secretary  of  Class. 

Cuthbert  D.  V.  Lawford,  Class  Historian. 

J.  F.  Galloway,  W.  B.  P.  Nehbel,  Edwin  C.  Kroeck,  James 
A.  Cronkhite,  W.  Lehman  Lowder,  Ulric  D.  Reed,  Joseph  R. 
Sabichi. 

The  presiding  officer  of  the  exercises  was  George  F.  Bo- 
vard,  A.M.,  D.D.,  President  of  the  Board  of  Trustees  of  the 
University  of  Southern  California. 

Faculty  address  was  given  by  Prof.  F.  M.  Parker,  D.D.S., 
Secretary  of  the  College  of  Dentistry;  address  for  class  by  Prof. 
Henry  G.  Brainerd,  A.B.,  M.D.,  Dean  of  the  College  of  Medi- 
cine, University  of  Southern,  California.  The  Dean  of  the  Col- 
lege of  Dentistry,  Prof.  Edgar  Palmer,  conferred  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Dental  Surgery. 

That  evening  a  banquet  was  given  at  Hotel  Van  Nuys  to 
the  graduating  class.  Those  present  were  the  members  of  the 
class,  members  of  the  faculty  of  the  Colleges  of  Dentistry  and 
Medicine  and  of  the  College  of  Liberal  Arts,  U.  S.  C.  Many 
good  toasts  were  responded  to  by  the  prominent  gentlemen  who 
have  been  identified  with  the  management  and  growth  of  the 
University  of  Southern  California,  and  comments  made  upon  the 
closing  of  the  third  year  of  a  very  promising  career  for  the 
College  of  Dentistry. 

Eston  P.  Hilliker,  Secretary. 


PATENTS  OF  INTEREST  TO  DENTISTS,  RECENTLY 

GRANTED. 

654,109,  Dental  articulator,  Henry  Backstrom,  Montpelier, 
Idaho. 

654,869,  Dental-  engine,  Frederick  H.  Berry,  Milwaukee, 
Wis. 

655,051,  Fountain  spittoon,  Arthur  W.  Browne,  New  York, 
N.  Y.,  assignor  to  S.  S.  White  Dental  Manufacturing  Company, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

655,525,  Making  separable  matrices  for  seamless  tooth 
crowns,  Samuel  C.  Snyder,  Scranton,  Pa. 

633,640,  Fountain  spittoon,  George  H.  Treadgold,  Port 
Huron,  Mich. 


REPORT,  529 

REPORT  OF  THE  FOREIGN  RELATIONS  COMMITTEE 

OF  THE  NATIONAL  ASSOCIATION  OF  DENTAL 

FACULTIES. 

During  the  past  year  the  work  of  the  Foreign  Relations 
Committee  has  been  materially  extended.  Advisory  boards  in 
most  foreign  countries  have  been  provided  for,  and  appoint- 
ments made  to  fill  them  as  fast  as  sufficiently  definite  informa- 
tion to  enable  the  committee  to  do  this  properly  could  be  ob- 
tained. Pamphlets  containing  an  exposition  of  the  work  and  the 
aims  of  the  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties  have  been 
printed  and  circulated  in  foreign  countries,  and  a  number  of 
circulars  of  information  for  members  of  our  foreign  advisory 
boards  have  been  printed  and  mailed  to  them.  In  addition,  as 
directed  by  the  association  at  its  last  meeting,  a  pamphlet  con- 
taining digests  of  the  reports  made  at  that  meeting  has  been 
printed  and  mailed  to  each  member  of  the  association,  and  to 
other  interested  members  of  the  profession  in  America  and 
abroad. 

All  this  has  involved  considerable  expense  for  printing  and 
postage,  but  we  believe  that  it  has  been  a  wise  expenditure  of 
money,  as  by  its  means  the  dental  profession  of  the  world  has 
been  made  aware  of  the  existence  of  an  association  of  the  regu- 
lar and  recognized  dental  schools  of  America  which  is  devoted 
to  the  advancement  of  the  cause  of  dental  education  and  to  the 
elevation  of  the  status  of  dentistry  among  all  nations. 

It  is  unfortunately  the  fact  that,  because  of  the  lack  of  uni- 
formity in  the  educational  systems  of  the  different  States,  and 
the  absence  of  any  general  supervisory  authority  on  the  part  of 
the  national  government,  under  some  unwise  local  legislation 
it  has  been  possible  for  irresponsible,  unqualified  and  unscru- 
pulous men  to  secure  charters  for  institutions  empowered  to 
grant  degrees,  and  under  such  authority  to  issue,  for  a  consid- 
eration, irregular  and  fraudulent  diplomas.  This  traffic  has 
principally  been  with  men  in  foreign  countries,  who  primarily 
the  guilty  ones,  have  sought  to  obtain  academic  honors  without 
the  labor  necessary  honestly  to  acquire  them.  As  these  insti- 
tutions have  been  conducted  under  pretentious  names,  it  was 
formerly  impossible  for  foreigners  who  had  no  intimate  ac- 
quaintance with  American  educational  affairs  to  distinguish 
between  the  regular  and  the  irregular  schools.  The  organiza- 
tion of  this  association  has  established  a  criterion  by  which  they 
may  be  judged,  only  those  owning  allegiance  to  the  National 
Association  of  Dental  Faculties  being  recognized. 

It  is  unfortunate  that  the  professional  situation  in  America 
has  not  in  past  years  been  better  comprehended  in  Europe.  All 
our  schools  have  been  held  responsible  for  the  vile  work  of  the 
fraudulent  ones, — nominally  located  in  this  country,  but  chiefly 
supported  by  unprofessional  men  from  abroad.  There  has  even 
been  a  grave  misapprehension  of  the  objects  of  this  association, 


530  DENTAL  BUiEF. 

and  the  work  of  the  Foreign  Relations  Coniniittee  has  in  some 
instances  been  totally  misconstrued.  All  of  us  are  aware  that 
while  some  of  the  very  best  and  ablest  American  representatives 
have  located  in  foreign  countries,  and  to  whose  professional 
career  we  can  point  with  pride,  it  is  unfortunately  the  case  that 
some  Americans  of  a  different  professional  reputation  have  gone 
abroad  and  have  indulged  in  practices  as  offensive  to  our  for- 
eign confreres  as  they  are  to  reputable  American  practitioners. 
There  are  many  more  unworthy  foreigners  who  have  legiti- 
mately or  illegitimately  become  possessed  of  an  American  de- 
gree, and  who,  without  warrant  of  right,  claim  the  title  of 
''American  dentist." 

The  belief  is  prevalent  in  certain  foreign  professional  cir- 
cles that  it  is  the  aim  of  the  National  Association  and  its  For- 
eign Relations  Committee  to  obtain  for  all  such  persons  profes- 
sional recognition,  and  to  demand  the  acceptance  of  their 
American  degree  by  the  governments  of  foreign  countries.  It 
is  but  proper  that  we  should  in  the  most  authoritative  manner 
deny  any  aspirations  of  the  kind.  This  association  has  not  in  the 
remotest  manner  contemplated  any  interference  with  or  protest 
against  the  laws  or  regulations  governing  the  practice  of  den- 
tistry in  any  foreign  country.  It  has  not  primarily  been  the  ob- 
ject of  either  the  National  Association  or  its  Foreign  Relations 
Committee  to  attempt  to  secure  for  the  American  dental  degree 
any  legal  recognition  as  a  qualification  for  foreign  practice. 
It  is  not  usual  in  the  American  States  which  have  legal  profes- 
sional regulations  to  receive  the  diplomas  of  any  foreign  pro- 
fessional school  as  a  qualification  for  practice,  and  we  cannot 
consistently  ask  that  which  we  refuse  to  others. 

It  seems  but  proper  that  we  should  publicly  avow  the  rea- 
sons that  have  prompted  the  better  colleges  to  form  this  asso- 
ciation of  schools,  and  to  appoint  a  committee  charged  with  the 
duty  of  harmonizing  our  relations  with  the  dental  profession  in 
other  lands.  We  seek  for  the  distinctive  American  dental  di- 
ploma nothing  more  than  the  consideration  which  its  merits 
demand.  If  its  reputation  has  been  debased  by  the  circulation 
of  counterfeit  diplomas,  it  is  something  for  which  we  are  in  no 
way  responsible.  In  the  formative  educational  period,  when 
dental  schools  existed  nowhere  save  in  America,  and  when  even 
dentistry  itself  was  undefined,  empirical,  tentative,  with  no  dis- 
tinctive line  of  practice  and  no  clearly  prescribed  curriculum 
of  study,  the  newly  adopted  degree  may  have  been  conferred 
in  some  instances  on  insufficient  acquirements.  The  experiment 
of  establishing  a  special  dental  educational  course  of  study, 
and  thus  laying  the  foundation  for  the  broad  profession  which 
exists  in  all  civilized  countries  to-day,  was  first  tried  in  America, 
and  here  tested  for  the  whole  world.  There  were  no  prece- 
dents for  our  guidance,  and  no  earlier  successes  or  failures  to 
stand  as  landmarks.  We  were  the  absolute  pioneers,  and  it 
would  be  little  wonder  if  we  made  some  errors. 


REPORT.  531 

Since  that  day  other  countries  have  drawn  professional 
hnes,  and  marked  out,  each  for  itself,  a  distinctive  course  of 
procedure.  Each  of  these  somewhat  varies  from  the  others,  and 
perhaps  all  from  that  originally  established  in  America.  If  den- 
tistry is  to  be  accepted  as  a  profession  at  all,  or  as  a  distinct 
branch  of  a  igreat  mother  profession,  it  must  be  broader  than 
is  any  State;  it  cannot  be  confined  by  any  bourne,  nor  limited 
by  mountains,  rivers,  or  oceans.  There  should  be  no  Ameri- 
can, English,  German  or  French  dental  professions,  except  as 
each  is  a  part  of  one  undivided  whole.  Realizing  all  this,  the 
National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties  was  organized  for, 
and  has  been  constantly  laboring  to  attain,  these  definite  pur- 
poses : 

First.  To  establish  a  broad  and  generally  accepted  cur- 
riculum of  dental  study,  and  by  the  combination  of  all  the  better 
dental  schools  of  America  to  bring  each  up  to  a  uniform  stand- 
ard of  excellence. 

Second.  To  establish  a  clear  line  of  demarkation  between 
the  regular  and  the  irregular  schools,  and  to  force  out  of  exist- 
ence the  latter. 

Third.  Gradually  to  raise  the  standard  of  preliminary  edu- 
cation until  none  but  such  as  have  the  general  erudition  that 
should  distinguish  a  professional  man  can  be  accepted  in  Amer- 
ican dental  colleges. 

These  were  the  principal  objects  in  view,  and  in  the  attain- 
ment of  them  success  has  been  secured  exceeding  the  most  san- 
guine expectations  of  the  founders  of  the  movement. 

In  the  developmient  of  its  plans  the  association  met  with 
many  obstacles,  and  found  itself  laboring  under  great  embar- 
rassments. One  of  the  chief  of  these  was  the  lack  of  information 
concerning  professional  affairs  in  foreign  countries.  The  asso- 
ciation decided,  so  far  as  was  in  its  power,  to  co-operate  with 
the  worthy  dentists  of  other  countries  in  the  laying  down  of 
certain  broad  principles  which  must  be  the  foundation  upon 
which  any  true  professional  practice  could  rest.  Any  interna- 
tional co-operation  must  be  based  upon  a  complete  knowledge 
by  each  of  the  methods  and  aims  of  the  others.  There  can  be  no 
concurrent  effort  without  mutual  comprehension  and  intelli- 
gence. 

Another  perplexity  was  found  in  the  fact  that  in  establish- 
ing the  preliminary  qualifications  for  matriculation  in  American 
colleges  there  was  no  rule  by  which  to  judge  of  the  value  of 
certificates  presented  by  foreign  students.  After  completing  the 
course  of  some  foreign  school,  a  student,  who  perhaps  spoke 
only  a  strange  language,  sometimes  desired  to  conclude  his 
studies  by  taking  as  much  of  the  American  course  as  would 
enable  him  to  finish  it,  and  he  demanded  of  some  American  col- 
lege advanced  standing  of  one  or  more  years.  His  certificates 
were  in  a  foreign  tongue,  and  in  some  instances  were  found 
either  forged  or  not  that  which  they  were  represented  to  be. 


532  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

In  this  emergency,  at  the  earnest  request  of  certain  Ameri- 
can dentists  practicing  in  foreign  countries,  who  had  been  scan- 
dalized by  the  acceptance  in  America  of  students  with  improper 
certificates,  a  committee,  to  be  called  the  "Committee  on  For- 
eign Relations,"  was  appointed,  and  was  charged  with  certain 
definite  duties: 

First.  It  was  to  be  in  all  things  subordinate  and  sub- 
servient to  the  National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties,  to 
which  body  it  must  make  a  full  report  each  year. 

Second.  It  was  empowered  to  appoint  advisory  boards  of 
not  more  than  three  members  in  each  foreign  country  having 
any  professional  relations  with  America,  whose  reports  concern- 
ing foreign  qualifications  might  form  a  basis  for  action  in  this 
country. 

Third.  It  was  to  have  jurisdiction  in  all  foreign  educational 
questions  affecting  American  dental  colleges. 

Fourth.  It  was  to  obtain  definite  information  concerning 
dental  regulations  and  laws  in  foreign  countries;  to  learn  what 
were  the  curriculum  and  requirements  of  all  foreign  dental 
schools,  with  the  view  of  determining  what  value  should,  under 
American  laws  and  regulations,  be  given  their  certificates  of 
study,  either  as  a  qualification  for  dental  practice  in  America  or 
for  admission  to  advanced  standing  in  American  dental  colleges. 

Fifth.  It  was  charged  with  the  duty  of  ferreting  out  insti- 
tutions engaged  in  the  granting  of  irregular  degrees  or  degrees 
irregularly,  and  instituting  measures  for  their  suppression. 

In  compliance  with  the  first  enumerated  duty  your  com- 
mittee makes  this  report  of  what  it  has  done  during  the  past 
year,  and  appends  the  recommendations  for  future  action  which 
its  experience  leads  it  to  believe  advisable.  It  has  earnestly 
striven  to  carry  out  what  its  members  believed  to  be  the  wishes 
of  this  association,  and  it  has  had  no  policy  of  its  own  to  inaugu- 
rate or  attempt  to  enforce.  It  has  in  all  things  been  governed 
by  what  it  believed  to  be  the  spirit  of  its  instructions. 

Concerning  the  second  business  with  which  it  was  charged,, 
your  committee  begs  to  report  that  it  has  divided  the  various 
countries  of  both  the  Eastern  and  Western  Hemispheres  into 
convenient  groups,  and  has  appointed  boards  for  each,  so  far  as 
the  information  obtainable  has  w^arranted.  In  making  such 
appointments  it  has  deemed  the  following  qualifications  es- 
sential : 

First.  The  appointee  should  be  a  regular  and  reputable 
dentist,  possessing  the  legal  qualifications  of  the  country  which 
he  represents. 

Second.  He  must  be  a  graduate  of  some  reputable  Amer- 
ican dental  school,  or  possess  an  acquaintance  with  the  curricula 
of  American  schools,  and  be  familiar  with  American  dental  pro- 
fessional methods.  The  list  of  such  appointments  is  appended 
for  the  approval  of  this  association. 


REPORT.  533 

In  the  discharge  of  the  third  duty  imposed  upon  us  your 
committee  has  met  with  great  embarrassments.  At  the  very 
outset  colleges,  members  of  this  association,  appealed  to  us  to 
know  what  consideration  should  be  given  to  certificates  show- 
ing that  proposed  students  had  taken  the  full  course  in  schools 
located  in  Japan  and  Mexico,  which  purported  to  teach  the 
whole  dental  curriculum.  Your  committee  could  not  learn  that 
any  schools  giving  a  course  in  dentistry  that  could  be  accepted 
as  an  equivalent  for  any  part  of  that  demanded  by  this  asso- 
ciation existed  in  either  country.  They  therefore  ruled  that 
students  from  either  could  only  be  accepted  as  members  of  the 
freshman  class  of  American  dental  colleges,  and  only  then  if 
they  complied  with  the  rules  of  the  association  so  far  as  prelimi- 
nary education  and  a  knowledge  of  the  English  language  are 
concerned.  This  ruling  was  cheerfully  accepted  by  the  schools 
that  had  raised  the  question,  and  we  present  it  as  an  encour- 
aging proof  of  the  loyalty  and  anxious  desire  for  a  high  stand- 
ard that  exists  among  the  recognized  dental  colleges  of 
America. 

But  the  discussion  of  this  raised  the  question  of  the  consid- 
eration that  should  be  given  to  the  certificates  of  study  from  any 
foreign  dental  school.  Our  rules  provide  that  no  credit  shall  be 
given  to  certificates  from  any  American  dental  school  whose 
curriculum  and  regulations  have  not  received  the  formal  ap- 
proval of  this  association.  Could  we,  in  the  name  of  the  Na- 
tional Association  of  Dental  Faculties,  approve  the  giving  of 
advanced  standing  to  students  fromi  the  schools  of  other  coun- 
tries that  had  not  the  same  stamp  of  regularity?  That  is,  could 
we  extend  to  foreign  and  unknown  dental  teaching  institutions 
privileges  that  were  positively  forbidden  to  American  schools? 
And  yet  the  responsibility  of  deciding  this  question  has  been 
thrust  upon  us  by  this  association,  and  we  could  not  evade  the 
obligation.  It  took  but  a  short  time  to  arrive  at  the  inevitable 
conclusion  that  we  could  not  approve  the  giving  of  advanced 
standing  to  graduates  or  undergraduates  of  any  foreign  dental 
school  whatever  until  such  school  had  received  the  formal  in- 
dorsement of  this  body. 

Fortunately,  few  of  these  questions  arose  in  time  to  affect 
any  student  for  the  term  of  1899-1900.  We  informed  the  col- 
leges presenting  the  cases  that  the  matter  would  be  referred  to 
this  annual  meeting,  and  the  committee  is  prepared  to  offer  cer- 
tain recommendations  for  the  recognition  of  foreign  schools, 
based  upon  such  knowledge  as  we  have  been  able  to  obtain. 
The  whole  matter  is  referred  to  this  body  for  final  adjustment. 

In  the  discharge  of  the  fourth  duty  that  devolved  upon  us, 
your  committee  is  in  possession  of  a  very  voluminous  mass  of 
correspondence  and  reports,  which  it  has  earnestly  labored  to  re- 
duce to  some  system.  The  advisory  boards  appointed  have,  in 
-aconsiderable  number  of  instances,  forwarded  as  full  information 


534  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

concerning  dental  schools  and  the  regulations  governing  dental 
practice  in  the  countries  represented  by  them  as  could  be  ob- 
tained, and  it  is  upon  such  reports  that  the  recommendations  of 
your  committee  are  wholly  based.  How  much  of  them  shall  be 
given  to  the  profession  of  America  by  publication  must  be  de- 
cided by  the  association.  It  would  be  quite  impossible  to  print 
the  great  mass  of  correspondence  unless  a  large  volume  should 
be  devoted  to  that  purpose. 

Under  the  fifth  head,  your  committee  begs  leave  to  report 
that  a  great  deal  has  been  accomplished.  The  same  legal  coun- 
sel employed  last  year  has  been  retained,  and  the  same  general 
course  has  been  pursued.  It  is  probable  that  more  fraudulent 
diplomas  have  been  sold  in  foreign  countries  during  the  past 
year  than  ever  before.  This  is  due  to  the  fact  that  those  who 
have  been  carrying  on  the  traffic  realize  that,  because  of  activity 
in  their  prosecution,  the  time  for  accountability  is  near  at  hand, 
and  they  are  striving  to  make  the  most  of  the  present  op- 
portunity. 

It  is  urged  by  foreigners  that  this  business  should  be  sum- 
marily stopped.  Such  people  little  know  the  difficulties  in  the 
way.  In  the  first  place,  the  traffic  is  mostly  with  foreigners. 
As  their  illegitimate  diplomas  are  wholly  worthless  in  this  coun- 
try, no  State  Board  of  Examiners  recognizing  them  in  any  way,, 
those  who  are  engaged  in  the  business  carefully  cover  their 
tracks,  and  no  responsible  man  can  be  located.  Attempts  to  en- 
trap them  by  means  of  decoy  letters  have  failed,  some  such  hav- 
ing crossed  the  ocean  a  number  of  times  without  delivery,, being 
forwarded  from  one  of  their  foreign  agents,  through  whom  the 
nefarious  business  is  carried  on,  to  another,  until  finally  returned 
to  the  writer  by  the  post-office  authorities.  Fictitious  names 
are  signed  to  the  pretended  diplomas,  so  that  it  has  been  found 
almost  impossible  to  fix  the  guilt  upon  any  person.  Our  friends 
in  foreign  countries  have  contented  themselves  with  bitter  re- 
proaches against  American  colleges  generally,  without  forward- 
ing any  testimony  that  would  assist  in  the  discovery  of  the  guilty 
ones.  The  fraudulent  institutions  could  not  by  foreigners  be 
distinguished  from  the  regular  colleges,  for  they  were  in  posses- 
sion of  charters  regularly  granted  under  a  vicious  law  of  the 
State  of  Illinois,  whose  entire  repeal  it  had  been  found  impos- 
sible to  secure,  because  the  interests  of  legitimate  enterprises 
were  inextricably  bound  up  with  the  illegitimate  ones. 

Your  committee  early  discovered  that  working  alone  it 
could  accomplish  little.  The  Board  of  Health  of  the  State  of 
Illinois  was  taking  the  matter  up,  and  they  possessed  advantages 
for  the  prosecution  of  the  lawbreakers  which  were  not  within 
our  reach.  We  have  therefore  contented  ourselves  with  co- 
operating with  that  board  in  every  way  possible,  and  our  coun- 
sel has  been  instructed  to  offer  them  any  assistance  within  our 
power.     As  a  consequence  we  have  great  pleasure  in  reporting 


'-REPORT.  535 

that,  acting  under  the  United  States  law,  which  forbids  the  use 
of  the  mails  for  fraudulent  purposes,  the  worst  of  these  offenders 
have  finally  been  apprehended  and  committed  to  jail  in  default 
of  the  heavy  bail  that  was  demanded.  What  is  of  more  impor- 
tance, if  possible,  the  United  States  mails  are  closed  against  the 
transmission  of  their  correspondence,  and  letters  to  or  from 
them  are  promptly  sequestrated. 

The  greatest  offender  was  last  year  named  in  this  report  as 
**The  Independent  Medical  College  of  Chicago."  We  secured 
the  annulment  of  the  charter  of  this  affair,  but  in  a  very  short 
time  we  found  that  the  same  men  were  yet  engaged  in  the  busi- 
ness under  the  name  of  "The  Cosmopolitan  Medical  College.'' 
They  had  offered  for  sale  no  less  than  thirty-six  different 
diplomas  in  all  the  branches  of  science  and  art,  and  since  the 
forfeiture  of  the  charter  under  which  they  first  worked  it  is  be- 
lieved they  have  sold  more  than  a  thousand  fraudulent  diplomas, 
at  prices  varying  from  ten  to  five  hundred  dollars  each.  Proof 
sufficient  to  secure  the  cancellation  of  the  first  charter  was  only 
obtained  through  the  inordinate  cupidity  of  the  man  who  was 
chiefly  responsible.  He  paid  a  debt  of  some  thirty  dollars  due  to 
a  stable-man,  or  hostler,  by  issuing  a  diploma  to  him  and  mak- 
ing him  a  professional  man.  The  recipient,  when  he  found  him- 
self under  arrest  for  attempting  to  practice  under  it,  betrayed  the 
swindler,  and  we  were  thus  able  to  fix  his  guilt. 

The  late  proceedings  against  this  man  and  his  associates 
have  developed  the  fact  that  they  were  in  possession  of  no  less 
than  twenty- f our  different  charters,  all  regularly  issued  under 
that  mischievous  Illinois  law,  which  was  enacted  for  beneficent 
purposes.  We  have  now  learned  the  methods  of  these  men, 
and  it  is  believed  that  it  will  soon  be  possible  to  put  an  entire 
stop  to  their  villainous  traffic,  through  the  imprisonment  under 
the  United  States  postal  laws  of  those  engaged  in  it.  Too  much 
credit  cannot  be  given  the  Board  of  Health  of  the  State  of  Il- 
linois for  the  active  part  it  has  taken  in  the  suppression  of  these 
miserable  pretenders  that  have  so  long  been  bringing  discredit 
upon  our  legitimate  and  excellent  educational  institutions. 

In  view  of  the  fact  that  the  other  w^ork  of  the  Foreign  Re- 
lations Committee  is  more  than  sufficient  to  engage  all  its  sur- 
plus energies,  and  in  further  consideration  that  the  work  of  the 
suppression  of  the  fraudulent  schools  is  now  well  in  hand  and  the 
path  for  action  fully  defined,  your  committee  recommends  that 
this  work  be,  for  the  future,  placed  in  the  hands  of  the  Commit- 
tee on  Law,  which  shall  receive  the  same  instructions  as  those 
heretofore  given  the  Committee  on  Foreign  Relations. 

The  progress  that  this  association  is  making  in  its  efforts  to 
raise  the  status  of  professional  teaching  in  our  own  country,  to 
obtain  a  better  appreciation  of  American  professional  affairs  in 
foreign  countries,  and  to  maintain  steady  advancement  toward 
a  dental  solidarity  among  all  nations  is  very  encouraging  to 


536  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

every  lover  of  humanity.  It  is  true  that  even  at  home  there 
may  in  uninformed  circles  yet  be  found  some  remnants  of  an 
unworthy  professional  jealousy,  a  failure  to  comprehend  the  real 
educational  situation,  and  a  tendency  to  attribute  to  our  teachers 
motives  unworthy  any  honest  man.  But  the  steady,  persistent 
work  of  this  association  in  elevating  the  accepted  standard  just 
as  fast  as  prudence  permits,  has  wrought  a  great  change  in  pro- 
fessional sentiment  and  immeasurably  benefited  the  schools,  and 
through  them  the  profession  at  large.  It  only  remains  for  us 
to  continue  this  good  work  a  few  years  longer  to  produce  results 
that  will  be  permanent  in  their  character,  and  so  firmly  estab- 
lished as  henceforth  to  be  self-sustaining. 

REPORT  CONCERNING  FOREIGN  (EQUIVALENTS. 

Your  committee  has  very  carefully  considered  a  great  mass 
of  correspondence  and  many  voluminous  reports,  and  begs 
hereby  to  submit  the  conclusions  which  it  has  reached.  It  must 
not  be  forgotten  that  the  system  of  dental  instruction  in  Europe 
varies  very  widely  from  that  of  our  special  American  dental 
schools.  Instruction  separate  from  that  given  in  the  medical 
schools  or  universities  is  very  rare,  and  the  practical  training 
which  forms  a  part  of  our  curriculum  is  usually  given  by  private 
preceptors. 

Your  committee  does  not  feel  at  liberty  to  recommend  the 
acceptance  of  an  oral  and  theoretical  course  as  the  equivalent 
for  one  including  practical  work.  We  cannot  believe  that  the 
certificates  of  private  and  irresponsible  practitioners  can  by  us 
be  accepted  as  any  part  of  a  college  course,  and  hence  we  have 
given  them  little  consideration.  It  is  quite  probable  that  in 
some  instances  v^e  have  recommended  that  one  year's  advanced 
standing  be  given  the  holders  of  some  certificates  when  further 
knowledge  might  show  that  they  should  be  admitted  to  our 
senior  classes,  but  we  have  thought  it  wisdom  to  err,  if  any  mis- 
takes are  made,  upon  the  safer  side,  as  future  action  can  readily 
correct  any  such  errors. 

Australia, — ^A  very  complete  report  from  the  various  col- 
onies of  Australia  and  New  Zealand  has  been  made  by  the  Ad- 
visory Board  appointed  for  those  countries.  It  would  appear 
that  in  most  of  the  colonies  there  is  no  dental  legislation,  but 
Victoria  has  lately  secured  a  law  analogous  to  that  of  England, 
and  in  Melbourne  a  dental  school  has  been  organized  whose 
curriculum,  from  the  partial  syllabus  furnished,  seems  to  be  a 
comparatively  broad  one.  The  dean  of  the  ''Australia  College 
of  Dentistry"  is  an  American  graduate,  and  he  appears  to  have 
the  confidence  of  the  dentists  of  Australia. 

Your  committee  is  unable  positively  to  determine  whether 
the  school  in  all  respects  comes  up  to  our  minimum  require- 
ments, but  this  it  has  directed  its  chairman  definitely  to  ascer- 
tain, after  which  your  committee  will  be  prepared  to  recom- 


REPORT.  537 

mend  to  this  body  some  proper  action.  There  has  also  been 
etabHshed  in  Melbourne,  province  of  Victoria,  the  "Dental  Col- 
lege and  Oral  Hospital  of  Victoria,"  but  your  committee  is  not 
at  the  present  time  in  possession  of  suf^ciently  definite  informa- 
tion to  enable  it  to  offer  any  recommendation  concerning  it. 

In  the  provinces  of  Western  Australia  and  Tasmania  no 
dental  legislation  has  been  secured. 

There  is  a  dental  law  in  New  Zealand,  and  the  member  of 
the  Advisory  Board  from  that  province  has  furnished  your  com- 
mittee with  an  abstract  of  it.  There  are  no  dental  schools  in 
the  province. 

Switzerland. — Full  reports  from  this  country  have  been  fur- 
nished by  Dr.  Bryan.  It  is  a  republic  analogous  to  our  own 
country  in  some  respects,  the  federal  union  being  composed  of 
separate  cantons.  There  are  some  excellent  universities  which 
offer  certain  facilities  for  dental  study,  but  their  practical  in- 
struction, we  believe,  cannot  be  accepted  as  an  equivalent  for 
that  offered  by  American  dental  colleges.  Your  committee 
recommends  that  holders  of  the  Swiss  national  diploma  be  given 
one  year's  advanced  standing  in  the  schools  of  this  association, 
but  that  no  consideration  be  at  present  extended  to  holders  of 
the  cantonal  qualifications. 

Spain. — Complete  reports  have  been  furnished  by  members 
of  the  Advisory  Board.  The  Spanish  requirements  in  medicine 
are  very  high,  but  your  committee  cannot  learn  that  there  are 
any  dental  schools,  or  dental  departments  of  universities,  whose 
course  of  instruction  can  be  accepted  as  the  full  equivalent  for 
the  instruction  given  in  American  dental  colleges. 

France. — Your  committee  is  aware  that  separate  dental 
schools  exist  in  France,  and  its  chairman  has  been  in  daily  ex- 
pectation of  receiving  their  curriculum  of  study,  but  up  to  this 
time  has  been  disappointed.  Without  this  exact  knowledge  the 
members  do  not  feel  themselves  justified  in  recommending  any 
action,  for  we  cannot  proceed  in  so  grave  a  matter  upon  mere 
assertions  or  impressions.  As  members  of  your  committee  will 
visit  France  in  the  immediate  future,  and  will  carefully  investi- 
gate the  course  of  study,  we  ask  that  we  be  given  authority  to 
incorporate  our  recommendations  in  this  report  after  such  in- 
vestigation shall  have  been  completed. 

Germany  and  Austria. — The  dental  schools  of  these  coun- 
tries are  departments  of  the  universities,  and  only  university 
students  attend  them.  The  instruction  consists  of  lectures  and 
clinical  work  given  by  from  one  to  three  dental  professors,  who 
lecture  upon  the  different  dental  subjects.  Instruction  in 
chemistry  and  allied  studies  is  afforded  in  the  School  of  Phi- 
losophy or  Science;  in  anatomy,  physiology,  etc.,  in  the  School 
of  Medicine.  No  special  instruction  is  given  dental  students 
except  by  the  very  few  dental  teachers.  The  clinical  instruc- 
tion is  largely  devoted  to  extraction  and  oral  surgery.     The 


538  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

practical  work  is  usually  quite  limited.  There  is  no  obligatory 
course,  but  students  enter  for  such  lectures  as  they  may  choose, 
paying  the  fees  of  each  professor  separately.  There  are  no 
obligatory  hours  for  study  or  lectures. 

The  mechanical  instruction  consists  of  lectures  on  the  prin- 
ciples of  mechanics,  the  practical  work  being  usually  done  in 
private  laboratories.  The  examinations  have  very  little  re- 
semblance to  ours,  each  teacher  asking  three  questions  out  of  a 
list  of  forty  approved  by  government.  They  are  not  usually  as 
exhaustive  or  comprehensive  or  scrutinizing  as  ours.  The  li- 
censing or  approving  power  rests  with  the  **Kultur  Minis- 
terium,"  or  department  of  religion  and  education.  The  great 
majority  of  dentists  in  prctice  are  Zahntechniker — mechani- 
cal dentists — upon  whose  work  no  restrictions  are  placed,  as 
they  are  not  recognized  by  the  government. 

Your  committee  recommends  that  students  speaking  the 
English  language,  who  have  taken  the  full  dental  course  in  Ger- 
man or  Austrian  universities,  be  eligible  for  reception  in  the 
junior  classes  of  American  dental  colleges,  provided  it  be  shown 
that  they  have  had  at  least  two  semesters  of  competent  college 
instruction  in  practical  laboratory  and  operative  work.  It  fur- 
tJrer  recommends  that  students  speaking  the  English  language 
who  have  had  at  least  four  semesters  of  such  instruction  in 
operative  and  prosthetic  practical  courses,  and  who  shall  have 
finished  the  dental  course  in  the  University  of  Berlin,  or  in  any 
German  or  Austrian  dental  school  whose  course  of  instruction 
offers  a  full  equivalent,  be  eligible  for  admission  to  the  senior 
classes  of  accepted  American  dental  colleges. 

Italy. — In  Italy  the  practice  of  dentistry  was  long  without 
'special  restrictions.  Then  an  attendance  upon  lectures  in  a 
medical  school  was  required,  and  a  dental  diploma  was  issued. 
Tn  1892  a  law  was  passed  which  required  dentists  to  obtain  a 
medical  diploma.  This  was  not  enforced  until  1898,  when  a 
movement  against  foreign  practitioners  was  inaugurated.  They 
appealed  to  the  courts  and  carried  the  matter  to  the  Supreme 
Court,  which  decided  that  those  in  practice  previous  to  1888  had 
rights  which  could  not  be  abrogated.  At  present  the  law  of 
1892  is  in  force,  and  this  requires  a  medical  diploma  for  the  prac- 
tice of  dentistry  and  phlebotomy. 

There  are,  we  believe,  no  schools  in  'Italy  which  have 
courses  that  can  be  accepted  as  equivalent  to  those  of  our 
American  dental  schools.  The  instruction  given  in  the  medical 
schools  your  committee  believes  to  be  too  exclusively  general 
in  its  character  to  form  an  acceptable  course  in  dentistry  for 
American  students. 

Mexico. — There  is  a  medical  school  in  the  City  of  Mexico 
which  purports  to  give  dental  instruction.  Your  committee 
cannot  learn  that  it  is  of  such  a  character  as  will  enable  it  to  be 
accepted  as  the  equivalent  for  a  course  in  an  American  college. 


REPORT.  539 

Japan. — There  is  one  dental  school  in  Japan — that  of  Dr. 
Takayama,  in  Tokio.  It  confers  no  degree,  but  gives  a  certifi- 
cate which  entitles  the  holder  to  government  examination,  the 
same  as  if  he  had  studied  with  some  practicing  dentist.  As  the 
instruction  is  personal  and  the  school  is  quite  irresponsible,  your 
committee  believes  that  no  consideration  can  be  given  to  it. 

'Holland  and  Belgium. — In  these  countries  the  title  of  dentist 
is  obtained  by  passing  a  practical  examination  in  the  theory  and 
practice  of  dentistry.  There  are  no  separate  dental  schools, 
and  we  are  not  sufficiently  informed  of  the  comprehensiveness 
of  the  syllabi  of  the  universities  to  offer  any  recommendations 
concerning  them. 

Great  Britain. — There  can  be  no  questioning  the  fact  that 
England  has  some  excellent  dental  schools.  Tlie  only  embar- 
rassing circumstance  in  the  determination  of  their  status  relative 
to  ours  lies  in  the  great  difference  between  the  educational  sys- 
tems of  the  two  countries.  Undoubtedly  they  place  greater 
stress  upon  preliminary  educational  requirements  than  do  we, 
but  your  committee  is  of  the  opinion  that  our  practical  instruc- 
tion is  superior.  Originally,  we  believe,  there  was  little  instruc- 
tion given  in  prosthetic  work  during  the  term  of  attendance  upon 
hospital  lectures.  Students  were  supposed  to  come  to  the  col- 
lege for  didactic  instruction,  the  practical  part  having  been  pre- 
viously communicated  by  a  preceptor.  It  should  be  compre- 
hended that  English  dentists  frequently  employ  a  mechanic, 
who  is  not  required  to  possess  any  special  educational  qualifica- 
tions, the  registered  dentist  mainly  confining  his  attention  to 
the  operations  of  the  surgery  or  operating  room. 

In  this  country  we  believe  the  practical  work  of  the  labora- 
tory should  form  a  part  of  the  college  course,  and  we  do  not 
graduate  a  student  until  he  shall  have  satisfactorily  completed 
the  whole  curriculum  within  the  college  walls.  We  are  under 
the  impression  that  the  English  system  is  undergoing  a  change 
in  this  respect,  and  that  practical  laboratory  work  will  soon 
form  a  part  of  the  obligatory  college  course.  We  recommend 
that  all  students  who  shall  have  finished  the  complete  course  in 
any  recognized  English,  Irish,  or  Scotch  dental  school  or  hos- 
pital shall  be  eligible  for  reception  as  senior  students  in  Ameri- 
can dental  colleges  upon  proof  of  their  having  taken  as  a  part 
of  such  course  two  years  of  instruction  in  a  properly  equipped 
dental  laboratory  and  dental  infirmary  connected  or  affiliated 
with  such  dental  school  or  hospital,  and  which  requires  the  suc- 
cessful completion  of  the  work  deemed  essential  by  recognized 
American  schools,  as  formulated  in  the  minimum  requirements 
for  foreign  dental  schools  accompanying  this  report.  We  fur- 
ther recommend  that  for  the  present  no  consideration  be  given 
to  partial  courses  in  any  of  the  dental  schools  of  Great  Britain. 

Sweden. — Very  complete  reports  have  been  furnished  by 
the  Chairman  of  the  Advisory  Board,  Dr.  Forberg. 


540  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

The  country  has  one  dental  school,  which  is  the  dental  de- 
partment of  the  "Carolina  Medico-Chirurgical  Institute  of 
Stockholm."  Instruction  is  given  by  live  professors  of  the 
medical  department,  and  there  are  three  dental  professors,  oc- 
cupying respectively  the  chairs  of  dental  surgery,  operative 
dentistry,  and  dental  prosthetics  and  orthodontia.  From  the 
assurances-  given  by  Dr.  Forberg,  your  committee  believes  that 
its  graduates  should  be  permitted  to  enter  the  second-year  class 
of  recognized  American  dental  colleges,  provided  they  shall 
have  complied  with  our  requirements  concerning  mechanical 
laboratory  work. 

Your  committee  has  not  sufficient  knowledge  concerning 
this  school  to  warrant  further  recommendations  at  present. 

Caimda. — In  the  Dominion  of  Canada  there  is  but  one 
school  which  demands  consideration,  and  that  is  a  member  of 
this  body.  Yet  the  educational  systems  of  the  two  countries, 
especially  in  professional  matters,  are  so  different  as  to  engen- 
der continual  embarrassments.  Canada  being  a  foreign  coun- 
try, your  committee  has  felt  itself  bound  in  duty  to  place  it  in 
the  list  of  those  countries  whose  relations  with  us  must  be  taken 
into  consideration.  The  dental  educational  system  of  Ontario 
approaches  more  nearly  that  of  England  than  that  of  America. 
It  has  an  analogous  system  of  indentures  which  the  dental 
student  must  sign,  and  private  preceptorship  forms  a  portion  of 
its  obligatory  instruction. 

This  is  directly  at  variance  with  our  system,  which  accepts 
no  tutorship  by  irresponsible  parties.  The  dental  law  of  On- 
tario forbids  the  entrance  upon  practice  of  any  one  who  has  not 
taken  his  final  course  of  instruction  in  the  Royal  College  of 
Dental  Surgeons  of  Ontario.  We  believe  that  this  principle  is 
the  correct  one,  and  that  the  same  rule  should  be  made  appli- 
cable in  the  United  States,  and  that  here,  as  there,  no  foreign 
qualification  should  be  sufficient  for  registration  in  the  various 
States  of  America.  But  the  membership  of  this  foreign  school 
in  our  association  presents  an  embarrassment  which  for  the 
present  seems  insuperable,  and  your  committee  therefore  has 
no  recommendation  to  make,  but  leaves  the  matter  for  future 
consideration  in  the  hope  that  some  code  of  international  agree- 
ment may  be  devised  which  will  give  to  the  graduates  of 
America's  recognized  colleges  who  desire  to  practice  in  Canada 
the  same  privileges  extended  to  the  alumni  of  the  excellent  On- 
tario Dental  College. 

Concerning  other  foreign  countries,  your  committee  is  not 
in  possession  of  sufficiently  definite  information  to  warrant  any 
action  whatever.  We  have  no  knowledge  of  the  existence  of  any 
courses  of  instruction  which  can  be  accepted  as  an  equivalent 
for  courses  in  the  institutions  having  membership  in  this^  body, 
and  therefore  advanced  standing  in  our  schools  cannot  in  justice 
to  our  own  students  be  granted,  save  in  the  instances  above 


REPORT.  541 

enumerated.     The  committee  will  gladly  make  use  of  any  fur- 
ther information  which  may  be  furnished  them,  and  will,  in  the 
furtherance  of  the  duty  with  which  they  are  charged  by  this 
association,  embody  such  knowledge  in  future  reports. 
Report  Concerning  the  Minimum  Requirements  to  be  De- 
manded BY  THiE  National  Association  of  Dental  Fac- 
ulties   FOR    the    Recognition    of    Foreign    Dental 
Schools  whose  Students  Desire  Advanced  Standing 
IN  THE  Colleges  Belonging  to  the  Association. 

1.  The  college  must  require  of  matriculants  a  preliminary 
education  which  is  the  full  equivalent  of  that  demanded  by  the 
schools  of  this  association. 

2.  The  college  must  demand  of  students  full  attendance 
upon  at  least  three  full  annual  courses  (not  semesters)  of  lec- 
tures of  not  less  than  seven  calendar  months  each,  in  separate 
years,  covering  all  the  studies  proper  to  a  full  dental  curriculum. 

3.  The  college  must  possess  a  bacteriological  laboratory, 
with  sufficient  of  equipment  for  instruction  in  a  competent 
course  in  bacteriology,  which  must  form  a  part  of  its  curricu- 
lum of  study. 

4.  The  same  must  be  required  in  chemistry,  histology,  and 
pathology. 

5.  There  must  be  a  technic  laboratory  in  which  shall  be 
taught  the  proper  manipulations  for  the  insertion  of  all  kinds 
of  fillings  for  teeth,  the  preparation  and  filling  of  the  roots  of 
teeth,  the  tempering  and  shaping  of  instruments,  the  drawing 
of  wire  and  tubing  for  cases  in  orthodontia,  and  the  cutting  of 
bolts  and  nuts. 

6.  There  must  be  prosthetic  laboratories  sufficiently 
equipped  for  teaching  all  kinds  of  prosthetic  work,  and  the  con- 
struction of  all  the  approved  prosthetic  appliances. 

7.  There  must  be  a  sufificienly  equipped  laboratory  for  in- 
struction in  making  crowns  and  bridges,  and  the  construction 
of  appliances  used  in  orthodontia. 

8.  There  must  be  a  properly  equipped  infirmary  or  surgery 
for  the  reception  of  patients,  upon  whom  each  and  every  student 
shall  be  required  individually  to  perform  all  and  enough  of  the 
operations  necessary  in  dental  practice  thoroughly  to  qualify 
him  for  the  successful  pursuance  of  his  profession. 

9.  Complete  records  of  the  work  done  by  each  student,  of 
his  attainments  at  sufficient  and  full  examination  in  each  subject 
of  the  curriculum  of  study,  of  his  attendance  and  deportment 
during  the  course,  must  be  permanently  kept. 

10.  No  credit  must  be  allowed  for  any  work  not  done  under 
the  imimediate  supervision  of  instructors  connected  with  or  espe- 
cially approved  by  the  college,  and  who  are  in  direct  affiliation 
with  the  faculty. 

The  following  is  a  list  of  the  countries  for  which  Advisory 
Boards  have  been  designated,  and  the  appointments  and 
nominations  so  far  as  made.  '. 


542 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


Or<»at  Britain. 


Holl-.ind  and  Heluiuin. 


l>eiimark,  ?\ve. 


lias 


Gerniiiuv. 


Name. 


Wm.  Mitchell,  I)  1>.S. 

W.  E.  Rojce,  D  D.S. 

15.  J.  Bonnell. 

J.  E.  Grevers,  D.D.S. 

Ed.  Rosenthal,  D.D.S. 

C.  Van  der  Hoeven,  D.D.S. 


COLLKOB. 


Univ.  of  Michigan. 
Phil.  Dental  ColU-gc. 


Post  Office  Addre.s8. 


Harvard  Univ. 


X:  Nory.  Elof  Fr.rberg,  D  D.S. 

Is.  S.  Andersen,  D.D.S. 
IL   P.  Vorslund  Kjaer,  D.D.S. 
II.  V.  Woilison,  D.D.S. 


Theo.  Welier,  D.D.f. 
Geo.  Th.  Borger,  D.D.S. 
W.  D.  Miller,  D.D.S. 

C.  F.  W.  Br>decker,  D.D.S, 

Friedricb  Hefse,  D.D.S. 


Austria  and  Hungary. 
-Italy  and  Greece. 

H  'I 

Trance. 

Spain  and  Portugal. 

Switzerland  and  Turkey. 
II  " 

«t  " 

Japan,  China  and  India. 


jl'hil.  Dental  College. 

lUiiir.  Peiin.'svlvania 
Phil  Dental  Collejye. 
N.  Y.  Coll.  Dent. 

N.  Y.  Coll.  Dent. 
Phil.  Dental  Coll.,  '■? 
Univ.  Pennsylvania. 

N.  Y.  Coll.  Dent. 

X.  Y.  Coll.  Dent. 


Dr.  Szlgmondi. 

Dr.  Waeisser. 

Dr.  Ark()vy. 

Albert  T.  Webb,  D  D.S. 

Tullio  Avanzi. 

A.  V.  Elliott,  D  D.S. 

J.  H.  Spaulding,  D.D  S. 

I.  B.  Davenport,  M.D. 

;G.  A.  Roussell,  D.D.S. 

R.  H.Portuondo,  D  D.S. 

jFlore-stan  Aijuilar,  D.D.S. 
iT.  J.  Thomas,  D.D.S. 
'L.  C.  Brjan,  D.D.S. 

;Theo.  Frick,  D.D.S. 

PaulJ.  Guye,  D.DS. 

Louis  Ottofy,  D.D.S. 

J.  Ward  Hall,  D.DS. 


39  Upper  Brook  at  ,  Lon- 
don, Kng. 

2  Lonsdale  Gardens,  Tun- 
bridge  Well.*,  Kng. 

94  (lornwall  Gardens,  So. 
Kensington,  London. 

13  Oude  Turlniarkt,  Am- 
sterdam, Holland. 

19  Boul.  du  Regent,  Brus- 
.sels,  Belgium. 

Der  Ilaag. 

Sturegalan24,Stockholm, 
Sweden. 

Christiania,  Norway. 

Copenhagen,  Denmark. 

10  Quai  de  I'Amaranti, 
St.  Petersburg,  Rus.sia. 

Ilel.singfors,  Finland. 

St.  Peter.<burg,  Russia. 

Victoriastitu«se3U,  Berlin, 
Germany. 

T).')  Unter  den  Linden, Ber- 
lin, Germany. 

Goethe  Str.  G,  Leipsig, 
Germany.' 


Univ.  Pennsylvania. 


Univ.  of  Mich.,  '87. 
Univ.  Minnesota. 
Coll.  P.&S.,  New  York. 
N.  Y.  Coll.  Dent. 
lUiiiv.  Pennsylvania 
Phil.  Dental  Coll. 


87  "Via  Nazionale,  Rome, 
Italy. 


Bo.-kton  Dent.  Coll. 
Univ.  Pennsylvania 
Penn  Dent.  Coll. 
Western  Dent.  Coll 


A.ustralia  &  New  Zealand' Alfred  Burne,  D.D.S. 
I  A.  P.  Merrill,  D  D.S. 


Herbert  Cox.  D  D.S. 


iPhil.  Dent.  Coll. 


;Phil.  Dent.  Coll. 
iUniv.  of  Mich. 


Cuba  &  W.  India  Islands) 


Mexico  &  Cent  America. 

K  ((  .» 

K  (t  t' 

Venez.,  Colom.  &  Ecua'r. 
Peru,  Bolivia  and  Chili. 
Brazil  and  Guiana. 
Argentine,  Para.  &  Ura. 


Rice  R.  Buchanan,  D.D.S. 


10  Via  Tornabuoni,  Flor 
ence,  Italy. 

39  Boul.  Malesherbes, 
Paris,  France. 

30  Ave.  de  l" Opera,  Pari.s, 
France. 

74  B'd  Haussmann,  Paris, 
France. 

Paseo  de  Recoletos  3, 
Madrid,  Spain. 

Serrano  5,  Madrid,  Spain. 

Bilbao,  Spain. 

1  Steir.enberg  Basel, 
Switzerland. 

14  Tonhallenstrasse,  Zu- 
rich, Switzerland. 

12  Rue  de  Candolle,  Gen- 
eva, Switzerland. 

87  Main  street,  Yoko- 
hama, Japan. 

Shanghai,  China. 

1  Lyons  Terrace,  Liver- 
pool street,  Sydney. 

52  Collins  st  ,  Melbourne 

216  Queen  st.,  Auckland, 
New  Zealand. 

47  San  Franci.«co  st.,  San 
Juan,  Porto  Rico 


S.  R.  Salazar,  D.  D  S. 


Chicago  Col. Dent. Surg.  Lima,  Peru. 


W.  C.  Barrett,  Chairman,  208  Franklin  St.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

S.  H.  Guilford,  1728  Chestnut  St.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 

J.  D.  Patterson,  Ninth  and  Walnut  Sts.,  Kansas  City,  Mo. 

T.  W.  Brophy,  126  State  St.,  Chicago,  111. 

H.  W.  Morgan,  211  N.  High  St.,  Nashville,  Tenn. 

I  Foreign  Relations  Coy.iniittee. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  543 


practical  i^ointg.* 

Injuries  to  the  Mucous  Membrane. — For  painting  those  little 
breaks  caused  by  the  sharp  edge  of  a  denture  use  compound 
tincture  of  iodin.  Dental  Review. 

To  Remove  Plaster  of  Paris  from  the  Hands. — Moisten  a  little 
sugar  on  the  hands  and  thoroughly  rub  the  same  into  the  plas- 
ter adhering  to  the  hands.  It  will  disorganize  the  plaster,  and 
is  one  of  the  best  agents  to  use  for  this  purpose. 

Eclectic  Medical  Journal. 

Hemorrhage  After  Tooth  Extraction;  Picric  Acid. — Place  a 
drop  of  creosote,  or  carbolic  acid,  and  a  drop  of  nitric  acid  side 
by  side  on  the  top  of  an  inverted  glass.  Now  take  a  pledget  of 
cotton  and  dip  it  first  in  one  and  then  in  the  other,  and  after 
waiting  a  moment  pack  securely  in  the  alveolus.  The  union  of 
the  creosote,  nitric  acid  and  cotton  forms  a  violently  explosive 
compound,  and  must  be  handled  with  care. 

Dr.  G.  T.  Baker,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Continuous  Gum  Facing  Compound. — To  give  as  nearly  as 
possible  the  appearance  of  gum  tissue  when  using  plain  teeth 
for  vulcanite  dentures,  the  "Continuous  Gum  Facing"  closely 
resembles  porcelain  continuous  gum,  is  inexpensive,  easily 
applied,  and  when  thoroughly  hardened  retains  well  its  color 
and  form.  It  should  have  from  six  to  twelve  hours  in  which  to 
harden,  placing  it  in  the  sun  or  other  warm  place  to  hasten  the 
process.  By  using  aluminum  as  lining  and  continuous  gum 
compound  as  a  facing  makes  a  plate  that  is  healthy,  cleanly  and 
handsome  at  little  expense.  /.  /.  Grout,  Dental  Digest. 

To  Prevent  Injury  to  the  Teeth  of  Plaster  Models  in  Adjust- 
ing Crowns  for  Bridge-work. — Make  little  ferrules  from  very  thin 
sheet  copper,  say  32  gauge.  After  the  caps  are  made  and  placed 
on  the  teeth  in  the  mouth,  and  the  impression  taken  to  secure 
proper  position  on  the  cast,  so  that  the  dummy  teeth  may  be 
properly  ground  and  adjusted,  place  these  ferrules  inside  of  the 
abutment  caps,  adapting  them  to  a  snug  fit  before  pouring  the 
cast.  When  the  cast  is  poured  the  caps  will  be  easily  removed 
from  the  plaster  which  are  bound  or  covered  by  the  copper 
ferrules,  so  that  the  caps  may  be  removed  and  replaced  as  often 
as  necessary  without  marring  the  copper-bound  teeth,  and  also 
always  compel  the  placing  of  the  cap  in  exactly  its  right  rela- 
tion and  position.  Dr.  Siddcll,  Dental  Register. 


•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings,  Bay  St.  Louia. 
Mississippi. 


544  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Treatment  of  Lead. — Sulphur  added  to  molten  lead  will 
cause  it  to  be  clean  and  pliable  when  cooled. 

P,  A.  Mariotte,  Pac.  Den.  Gazette. 

Protecting  the  Hands  from  Infection. — Before  touching  sep- 
tic cases  it  is  an  excellent  plan  to  wash  the  hands  in  vinegar  or 
dilute  acetic  acid.  Slight  cuts  or  abrasions,  whose  presence  was 
not  suspected,  are  thus  revealed,  and  you  may  better  protect 
yourself.  International  Journal  of  Surgery. 

Chloretone  the  Ideal  Anaesthetic. — For  hypodermic  injection 
for  extractions  15  per  cent,  alcohol,  with  85  per  cent,  distilled 
water,  and  enough  chloretone  crystals  to  make  a  saturate  solu- 
tion. No  toxic  effect  upon  the  heart  and  does  not  cause  slough- 
ing or  swelling.  Has  all  the  good  qualities  of  cocain,  with  none 
of  the  objectionable  effects.       Michael  Leo,  Items  of  Interest. 

The  Final  Finish  of  Gold  Fillings. — In  putting  on  the  final 
polish  I  use  a  thin  cuttle-fish  disc,  and  lastly  crown  paper  disc. 
There  is  a  chamois  disc,  with  a  celluloid  back,  which  is  the  best 
thing  I  know  of  for  places  where  it  can  be  used,  as  it  takes  out 
the  slight  scratches  of  crown  paper,  polishing  so  smooth  that 
even  with  a  magnifying  glass  you  can  distinguish  nothing  but 
a  smooth  surface.  W.  M.  Megginson,  Ohio  Den.  Jour. 

To  Mark  Exactly  on  a  Denture  the  Spot  Corresponding  to  a 
Wound  of  the  Mucous  Membrane. — Cut  a  disk  of  suitable  size 
from  paper  gummed  on  one  side,  and  place  it  carefully  over 
the  ulcerated  spot,  gummed  side  up.  Moisten  the  denture  and 
place  in  position  with  light  pressure.  Remove  carefully  and 
the  disk  will  be  found  adherent  upon  the  point  wounding  the 
membrane,  which  can  then  be  relieved. 

Revue  de  Stomatologie. 

Alloy  Cement. — For  the  alloy: 

Silver 40 

Tin       , 60 

Platinum 3 

For  the  cement: 

Oxid  of  zinc 200 

Borax    5 

Silex 8 

Glass 6 

With  phosphoric  acid  to  dissolve  to  the  cotsistency  of  glycerin. 

Of  the  cement  and  the  alloy  equal  parts,  mixed  and  pre- 
pared as  an  ordinary  zinc  phosphate  filling.  It  has  all  the  quali- 
ties of  any  cement  and  also  presents  a  metallic  surface,  a  good 
non-conductor.  While  attaching  itself  to  the  tooth  like  an 
ordinary  cement  it  is  practically  a  metal  filling. 

C.  B.  Parker,  Dental  Cosmos. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  545 

Hard  Wax  for   Crown-   and   Bridge-work. — Take   of   gum 
damar  seven  parts  and  of  beeswax  four  parts.     Melt  the  gum 
damar  and  then  add  the  wax.    If  too  brittle  add  more  beeswax. 
Burt  Oghurn,  Pennsylvania  Dental  College. 

Trial  Plates. — I  much  prefer  a  swaged  plate  made  of  block 
tin.  They  are  made  to  the  approximate  thickness  of  the  in- 
tended vulcanite,  and  I  find  them  very  satisfactory  in  adjusting 
to  the  mouth,  in  getting  the  articulation,  and  adjusting  the  teeth 
when  they  are  waxed  in  place. 

Wm.  H.  Trueman,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Sensitive  Dentin. — Two  doses  of  chloral  hydrate,  of  10  to  15 
grains  each,  taken  one  the  evening  before  on  retiring,  and  the 
other  next  morning  before  operation  begins,  is  better  than 
cataphorisis  or  anything  else  I  have  ever  tried.  Dr.  H.  E. 
Beach,  of  Clarksville,  Tenn.,  suggested  this  several  years  ago, 
and  he  is  entitled  to  the  honor. 

John  T.  Crews,  Dental  Headlight. 

Gold  and  Platinum. — Gold  and  platinum  should  be  em- 
ployed to  a  greater  extent  than  it  is  to-day,  for  while  its  manip- 
ulation is  somewhat  more  exacting  than  that  of  gold,  its  in- 
telligent use  will  lead  to  artistic  results  unattainable  with  gold 
alone,  and  its  superior  density  adds  greater  permanence  to  the 
surfaces  of  all  fillings  which  are  in  any  way  subject  to  attrition. 
C.  N.  Johnson,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Painless  Operations. — When  you  do  not  wish  to  use  cocain 
solutions  or  other  drugs  that  are  liable  to  be  poisonous,  take 
a  pair  of  pointed  pliers  and  dip  in  a  solution  of  chloral-camphor 
and  pass  it  gently  around  the  root  of  the  tooth  (freed  from  blood 
and  saliva),  and  an  operation  that  is  usually  very  painful  will 
in  many  cases  be  entirely  painless,  in  others  almost  so,  and 
you  have  no  bad-smelling  drug  in  the  mouth. 

A.  W.  Harlan,  Den.  Review. 

Europhen  in  Root-canals. — Apply  rubber-dam  and  cleanse 
the  canals.  Rub  a  few  grains  of  europhen  into  crystals  of  car- 
bolic acid  (on  cement  slab)  till  you  have  a  thick  paste.  Wrap  a 
fine  smooth  broach  with  fibers  of  absorbent  cotton;  take  up  a 
little  of  the  paste  and  introduce  into  canal  with  a  pumping 
motion  until  full,  then  heat  a  fine  broach  in  alcohol  flame  and 
introduce  quickly  into  canal,  repeating  until  it  no  longer  fries. 
Then  fill  canal  with  gutta-percha  points  previously  warmed  and 
rolled  in  europhen.  Advantages:  rapidity,  thorough  asepsis, 
sweet-smelling  canal. 

E.  J.  Schumann,  Dental  World. 


546  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Cavity  Cleansing;  Hydronapthol. — For  cleansing  a  cavity 
previous  to  the  introduction  of  a  tilling-  I  use  a  solution  of  seven 
grains  hydronapthol  to  an  ounce  of  alcohol. 

G.  Monroe,  Dental  Rcviezv. 

Sticky  Gutta-Percha  Fillings. — Touch  warmed  gutta-percha, 
on  its  way  to  the  cavity,  with  oil  of  cajeput.  On  account  of  the 
increased  stickiness  of  the  gutta-percha  so  treated,  the  filling 
actually  cements  itself  to  the  walls  of  the  cavity.  It  can  even 
be  applied  wet,  and  so  is  of  real  value  in  treating  a  patient  ill 
in  bed,  etc.        /.  F.  P.  Hodgson,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Lactate  of  Silver  in  the  Treatment  of  Chronic  Abscess. — I 

have  experienced  much  benefit  from  lactate  of  silver  in  the 
treatment  of  chronic  abscesses  at  the  roots  of  teeth,  succeeding 
with  it  where  other  remedies  have  failed.  I  use  one  part  of 
the  powder  to  500  of  water,  injecting  with  hypodermic  syringe 
through  the  fistulous  opening  well  into  the  abscess. 

H.  W.  Moore,  Dental  Digest. 

To  Replace  Porcelain  Fronts  without  Removal  of  Bridge. — 

Procure  porcelain  front  in  color,  size,  etc.,  to  match  the  one  lost, 
grind  tooth  down  same  as  for  bridge-work,  fit  same  accurately 
in  vacant  space  on  bridge.  Bore  two  holes  in  bridge  (in  center 
of  space)  to  fit  pins  in  tooth  to  be  adjusted.  On  back  of  bridge 
around  holes  cut  out  a  round  circle  (using  round  bur  to  make 
undercuts).  With  a  small  saw  or  knife  roughen  pins  on  tooth, 
after  heating  tooth  and  space  in  bridge  thoroughly  dry.  Mix 
cement  to  same  consistency  as  used  for  setting  crowns,  place 
same  on  tooth  and  in  space,  gently  press  tooth  in  position. 
With  a  heavy  instrument  press  pins  in  circle  cut  out  on  back 
of  bridge  and  fit  space  with  amalgam.  The  above  I  have  used 
with  very  great  satisfaction  to  myself  and  patients. 

.     J.  A.  Richard. 

Alcohol  and  Caries. — Alcohol,  if  properly  used,  is  able  to 
arrest  those  stages  of  inflammation  and  infection  of  the  pulps 
of  teeth  and  of  the  dentin,  which  are  only  too  well  known  to 
the  physician  under  the  name  of  caries.  The  treatment  with 
alcohol  will  not  alone  arrest  those  processes,  but  will,  if  used 
persistently  for  some  tinic,  restore  the  already  softened  dentin 
to  a  hard  and  insensible  stage;  yea,  it  is  even  possible  to  slowly 
cause  the  formation  of  new  dentin  in  place  of  that  already 
broken  down.  *  *  Such  treatment  has  to  be  done  thor- 
oughly and  persistently.  "^  *  The  gums  will  become  hard 
and  less  sensitive.  The  results  are  due  to  the  increased  provi- 
sion of  arterial  blood  to  the  teeth.  Caries  will  be  cured  under 
the  influence  of  alcohol  in  the  same  way  as  .abscess  heals. 
Prof.  Buckner  {Munich),  Ohio  Den.  Jour.  {Translation). 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  547 

A  New  Metal  for  Dies  for  Swaging  Plates. — Lumen  metal 
works  very  much  like  Babbitt,  but  is  very  much  harder.  It 
makes  a  nice  clean  die,  and  apparently  does  not  shrink  or  ex- 
pand. B.  D.  Wikoify  Dental  Review. 

Arrest  of  Hemorrhage. — (Chlorid  of  aluminum  sold  to  den- 
tists by  dealers  under  the  name  of  manrobin. — Dr.  Werner). 
This  is  an  astringent  that  ought  to  be  more  widely  appreciated 
than  it  is.  It  is  non-irritating;  that  is,  it  does  not  produce  in- 
flammation, though  in  strong  solution  it  produces  smarting. 
Dr.  Briggs,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Cement  Fillings. — I  have  had  the  utmost  satisfaction  in  the 
use  of  tin-foil  as  advocated  by  A.  Booth  Pearsall,  for  compress- 
ing and  confining  the  cement  and  for  getting  the  occlusion 
where  necessary,  by  having  the  patient  bring  the  occluding  teeth 
into  contact  upon  a  piece  of  tin-foil  while  the  cement  is  still 
plastic.  W.  V.  B.  Ames,  Dental  Register. 

To  Finish  and  Polish  Occlusal  Fillings. — A  rubber  disc  will 
cut  faster,  is  more  easily  handled,  and  will  polish  just  as  smooth 
as  the  best  moose-hide  points  that  can  be  bought.  The  rubber 
disc  is  cut  out  of  rubber  packing  having  a  layer  of  rubber  on 
the  outside  of  a  piece  of  canvass.  It  will  hold  the  pumice  and 
cut  faster  than  anything  else  you  can  get. 

W.  M.  Megginson,  Ohio  Den.  Jour. 

Opening  Up  a  Dead  Tooth. — I  would  not  attempt  to  remove 
all  of  the  debris  at  the  first  treatment,  but  only  sufficient  to  per- 
mit placing  a  piece  of  cotton  saturated  with  a  mixture  of  iodin 
and  creosote,  sealing  it  in  for  twenty-four  hours.  The  ammonia 
and  the  alkaloids  always  present  in  decaying  animal  matter  will 
both  be  decomposed  by  the  iodin,  the  presence  of  the  creosote 
preventing  further  decomposition.  Hence  the  value  of  the 
combination  in  treating  these  cases. 

Thos.  L.  Gilmer,  Dental  Rez'iezi\ 

Platinum  Foil  for  Matrix  for  Porcelain  Inlay. — To  get  a  good 
matrix  is  the  most  difficult  part  of  inlay  work,  requiring  the 
greatest  care  and  exactness.  I  take  a  piece  of  the  softest  plati- 
num plate  I  can  obtain,  about  an  inch  square,  of,  say,  28  or  30 
gauge.  I  anneal  it  and  roll  it  as  thin  as  possible.  I  then  anneal 
it  again,  and  when  cool  oil  it  to  prevent  adhesion,  fold  it  once, 
the  long  way,  making  two  thicknesses.  Roll  it  again  as  thin 
as  can  be  done;  anneal  again;  oil  as  before,  and  fold  again  the 
long  way,  making  four  thicknesses.  Then  roll  as  thin  as  possi- 
ble, which  gives  four  layers  of  platinum  foil  that  is  suitable  for 
inlay  work  and  fillings.      Geo.  N.  Schzcarfc,  Items  of  Interest. 


548  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

A  Seven-hundred-pound  Patient. — Mrs.  Hannah  McKenzie, 
who  is  58  years  old  and  who  is  said  to  weigh  700  pounds,  was 
taken  to  Harlem  Hospital.  It  required  the  services  of  nine 
men  to  carry  her  from  the  fourth  floor  of  the  house  in  which  she 
lived  down  to  the  hospital  ambulance.  She  has  had  a  reputa- 
tion as  the  fat  lady  in  a  dime  museum.  Medical  News. 

Mothers  and  Alcohol. — Maurice  Nicloux  (UObstetrique, 
March  15th,  1900)  reports  an  extensive  series  of  experiments 
with  the  following  conclusions:  Ingested  alcohol  passes  from 
the  mother  to  the  fetus  and  into  her  milk,  the  proportion  in  the 
blood  of  the  fetus  and  in  the  milk  being  about  the  same  as  in 
the  blood  of  the  mother.  Therefore  the  nervous  conditions, 
drunkenness,  anaesthesia,  etc.,  of  the  drinking  mother  must  in- 
dicate a  marked  toxicity  in  the  infant,  and  the  whole  baneful  in- 
fluence of  alcohol  upon  the  tissues  is  exerted  during  their  pro- 
cess of  formation,  with  especial  injury  to  the  nervous  supply. 

Dry  Storage  Batteries. — ^In  the  Centralblatt  fiir  Accumulatoren 
tind  Elemcntenkimde,  Herr  Liebenow  discusses  the  question  of 
dry  storage  batteries,  and  states  that  in  his  opinion  no  attempts 
in  this  direction  are  likely  to  be  successful.  It  has  been  shown 
in  investigations  into  the  action  of  secondary  cells  that  there 
are  electrical-concentration  currents  set  up  which  tend  to  con- 
vey the  acid  in  the  pores  of  the  plates  from  points  of  maximum 
to  points  of  minimum  concentration.  These  currents  are  neces- 
sary to  equahze  the  strength  of  the  acid,  and  effect  this  far  more 
readily  than  would  be  done  by  diffusion  acting  alone.  When  a 
gelatinous  electrolyte  or  a  dry,  non-conducting  powder  is  intro- 
duced between  the  plates,  this  equalization  is  prevented,  and  the 
cell  is  soon  exhausted. 

Abbreviations. — There  is  a  singular  tendency  in  English 
"medicalese"  to  resort  to  abbreviations  and  initials  of  various 
sorts,  most  of  which  are  comparatively  unknown  among  us,  in 
spite  of  our  alleged  tendency  to  clip  and  shorten  everything. 
For  instance,  a  general  practitioner  is  always  referred  to  as  a 
'*G.P.;"  a  house  physician  or  house  surgeon  as  an  ''H.P."  or 
''H.S.;"  a  case  record  of  tabes  dorsalis  is  headed  with  the  mystic 
letters  "T.D.;"  one  of  general  paralysis  of  the  insane,  with 
"G.P.I.,"  and  the  same  contractions  are  habitually  used  in  con- 
versation. A  unique  combination  of  initials  as  a  diagnosis  en- 
dorsement is  reported  to  be  in  vogue  at  University  College  Hos- 
pital. Whenever  a  case  which  is  clearly  serious  enough  for  ad- 
mission proves  too  complicated  or  difficult  to  warrant  a  precise 
diagnosis  upon  the  hurried  examination  of  the  receiving-room, 
it  is  promptly  initialed  "G.O.K."  and  sent  up  to  its  appropriate 
w^ard  for  adequate  investigation  at  leisure.  The  mystic  char- 
acters signify  simply  ''God  only  knows."        Medical  News. 


MISCELLANY.  549 

Forced  Dilation  of  Thorax  to  Arrest  Epistaxis. — The  subject 
sits  erect  on  a  chair,  places  both  arms  on  his  head  and  breathes 
quietly  and  as  deeply  as  possible,  with  open  mouth.  The  veins 
of  the  head  and  neck  are  emptied  of  blood  by  this  procedure 
and  the  hemorrhage  stops.  The  St.  Petersburg  Med.  Woch. 
mentions  that  Fedorowitsch  has  cured  fourteen  severe  cases  by 
this  simple  means,  all  children  but  one. 

Journal  American  Medical  Association. 

Athletics  Barred. — The  College  of  Physicians  and  Surgeons 
of  Chicago,  after  an  animated  debate,  has  decided  henceforth  to 
refuse  recognition  to  athletics  and  no  longer  gives  official  sanc- 
tion and  support  to  the  college  football  team  which  has  taken 
so  prominent  part  in  inter-collegiate  athletic  competitions. 
This  step  has  been  taken  because  experience  has  taught  the 
faculty  that  college  athletics  have  a  demoralizing  and  disturb- 
ing influence  on  the  students  and  interfere  with  the  educational 
work  of  the  college.  Medical  News. 

Orthoform. — Luxenburger  has  shown  that  orthoform,  when 
dusted  on  the  colony,  will  within  two  days  check  the  growth  of 
the  pyogenic  microorganisms  growing  on  agar-tubes.  A  one- 
third  per  cent,  solution  of  the  drug  will  do  the  same  thing.  But 
it  was  also  shown  that  orthoform  only  checked  the  growth  and 
lessened  the  virulency,  and  did  not  kill  the  bacteria.  For  these 
reasons  the  drug  cannot  be  looked  upon  as  a  true  antiseptic. 
One  of  the  most  valuable  qualities  of  orthoform  is  its  anaes- 
thetic property.  When  applied  to  an  irritated  granulating  sur- 
face either  as  an  ointment  or  dusting-powder  within  five  min- 
utes the  sensibility  markedly  subsides  and  the  anaesthesia  lasts 
for  hours  or  days.  Philadelphia  Medical  Journal. 

Michael  Angelo's  Physique  and  Health. — Michael  Angelo  is 
described  as  having  been  of  middle  height  and  broad  across  the 
shoulders.  He  was  not  fat  and  his  features  were  marked,  his 
forehead  being  square.  His  nose  had  been  broken  in  early  life 
by  a  blow  from  a  fellow-student,  which  had  caused  permanent 
disfigurement.  In  some  of  his  portraits  this  is  represented; 
others  giving  him  a  good  nose  of  Roman  type.  He  had  been 
weakly  in  youth,  and  probably  dyspeptic,  for  through  life  he  was 
very  careful  in  his  diet.  He  was  accustomed  to  say:  "However 
rich  I  may  have  been,  I  have  always  lived  as  a  poor  man."  In 
spite  of  this  care,  however,  he  suffered  late  in  life  from  gravel 
and  stone.  It  is  on  record  that  he  had  much  trouble  with  cramp 
in  his  legs.  His  father  had  attained  the  age  of  92  years,  and  he 
himself  was  only  a  year  short  of  90  when  he  died,  having  re- 
tained his  faculties  to  the  last. 

Hutchinson's  Archiz'cs  of  Surn'crv. 


}>i  OTES  J'^om  tie 

PUBLIJ^HER 


WE  PROPOSE  TO  GIVE  YOU  MORE  FOR  A 

DOLLAR  THAN  YOU  CAN  GET  IN  ANY 

OTHER  DENTAL  JOURNAL. 

The  Dental  Brief  has  always  been  the  leader  of 
the  best  dental  journals  published,  and  to  make  it  even 
better  than  it  has  been  heretofore  we  have  gone  to  an 
unusual  expense  in  sending  Dr.  I.  Norman  Broomell 
to  Paris  to  attend  the  International  Dental  Congress 
now  in  session,  as  a  special  representative  and  solely 
in  the  interest  of  this  journal.  Dr.  Broomell's  report 
of  the  proceedings,  clinics,  papers,  discussions,  etc., 
written  in  his  characteristic  style,  will  be  highly  in- 
structive and  interesting.  These  papers,  the  first  of 
which  was  written  while  on  his  trip  across,  and  during 
his  first  day  in  Paris,  and  appears  in  this  number,  will 
be  illustrated  by  Dr.  Broomell,  who  is  an  expert  pho- 
tographer. We  want  every  dentist  in  the  United  States 
to  watch  us  for  the  next  sixteen  months.  If  you  are 
not  a  subscriber  to  the  Brief,  here  is  a  proposition  for 
you :  We  will  send  to  any  dentist  in  the  United  States 
or  Canada  the  Dental  Brief  the  remainder  of  the 
present  year  and  until  January,  1902,  for  one  dollar. 

THIS  OFFER  SHOULD  NOT  BE  CARELESSLY 
OVERLOOKED. 


HKNRY  H.  BURCIIARD. 


THE 


DENTAL    BRIEF. 


Vol..  V.  PHILADELPHIA,  OCTOBER,  1900.  No.  10 

ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 
Ei)t  inttxmtional  Bental  dton^xt^^,  \Uxi^. 

By  I.  Norman  Brooniell. 

August  8tli,  19CO,  brought  to  the  city  of  Paris  a  body  of 
good-looking,  enthusiastic,  scientific  men,  the  assembly  consti- 
tuting the  Third  International  Dental  Congress. 

The  work  accomplished  at  this  meeting  was  of  such  a 
character  that  it  will  leave  behind  a  lasting  impression  for  good, 
lingering  in  the  micmory  of  those  fortunate  enough  to  be 
present,  as  a  brilliant  epoch  in  the  history  of  the  dental  pro- 
fession. Most  of  the  Americans  and  other  foreigners  in  attend- 
ance were  somewhat  handicapped  by  the  fact  that  the  delibera- 
tions were  for  the  most  part  in  the  French  language,  and  the 
discovery  was  soon  made  that  it  was  one  thing  to  be  able  to  read 
and  speak  French  and  an  entirely  different  thing  to  understand 
this  fascinating  method  of  communication  when  used  in  its  na- 
tive land.  This  complication,  ho\\evcr,  did  not  appear  to  detract 
from  the  general  interest  taken  in  the  Congress,  the  sessions 
and  clinics  were  well  attended,  and  the  whole  affair  was  a  pro- 
nounced success.  Too  much  credit  cannot  be  given  to  the  Com- 
mittee on  Organization,  a  photograph  of  the  members  of  which 
appears  in  this  issue  of  the  Brief.  There  is  nuich  question  as  to 
the  advisability  of  holding  such  meetings  at  a  time  and  place 
made  attractive  by  some  unusual  event.  While  to  a  few  such 
conditions  might  prove  an  incentive,  to  many  the  Fxposition  at 
Paris  carried  with  it  such  a  premonition  of  crowded  hotels,  con- 
gested transportation  and  lavish  disbursement  of  funds,  that  a 
decision  to  remain  at  home  was  inevitable. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  sessions  the  Committee  on  Organ- 
ization issued  the  following  call: 

553 


554  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

"At  the  end  of  the  finishing-  century  the  Exposition  Uni- 
verselle  de  Paris  will  have  been,  in  a  sense,  the  register  of  the 
progress  of  human  knowledge  in  industry  and  art,  and  the 
Congresses  which  accompany  it  will  be  without  parallel  in 
science.  It  is  necessary,  occasionally,  in  the  march  of  time  to 
cast  a  backward  glance  over  the  route  already  traversed,  for  thus 
we  learn  useful  lessons  for  the  time  to  come. 

"It  is  in  this  spirit  that  the  Congresses,  which  have  been 
held  up  to  the  present,  have  been  instituted;  it  is  in  this  spirit 
that  we  meet  here  now,  and  if  there  is  any  body  for  which 
this  reunion  might  present  an  interest  of  the  first  order,  it  is, 
without  doubt,  ours. 

"Obliged  to  struggle  in  the  scientific  world  against  the 
prejudices  of  caste,  which  its  special  character  excites  against 
it,  and  further  against  prejudices  which  time  has  too  slowly 
effaced,  it  was  necessary  that  the  dental  profession  should  come 
together  in  a  meeting  worthy  of  its  social  importance  and  of  its 
scientific  value. 

"This  is  the  understanding  of  our  confreres  of  France  and 
other  lands.  Those,  and  they  are  many,  who  can  sacrifice,  for 
speculative  studies,  a  part  of  their  time,  have  favored  us  with  the 
results  of  their  laborious  researches.  They  define  the  limits 
of  the  field  of  the  unknown  into  which  their  labor  has  advanced, 
and  even  in  the  unknown  they  blaze  the  path  for  future  genera- 
tions. 

"Those  who  occupy  themselves  more  specially  on  the  pro- 
fessional side  and  labor  to  place  the  dental  art  in  its  true  posi- 
tion between  general  medical  science  and  the  specialties  derived 
therefrom,  have  furnished  us  the  results  of  their  labors. 

"They  have  told  us  their  desiderata.  They  have  shown  us 
the  means  of  obtaining  the  desired  results. 

"They  have  seen  that  they  can  bring  us  a  powerful  and 
useful  aid  in  uniting  with  us. 

"They  have  joined  the  Congress,  and,  thanks  to  this  par- 
ticipation, the  great  professional  manifestation  which  we  have 
been  preparing  so  long  has  attained  a  success  for  which  we 
dared  not  hope.  But  the  labor  of  the  Congress  is  not  yet 
accomplished.  So  far,  we  have  shown  that  the  dental  body 
could,  when  the  occasion  presented  itself,  furnish  a  considerable 
number  of  men  renowned  for  their  learning,  respected  for  their 
labors  and  willing  to  devote  themselves  to  a  work  of  common 
professional  interest.  That  is  well  for  the  world;  but  it  is  not 
enough  for  us. 

"It  is  necessary  that  the  discussions  which  are  about  to 
commence  should  result  in  all  the  light  possible.  It  is  necessary 
that  we  gain  here  the  maximum  of  information  we  can  hope  for. 

"Above  all,  we  are  confreres,  and  we  ought  to  work  not  for 
the  purpose  of  personal  distinction,  but  with  the  thought  of 
bringing  our  oibolus  to  the  common  patrimony.     It  is  the  spirit 


INTERNATIONAL    DENTAL    CONGRESS.  555 

in  which  the  organization  of  the  Congress  has  been  conceived; 
it  is,  we  do  not  doubt,  that  which  animates  aU  our  confreres,  and 
more  than  the  rest,  those  who  lend  us  their  presence  and  sit  in 
our  meetings. 

"We   extend   them   our   cordial   thanks   and   salute   them 
fraternally." 

The  inauguration  session  of  the  Con- 
Sormaf  ^^enins       ^^^^^  ^^^^  pl^^^  ^^  ^1^^  morning  of  August 

^'  ^^  8th,  in  the  assembly  room  of  the   Palace 

CongreBB.  ^^  ^^^   Congresses   within   the   Exposition 

grounds,  and  a  brilliant  and  interesting  affair  it  was.  On  a 
spacious  platform,  well  elevated  above  the  general  floor,  the 
members  of  the  committee-general  took  their  places  about  the 
presiding  offtcers  and  official  heads  of  the  various  national  com- 
mittees whoi  had  previously  taken  their  position  in  the  center 
of  the  stage.  Comprising  this  central  group  were  Prof. 
Brouardel,  of  the  Faculty  of  Medicine  of  Paris,  serving  in  the 
capacity  of  honorary  president;  Prof.  Gariel,  also  of  the  Faculty 
of  Medicine  of  Paris,  acting  president,  and  the  following  rep- 
resentatives from  foreign  countries:  Drs.  Brunton,  of  Leeds, 
and  Cunningham,  of  Cambridge,  representing  England;  Drs. 
A.  W.  Harlan,  of  Chicago,  and  W.  W.  Walker,  of  New  York, 
representing  the  United  States;  Prof.  Lemberg,  of  St.  Peters- 
burg, representing  Russia;  Prof.  Hesse,  of  Leipsic,  represent- 
ing Germany;  Dr.  Anguilar,  of  Madrid,  representing  Spain; 
beside  Drs.  Frank,  of  Vienna,  Liberg,  of  Stockholm,  Grevero, 
of  Amsterdam,  Baruch,  of  Brussels  and  others.  Seated  upon  the 
platform,  in  addition  to  those  already  mentioned,  were  the 
directors  and  professors  of  the  two  dental  schools  of  Paris.  But 
the  platform  did  not  contain  all  the  cream  of  the  occasion,  the 
audience,  which  alm.ost  filled  the  spacious  hall,  was  enriched  by 
the  presence  of  many  "shining  lights"  from  all  quarters  of  the 
globe.  In  all,  fourteen  countries  were  represented,  covering 
thirty-four  societies  and  institutions  of  learning,  the  United 
States  being  strongly  in  evidence  with  sixty-three  delegates. 

M.  Godon,  Chairman  of  the  Connnittee 
(Jtlr.  (Bobon,  i^t        o"  Organization,  was  the  first  speaker.    He 
SirBf  ^^eafter.         informed  the  Congress  that  they  had  been 
officially    received   by   a    representative    of 
the  French  Republic,  he  welcomed  the  President  of  the  Con- 
gress, the  delegates  of  the  various  governments,  universities, 


Si 

^  n-: 

,^    "^Q 

-  0.2 

g  q| 

Q    .2-; 

-  "^rs 

C      Sf  <l^ 
O      u^ 

u     o    . 

■=    o« 

i  1-^ 

-  ^2 
o  -gS^ 


4»         .  O 

■*-•    ir  *j 

•-      '-'  (LI 

E   .2^ 
o    2| 

U   D 


INTERNATIONAL   DENTAL    CONGRESS.  557 

colleges  and  societies  present,  and  thanked  the  different  bodies 
assembled  for  their  contribution  to  the  success  of  the  meeting. 
Continuing,  M.  Godon  described  in  a  truly  interesting  man- 
ner the  role  of  the  modern  dentist.  He  said  in  part: 
'The  dentist  is  a  little  like  a  sentinel  at  the  door  of  the 
human  citadel;  he  takes  an  active  part  in  its  defence  along  with 
the  physician  and  surgeon;  not  infrequently  it  is  he  who  sounds 
the  first  alarm  that  the  entire  organism  is  in  danger.  He  it  is 
who  protects  the  region  he  is  charged  to  guard  against  disease, 
and  when  in  a  measure  it  is  destroyed  he  restores  it  and  rees- 
tablishes it  to  such  a  degree  that  it  becomes  again  active  and 
assumes  its  function  which  was  believed  to  have  been  lost.  It 
is  just  the  peculiar  character  of  this  intervention  which  creates 
for  him  a  situation  apart  from  those  who  devote  themselves  to 
the  preservation  of  the  human  being.  Therefore  it  can  be  said 
that  Odontology  is  the  most  distinct  and  most  special  among 
the  medical  sciences."  The  speaker  then  did  homage  to  the 
memory  of  all  scientists  and  practitioners  who  have  aided  in  the 
progress  of  dental  art  and  medicine.  He  expressed  a  wish  that 
future  Congresses  might  contribute  equally  to  the  realization  of 
new  discoveries.  In  referring  to  dental  services  among  the  poor 
he  said:  ''Modern  dentistry  cannot  be  reproached  for  refusing 
services  to  the  poor.  To-day  the  dentist,  as  well  as  the  physician, 
is  ever  ready  to  devote  his  time  and  labor  to  them.  Is  this  then 
due  to  the  negligence  of  governments  of  every  country,  or  to 
their  ignorance  of  the  progress  of  our  art?  If  this  is  so,  if  you 
think  it,  you  should  speak  out  firmly  and  resolutely,  to  the 
end  that  the  permanent  committee  which  will  survive  this  Con- 
gress may  raise  such  a  clamor  that  the  men  charged  to  govern 
us  shall  hear  it,  despite  their  absorbing  occupations,  and  that 
in  any  case,  if,  after  this  Congress,  any  poor  child,  any  laborer, 
any  soldier  shall  still  suffer  from  this  carelessness  it  cannot  be 
said  that  odontologic  science  has  failed." 

The    report    of    the    general    secretary. 
QRciJorf  of  i?>t  I^^*-  Sauvez,  which  followed  the  address  c>f 

(Bcncraf  ^ecrefarw.      M.  Godon,  dwelt  principally  with  the  his- 
tory of  the  Dental  Congresses  of  the  past 
and  present.     In  referring  to  the  Congress  of  1900  he  showed 
by  what  guarantees  its  constitution  had  been  surrounded,  and 
expressed  the  desire  that  this  organization  might  live  under  the 


INTERNATIONAL    DENTAL    CONGRESS.  559 

name  of  a  permanent  federation,  whose  duty  it  should  be  to 
work  for  the  general  good  of  the  profession. 

After  a  further  address  of  welcome  by  M.  Gariel,  and  a 
report  of  the  financial  condition  of  the  Congress,  which  showed 
a  list  of  1,150  members,  brief  addresses  were  made  by  the  chief 
representatives  from  the  various  governments.  Thus  was  the 
Third  International  Congress  formally  declared  open. 

The  Hotel  des  Societes  Savantes,  rue 
(Weeding  of  f3e        Serpent,    was    the   place    selected    for    the 
(Bencraf  @66em6fg.     i-^eetings  of  the  general  assembly  and  the 
SirBt  'ft)ag.  various    sections,    and    while    the    building 

provided  rooms  well  adapted  to  the  latter  purpose,  it  would  be 
difficult  to  find  a  place  less  suitable  for  the  former.  This  room, 
ample  in  seating  capacity,  was  without  light  except  that  pro- 
vided artificially,  and  the  subject  of  ventilation  evidently  did  not 
.appeal  to  the  architect  who  designed  it.  These  conditions, 
together  with  the  fact  that  the  clinics  were  held  at  two  other 
far-distant  points,  combined  to  make  the  regular  attendace  at 
all  the  sessions  a  very  laborious  task.  The  first  paper  of  the 
session  was  presented  by  Prof.  Hesse,  of  Leipsic.  It  was  written 
from  a  prosthetic  standpoint  and  dwelt  upon  the  advantages  to 
be  derived  from  a  thorough  understanding  of  the  movements  of 
the  lower  jaw,  and  described  a  novel  method  of  ascertaining 
their  movements  in  any  given  case.  The  two  movements  of  the 
lower  jaw  which  he  regarded  as  essential  to  the  function  of 
mastication  are,  first,  elevation;  second,  a  lateral  movement  of 
the  lower  molars  upon  the  upper  molars.  The  fact  that  these 
two  actions  are  present  in  the  jaw  demands,  he  claimed,  the  use 
of  a  mechanical  articulator  provided  with  the  same  movements. 
The  device  suggested  by  Dr.  Hesse,  by  which  a  very  ac- 
curate reproduction  of  the  mandibular  excursion  was  recorded, 
is  as  follows  (see  Fig.  A):  If  it  is  desired  to  find  the  movements 
of  the  molar  teeth  any  one  of  these  having  a  free  proximal 
surface  is  selected,  and  a  metallic  band  '*a"  of  german  silver, 
about  -J  of  an  inch  in  width,  is  made  to  encircle  the  four  sides  of 
the  crown.  The  fit  of  this  band  need  only  be  sufficient  to 
prevent  it  from  revolving  or  being  otherwise  displaced  when 
slight  pressure  is  brought  upon  it.  Attached  to  the  free  proxi- 
mal side  of  this  band  is  a  smaller  i)and  "i?,"  of  sutficient  propor- 
tions to  support  a  small  piece  of  lead  pencil.    The  record  is  made 


H6tel  des  Soci^t^s  Savantes,  in  which  the  General  Assembly  and  Sections  of  the 
Congress  were  held. 


INTERNATIONAL   DENTAL    CONGRESS. 


561 


on  a  piece  of  cardboard  or  other  suitable  medium,  placed  and 
held  in  position  against  the  occlusal  surface  of  the  upper  molars. 
If  it  is  desired  to  obtain  the  movements  of  the  anterior  teeth  a 
similar  appliance  is  fitted  to  one  of  the  incisors. 


Fig.  A. 


In -the  brief  discussion  which  followed 

43e(BxceB6of         ^j^-g    paper    it    was    brought    out    that    the 

(papcvB  €rot»beb       system   possessed   no   real  practical   value, 

ouf  f^e  ©ificufifiion.      ^^^^^^.  ^^^^^^  ^  ^^^^^^  ^1  proving  the   great 

variety  of  lateral  movements  resident  in  the  mandible,  and  this 

it  will  do  in  a  very  satisfactory  manner. 

This  paper  like  nearly  all  others  presented  received  little 
or  no  attention  in  the  way  of  discussion,  a  fact  nuich  to  be 
deplored,  the  disposition  being  to  have  as  many  scheduled  essays 
read  as  the  time  allotted  would  permit,  regardless  of  the  impres- 
sion created  by  them.  But  while  acknowledging  this  error  by  the 
management  of  the  Cong'ress  they  were  nevertheless  deserving 
of  praise,  for  their  action  was  the  result  of  an  endeavor  to  avoid 
other  complications.  It  was  early  observed  that  the  number  of 
essays  accorded  a  place  on  the  program  was  far  in  excess  of  the 
time  which  could  possibly  be  devoted  to  their  proper  reading 
and  discussion;  and  even  with  the  rapid-change-artist  style  or 
procedure  many  papers,  carefully  and  studiously  prepared,  were 
read  only  in  brief  synopsis. 

Tlie  balance  of  the  afternoon,  so  far  as  the  general  assembly 
was  concerned,  was  taken  up  with  a  paper  by  Dr.  C.  S.  Case,  of 
Chicago,  his  subject  being  "Dento-facial  Orthopedia."  The 
paper,  fully  illustrated  with  well-chosen  and  instructive  lantern 


562  DENTAL  BlilEF. 

slides,  was  g-ivcn  with  a  desire  that  it  might  bring  about  an 
interest  favoring  special  instruction  in  malformations  of  a 
dento-facial  character.  A  plea  was  made  for  the  inauguration  of 
a  definite  system  of  instruction  and  study  based  on  physiological 
principles  of  comparison,  creating  for  this  branch  of  dentistry 
an  interest  in  observation,  diagnosis  and  treatment  far  beyond 
that  which  is  at  present  manifested.  The  many  facial  deform- 
ities resulting  from  the  malposition  of  the  incisor  and  cuspid 
teeth  served  as  a  text  for  the  essay,  the  author  claiming  that  in 
many  instances  the  so-called  protruding  chin  was  not  in  reality 
such,  but  that  the  deformity  was  the  result  of  a  retruding  upper 
jaw,  and  that  to  overcome  the  imperfect  profile  lines  the  chin 
and  lower  teeth  should  remain  untouched,  and  the  anterior  third 
of  the  upper  jaw  and  teeth  forced  forward  to  the  normal 
position. 

A  reversed  deformity  may  be  present  in  which  the  upper  lip 
is  made  to  appear  unduly  prominent  by  a  retracted  chin.  The 
portion  of  the  face  affected  by  malposed  teeth  or  improperly 
developed  jaws  was  shown  to  be  small,  but  at  the  same  time 
sufficient  to  alter  the  appearance  of  the  entire  physiognomy,  it 
only  being  necessary  in  proof  of  this  to  observe  the  changes  in 
facial  expression  brought  about  by  the  emotions,  nearly  all  of 
which  influence  the  oral  district. 

In  closing,  Dr.  Case  dwelt  upon  the  impossibility  of  correct 
diagnosis  with  a  view  to  treatment  from  a  simple  reading  of 
plaster  models;  the  plan  of  action  must  be  decided  upon  only 
after  a  careful  study  of  the  case  both  externally  and  internally. 

Four  o'clock  found  the  delegates  pass- 
HD^orft  of  ii^g"  to  and  fro  in  search  of  the  various  see- 

the ^edionfi.  tions  which  were  announced  to  convene  at 

that  hour.  In  nearly  every  instance  the 
work  of  the  sections  was  inaugurated  by  a  short  address  from 
the  chairman  of  the  section,  each  of  whom  in  his  wisdom  con- 
gratulated the  members  for  the  progress  shown  in  those  matters 
in  which  they  were  especially  interested. 

A  brief  resume  of  some  of  the  more  important  reports  and 
communications  announced  on  the  program  for  the  section  work 
of  the  first  day  follows : 

"The  Nutrition  of  Dentine  under  Physiological  Influences" 
by   Dr.   J.   Tellier,   of   Lyons.     The   author's   deductions   were 


INTERNATIONAL    DENTAL     CONGRESS.  563 

arrived  at  only  after  carefully  examining  the  effect  of  the  various 
physiological  and  pathological  states  upon  the  tissue  under  con- 
sfderation.  From  the  standpoint  of  general  anatomy  many 
kinds  of  dentine  must  be  recognized,  some  simple  others  com- 
plex in  character,  and  between  these  two  extremes  are  many 
modifications.  By  some  it  is  claimed  that  the  primary  stage  of 
all  dentine  is  that  in  which  the  capillaries  are  of  sufficient  size  to 
admit  of  the  passage  of  red  blood-corpuscles,  otherwise  known 
as  vaso-dentine,  and  that  gradually  from  this  we  have  produced 
the  calcified  structure.  Not  a  few  writers  doubt  this  theory, 
but  could  it  be  proven  to  be  true  it  might  open  up  a  field  for  the 
study  of  the  nutrition  of  the  structure  in  its  first  stage,  and  in 
this  way  assist  to  a  better  understanding  as  to  the  source  of 
nourishment  to  the  calcified  dentine.  In  particular  we  would 
be  advised  as  to  the  distribution  of  the  early  blood-vessels  about 
the  periphery  of  the  pulp,  and  possibly  decide  the  much-vexed 
question  whether  the  blood-vessels  take  a  direct  part  in  the 
calcification  of  the  ivory  by  conveying  to  the  matrix  the  neces- 
sary lime  salts.  Even  with  the  possibility  of  gaining  much  in- 
formation in  the  aforesaid  way,  the  wTiter  concluded  by  saying 
that  little  would  then  be  known  positively  in  regard  to  the  sub- 
ject.    He  considered  it  a  limitless  field  for  investigation. 

Before  the  section  on  Operative  Dentistry  the  subject  of  a 
compensating  amalgam  was  taken  up.  Some  time  ago  Dr. 
Fenchel,  of  Germany,  experimented  in  this  direction  by  mixing 
together  three  different  alloys,  one  of  which  was  known  to 
expand,  another  to  contract,  and  a  third  to  possess  the  prop- 
erty of  setting  very  quickly.  After  a  number  of  experiments 
covering  a  period  of  four  or  five  years,  a  very  satisfactory  result 
was  obtained.  In  working  this  alloy,  as  well  as  all  other  alloys, 
the  author  advises  condensation  by  rotation,  something  after  the 
rotation  method  of  Dr.  Herbst  in  the  management  of  gold  foils. 

Dr.  W.  Booth  Pcarsall,  of  Dublin,  presented  before  the  fifth 
section  a  forcible  plea  for  better  platinum  pins  in  porcelain  teeth. 
This  paper  was  prepared  in  the  hope  that  it  would  awaken  the 
dental  practitioner  to  the  importance  of  demanding  from  the 
manufacturers  of  porcelain  teeth  platinum  pins  free  from  brittle- 
ness.  Reference  was  made  to  the  many  disastrous  mishaps 
occasioned  by  this  defect.  Even  after  the  greatest  care  has  been 
exercised  in  the  manipulation  of  porcelain  teeth  antl  facings, 


564  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

care  in  backing-,  care  in  soldering-  and  care  in  finishing,  patients 
are  continually  returning  with  porcelains  missing. 

Dr.  Pearsall  enumerated  the  various  supposed  causes  of  the 
"dropping  off"  of  porcelains,  such  as  riveting,  improper  invest- 
ment, overheating,  bad  solder,  imperfect  combustion,  etc.,  but 
he  considered  that  these  probable  causes  were  too  often 
accepted,  the  real  source  of  the  trouble  in  very  many  cases  being 
in  the  character  of  the  platinum  used  in  the  pins.  In  support  of 
this  argument  a  number  of  experiments  had  been  made  in- 
volving all  the  foregoing  probable  causes  of  fracture,  these  being 
carried  on  in  such  a  manner  and  from  so  many  different  stand- 
points that  the  results  were  strongly  in  favor  of  Dr.  Pearsall's 
theory.  The  writer  also  claimed  that  the  porcelain  tooth  of  the 
present  day  did  not  begin  to  compare  in  strength  to  the 
porcelain  tooth  of  forty  or  fifty  years  ago,  the  modern  tooth 
l^eing  easily  crushed  with  a  pair  of  pliers  held  in  the  hand  while 
tjie  tooth  of  earlier  days  could  only  be  broken  by  a  blow  from  a 
heavy  hammer. 

A  spectroscopic  examination  of  some  brittle  platinum  pins 
was  made  by  Prof.  Hartley,  of  the  Royal  College  of  Science, 
Dublin,  his  report  favoring  the  opinion  that  the  brittleness  is 
not  caused  by  any  metallic  contamination,  but  rather  a  non- 
metallic  impurity,  either  carbon  or  phosphorus,  either  of  these 
being  readily  taken  up  in  the  working  over  of  old  platinum. 
The  extreme  heat  of  an  oxyhydrogen  blow  pipe  was  instru- 
mental in  eliminating  the  phosphorus  and  carbon,  and  it  was 
then  found  that  the  quality  of  the  platinum  was  greatly 
improved. 

Before  Section  One  Dr.  T.  E.  Constant,  of  Scarborough, 
presented  a  paper  on  the  rather  obscure  subject  of  the  ''Erup- 
tion of  the  Teeth,"  or  the  causes  which  are  responsible  for  this 
phenomenoii.  This  subject,  important  to  the  physiologist  because 
it  yet  remains  an  unsolved  problem,  is  even  of  more  interest 
and  practical  importance  to  the  dentist,  because  until  we  fully 
understand  the  physiological  forces  which  bring  about  the  erup- 
tion of  the  teeth  we  cannot  hope  to  appreciate  the  etiology  of 
dental  malformations  and  dental  irregularities.  After  briefly 
reviewing  the  existing  theories  in  regard  to  the  subject  and  the 
various  published  comments  upon  the  same,  the  waiter  offered 
a  new  hypothesis.    Reference  was  made  to  the  theorv  of  Thomas 


IXTERXATIOXAL    DEXTAL     COX(Jh'ESS.  565 

Bell  and  others  that  the  eruption  of  the  teeth  is  due  to  the 
elongation  of  their  roots;  also  to  the  theory  of  Prof.  Peirce  that 
the  phenomenon  is  due  to  a  mechanical  force,  such  as  might  be 
created  by  the  repeated  closing  of  the  jaws,  this  action  producmg 
a  blow  similar  to  that  created  when  forcing  a  bung  from  a  barrel 
by  successive  blows  on  the  side  of  the  barrel.  Dr.  Constant  is 
of  the  opinion  that  the  active  forces  at  work  are  those  en- 
gendered by  the  pressure  of  the  blood,  this  being  made  possible 
by  a  particular  arrangement  of  the  young  alveolar  walls  which 
form  the  crypts  of  the  developing  organs.  The  dentine  papilla 
is  responsible  for  the  peculiar  arrangement  of  the  bony  walls, 
superimposing  itself  between  the  forming  dentine  and  the  al- 
veolus in  a  thick  vascular  mass,  and  at  the  same  time  that  it  is 
building  dentine  it  so  regulates  the  blood  pressure  that  the  force 
created  in  this  way  automatically  forces  the  tooth  to  its  final 
position  in  the  jaw. 

Other  communications  before  the  sections  during  the  first 
day  were  'The  Application  of  the  Analyses  of  the  Saliva  to  the 
Diagnosis  of  Diathesic  Afifections  and  Gingivo-Dental  Changes," 
by  M.  Michaels,  of  Paris;  ''A  Study  of  Some  Microbes  of 
Dental  Caries,"  by  J.  Choquet,  also  of  Paris,  and  two  communi- 
cations from  Dr.  Robert  Marcus,  of  Frankfort,  ''Difficult  Cut- 
ting of  the  Third  Molar,"  and  "Subsistence  of  the  Third  Molar, 
Accidents  and  Removal." 


43e  CftnicB. 


One  of  the  most  interesting  and  cer- 
tainly most  practical  features  of  a  modern 
dental    meetinq-    is    the    hours    devoted    to 


clinical  demonstrations,  and  while  the  clinics 
of  the  Third  Congress  were,  in  a  measure,  a  stereotyped  re- 
production of  what  has  taken  place  under  similar  auspices  for 
many  years  past,  there  appeared  to  be  sufficient  interest  mani- 
fested to  include  them  as  one  of  the  successful  functions  of  the 
convention.  The  two  dental  schools  of  Paris  were  selected  as 
suitable  places  for  liolding  the  clinics,  and,  barring  the  fact  that 
they  were  so  far  distant  from  the  chief  meeting  place,  they 
served  the  purpose  very  well.  Demonstrations  in  dental  ceram- 
ics and  implantation  appeared  to  be  tjie  leading  feature,  there 
being  no  less  than  eight  or  ten  of  the  former  and  fully  as  many 
oi  the  latter  during  the  various  clinical  sessions. 

The  first  clinic  observed  was  one  I'iveii  In   Dr.  Horn,  show- 


566  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ing  a  method  by  which  the  adaptation  of  the  metalHc  portion  of 
a  Richmond  crown  might  be  made  very  perfect.  After  the 
preparation  of  the  root,  which  the  operator  preferred  to  bevel 
beneath  the  gum  margin  on  the  labial  side,  a  temporary  pin  and 
base-plate  of  copper  was  made  and  roughly  fitted  to  the  canal 
and  free  end  of  the  root,  the  plate  being  slightly  greater  in  di- 
ameter than  the  end  of  the  root.  These  two  parts  were  soldered 
together  and  made  to  serve  as  an  impression  tray,  by  the  aid  of 
which  an  accurate  reproduction  of  the  end  of  the  root  and  gum 
margins  was  secured.  The  precaution  of  having  the  base-plate 
slightly  larger  than  the  end  of  the  root,  had  the  result  ol  forcing 
the  gum  back  by  the  pressure  from  the  impression  material^ 
gutta-percha.  From  this  impression  a  plaster  cast  was  made, 
and  the  work  continued  in  the  ordinary  manner,  but  with  the 
advantage  of  a  definitely  defined  root  extremity  on  the  cast. 
The  clinician  claimed  for  his  method  the  same  accuracy  as  that 
obtained  when  the  work  is  performed  in  the  mouth. 

The  clinics  given  by  Dr.  Herbst,  of  ''rotation  method"  fame, 
probably  attracted  more  attention  than  any  operation  of  the  first 
clinical  session.  Dr.  Herbst  was  the  envy  of  many  younger  men 
present,  few  of  whom  possessed  the  earnestness  and  enthusiasm 
SOI  characteristic  of  him.  The  doctor's  faith  in  his  method  of 
working  gold  has  not  lost  any  of  its  firmness ;  in  fact,  he  is  more 
devoted  to  the  system  of  rotation  than  ever.  The  process 
through  which  the  specially  prepared  gold  is  passed,  is  such 
that  any  make  of  g'old  foil  may  be  so  treated.  In  these  demon- 
stratioins  it  was  pointed  out  that  all  cavities  should,  so  far  as 
possible,  be  so  prepared  that  they  become  a  simple  cavity,  in 
proximal  cavities  using  the  matrix  for  this  purpose.  The  funda- 
mental principle  after  thus  arranging  the  cavity  is  that  which 
governed  the  old  method  of  working  soft  gold,  first  filling  the 
sides  of  the  cavity  and  forcing  the  godd  in  this  direction  by  means 
of  a  heavy  wedge-shaped  instrument,  driven  into  the  center  of 
the  mass,  afterward  filling  this  central  space  and  again  forcing 
the  gold  in  a  lateral  direction. 

In  addition  to  his  clinics  Dr.  Herbst  exhibited  a  table  full  of 
teeth,  ivory  blocks,  ivory  and  bone  figvires,  etc.,  all  of  which  were 
highly  ornamented  by  gold-foil  pluggings.  To;  very  many  this 
exhibit  did  not  make  a  very  favorable  impression,  having  little 
or  no  practical  value,  and  only  representing  the  results  of  much 
wasted  energy;  it  would  have  been  better  omitted. 


INTERNATIONAL    DENTAL    CONGRESS.  567 

Other  clinics  of  the  first  session  were,  ''Asepsis  in  Root 
Treatment,"  by  Dr.  Schreim;  "A  Simple  Obturator;"  "Special 
Impression  Methods,"  by  Dr.  Volger,  and  a  number  oif  demon- 
strations covering  the  management  of  cements,  all  of  which  will 
be  included  in  a  later  communication. 

One  clinic  that  should  be  reported  be- 
Jmijfanfafion  ^o^^  it  passes  from  memory,  as  it  should 

(JPef^obB.  forever  do,  was  given  by  Dr.  V.  Guerini,  of 

Naples.  The  doctor  is  an  enthusiast  on  Im- 
plantation, claiming  everything  for  the  operation,  and  unwilling 
to  admit  a  possible  dark  side.  To-day  countless  numbers  of  Dr. 
Guerini's  converts  are  walking  the  streets  of  Naples,  and  many 
have  passed  beyond  this  'Vale  of  tears,"  so  old  and  well  tried  is 
this  operation  with  him.  The  details  of  this  clinic  were  as  fol- 
lows: The  patient,  the  second  one  to  be  operated  upon,  a  robust 
man  from  the  local  fire  department,  was  approached  by  the 
operator,  who,  in  his  zeal  to  extract  a  cuspid  root,  failed  to  re- 
move from  his  hands  anything  that  might  have  remained  from 
the  previous  operation.  The  root  being  satisfactorily  removed, 
several  cuspid  teeth  were  taken  from  the  coat  pocket  and  ome  by 
one  tried  in  the  socket  for  the  purpose  of  selection.  Through  the 
kindness  of  Dr.  Savinova,  who  acted  as  interpreter,  the  question 
was  asked:  "How  oild  are  the  teeth  from  which  you  are  mak- 
ing the  selection?"  "About  three  or  four  years  old."  As  the 
operation  progressed  other  inquiries  were  submitted.  "Have 
the  pulps  been  removed  and  the  canal  filled?"  "Not  yet,  but 
I  am  going  to  do  so,"  and,  suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  a 
rubber  file,  which  had  outlived  its  usefulness  in  the  laboratory, 
was  brought  into  service,  and  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  of  the 
root  apex  removed.  The  filing  away  of  this  much  of  the  root 
was,  in  the  opinion  of  the  operator,  sufficient  for  the  removal 
of  such  portions  of  the  pulp  as  remained,  and  in  a  moment  this 
was  dislodged.  With  the  fingers  of  the  right  hand,  the  same 
hand  and  same  fingers  used  on  patient  No.  i,  a  body  of  cement 
was  worked  up,  and  a  small  portion  of  it  puttied  into  the  canal. 
"Do  you  make  any  account  of  the  peridental  membrane;  does 
its  presence  favor  or  retard  the  desired  attachment  to  the 
bone?"  "It  must  be  removed."  And  so  it  was,  the  same  file 
serving  in  this  capacity.  After  this  ideal  preparation  of  the 
tooth  to  be  implanted,  it  was  passed  through  a  solution  of  bi- 


568 


DENTAL  BRIEF. 


chloride,  and  then  forcibly  hammered  to  its  final  (?)  resting- 
place.  The  utter  disregard  for  asepsis  and  of  the  vital  principles 
on  which  the  success  of  such  an  operation  is  usually  supposed 
to  depend  promoted  in  the  spectators  a  sense  of  pity  for  the  pa- 
tient, and  many  comments  were  made  regarding  his  probable 
fate,  but,  co/ntrary  to  all  expectations,  he  made  his  appearance 
before  a  subsequent  session,  having  experienced  no  discomfort, 
and  happy  in  the  possession  of  a  new  tooth. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON   DENTAL  EDUCATION.  569 


SHOULD    THE    MEDICAL    UNDERGRADUATE    BE 

INSTRUCTED    IN    THE    PRINCIPLES    OF 

DENTISTRY?* 

^3;  M.  L.  Rhein,  M.D.,  D.DS. 

It  is,  at  the  outset,  necessary  that  the  term  ''principles  of 
dentistry,"  as  used  in  this  paper,  should  be  specifically  defined. 
Such  a  definition  is  required,  both  because  there  should  be  a 
definite  understanding  of  the  points  that  the  discussion  should 
embrace,  and  because,  mindful  of  the  fact  that  the  path  of  the 
medical  student  already  bristles  with  subjects,  we  should  be  loth 
to  add  an  unnecessary  amount  of  work  to  his  daily  routine.  A 
requisite  knowledge  of  the  shape  and  uses  of  the  various  dental 
instruments  cannot  be  expected  of  the  general  practitioner; 
indeed,  all  the  variations  in  dental  technique  as  applied  both  to 
laboratory  and  operating-room  are  distinctly  beyond  the  scope 
of  dental  principles,  in  their  relations  to  general  medical  educa- 
tion. 

The  question  at  issue  then  narrows  itself  down  to  th'=? 
advisability  of  the  medical  undergraduate  being  acquainted  with 
principles  of  dentistry  as  they  bear  on  general  medicine.  That 
the  general  practitioner  should  appreciate  fully  the  process  of 
dentition,  in  its  relation  both  to  local  and  constitutional  results, 
cannot  be  denied.  Equally  as  important  is  it  that  he  should  be 
able  to  distinguish  an  incipient  alveolar  abscess  from  tic-dolou- 
reux,  simple  caries  from  caries  complicated  by  exposure  of  the 
pulp,  or  the  inflammation  attending  the  eruption  of  a  third 
molar  from  that  caused  by  follicular  tonsillitis.  The  medical 
undergraduate  should  be  taught  that  no  tooth  need  of  necessity 
be  lost  through  the  ravages  of  caries;  to  judge  of  the  efficacv 
of  remedying  these  carious  defects,  he  must  of  necessity  be 
able  to  appreciate  whether  or  not  a  tooth  cavity  has  been  prop- 
erly filled.  He  should  be  taught  to  know  that  more  teeth  are 
lost  through  disease  of  the  peridental  membrane  than  through 
all  other  pathologic  conditions  of  the  mouth  combined,  and  that 
prophylactic  measures  tending  to  preserve  this  membrane  are  of 
vital  importance.  He  should  be  made  cognizant  of  the  intimate 
relationship  existing  between  the  general  nutri^'on  and  proper 
mastication,  so  as  to  realize  when  artificial  teeth  are  required, 
and  if  supplied,  whether  they  are  properlv  inserted.  Such 
knowledge  implies  a  proper  understanding  of  the  normal  occlu- 

*  Presented  in  a  Symposinm  on  Dental  Edncation,  before  the  vSeclion 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Kifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-Stli,  1900. 


57©  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

sion  of  the  upper  and  lower  teeth ;  it  also  leads  to  the  apprecia- 
tion of  the  value  of  orthodontia  as  a  corrective  for  malocclusio*. 

A  proper  appreciation  of  the  foregoing  facts  necessitates 
that  medical  undergraduates  be  taught  dental  embryology,  anat- 
omy, histology,  and  pathology,  in  order  that  these  principles 
should  form  a  foundation  for  a  correct  clinical  observation  of 
oral  conditions.  This  will  enable  the  general  practitioner  to 
serve  best  both  his  own  interests  and  the  interests  of  his 
patients,  and  at  the  same  time  tend  to  elevate  the  standing  of 
the  dental  specialty. 

No  more  opportune  time  than  the  present  could  have  been 
selected  for  this  discussion.  For  through  the  efforts  of  our 
medical  schools,  and  of  our  State  Boards  of  Medical  Examiners, 
the  standard  of  medical  education  is  advancing  yearly.  More- 
over, this  is  an  era  of  curriculum  extension  in  all  of  our  medical 
schools.  With  the  advent  of  each  scholastic  term,  there  is 
either  an  extension  in  the  number  of  subjects  taught  or  a 
marked  improvement  in  the  methods  of  teaching  them.  Physio- 
logic chemistry,  bacteriology,  orthopedics,  and  the  other  limited 
specialties  are  yearly  receiving  more  attention,  and  very  rightly 
so.  Yet,  this  era  of  educational  progress  is  utterly  ignoring  the 
importance  that  the  principles  of  dentistry  should  play  in  the 
education  of  all  medical  undergraduates.  Dental  instruction  not 
only  is  not  represented  by  any  individual  chair  in  any  of  our 
large  Eastern  medical  schools,  but  the  teaching  of  dental  princi- 
ples is  not  embraced  in  any  of  the  allied  chairs  of  medical  instruc- 
tion. A  medical  education  which  neglects  to  train  the  under- 
graduate in  the  principles  of  stomatology  is  deplorably  deficient. 
Thinking  thus,  we  desire  to  show  not  the  modus  operandi  by 
w^hich  the  medical  curriculum  should  be  recast  or  altered,  but 
rather  the  disadvantages  resulting  from  the  present  deficiency  in 
medical  training  and  the  advantages  to  be  gained  by  supplying 
this  deficiency. 

Such  oversight  in  the  method  of  medical  instruction  re- 
sults in  creating  a  disposition  on  the  part  of  the  general  practi- 
tioner, not  only  to  underestimate  the  importance  of  the  princi- 
ples of  dentistry,  but  also  to  consider  the  dentist  rather  as  an 
aid  to  comfort  than  as  an  active  and  important  element  in  pre- 
serving the  human  economy.  The  evil  results  of  the  medical 
undergraduate's  lack  of  knowledge  of  dental  principles  are  all- 
pervading.  On  the  staff  of  most  of  our  hospitals  it  is  rare  to 
find  the  name  of  a  dental  specialist ;  yet  only  obstinate  bigotry 
may  deny  the  frequent  occasions  arising  in  a  hospital  service 
that  distinctly  demand  dental  treatment. 

The  poor  results  that  have  attended  the  long-co'ntinued 
agitation  for  dental  representation  in  the  army  service  will  illus- 
trate the  poor  esteem  in  which  dentists  are  held  by  their  medical 
colleagues.     All  this,  too,  despite  the  fact  that  the  recent  war 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  571 

demonstrated  beyond  a  doubt  that  lack  of  official  attention  not 
only  worked  havoc  among  the  soldiers,  but  also  required  the 
establishment  of  the  sporadic  and  so-called  "dental  tents,"  where 
emergency  dental  work  was.  performed  by  volunteers,  taken 
mostly  from  the  ranks. 

Not  less  productive  of  evil  results  is  the  lack  of  dental  repre- 
sentation in  our  naval  service;  for  can  a  more  disagreeable  exi- 
gency be  conceived  than  an  intractable  toothache  occurring  in  a 
naval  cadet  on  a  cruise  miles  from  home — a  simple  case  for  a 
qualified  dentist  to  handle,  and  yet  one  which  at  present  usually 
results  in  the  extraction  of  the  offending  tooth,  and  the  conver- 
sion of  a  possible  future  naval  officer  into  an  incipient  cripple? 
•And  all  this,  because  our  medical  confreres  have  failed  to  appre- 
ciate the  importance  of  dental  principles. 

That  ignorance  of  the  prmciples  of  stomatology  character- 
izes the  general  medical  practitioner  cannot  be  denied;  and  as  a 
result  of  this  lack  of  knowledge  his  opportunities  are  greatly 
handicapped,  owing  to  his  inability  to  appreciate  the  diagnostic, 
therapeutic,  and  prognostic  aids  afforded  by  the  clinical  appear- 
ances found  in  the  oral  cavity. 

As  regards  the  diagnostic  aid  offered  by  the  mouth,  a  thor- 
ough appreciation  of  normal  appearances  is  both  presupposed 
and  necessary,  in  order  to  enable  the  practitioner  to  recognize 
the  significance  of  incipient  pathologic  changes,  symptomatic  of 
systemic  disease.  A  red,  dry,  glazed  tongue,  with  characteristi- 
cally swollen,  hemorrhagic  gingivae,  and  rapid  caries  of  the  teeth 
are  frequently  the  only  signs  of  an  incipient  diabetes.  Likewise, 
the  characteristic  whipcord-like  tumefaction  of  the  gum,  over 
the  palatal  surface  of  the  teeth,  is  one  of  the  earhest  signs  of 
chronic  Bright's  disease.  Similarly  in  gout,  one  of  the  earhest 
manifestations  is  the  hard,  smooth,  blackish  incrustations  of 
salts  found  on  the  roots  of  the  teeth.  The  peculiar  linear  dis- 
coloration of  the  gums,  found  as  an  accompaniment  of  metallic 
intoxication,  renders  the  diagnosis  of  these  sometimes  obscure 
cases  both  easy  and  assured.  In  infantile  scorbutus  there  is  no 
sign  of  more  diagnostic  value  than  the  spongy,  bleeding,  hyper- 
trophied  gums,  accompanied  by  an  extensive  resolution  of  the 
infantile  tooth  structure.  Finally,  it  may  be  said  with  confidence, 
that  study  and  observation  of  the  oral  cavity  will  yield  many 
more  invaluable  diagnostic  points  to  the  seekers  of  them,  and 
thereby  serve  to  lighten  the  task  of  the  well-grounded  general 
practitioner. 

As  regards  the  aid  in  therapeusis  afforded  the  general  prac- 
titioner by  the  recognition  of  oral  malconditions,  it  is  omly  neces- 
sary to  recall  the  pertinent  relationship  existing  between  the 
many  neuroses  and  caries  of  the  teeth.  A  few  citations  will  best 
illustrate  this  fact:  Remedying  a  carious  and  irritable  tooth  has 
often  succeeded  in  abating  the   intractable   vomiting  of  preg- 


5/2  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

naiicv;  in  ihc  trcatnicul  of  chorea,  attention  directed  to  carious 
teeth,  considered  as  centers  of  retiex  irritation,  has  often  les- 
sened the  severity  of  the  nervous  affection.  And  finally,  how 
well  we  know  the  numerous  forms  of  neuralgia  that  baffle  medi- 
cal skill  until  the  dentist  discovers  an  exposed  pulp  and  re- 
moves it. 

As  regards  the  influence  of  oral  conditions  on  the  prognosis 
of  systemic  disturbances,  we  have  here  a  field  whose  full  value 
is  unknown  not  only  to  the  general  practitioner,  but  also  to  many 
dentists.  The  minute  differences  in  local  appearances  cannot 
fail  to  suggest  to  the  careful  observer  a  proportionate  idea  of 
the  systemic  disturbance,  and  thus  these  appearances  lead  to  a 
much  more  exact  prognosis.  At  a  recent  meeting  of  the  Odon-* 
tological  Society  of  New  York,  I  recited  the  history  of  a  case  of 
miliary  pulmonary  tuberculosis,  in  which,  with  no  clinical  knowl- 
edge of  the  case,  I  w^as  yet  able  to  give  an  absolutely  fatal  prog- 
nosis, based  on  conditions  found  in  the  mouth,  and  verified  later, 
unfortunately,  by  the  course  of  the  disease. 

Thus  far  we  have  attempted  to  outline  those  principles  of 
dentistry,  the  knowledge  of  which  would  be  of  undoubted  value 
to  the  general  practitioner  of  medicine,  and  w^hich,  therefore,  he 
should  learn  as  a  medical  student.  Not  merely  from  the  stand- 
point of  the  general  practitioner  of  medicine,  however,  should 
this  question  interest  us.  As  dentists,  it  behooves  us  not  to  lose 
sight  of  the  fact  that  the  education  of  medical  undergraduates 
in  dental  principles  w^ould  serve  a  double  utility.  There  would 
result  an  incalculable  gain  to  the  medical  man,  it  is  true,  but  it  is 
equally  undeniable  that  the  dental  profession  would  also  greativ 
profit  by  such  an  educational  advancement.  The  newly-devel- 
oped ability  of  the  medical  man  to  recognize  early  pathologic 
conditions  of  the  teeth  and  mouth  would  result  in  more  thor- 
oughgoing prophylaxis,  and  in  the  earlier  application  of  treat- 
ment. Even  more  than  this,  the  properly  educated  medical  prac- 
titioner w^ould  recognize  innumerable  cases  of  important  dis- 
eases of  the  mouth,  that  would  otherwise  run  their  insidious 
course  unnoticed  and  untreated.  Granted  that  early  recognition 
and  the  early  application  of  treatment  were  in  force,  the  task  of 
the  dental  surgeon  would  thereby  be  rendered  not  only  less  ardu- 
ous and  more  satisfactory  to  himself,  but  also  far  less  unpleasant 
to  his  patients. 

Nor  is  this  the  only  benefit  that  the  dentist  would  derive 
from  such  a  change  in  the  medical  undergraduate's  curriculum. 
I  vouchsafe  that  there  is  known  to  all  the  members  present  to- 
day, that  class  of  dentists,  wdio,  like  the  proverbially  stubborn 
bird,  can  w^ork  w^ell,  but  refuse  to  w^ork  w^ell.  Good  dental  w^ork 
is  distinctly  time-con!^iming.  There  are  any  number  of  men 
eminently  fitted  to  .dOiexcellent  dental  work,  and  who  indeed  do 
accomplish  excellent)  results,  until  they  have  established  a  fairly 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  573 

large  clientele.  Then,  suddenly  discovering  that  their  rewards 
are  seemingly  incommensurate  with  their  labor,  and  realizing 
that  the  discrepancy  is  due  to  the  time  consumed  in  doing  proper 
work,  they  sacrifice  their  ideals.  Such  a  sacrifice  is  made, 
largely  because  the  dentist  realizes  that  he  is  the  final  judge  oi 
his  own  work.  He  is  fully  aware  of  the  general  practitioner's 
inability  to  pass  judgment  as  to  whether  his  patients  are  receiv- 
ing intelligent  or  mediocre  treatment.  Armed  with  such  knowl- 
edge, the  unscrupulous  dentist  is  able  to  continue  the  nefarious 
practice  of  working  against  time.  The  claim  that  the  patient's 
appreciation  of  proper  work  serves  as  a  check  against  such  unde- 
sirable practices,  is  not  tenable;  for  the  average  patient  does 
not  value  a  piece  of  work  properly.  Appreciation  of  dental  work 
is  in  a  large  measure  regulated  by  the  confidence  reposed  in  the 
dentist  by  the  patient;  and  an  incompetent  politic  man,  often 
succeeds  better  in  inspiring  his  patients  with  confidence  in  him 
than  does  an  honet,  qualified  practitioner. 

I  have  compared  the  above  class  of  unscrupulous  dentists 
to  the  bird  that  can  but  will  not  sing.  The  analogy  may  be  car- 
ried further.  The  little  bird,  you  know,  was  made  to  sing,  and 
likewise  the  capable  dentist  can  be  made  to  do  proper  work. 
Let  him  realize  that  Dr.  A.,  who  sends  him  many  patients,  has 
graduated  from  a  medical  school  where  dental  principles  receive 
merited  recognition,  and  that  he  therefore  values  good  dental 
work,  and  discovers  faulty  results;  and  the  dentist  will  cease  to 
work  against  time,  and  attempt  rather  to  maintain  the  profes- 
sional opinion  and  favor  of  Dr.  A.  In  this  way,  then,  also,  the 
education  of  the  medical  undergraduate  in  dental  principles  will 
serve  to  bring  about  a  much  needed  elevation  in  the  standard  of 
the  dental  specialty. 

Still  another  w^ay  remains,  by  wdiich  an  addition  to  the  bur- 
den of  the  medical  student's  work  would  redound  to  the  well- 
being  of  both  dentist  and  general  practitioner.  I  refer  now  to 
the  cultivation  of  a  stronger  bond  of  sympathy  between  the  two 
branches  of  practice.  Educate  the  medical  man  properly,  and 
he  will  learn  to  appreciate  the  dentist  at  his  true  worth.  The 
value  of  the  dentist's  advice  and  opinion  will  be  on  a  par  with 
the  advice  offered  by  the  ophthalmologist,  otologist,  or  laryn- 
gologist.  He  will  be  consulted  by  the  general  surgeon  before  a 
plastic  or  prosthetic  operation  is  done  on  the  jaws  or  mouth, 
and  his  ideas  will  be  sought  by  the  general  practitioner  attempt- 
ing to  treat  some  obscure  lesion  of  the  alimentary  tract  which 
might  have  some  connection  with  oral  disease. 

Valuable  as  such  a  change  in  medical  education  wtnild  be, 
and  productive  of  unlimited  good,  it  is  nevertheless  oi-)posed  on 
various  grounds,  and  for  numerous  reasons.  A  discussion  of 
the  subject,  therefore,  would  l)c  lacking  in  completeness  did  it 
not  consider  these  objections  and  show  the  tenuous  foundations 
on  which  thev  rest. 


^74  DENTAL  lililEF. 

First  of  all,  we  meet  the  statement  that  the  niedieal  student, 
of  all  other  professional  students,  labors  most.  His  days  are 
taken  up  with  practical  work,  and  his  nights  with  study,  and  it 
would  therefore  be  impossible  for  him  to  shoulder  an  additional 
burden  of  work.  That  the  medical  undergraduate's  lot  is  an 
arduous  one,  none  of  us  can  gainsay,  yet  the  scope  of  his  work 
never  has  and  never  should  be  regulated,  either  by  his  capabili- 
ties for  strenuous  labor  or  by  the  amount  of  time  requisite  for 
him  to  complete  his  course  of  study.  It  must  not  be  imagined 
that  the  additional  amount  of  study  would  be  excessive ;  for  it  is 
not  the  mastery  of  dental  technique  that  is  asked  of  the  medical 
undergraduate,  but  merely  that  he  acquaint  himself  with  those 
oral  conditions  having  a  bearing  on  systemic  disease.  The  prob- 
lem before  him  is  solvable,  even  if  it  be  difficult.  His  utility  to 
the  community  depends  on  his  abiUty  to  recognize  and  alleviate 
disease;  and  if  a  knowledge  of  dental  principles  will  aid  him,  as  it 
undoubtedly  will,  this  knowledge  must  be  acquired,  at  whatever 
cost  of  additional  expenditure  of  time  and  labor  involved. 

This  objection  disposed  of,  what  can  be  said  to  the  often 
repeated  statement  that  the  testimony  afforded  by  the  mouth  is 
at  best  of  only  slight  corroborative  aid  to  diagnosis?  Such  a 
statement  is  truly  absurd.  The  philosopher's  stone  was  never 
more  assiduously  sought  than  are  aids  to  medical  diagnosis.  If 
conditions  of  the  mouth  will  serve  to  guide  a  practitioner  prop- 
erly even  in  a  small  number  of  ca§es,  the  knowledge  of  these 
should  be  as  assiduously  cultivated  as  are  the  physical  signs  of 
the  chest  and  abdomen.  In  a  very  recent  brochure  on  pyorrhea 
alvcolaris,  Fitzgerald,  of  London,  calls  attention  to  the  frequency 
with  which  diseases  of  the  gum  cause  antral  empyema,  chronic 
gastritis,  phlegmonous  gastritis,  systemic  toxemia,  and  other 
infectious  diseases,  whose  early  recognition  and  scientific  treat- 
ment cannot  be  divorced  from  the  absolute  necessity  of  recogniz- 
ing and  appreciating  the  primary  focus  of  disease  about  the 
gums.  There  are  those  who  are  in  honest  accord  with  us  in  all 
that  has  so  far  been  said,  but  who  beheve  that  since  there  is  no 
lack  of  good  dental  practitioners,  the  medical  man  can  always 
refer  his  cases  to  his  dental  confreres,  and  thus  conscientiously 
avoid  the  disagreeable  duty  of  himself  mastering  the  principles  of 
dentistry.  Such  a  statement,  however,  is  one  of  the  strongest 
arguments  in  favor  of  our  proposition.  In  the  first  place,  the 
medical  practitioner  of  to-day  is  incapable  of  judging  whether  or 
not  a  particular  man  is  an  efficient  dentist,  and  again  he  is  often- 
times equally  capable  of  discovering  early  pathologic  conditions 
due  to  oral  disease,  and  requiring  simple  dental  treatment,  in 
order  to  efifect  a  cure.  We  do  not  deny  the  existence  of  innu- 
merable dentists  capable  of  aiding  the  general  practitioner,  but 
we  do  affirm  the  general  practitioner's  lack  of  proper  apprecia- 
tion of  the  scope  of  these  dentists  and  their  work  in  remedying 
systemic  disease. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  575 

In  conclusion,  let  it  be  noted  that  the  mouth  and  teeth  are 
as  much  an  integral  part  of  the  human  economy  as  are  the  eyes, 
ears,  larynx,  or  genito-urinary  apparatus.  The  interdependence 
of  systemic  diseases  and  of  diseases  of  the  oral  cavity  is  as  close 
as  that  between  the  body  and  -any  other  of  the  functionating  or- 
.gans,  and  therefore  the  general  practitioner  is  in  duty  bound  to 
acquaint  himself  with  the  appearances  of  the  normal  and  abnor- 
mal oral  cavity.  The  seemingly  complete  separation  of  stomat- 
ology from  general  practice,  in  existence  in  this  country  to-day 
is  a  result  of  the  failure  of  medical  men  of  sixty  years  ago  to 
appreciate  the  importance  of  dental  principles.  What  we  are 
striving  for  to-day  is  the  closure  of  this  gap,  and  the  only  feasi- 
ble way  to  accomplish  it  is  to  acquaint  the  medical  undergrad- 
uate with  the  important  bearing  that  a  study  of  the  mouth  has 
on  the  application  of  the  general  principles  of  medicine.  Our 
thesis  is  to  emphasize  the  fact  that  in  knowledge  lies  power,  and 
that  the  resulting  power  is  always  commensurate  with  the  com- 
prehensiveness of  the  knowledge.  That  this  knowledge  need 
not  be  all-embracing,  we  have  tried  to  point  out  by  distinctly 
limiting  the  term  dental  principles;  but  that  it  would  be  of  un- 
qualified value,  we  have  also  tried  to  show  by  pointing  out  the 
advantages  to  be  gained  from  acquiring  such  knowledge:  There 
would  result  the  necessary  feeling-  of  sympathy  between  the  den- 
tist and  general  practitioner;  the  general  practitioner's  work 
would  be  of  a  higher  standard,  the  dentist's  work  would  be  more 
satisfactory,  and,  lastly  and  most  important,  the  patient  would 
be  better  served.  These  results  are  truly  to  be  hoped  for.  Al- 
though it  is  true  that  the  medical  profession  contains  men  who, 
by  a  self-imposed  duty  of  study  and  observation,  after  gradua- 
tion, have  rendered  themselves  capable  of  recognizing  and  prop- 
erly  appreciating  diseased  conditions  of  the  mouth,  yet  such  men 
form  a  glittering  minority.  We  firmly  believe  that  the  only  way 
of  increasing  the  number  of  this  conscientious  minority  is  by 
instructing  the  medical  undergraduate  in  those  principles  of 
stomatology  which  will  make  him  a  truly  broad  general  prac- 
titioner. 


576  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

THE  HANDWRITING  ON  THE  WALL:     WHAT  DOES 

IT  PORTRAY  P^i^ 

By  A.  E.  Baldzvin,  LL.B.,  M.D.,  D.D.S. 

The  founders  of  American  dentistry  had  high  professional 
ideals.  The  methods  of  practice  at  their  command  were  the 
most  crude  and  ahnost  if  not  wholly  mechanical.  They  deemed 
the  specialty  a  part  of  the  healing  art,  and  hence  a  department 
of  the  science  of  medicine.  Such  profound  regard  had  early 
practitioners  of  dentistry  for  their  calling  that  in  almost  every 
instance  before  or  after  they  had  begun  practice  they  took  up  the 
study  of  general  medicine.  They  were  capable  of  practicing,  and 
did  practice  general  medicine.  The  illustrious  Haydon,  Jeffries 
and  many  others  were  graduates  of  the  best  American  and 
foreign  medical  colleges.  Later,  from  1810  to  1840 — the  latter 
date  being  that  of  the  establishment  of  the  Baltimore  College  of 
Dental  Surgery — a  long  list  of  medically  educated  men  gave 
honor  and  dignity  to  their  special  calHng.  These  men  were  the 
peers  of  any  in  the  practice  of  medicine.  I  doubt  if  there  has  eve/ 
been  a  period  in  our  history  when  such  a  large  percentage  of 
cultured  gentlemen  graced  the  dental  specialty.  They  were  men 
of  dignity  and  standing,  men  of  influence,  holding  the  respect  of 
the  people  in  the  community  in  which  they  lived. 

The  foundation  of  a  dental  collegejn  1840  and  the  creation 
of  a  degree  divorcing  dentistry  from  medicine,  marks  the  period 
of  the  narrowing  of  our  calling.  No  matter  what  the  views  of 
others  may  be,  the  motto  of  our  country — ''together  we  stand, 
divided  we  fall" — is  as  applicable  to  dentistry  as  to  national 
affairs.  The  dental  student,  and  too  often  his  teacher,  have  for- 
saken the  broad  principles  of  medicine  and  have  dwarfed  the 
teaching  of  physiology,  pathology,  and  treatment  of  the  human 
tooth  into  mere  side  issues  in  comparison  with  the  instruction 
in  extraction,  in  insertion  of  dentures,  and  in  crown  and  bridge 
work.  A  single  attendance  on  a  dental  society  and  slight  perusal 
of  dental  journals  suffice  to  show  the  exceedingly  narrow  lines 
into  which  the  profession  has  drifted.  Scarcely  a  dental  journal 
is  issued  in  which  the  handwriting  is  not  noticed  upon  the  wall. 
Indeed,  outside  of  filling  cavities  and  roots  of  teeth,  and  other 
mechanical  operations,  the  profession  is  almost  at  sea.  Multi- 
tudes of  instances  might  be  quoted  from  current  dental  litera- 
ture, but  the  few  following  will  suffice: 

A  paper  was  read  recently  before  the  New  York  Institute 
of  Stomatology,  on  'Tyrorrhea  Alveolaris  from  a  Bacteriolog- 
ical Standpoint,  with  a  Report  of  Some  Investigations  and  Re- 

*  Presented  in  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-8th,  1900. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  577 

marks  on  the  Treatment."  Experiments  familiar  to  mere  tyros 
in  bacteriology  were  cited,  and  the  following  concerning  rabbits 
that  were  infected :  "All  were  made  sick,  some  were  sicker  than 
others,  an  abscess  formed  in  one."  The  bacteriologic  ignorance 
in  the  omission  of  Koch's  law  should  have  prevented  its  serious 
consideration  by  a  medical  society. 

A  professor  in  a  Western  school,  commenting  on  a  recent 
article — ''Interstitial  Gingivitis  due  to  Autointoxication"* — re- 
marks: 'T  cannot  agree  with  the  author  as  to  the  foliy  of  local 
treatment,  the  cases  have  grown  to  large  proportions  in  my 
hands,  where  local  treatment  has  effected  a  cure,  in  fact,  I  feel  so 
sure  of  this,  that  I  cannot  reconcile  my  experience  with  his  posi- 
tive conclusions."  Can  it  be  seriously  assumed  that  dentistry  is 
so  far  ahead  of  the  mother  profession  as  to  cure  constitutional 
diseases  by  local  treatment? 

In  August,  1894,  in  a  paper  read  at  the  meeting  of  the  Amer- 
ican Dental  Association,  held  at  Old  Point  Comfort,  Va.,  the  fol- 
lowing method  of  classification  of  the  different  forms  of  so-called 
pyorrhea  alveolaris  was  given:  "This  classification  is  made  by 
simply  prefixing  to  pyorrhea  an  adjective  stating  the  name  of  the 
disease  which  is  causing  the  pathological  symptoms  in  the  oral 
cavity  as  'gouty  pyorrhea,'  'diabetic  pyorrhea,'  etc.  It  is  unne- 
cessary to  enumerate  the  subdivisions  that  might  be  listed,  as 
they  embrace  all  causes  that  may  disarrange  nutrition."  With 
all  the  admittedly  valuable  data  of  the  paper,  its  author  ignored 
the  simple  fact  that  bacterial  infection  implied  a  suitable  culture- 
medium  only.  So  far  as  the  established  infection  present  in 
pyorrhea  was  concerned,  that  culture-medium  might  or  might 
not  be  resultant  on  any  autointoxication  due  to  these  diseases. 
For  purposes  of  clinical  study  and  treatment  the  pre-pyorrhic 
stages  were  all-important.  The  complexity  of  the  proposed 
classification  would  destroy  its  value  for  cHnical  purposes. 

In  a  certain  city,  dentists  were  urged  to  form  a  society  tu 
furnish  money  to  enable  a  brother  dentist  to  make  scientific  re- 
searches in  bacteriology  in  relation  to  so-called  pyorrhea  alveo- 
laris. This  dentist  was  an  amateur  in  microscopy,  who  knew  al- 
most nothing  as  to  what  had  already  been  done  in  dental  bac- 
teriology— the  same  was  true  of  those  who  were  to  furnish  the 
funds — and  nearly  as  little  as  to  bacteriologic  laws.  He  was  a 
man  of  fair  education,  but  it  would  have  required  years  to  have 
fitted  him  to  undertake  expert  work.  Would  a  business  man 
who  required  an  accurate  analysis  of  a  certain  spring  water  or 
compound  of  drugs  or  adulterated  foo<l  employ  an  individual 
who  had  yet  to  be  trained  as  an  analyst?  Fortunately  for  those 
who  were  to  furnish  the  money,  and  who  expected  results,  the 
plan  was  dropped.     This  scheme  illustrates  excollontly  the  un- 

*  Iiiternat.  Dent.  Jour.,  Feb.,  1900. 


5/8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

scientific  conception  of  dentistry  held  by   many   well-meaning- 
men  in  the  profession. 

Under  the  heading-,  ''Etiology  of  Pyorrhea  Alveolaris,"*  an 
attempt  is  made  to  determine  the  etiology  of  a  disease  by  the 
examination  of  deposits  about  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  made  in 
three  cases  by  a  chemical  expert  and  ''six  or  eight  by  Professor 

in  my  presence,  the  result  obtained  corresponding  to- 

those  of  Prefessor  ."     How  much  weight  would  such 

experiments  have  in  a  scientific  body? 

Some  years  ago  the  Faculties  Association  formed  a  species 
of  trust  and  appointed  proifessors  id  write  text-books  to  be  used 
in  the  colleges.  These  honors  were  parcelled  at  random  on 
stock-holding  principles,  regardless  of  ability  or  qualification. 
As  might  have  been  expected,  the  books  published,  .except  in 
one  or  two  instances,  are  a  disgrace  alike  to  author  and  the 
professor.  Almost  all  are  uncritical  compends  of  a  limited  field 
of  dental  literature.  A  notable  disgrace  in  this  particular  is  a 
puerile  work  on  "Orthodontia."  Here  is  a  work  without  a  sin- 
gle original  idea,  a  hazy  compilation  of  other  men's  thoughts 
reduced  to  the  level  of  the  teacher's  capacity  and  the  require- 
ments of  the  students.  The  author's  mind  proved  equal  to  the 
task  of  comprehending  works  already  extant  and  held  in  high 
esteem  for  their  scientific  basis.  Yet  this  man  was  supposed  to 
teach  science. 

A  professor  on  theory  and  practice  in  a  dental  school,  re- 
cently speaking  of  so-called  pyorrhea  alveolaris,  said:  "I  would' 
advise  you  to  read  the  views  of  both  Drs.  Rhein  and  Talbot,  and 
choose  for  yourself  which  theory  is  correct."  This  reminds  one 
of  the  difficulty  Lord  Timothy  Dexter  had  on  punctuation.  Lord 
Timothy  gained  a  fortune  by  sending  warming  pans  to  Africa. 
He  wrote  a  book,  but  gave  up  the  problem  of  punctuation  in 
despair,  placing  at  its  end  all  works  of  punctuation,  so  that  the 
reader  might  "pepper  and  salt  to  suit  himself."  The  task  of 
scientific  analysis  was  similarly  too  much  for  our  professor. 

In  a  discussion  of  prothesis  and  orthodontia,  before  the 
Columbia  Dental  College,  another  professor  remarked:"!  am 
particularly  interested  in  the  correction  of  irregularities  of  the 
teeth,  and  I  find  that  the  etiology  has  very  little  to  do  with  the 
correction.  I  find  I  can  correct  almost  any  case  of  irregularity 
regardless  of  the  cause."  Can  it  be  that  dental  science  has- 
reached  such  a  stage  of  perfection  that  diseas-  can  be  eradicated 
without  the  knowledge  of  cause?  This  seems  strange,  when  it 
is  remembered  that  the  entire  trend  of  medical  thought  and 
energy  is  directed  toward  the  etiology  of  disease. 

In  the  discussion  of  a  paper  on  "Degeneracy  in  its  Relation 
to  Deformities  of  the  Jaws  and  Irregularities  of  the  Teeth,"  read 

^  Ibid.,  January,  1894. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON   DENTAL  EDUCATION. 


579- 


before  the  Odontographic  Society,  another  professor  said:  "The 
subject  is  an  interesting  one,  but  it  is  rather  one  of  tO'-morrow 
than  of  to-day.  Our  knowledge  of  these  facts  is  not  sufficiently 
advanced  to  form  positive  data  on  which  to  base  certain  opin- 
ions, and  I  am  sure  that  the  subject  will  not,  under  such  circum- 
stances, appeal  to  the  members  present  as  something,  perhaps, 
of  another  thing  would." 

The  first  paper  on  the  subject  of  irregularities  of  the  teeth 
was  published  in  1794,  Is  it  possible  that  the  profession  has 
made  no  progress  in  the  study  of  the  etiology  of  such  irregulari- 
ties during  the  past  century?  From  such  remarks  by  a  teacher 
in  two  dental  colleges,  and  from  the  further  fact  that  there  was 
no  further  discussion  of  the  subject,  the  inference  seems  plain 
that  the  profession  knows  nothing  about  one  of  the  most  im- 
portant questions  in  its  specialty. 

Discussing  Dr.  Frederick  Peterson's  paper,  read  before  the 
New  York  Odontological  Society,  on  "Deformities  of  the  Hard 
Palates  in  Degenerates,"  one  dentist  remarked:  "I  feel  just  a 
little  foolish  to-night,  because  I  have  brought  with  me  a  case  full 
of  models  that  seem  to  me  to  be  rather  out  of  place.  I  labored 
under  a  misconception  of  the  subject.  I  understood  that  it  was 
to  be  a  discussion  on  cleft  palate  in  its  relation  to  degeneracy, 
and  when  I  was  asked  by  the  chairman  of  the  executive  com- 
mittee to  bring  some  models  with  me,  I  agreed  to  do  so.  *  * 
There  is  one  point  that  I  would  now  make  in  connection  wath  the 
models,  and  that  is,  whilst  they  are  exceedingly  abnormal 
mouths,  they  are  casts  from  normal  people.  The  patients  are 
not  degenerates  in  any  sense  of  the  word,  so  far  as  I  know."* 
This  is,  as  the  newspapers  say,  very  important  if  true,  since  con- 
genital cleft  palates  are  generally  regarded  as  most  marked  ex- 
pressions of  degeneracy. 

The  following  reply  was  sent  to  Dr.  Vernon  Hall  in  response 
to  a  letter  as  to  the  use  of  his  "Chemistry  and  Mctallurg}^  Ap- 
plied to  Dentistry:" 

''Dear  Sir: — Pardon  us  for  not  replying  to  your  favor  of 
recent  date,  but  we  have  been  so  exceedingly  busy  with  the  col- 
lege rush.  We  regret  now  to  say  that  your  work  on  Metallurgy 
did  not  meet  with  very  much  approval,. for  the  reason  that  the 
professors  here  seem  to  be  'stuck'  on  Hogden,  of  San  Francisco, 
Cal.,  and  claim  that  there  is  more  chemistry  than  is  practical  for 
students'  use  in  your  book;  and  we  were  very  much  disappointed 
at  the  reception  your  work  received." 

A  bill  is  now  before  Congress  for  the  appointment  of  den- 
tists in  the  army  and  navy.  A  mail  report  from  General  Otis 
contains  an  alarming  statement  regarding  the  condition  of  the 
teeth  and  jaws  of  the  troops  in  the  Philippines.     The  case  of 

*Ibid.,  December,  1895,  page  755. 


iSo  DESTAL  BRIEF. 

Walter  Fitzgerald,  Company  C,  28th  Infantry,  formerly  of  the 
Montana  \'olunteers,  is  cited:  "This  young  man,  23  years  old, 
has  been  in  the  Philippines  for  a  year  and  seven  months.  He 
-was  one  of  the  first  volunteers  to  reach  Manila  after  Dewey's 
victory.  Nineteen  months  in  the  tropics,  subsisting  on  the 
rations  of  the  army,  have  resulted  in  the  loss  of  nearly  every 
tooth  in  his  mouth.  It  is  not  the  climate  alone  which  is  respon- 
sible. It  is  that  which  undermines  the  roots  of  the  teeth,  while 
the  tropical  fever,  which  has  afflicted  nearly  every  volunteer  now 
in  the  islands,  affects  the  gums  of  the  mouth  and  loosens  the 
teeth.  Grinding  on  army  biscuits  and  canned  beef  doesn't  nat- 
urally improve  the  teeth.  In  the  case  of  Fitzgerald,  the  teeth 
did  not  decay,  but  they  dropped  out  one  by  one.  This  is  a 
common  ailment  in  the  Philippines,  and  the  cause  generally  Is 
the  fever.  The  hospital  surgeons  are  able  to  relieve  the  condi- 
tion of  the  patient  to  some  extent,  but  constant  care  after  the 
fever  is  necessary  to  save  the  teeth.  If  this  bill  should  pass  and 
become  a  law,  how  many  dentists  are  there  who  are  capable  of 
coping  with  such  conditions  as  mentioned  above?  To  be  sure, 
the  dentist  might  look  wise  and  plug  the  cavities  in  these  teeth. 
An  editorial  review  of  a  work  on  "Interstitial  Gingivitis" 
claims:  ''To  say  that  gingivitis  in  the  dog  and  sheep  resembles, 
or  is  analogous,  to  the  lesions  found  in  man,  calls  for  a  very 
broad  imagination.  *  *  *  ^pj^g  environments  of  man  are  so 
totally  different  from  those  of  street  or  pound  dogs  or  domesti- 
cated sheep  or  guinea-pigs  that  we  must  consider  this  otherwise 
excellent  work  as  failing  to  throw  much  light  on  the  etiology  or 
pathology  of  interstitial  gingivitis."  This  review  speaks  for  itself. 
In  the  light  of  the  great  advance  in  medicine  through  biologic 
experiments  during  the  past  two  decades,  such  an  editorial 
seems  an  emanation  from  a  Rip  Van  Winkle,  who  had  remained 
asleep  from  the  days  of  fetichism,  suddenly  to  awaken  in  the 
closing  years  of  the  nineteenth  century,  and  to  insist  that  not 
he  but  the  world  had  been  asleep. 

Many  more  illustrations  could  be  added,  as  the  dental  jour- 
nals of  the  past  year  are  replete  with  examples  of  such  ignorance; 
still  a  sufificient  number  have  been  cited  to  demonstrate  the  need 
of  a  broader  education.  Until  this  is  acquired,  no  advancement 
-^n  be  made  along  the  lines  of  original  research,  and  no  progress 
is  possible.  The  handwriting  upon  the  wall  marks  the  standard 
of  the  profession. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  581 

IS  A  MEDICAL  EDUCATION  A  NECSSARY  QUALIFI- 
CATION FOR  DENTAL  PRACTICE?* 
Alice  M.  Steeves,  D.D.S.,  Chicago. 

In  this  age  of  strenuous  activity  and  rapid  advancement, 
when  personal  gain  often  seems  to  be  the  sole  object  of  pro- 
fessional work,  the  necessity  for  a  medical  education  in  dental 
practice  may  be  denied  by  the  narrow-minded  in  either  profes- 
sion. 

The  development  of  specialties  in  recent  years  has  created  a 
spirit  of  commercialism  in  which  completeness  of  education  is 
neglected,  and  only  those  studies  acquired  that  can  be  quickly 
turned  to  money.  In  no  specialty  has  this  tendency  been  more 
marked  than  in  dentistry. 

If  concentration  of  energy  and  study  makes  the  successful 
specialist  on  all  medical  lines,  may  not  the  dentist  claim  an  added 
opportunity  for  even  greater  ability  because  of  the  mechanical 
skill  required  in  his  work? 

The  way  upward  in  dentistry,  not  unlike  all  other  profes- 
sional paths  of  to-day,  through  cheap  competition  and  unethical 
practice,  is  hard  enough  at  best  and  requires  the  use  of  every 
possible  resource. 

Dental  science  originated  in  the  medical  profession  and, 
although  not  permitted  to  become  a  part  of  the  mother  profes- 
sion in  the  beginning,  it  is  recognized  to-day  as  a  specialty  of 
medicine,  and  justly  so,  for  there  is  no  more  reason  for  making 
a  distinct  profession  of  dentistry  than  of  surgery,  neurology  or 
ophthalmology. 

On  the  one  hand,  it  is  claimed  that  dental  success  consists 
merely  in  the  production  of  a  skilful  result  from  a  mechanical 
standpoint,  while  on  the  other  we  hold  that  a  dental  education 
has  the  broadest  possible  significance  and  includes  a  knowledge 
of  the  structure  and  functions  of  organs,  not  only  of  the  mouth 
but  of  the  whole  organism,  and  of  the  principles  of  disease  as 
well. 

The  dentist  should  receive  the  same  preliminary  education 
as  the  medical  specialist,  because  insofar  as  dentistry  is  more 
than  a  mechanical  art,  it  depends  on  the  same  sources  and  re- 
quires the  same  studies  as  all  other  departments  of  medicine  and 
surgery.  The  principles  of  disease  are  the  same,  whether  they 
occur  in  the  internal  organs,  the  extremities  or  the  teeth.  A 
knowledge  of  these  elementary  principles  in  one  set  of  organs 
requires  the  same  studies  as  that  of  any  other  group  of  organs 
in  the  body.     The  necessity  for  more  complete  pathologic  train- 


*  Presented  in  a  Symposium  on  Dental  Education,  before  the  Section 
on  Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  INIeeting  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-Sth,  1900. 


582  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ing  becomes  apparent  whenever  the  dentist  attempts  to  treat 
diseased  conditions  of  the  mouth. 

It  is  not  enoug^h  to  remove  or  advise  the  removal  of  the 
cause  of  the  disease,  unless  we  can  make  a  logical  diagnosis  as 
to  the  cause  and  be  able  to  predict  the  probable  outcome  of  its 
operation.  The  surgical  principles  do  not  differ  from  those  in 
other  surgical  practice.  The  laws  of  aseptic  and  antiseptic 
treatment  are  just  as  applicable  to  dentistry  as  to  amputation, 
because  the  inflammation  which  produces  an  alveolar  abscess  is 
the  same  process  as  that  which  follows  any  septic  infection. 

The  dependence  of  one  set  of  conditions  on  other  condi- 
tions at  distant  parts  of  the  body  must  be  recognized.  One  of 
the  simplest,  yet  greatest  examples  is  the  perfect  assimilation  of 
food,  possible  only  through  normal  conditions  in  the  mouth. 

There  is  a  common  interest  between  the  dentist  and  other 
medical  specialists.  The  dentist  must  be  familiar  with  the 
structure  and  function  of  organs  other  than  those  of  the  mouth, 
while  the  medical  man  should  be  able  to  recognize  the  presence 
of  diseased  conditions  in  the  mouth  and  their  relation  to  morbid 
changes  elsewhere. 

.  Medical  and  dental  students  should  be  educated  in  the 
same  schools,  because  the  fundamental  studies  which  each  must 
pursue  are  the  same,  and  should  be  required  to  take  different 
clinical  and  laboratory  instruction  in  their  separate  specialties, 
only  in  the  advanced  courses. 

By  this  combination  we  would  secure  the  advantages  of 
larger  institutions,  more  fully  equipped  laboratories,  better  clin- 
ical facilities,  and  instructions  by  the  best  specialists  in  each  de- 
partment, while  the  broader  scientific  atmosphere  would  create 
a  healthful  competition  between  the  students  of  both  branches. 
If  the  position  of  the  dental  speciaHst  shall  equal  in  dignity  and 
importance  the  foremost  in  medicine,  it  will  be  necessary  to  edu- 
cate and  train  the  dentist  more  thoroughly  in  the  fundamental 
principles  ol  medical  and  surgical  science. 

The  advantages  of  united  work  in  this  Association  are  many, 
and  he  who  will  grow  must  avail  himself  of  these  meetings.  The 
obstetrician's  paper  will  help  us  to  care  for  the  mother  during 
the  period  of  gestation,  that  of  the  neurologist  will  aid  in  the 
management  of  neurasthenic  and  nervous  patients,  which  is 
so  often  a  difficult  problem,  while  the  surgeon's  paper  will  assist 
us  because  we  are  surgeons. 

I  have  given  but  few  of  the  many  reasons  why  the  physician 
and  the  dentist  belong  to  the  same  great  profession,  must  work 
with  the  same  methods,  study  the  same  principles;  and  the  den- 
tal student  may  well  spend  one-half  or  three-fifths  of  his  time 
in  securing  a  thorough  ground-work  in  the  laws  of  the  medical 
profession. 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION,  583 

SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.* 

DISCUSSION. 

Dr.  G.  V.  I.  Brown.  Milwaukee. — I  am  sorry  Dr.  Hill  is 
not  present  to  take  part  in  the  discussion  of  this  subject,  as 
his  paper  is  not  a  set  of  phrases  put  together  for  the  day  or  the 
time,  but  is  based  upon  his  own  practice.  Dr.  Hill,  a  physician, 
is  better  capable  if  discussing  the  pathologic  conditions,  local 
and  general,  that  have  relations  in  affections  of  the  mouth  than 
almost  any  dentist  that  I  know.  He  sends  a  great  many  pa- 
tients to  me;  almost  every  case  is  diagno'sed,  and  very  rarely, 
if  ever,  do  I  find  reason  to  change  the  diagnosis. 

Dr.  Cryer. — ^Being  only  a  visitor  to  this  Section,  and  not 
having  heard  all  the  papers  read  upon  the  subject,  there  is  but 
one  point  on  which  I  can  speak.  Throughout  the  reading  and 
discussion  of  papers  in  dental  meetings  there  seems  tO'  be  a 
tendency  for  the  dental  profession  to  find  fault  with  the  medical 
profession  for  their  treatment  of  the  dentists.  In  my  associa- 
tion, as  a  dentist,  with  the  medical  profession,  and  when  I  at- 
tend their  medical  meetings,  I  am  treated  with  the  utmost 
courtesy;  when  the  dental  profession  is  spoken  of  it  is  with  the 
greatest  respect,  and  it  is  constantly  recognized  according  to 
its  worth. 

It  is  claimed  by  your  speakers  here  to-day  that  dentists 
are  not  recognized  by  the  medical  profession.  Do  we  recognize 
the  medical  profession  as  we  should?  We  constantly  claim  that 
dentistry  is  a  specialty  of  medicine,  as  is  opthalmology  or 
laryngology;  yet,  in  Rhode  Island,  a  graduate  of  the  University 
of  Pennsylvania  in  medicine  and  dentistry  was  arrested  and 
taken  into  court  through  the  instigation  of  the  dental  profes- 
sion of  that  State,  for  practicing  dentistry  without  a  license. 
He  had  taken  out  the  license  to  practice  medicine,  and  claimed 
that  he  had  the  right  to  also  practice  dentistry,  on  account  of 
the  medical  degree  and  the  license  to  practice  medicine,  just  as 
the  opthalmologist  and  the  laryngologist  would  have  a  right 
to  practice  their  specialties.  The  court  decided  in  his  favor, 
however,  giving  him  the  right  tO'  practice  dentistry.  If  the 
dental  laws  of  Pennsylvania  coiuld  be  enforced,  they  would  com- 
pel a  medical  man  to  attend  a  dental  college,  and  pass  an  ex- 
amination with  the  State  Board,  before  he  would  be  permitted 
to  practice  dentistry;  he  might  treat  pulpitis,  but  would  not  he 
allowed  to  fill  a  tooth.  In  fact,  I  do  not  know  where  the  line 
would  be  drawn.     Many  of  the  State  dental  laws  throughout 

*This  discussion  is  on  papers  read  before  the  Section  on  Stoniatoloj^y, 
at  the  Fifty-first  Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association.  See 
the  Brief,  August,  1900,  page  443  ei  seq.;  September,  1900,  page  506  etseq., 
and  current  number. 


584  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

the  United  States  in  themselves  acknowledge  that  dentistry  is 
not  a  specialty  of  medicine,  and  still  these  laws  were  usually 
asked  to  be  passed  by  dental  societies. 

Dr.  J.  L.  Williams,  Boston. — I  have  a  full  report  of  the 
case  in  Rhode  Island,  that  Dr.  Cryer  has  mentioned.  The  judge 
quoted  some  dozen  precedents  and  the  laws  of  certain  States 
to  uphold  the  decision  which  he  made. 

The  papers  which  we  have  heard  all  tend  to  prove  the  need 
of  a  sound  medical  education  as  the  foundation  of  a  dental 
practice.  This  is  not  new,  but  rather  a  reversion  to  original 
conditions.  In  1844,  when  I  wanted  to  study  dentistry,  I  found, 
no  reputable  dentist  who  would  accept  me  as  a  student,  unless 
I  would  first  study  medicine,  and  I  therefore  spent  three  years 
getting  a  medical  degree  before  entering  on  the  study  of  dent- 
istry. This  shows  that  dentistry,  even  at  that  time,  was  con- 
sidered by  many  as  a  specialty  of  medicine,  and  that  it  was 
recognized  that  a  dentist  should  be  grounded  in  the  general 
principles  of  medicine,  and  know  how  to  apply  them  to  his 
specialty. 

In  1876  the  American  Academy  of  Dental  Science  passed 
the  following  set  of  resolutions  upon  this  subject: 

Whereas,  Dentistry  is  a  specialty  of  the  science  of  medi- 
cine, 

Resolved,  That  a  thorough  medical  education  is  essential 
to  the  most  successful  practice  of  it; 

Resolved,  That  we  deem  it  expedient  and  for  the  best  inter- 
ests of  the  practice  of  dentistry,  that  existing  medical  schools 
enlarge  their  courses  of  instruction  so  as  to  include  efficient 
instruction  in  the  specialty  of  dentistry,  in  order  that  it  may 
be  placed  on  an  equality  with  other  specialties  of  medicine. 

In  1890,  when  I  was  chairman  of  this  Section,  in  my  open- 
ing address,  I  used  these  W'Ords:  "In  earlier  years  there  were 
only  a  few  qualified  practitioners  who  devoted  their  skill  toi 
the  treatment  of  the  oral  cavity,  while  the  larger  number  gave 
their  attention  to  the  teeth,  and  so  the  specialty  was  called 
dentistry,  but  at  this  day,  when  the  knowledge  of  the  principles 
of  medicine  and  surgery  is  more  general  than  formerly,  and 
more  commonly  made  available  in  the  treatment  of  the  oral 
cavity,  the  term  'dentistry'  seems  to  be  too  limited,  and  I  sug- 
gest the  use  of  the  word  'oristry'  instead."  Stomatology  has 
since  then  been  adopted  as  a  better  name  for  the  specialty  whose 
field  is  the  mouth.  I  am  glad  that  the  whirligig  of  time  is  bring- 
ing around  the  idea  that  the  knowledge  of  all  the  basal  prin- 
ciples of  a  medical  education  is  necessary  for  a  dentist.  It  does 
not  so  much  matter  what  the  title  is  that  distinguishes  the  pro- 
fession, so  long  as  the  members  have  the  knowledge  necessary, 
but  it  would  be  better  for  all  to  have  the  medical  degree  as  a 
guarantee  of  the  possession  of  that  knowledge.     Many  of  the 


SYMPOSIUM  ON  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  585 

members  of  the  dental  profession  already  have  it,  yet  many  ex- 
cellent dentists  have  only  the  single  degree  of  D.  D.  S.  It  is 
true,  however,  that  no  specialty  of  medicine  can  be  separated 
from  general  medicine,  for  the  body  is  one,  and  all  parts  are 
sympathetic  with  all  others,  and  without  knowledge  of  all  the 
diseases,  one  cannot  be  properly  treated. 

Jas.  McManus,  Hartford,  Conn. — I  have  been  interested 
in  all  the  papers,  especially  the  one  read  by  Dr.  Davis.  I  had 
the  pleasure,  in  1865,  of  hearing  Dr.  Davis  read  a  paper  on  the 
same  subject  in  Chicago.  As  the  paper  was  read  yesterday 
co^ntaining  extracts  from  the  other,  pleasant  recollections  of 
the  enjoyable  time  on  the  occasion  of  the  former  paper  came 
up  in  my  mind  and  the  cordial  welcome  and  glad  hand  which 
Dr.  Davis  extended  to  every  dentist  on  that  occasion.  I 
think  Dr.  Davis  raised  the  proper  sentiment  at  that  time,  and 
I  have  lived  up  to  it  ever  since.  Men  active  in  educational 
work  in  the  professon  of  dentstry,  have  been  working  as  well 
as  they  could,  up  to  the  line  laid  out  by  Dr.  Davis,  and  in  my 
opinion  there  is  no  college  in  the  country  where  a  student 
cannot  get  a  thoroughly  good  education  if  he  will.  The  trouble 
has  not  been  with  the  colleges,  so  much  as  with  the  students; 
a  great  many  have  attended  dental  colleges  without  the  neces- 
sary preparation;  but  that  is  a  question  of  the  past,  the  future 
seems  to  be  quite  clear.  The  student  now  knows  that  he  has 
to  face  a  very  strict  examination,  not  only  in  his  own  college, 
but  also  after  he  leaves  college,  at  the  hands  of  the  dental  ex- 
aminers. 

This  leads  me  to  speak  of  the  Rhode  Island  case.  There  was 
no  reason  why  that  matter  should  get  into  the  snarl  that  it 
did,  had  dental  examiners  not  treated  it  in  a  narrow,  unreason- 
able way.  I  think  that  while  I  am  justified  in  saying  that  the 
teachers  in  dental  schools  are  all  earnest,  honest,  conscientious 
men,  working  for  the  best  interest  of  their  students,  the  ex- 
aminers on  the  other  hand  have  sometimes  not  been  quite  so 
honest,  and  they  have  been  too  desirous  sometimes  to  show 
their  power  and  authority.  I  think  too  much  has  been  said 
about  the  need  of  education  in  dentistry.  The  colleges  are 
improving  as  fast  as  they  can,  and  will  do  their  work  thor- 
oughly. In  practice,  however,  it  must  be  dentistry  first  and 
oral  surgery  next.  Oral  surgery  is  really  a  specialty  of  den- 
tistry. There  must  be  specialists  for  its  practice  who  will  be 
competent  to  act  as  surgeons,  but  the  bulk  of  the  profession 
will  always  practice  dentistry,  not  oral  surgery,  but  the  better 
grounded  a  dentist  is  in  the  principles  of  medicine,  the  better 
dentist  he  will  be,  as  well  as  better  oral  surgeon. 

[to    KE   CONTINIKD.] 


586  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


AFTER-PAINS  FROM  EXTRACTION  OF  TEETH. 
Bj  Charles  B.  Isaacson,  AI.D.,  Nezv  York. 

There  is  no  condition  which  is  brought  oftener  to  the  atten- 
tion of  the  medical  practitioner  than  what  is  called  "after- 
pains"  from  extraction.  There  is  no  subject  in  dentistry  which 
has  been  touched  upon  less,  or  to  which  so  little  special  atten- 
tion has  been  given,  than  this  condition.  Here  and  there,  in 
a  desultory  way,  suggestions  of  methods  and  remedies  have 
been  made,  but  in  all  of  them,  as  far  as  my  research  goes,  there 
has  never  been  any  direct  attempt  to  fathom  the  causes  and  to 
approach  the  condition  radically. 

This  condition  of  after-pains  generally  arises  one  or  two 
days,  OT  even  a  week,  after  the  offending  member  has  been  ex- 
tracted. The  symptoms  vary  in  intensity  from  causes  which  I 
shall  proceed  to  enumerate. 

•  Tlie  average  practitioner,  when  called  upon  to  relieve 
patients  suffering  with  after-pains,  or  as  the  Germans  call  it, 
"Zahnliickenschmerz,"  is  generally  puzzled  how  to  proceed,  not 
knowing  the  exact  nature  of  the  condition  presented  to  him, 
the  appearance  being  so  unusual,  the  swelling  so  intense,  with 
undoubted  signs,  in  a  large  majority  of  cases,  of  pus  burrowing 
under  and  through  the  tissues,  that  the  first,  impression  is  the 
indefinite  expression  "blood  poisoning,"  which  in  ninety-nine 
cases  I  look  upon  as  a  snapshot  diagnosis. 

The  direct  physico-pathological  causes  are  dimly  recog- 
nized, and  relief  is  sought  by  the  usual  antiseptic  measures, 
which,  in  minor  insignificant  cases,  may  be  successful. 

The  local  application  of  cocain  in  solution  to  highly  in- 
flamed tissues  I  hold  to  be  reprehensible;  for  tissues  in  that 
condition  do  not  absorb  the  medicament,  and  the  danger  of  a 
harmful  quantity  of  the  drug  being  swallowed  is  great.  Again, 
I  cannot  deprecate  too  strongly  what  I  may  call  the  wanton 
use  of  hot  poultices  on  the  face;  it  seems  as  if  the  intervening 
thickness  of  the  facial  muscles  is  entirely  ignored,  while  the 
result  obtained  is  only  the  further  infiltration  of  pus,  and  the 
extension  of  the  inflammation  to  tissues  which  had  been  entirely 
normal,  thus  causing  the  original  trouble  to  be  exacerbated. 

In  some  cases  it  may  be  necessary  to  use  heat  in  order  to 
lessen  the  tension,  but  surely  it  is  only  logical  to  apply  the  heat 
directly  to  the  parts  affected,  which  can  be  very  easily  done  by 
using  pledgets  of  cotton  or  pieces  of  gauze,  folded  to  a  sufficient 
size,  steeped  in  hot  water  (one  or  two  per  cent,  solution  of  car- 
bolic acid  is  suggested)  or  a  hot  infusion  of  chamomile  flowers. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  587 

The  heat  is  thus  appHed  directly  where  it  is  wanted.     I  have 
always  found  cold  packs  contraindicated. 

I  wish  to  enumerate  the  possible  cause  of  after-pains,  and 
at  the  same  time  venture  to  suggest  the  means  of  relieving  the 
same:  (i)  the  retention  of  the  pyogenic  membrane  in  the  socket; 
(2)  expansion  of  the  osseous  walls;  (3)  fracture  of  the  alveolus; 
(4)  sundering  of  the  maxillary  process  and  alveolus,  with  ac- 
companying lacerations  of  the  tissues;  (5.)  the  retention  of  roots 
and  spicula  in  the  socket;  (6)  that  particular  condition  of  the 
alveolus  and  septum  from  which  the  gum  tissues  have  been 
denuded  by  the  encroaching  of  salivary  calculi;  (7)  the  inflam- 
mation of  the  tissues  and  the  undermining  of  the  alveolus  from 
perforation  by  pus  from  long-standing  pyorrhoeal  discharges  or 
alveolar  abscesses  from  old  roots. 

1.  The  retention  of  the  pyogenic  membrane  is  generally  fol- 
lowed by  acute  pain.  When  a  tooth  with  septic  pericementitis 
is  extracted,  the  pericementum  may  or  may  not  be  attached  to 
the  root.  As  there  is  an  intense  inflammation  with  plastic 
exudations,  the  chances  are  that  the  pericementum  will  still 
adhere  to  the  lining  membrane.  In  order  to  relieve  this  condi- 
tion, it  is  necessary  to  remove  all  clots,  and  to  curette  the 
socket.  For  this  a  small,  blunt  curette,  or  preferably  a  rose 
burr  in  the  dental  engine,  should  be  used.  As  a  soothing  appli- 
cation, I  have  found  the  following  prescription  very  effectual, 
used  on  a  tampon  in  the  socket: 

R  Mentholi, 

Acidi  carbolici, 

Tinct.  iodi aa  o  i. 

Ether, 

Chloroform aa  5  ss. 

M.  S.  External  use. 

Of  course,  after  the  curetting  it  is  necessary  to  irrigate 
the  socket  with  a  solution  of  hydrogen  peroxid,  plus  any  anti- 
septic, optional  with  the  practitioner. 

2.  The  expansion  of  the  osseous  walls.  This  condition  will 
require  careful  examination,  and  is  usually  met  with  when  the 
tooth  has  been  difficult  to  extract  on  account  of  the  unyielding 
walls,  and  is  generally  most  noticeable  when  the  lower  wisdom 
teeth  have  to  be  excised  from  the  thickened  alveolus.  In  a 
large  number  of  these  cases,  the  outer  or  the  inner  wall  has  been 
bent,  and  possibly  slightly  fractured.  In  many  such  cases  I 
have  found  the  usual  methods  of  irrigating  and  packing  of  little 
or  no  avail.  The  suffering  is  usually  intense,  while  the  swelling 
interferes  with  deglutition,  and  the  pocket  becomes  a  veritable 
receptaculum  for  mucus,  food,  and  unhealthy  granulations.  In 
these  case  I  have  managed  to  ohtain  relief  in  a  very  short  time 
by  using  the  rose  burr  and  cutting  away  the  bent  ridge,  burring 


588  DENTAL  BJUEF. 

away  all  the  irregular  edges,  making  the  parts  as  smooth  as 
possible.  This  is  to  be  followed  by  irrigation  and  packing,  and, 
I  believe,  with  signal  success.  In  minor  cases,  in  which  the 
alveolus  has  been  bent  out  of  shape,  compression  of  the  parts, 
with  thorough  cleansing  of  the  cavity,  will  answer.  I  have 
always  been  suspicious  of  cases  in  which  the  alveolus  has  been 
luxated,  and  always  feel  more  confident  when  I  have  removed 
that  part. 

3.  Fracture  of  the  alveolus.  This  would  require  the  re- 
moval of  the  fractured  part,  smoothing  of  all  the  irregular 
points,  the  usual  thorough  irrigation  and  antiseptic  treatment. 

4.  Sundering  of  the  maxillary  process  and  alveolus,  to- 
gether with  laceration  of  tissues.  This  will  present  to  the 
practitioner  the  appearance  of  a  large  surface,  intensely  in- 
flamed, caused  by  the  gum  contracting  over  the  serrated  edges 
(for,  like  all  tissues,  the  gum  forms  a  cicatrix,  which  exerts 
considerable  pressure).  The  gum,  in  trying  to  contract  over 
these  sharp  points,  becomes  intensely  inflamed,  the  pus  burrows 
underneath,  forming  pockets  along  the  whole  ridge,  and  owing 
to  the  sack-like  condition  is  generally  in  a  septic  condition. 

The  treatment  in  this  case  is  to  relieve  the  condition  by  one 
or  more  incisions  parallel  to  the  axis  of  the  maxillary;  then  with 
the  curette,  or  still  better  with  the  burr,  all  irregularities  of 
the  alveolus  and  maxillary  should  be  cut  away,  so  that  the  sur- 
face is  absolutely  smooth.  A  thorough  irrigation  of  the  parts 
and  packing  them  with  antiseptic  gauze  will  bring  about  desired 
results.  In  deeper  cavities  I  have  used  almost  every  remedy 
recommended,  but  have  found  that  none  possessed  the  analgesic 
properties  of  iodoform,  and  though  this  is  so  objectionable  by 
reason  of  its  odor,  it  seems  to  do  its  work. 

5.  When  there  is  retention  of  the  root,  and  spicula  are  in 
the  pocket,  the  cavity  is  to  be  cleansed  of  the  spicula;  and  if 
the  root  cannot  be  removed  by  forceps  or  is  too  small  to  be 
grasped,  it  can  be  burred  out. 

6.  This  condition  is  a  peculiar  one,  but  easily  recognized 
and  diagnosticated.  This  occurs  mostly  with  teeth  which  have 
become  elongated  from  want  of  antagonism;  the  roots  are  more 
or  less  exposed;  deposits  take  place  on  them,  pushing  the 
tissues  farther  up  from  the  alveolar  wall,  leaving  it  and  the 
septum  denuded.  After  extraction  (these  teeth  are  often  pulled 
out  by  the  patient  himself),  the  gum  refuses  to  cover  the 
necrotic  wall  and  septum^ — hence  painful  consequences  follow. 

Relief  in  this  case  is  very  easily  obtained  by  cutting  away 
the  dry,  friable,  necrotic  bone  until  the  healthy  bone  is  reached. 
The  usual  antiseptic  treatment-  and  irrigation  are  in  order. 

7.  Perforation  of  the  alveolus  from  an  invasion  of  pus. 
When  repeated  perforations  have  taken  place  in  the  alveolar  wall, 
it  may  be  assumed  tliat  the  nutrition  of  this  bone  has  been  largely 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  589 

interfered  with,  impaired,  or  arrested,  and  that  the  wall  thus 
undermined  really  becomes  a  sequestrum.  Tlie  appearance  of 
such  a  condition  would  be  a  large  pocket,  a  bulla  of  pus  outside 
the  ridge,  considerable  swelling,  and  possibly  the  burrowing  of 
pus  in  several  directions.  This  condition,  I  have  noticed  in  a 
large  number  of  cases,  takes  place  long  after  extraction.  The 
treatment  for  the  same  would  be  a  crucial  incision,  removal  of 
the  necrotic  wall  or  sequestrum,  and  a  smoothing  of  the  parts, 
irrigation  and  packing  as  in  the  preceding  cases. 

As  these  cases  come  under  the  observation  of  physicians 
who  are  called  in  tO'  correct  the  blood-poisoning,  which  the 
l)atient  is  always  supposed  to  have,  and  as  a  great  deal  of  censure 
is  given  to  the  dentist  for  having  extracted  the  tooth  so  brutally 
or  so  unskillfully,  I  wish  to  say  that  I  have  sufftcient  respect  for 
the  ability  of  my  confreres  to  know  that  these  conditions  are 
never  produced  intentionally,  and  that  they  are  due  to  causes 
which  may  be  beyond  their  ken,  and  which  arise  unexpectedly. 
Much  may  be  ascribed  to  the  neglect  of  the  patient.  The 
medical  practitioner,  not  being  familiar  with  the  mouth,  resorts 
to  general  antiseptic  treatment,  whereas  these  conditions,  as  be- 
fore mentioned,  can  be  known  only  to  the  dental  practitioner 
and  oral  surgeon,  and  should  be  handed  over  to  the  dental 
practitioner  instead  of  worrying  the  patient  with  a  long  course 
of  treatment,  futile  in  the  end  and  generally  accompanied  by  a 
liberal  dose  of  opium. 

In  performing  these  operations,  I  have  found  it  more  ad- 
visable to  do  so  by  the  aid  of  ethylic  chlorid  or  the  injection 
of  cocain.  The  use  of  nitrous-oxid  anaesthesia  I  have  found 
impracticable  on  account  of  its  short  duration  and  the  danger  of 
using  the  dental  burr  in  a  hurry.  Of  course,  in  some  cases, 
anaesthesia  by  ether  or  chloroform  is  absolutely  necessary  to 
perform  the  operation  thoroughly. 

I  have  not  mentioned  the  possible  inoculation  from  unclean 
instruments.  Such  cases  have  to  be  diagnosticated  per  sc.  I 
have  omitted  to  mention  the  pains  which  may,  and  often  do, 
arise  in  neurasthenic  patients;  pains  which  persist  in  syphilitic 
patients;  and  finally  the  vagaries  of  the  female  nervous  system 
during  pregnancy  and  the  catamenia.  These  require  the  care- 
ful attention  of  the  medical  practitioner  for  constitutional  treat- 
ment, with  the  advisable  collaboration  of  a  dental  surgeon.  Every 
practitioner  fastens  upon  some  remedy  which  has  proved  faith- 
ful to  him;  so  the  selection  of  any  preparation,  from  mercuric 
bichlorid  down  to  boric  acid  and  formalin  solutions,  is  purely 
optional. 

To  conclude,  I  wish  to  convey  the  idea  that  such  pains  are 
caused  only  by  foreign  substances,  whether  they  are  spicula, 
sequestra,  tissue,  clots,  mucus,  or  food  retained  in  the  socket; 
and  the  removal  of  these  is  paramount  in  any  local  treatment 
that  can  be  used. — Medical  Reeord. 


590  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


DEATH  UNDER  CHLOROFORM. 

A  young  woman  named  Catharine  Moore,  aged  twenty-four 
years,  a  domestic  servant,  and  a  daughter  of  a  farmer  at  Inver- 
may,  died  under  chloroform  at  Mr.  J.  S.  M'Burney's  dental  sur- 
gery on  Saturday.  The  patient,  who  was  employed  by  Mrs.  T. 
Morgan,  Drummond  street,  attended  in  company  with  that  lady 
in  order  to  have  some  teeth  extracted.  Mr.  Pinnock,  M.D., 
administered  the  anaesthetic,  after  having  made  the  customary 
examination.  Several  teeth  had  been  successfully  drawn,  when 
the  girl  partly  shook  off  the  influence  of  the  drug,  and  observed, 
"I  can  feel  that  it  hurts."  Without  any  further  warning  she  col- 
lapsed. Although  the  medical  man  in  attendance  labored  for 
an  hour,  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Woinarski,  M.D.,  it  was 
found  impossible  to  restore  respiration. 

A  post-mortem  examination  made  by  Dr.  Eastwood  showed 
that  death  was  due  to  syncope,  induced  by  a  fatty  deposit  on  the 
heart.  At  an  inquest  held  by  Mr.  Johns,  P.M.,  a  verdict  to  that 
effect  was  returned.  Melbourne  Argus. 


THE  ANTIQUITY  OE  MODERN  SCIENCE. 

From  time  to  time  glimpses  come  to  sight  of  the  light  that 
really  existed,  far  beyond  what  is  commonly  supposed,  in  the 
esoteric  knowledge  of  the  ancient  world.  Much  of  the  teaching 
of  the  earlier  books  of  the  Old  Testament  is  now  seen  to  be  in 
accord  with  some  of  the  most  advanced  sanitary  science.  Pro- 
fessor Nuphtuli  Herz  Imber,  in  the  Denver  Medical  Times  for 
April,  gives  an  insight  into  the  medical  teachings  of  the  Talmud, 
from  which  we  gather  that  most  ailments  were  even  in  those 
days  supposed  to  be  due  to  little  dangerous  organisms,  termed 
"shedins"  (destroyers),  too  small  to  be  seen  by  the  eye.  These 
organisms  were  inhabitants  of  air,  water,  animals,  and  decom- 
posed wood.  Hogs  and  certain  fishes  were  the  creatures  most 
infested  by  them.  Leprosy  was  due  to  the  presence  of  such  or- 
ganisms beneath  the  skin,  and  its  origin  was  attributed  either 
to  eating  certain  fish  or  to  wearing  untanned  hides.  The  or- 
dinances which  forbade  spitting  in  the  streets  of  Jerusalem, 
allotted  four  cubits  of  space  to  each  dweller  in  a  room,  and  pre- 
scribed the  investigation  of  the  lungs  and  livers  of  slaughtered 
animals,  seem  to  indicate  quite  an  up-to-date  board  of  health 
some  two  thousand  years  ago,  while  the  Talmudic  admonition 
concerning  flies  as  transmitters  of  disease,  if  better  known, 
might  have  caused  more  respectful  attention  to  be  paicl  to  the 
warning  of  the  surgeon-general  in  respect  of  flies  and  typhoid 
in  our  late  campaign.     E  pur  si  muove,  but  always  in  an  orbit. 

New  York  Medical  Journal. 


THE 

Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 

PUBI^ISHED  MONTHI^Y. 


WII<BUR    F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


The  Report  of  the  Foreign  Relations  Committee  of  the 
National  Association  of  Dental  Faculties. 

This  important  paper,  published  in  full  in  the  September 
issue  of  the  Brief,  is  a  document  of  great  significance  and 
value  in  its  relations  to  the  advancement  of  the  standard  of 
dental  education,  not  only  in  this  country,  but  also  abroad,  for 
if  its  criticisms  and  suggestions  are  received  in  the  proper  spirit 
the  report  will  not  be  without  its  influence  in  stimulating 
dental  schools  in  other  countries,  as  well  as  in  this,  to  the  adop- 
tion of  courses  of  instruction  more  systematic  and  practical  in 
character  and  more  definitely  directed  to  meet  the  requirements 
of  the  student  as  prospective  practitioners  of  dentistry. 

The  report,  which  is  written  in  excellent  taste  and  spirit, 
opens  with  a  temperate  and  discriminating  statement  of  the 
causes  which  led  to  the  appointment  of  the  Foreign  Relations 
Committee  and  the  Advisory  Boards  resident  in  foreign 
countries.  In  this  connection  the  evils  of  an  educational  system, 
or  lack  of  system,  which  in  several  States  has  enabled  un- 
scrupulous men,  by  connivance  with  lax  or  corrupt  legislators, 
to  obtain  legal  charters  for  fraudulent  schools,  are  fully  recog- 
nized. The  fact  is  also  freely  admitted  that  "In  the  formative 
educational  period,  when  dental  schools  existed  nowhere  save  in 
America,  and  when  even  dentistry  itself  was  undefined,  empir- 
ical,   tentative,    with    no    distinctive    line    of    practice    and    no 

591 


592  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

clearly  prescribed  curriculum  of  study,  the  newly  adopted  de- 
gree may  have  been  conferred  in  some  instances  on  insufficient 
acquirements." 

Allusion  is  also  made  to  the  fact  that  while  these  abuses  in 
our  educational  methods  are  being  in  a  great  measure  overcome 
by  the  establishment  of  higher  preliminary  qualifications  for 
matriculation,  and  of  more  exacting  requirements  for  gradua- 
tion, there  has,  up  to  the  present  time,  been  no  rule  by  which 
to  judge  of  the  educatiomal  attainments  of  students  from  foreign 
countries,  large  numbers  of  whom  annually  present  themselves 
either  with  diplomas  or  with  undergraduate  certificates  from 
foreign  schools. 

Hitherto  the  mformation  obtainable  here  regarding  the 
real  character  of  these  schools  and  the  true  value  w^hich  should 
be  attached  to  diplomas  or  certificates  issued  by  them  has  been 
of  the  most  meagre  and  desultory  character.  Often  certificates 
so  presented  were  intrinsically  quite  as  fraudulent  as  those  issued 
by  bogus  diploma  mills  in  this  country. 

It  is,  of  course,  evident  that  without  accurate  information 
regarding  the  status  of  the  institutions  granting  certificates,  or 
knowledge  of  the  character  of  those  holding  them.,  it  was  im- 
possible to  discriminate  as  between  either  reputable  or  dis- 
reputable foreign  schools  or  students.  Hence  many  foreigners 
succeeded  in  obtaining  advanced  standing  in  American  schools 
whose  credentials  were  as  worthless  as  their  characters  were 
contemptible.  Such  men,  flaunting  the  title  of  "American 
Dentist,"  were  fast  making  that  name  disreputable  through- 
out Europe. 

For  this  reason  one  of  the  chief  aims  of  the  Foreign 
Relations  Committee  has  been  "  to  obtain  definite  information 
concerning  dental  regulations  and  laws  in  foreign  countries;  to 
learn  what  were  the  curriculum  and  requirements  of  all  foreign 
dental  schools,  with  the  view  of  determining  what  value  should, 
under  American  laws  and  regulations,  be  given  their  certificates 
of  study,  either  as  a  qualification  for  dental  practice  in  America 


i 


EDITORIAL. 


593 


or  for  admission  to  advanced  standing  in  American  dental 
colleges." 

This  information,  as  far  as  at  present  obtainable,  is  em- 
braced in  this  report  and  constitutes  its  most  salient  feature. 
The  countries  reported  upon  are  Australia,  Switzerland,  Spain, 
France,  Germany,  Austria,  Italy,  Mexico,  Japan,  Holland 
and  Belgium,  Great  Britain,  Sweden,  and  Canada. 

That  this  portion  of  the  report  will  excite  discussion,  criti- 
cism, and  in  some  cases  protest,  is  inevitable,  for  it  is  adverse 
to  granting  any  advanced  standing  whatever  to  the  holders  of 
diplomas  from  schools  in  some  of  the  countries  named,  and  the 
full  equivalency  of  the  instruction  in  very  few  foreign  schools 
is  recognized. 

The  subject  is,  of  course,  one  of  delicacy  as  well  as  diffi- 
culty. To  obtain  exact  data  regarding  courses  of  instruction  in 
schools  located  in  distant  lands,  schools  which  in  many  cases 
have  been  but  recently  organized  and  which  are  often  most  im- 
perfectly equipped  for  the  task  they  have  assumed  is  well  nigh 
impossible.  It  can  be  measurably  accomplished  only  through 
careful  and  painstaking  inquiry  by  the  members  of  the  Foreign 
Relations  Committee  and  of  the  Advisory  Boards  resident  in  the 
countries  in  which  dental  schools  have  been  organized.  These 
bodies,  constituted  as  a  permanent  bureau  of  inquiry,  will  in 
time  be  able  to  secure  information  much  fuller  and  more  exact, 
and  therefore  more  authoritative,  than  that  upon  w^iich  their 
present  conclusions  are  based. 

The  report  formulates  the  minimum  requirements  to  be 
demanded  of  foreign  dental  schools  whose  students  desire  ad- 
vanced standing  in  the  dental  colleges  of  this  country.  They  are 
in  brief,  a  standard  of  preliminary  education  equal  to  that  de- 
manded here;  attendance  upon  three  full  courses  of  lectures  of 
not  less  than  seven  months  each,  covering  all  the  studies  proper 
in  a  full  dental  curriculum;  fully  equipped  laboratories  for 
bacteriology,  chemistry,  histology,  pathology  and  for  prosthetic 
and  technic  work,  and  a  properly  equipped  infirmary  for  the  re- 


594  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ception  of  patients  to  be  operated  upon  by  students  of  the  in- 
stitution. 

When  these  requirements  are  universally  enforced,  both  at 
home  and  abroad,  the  era  of  true  interstate  and  international 
reciprocity  in  all  that  relates  to  dental  education  and  dental 
practice  will  be  possible.  In  the  meantime  the  Committee  on 
Foreign  Relations  and  the  Advisory  Boards  are  to  be  con- 
gratulated upon  the  good  results  thus  far  secured. 

Dr.  Barrett,  chairman  of  the  committee,  upon  whom  the 
brunt  of  its  labor  has  fallen,  is  entitled  to  the  hearty  thanks  of 
his  professional  brethren  for  the  good  work  he  has  already  ac- 
complished. Gratitude  has  been  cynically  defined  as  "a  lively 
expectation  of  favors  yet  to  come."  In  Dr.  Barrett's  case  it 
surely  must  embrace  also  a  keen  appreciation  of  the  benefits 
already  secured  through  his  zealous  and  untiring  industry  on 
the  important  committee  of  which  he  is  the  presiding  officer. 


OBITUARY. 
Dr.  Henry  H.  Burchard. 

The  announcement  that  a  career  so  brilliant,  so  fruitful  and 
so  full  of  promise  of  still  higher  usefulness  as  that  of  Dr. 
Burchard  has  been  closed  by  death,  although  a  cause  of  deepest 
regret  to  his  many  friends,  cannot  but  bring  with  it  the  con- 
soling thought  that  a  long  and  heroic  struggle  against  disease 
and  adverse  circumstance  is  at  last  ended,  and  that  with  the 
end  came  rest  and  peace. 

Born  in  Philadelphia,  September  20th,  1862;  he  died  at 
Redlands,  California,  June  25th,  1900;  thus  closing  a  life  which, 
while  it  had  not  traversed  four  decades  of  time,  had  covered  far 
more  than  the  allotted  span  if  measured,  as  life  should  be 
measured,  not  by  length  of  years,  but  by  their  helpfulness  to 
mankind. 

Dr.  Burchard's  preliminary  educational  training  closed  with 
courses  of  instruction  received  at  the  Philadelphia  High  School, 
which  institution  he  left  in  order  to  enter,  in  1879,  the  engineer- 


OBITUARY.  595 

ing  class  of  the  United  States  Navy,  with  a  view  to  fitting 
himself  for  the  position  of  engineer  in  that  branch  of  the  service. 
Subsequently,  however,  he  determined  to  qualify  himself  for  the 
practice  of  dentistry,  and  in  1881  entered  a  dental  laboratory  as 
a  student,  afterward  matriculating  in  the  Philadelphia  Dental 
College,  from  which  institution  he  graduated  in  the  year  1885. 
The  following  year  he  was  appointed  Demonstrator  of  Anatomy 
in  that  school  and  thus  entered  upon  his  first  work  as  a  dental 
educator.  During  his  occupancy  of  this  position,  from  1886  to 
1888,  he  attended  the  prescribed  courses  of  instruction  in  the 
Jefferson  Medical  College  and  in  the  latter  year  graduated 
from  that  school  as  Doctor  of  Medicine. 

Dr.  Burchard,  by  his  thorough,  practical  and  theoretical 
trainmg,  was  admirably  equipped  for  that  work  in  the  field  of 
dental  literature,  upon  which  he  at  this  time  entered;  and  up 
to  the  period  when  his  none  too  vigorous  organism  succumbed 
to  the  ceaseless  and  exhausting  labors  imposed  upon  it,  his  con- 
tributions to  the  literature  of  his  profession  were  numerous  and 
increasingly  important. 

As  he  himself  fully  recognized,  his  intellectual  trend  was  not 
in  the  direction  of  original  research.  He  was  a  collector  and  re- 
corder, rather  than  a  creator  of  scientific  data.  His  mind  was 
keenly  analytical,  his  literary  instinct  unerring,  his  memory  un- 
failing. This  latter  quality  Dr.  Burchard  himself  regarded  as 
one  of  the  most  potent  factors  in  his  success  as  a  writer  and 
teacher.  His  memory  had  not  the  appalling  comprehensiveness 
and  tenacity  of  Macaulay's,  of  whom  Sydney  Smith  said  that  'iie 
should  take  two  tablespoonfuls  of  the  waters  of  Lethe  every 
morning  to  correct  his  retentive  powers,"  but  it  was  an  effective 
and  indispensable  equipment  for  the  vast  and  varied  work  to 
which  his  life  was  devoted — and  sacrificed. 

From  his  first  entrance  upon  the  active  practice  of  his  pro- 
fession, Dr.  Burchard's  contributions  to  current  dental  literature 
were  numerous  and  valuable.  He  had  an  important  share  in 
the  preparation  of  the  American  Text  Book  of  Prosthetic  Den- 
tistry, and  also  the  American  Text  Book  of  Operative  Dentistr}', 
the  value  of  his  cooperation  being  fully  and  gracefully  recog- 
nized by  the  author  of  the  latter  work,  Dr.  Kirk,  who  in  its  pre- 
face expressed  his  "grateful  appreciation  of  the  assistance  ren- 
dered by  Prof.  H.  H.  Burchard,  who,  from  the  inception  to  the 
completion  of  the  work,  in  all  its  phases,  has  by  wise  counsel, 


596  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

intelligent  criticism,  and  skilled  effort,  largely  contributed  to 
the  attainment  of  whatever  excellence  it  may  be  found  to 
possess." 

Dr.  Burchard's  most  important  independent  literary  work, 
and  that  with  which  his  name  was  most  fully  identified,  was 
a  volume  on  Dental  Pathology, Therapeutics  and  Pharmacology, 
published  in  1898.  It  was  largely  the  outgrowth  of  his  work  as 
Professor  of  Pathology  and  Tlierapeutics  in  the  Philadelphia 
Dental  College,  between  the  years  1896,  when  he  entered  upon 
the  duties  of  that  chair,  and  1898,  when,  as  the  result  of  im- 
paired health,  he  found  himself  unable  longer  to  continue  in  the 
position  he  had  filled  with  so  much  brilliancy  and  success. 

Although  thus  compelled  to  abandon  a  labor  he  loved,  and 
a  home  endeared  to  him  by  many  ties,  in  order  to  seek  for  a 
restoration  of  his  shattered  health  in  a  distant  State,  to  the  last 
he  did  not  abandon  hope  or  lose  his  love  for  and  desire  to  work. 
He  was  an  enthusiast  in  his  profession,  but  was  not  a  man  of 
ome  idea  or  of  a  one-sided  development.  To  the  last  his  active 
brain  never  lost  its  interest  in  the  progress  of  art  and  science, 
in  the  problems  of  sociology,  or  in  the  events  of  contempo- 
raneous history. 

In  the  whole  field  of  general  literature  he  was  actively  inter- 
ested, and  brought  to  its  enjoyment  a  taste  as  catholic  as  it  was 
cultured.  With  intellectual  resources  so  manifold  and  so  keenly 
satisfying,  a  life  however  burdened  with  care  can  never  be 
wholly  unhappy. 

Modest  and  unassuming  in  manner;  not  given  to  self-ad- 
vertisement; sensitive  to  criticism,  and  yet  glad  to  profit  by 
its  lessons;  loyal  in  friendship;  faithful  to  duty;  steadfast  to 
truth,  such  was  Henry  H.  Burchard,  who,  living,  was  an  orna- 
ment to  his  professiioin,  and  dead,  leaves  to  her  the  priceless 
legacy  of  a  noble  life  spent  in  her  service. 

Dr.  Burchard  was  married,  April  30th,  1888,  to  Miss 
Esther  Vinson,  of  Philadelphia.  She,  with  two  daughters,  sur- 
vives him. 

A  reproduction  of  his  latest  photograph  appears  as  a 
frontispiece  to  this  issue  of  The  Brief. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS,  597 

In  answer  to  J.  C.  N.,  Altoona,  Pa.,  in  the  Dental 
Brief,  for  August,  concerning  the  preparation  described  as 
"Glycerol,"  I  desire  to  submit  the  following:  A  glycerol  is 
a  solution  of  a  medicinal  substance  in  glycerin;  thus  a 
glycerol  of  alum  is  made  by  dissolving  one  ounce  of  alum  in  five 
fluid  ounces  of  glycerin.  The  United  States  Pharmacopoeia,  in 
coimmenting  upon  the  subject,  states  that  the  solvent  and  pre- 
servative properties,  as  well  as  agreeable  taste  and  permanent 
consistency  of  glycerin,  render  it  very  useful  as  a  menstrum  in 
pharmacy,  and  a  certain  class  of  preparations  consisting  of 
medical  substances  dissolved  in  it  has  come  into  extensive  use. 
The  British  Pharmacopoeia  has  adopted  such  a  class  under  the 
name  of  *'Glycerina"  or  ''Glycerines."  This  title  is  not  now 
available  because  the  terminations  are  reserved  for  alkaloids. 
While  the  term  ''Glycerols"  adopted  from  the  French  is  objec- 
tionable as  the  termination  has  been  used  as  designative  of 
certain  proximate  principles.  In  French  we  find  a  "Glycerole 
d'Acid  Gallique;"  in  German,  "Gallussawei  Glycerit;"  but  the 
United  States  title  is  "Glycerite"  or  "Glyceritis,"  and  is 
thought  tO'  be  in  every  way  satisfactory.  Of  course,  there  is  no 
such  thing  as  "Glycerol,"  per  se,  what  the  author  of  the  sup- 
posed mummifying  formula  intended  to  say  or  should  have  said 
was  "Glycerin."  G.  PV,  Weld,  D.DS,,  'm,D.,  Nezv  York. 

In  reply  to  J.  C.  N.,  question  No.  99,  August  Brief,  I 
would  say  that  "Glycerol"  is  simply  glycerin;  "Glycerol"  being 
a  synonym  or  a  manner  of  expressing  the  same  meaning  by  the 
use  of  a  different  word.  G.  C.  B.,  Philadelphia. 

Question  100.  A  superior  lateral  with  a  chronic  abscess  at 
apex  fails  to  respond  to  ordinary  and  extraordinary  medical 
tfeament;  is  what  is  known  as  amputation  of  the  root  apex 
applicable  in  this  case,  and  is  such  an  operation  practical?  In 
speaking  of  the  amputation  of  the  apex  of  the  root  in  such  cases 
a  text  book  says:  "A  vertical  incision  is  made  which  includes 
the  fistula  and  exposes  the  process.    The  opening  through  the 


*Under  this  head  the  editor  solicits  correspondence  both  of  a  practical 
and  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  must  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 

Edited  by  I.  Norman  Broomcll,  D.D.S.,  1420  Chestnut  St.,  Phila 


598  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

process  is  enlarged;  the  necrosed  cenientuni  is  exposed,  and  a 
small  and  extremely  sharp  fissure  burr  driven  rapidly  is  laid 
against  the  wall  of  the  root  and  a  constant  pressure  upon  the 
burr  maintained  until  the  dead  part  is  amputated.  A  sharp 
scaler  may  now  be  employed  to  round  the  edges  of  the  root  and 
make  the  cut  surface  smooth."  This  description  does  not  tell 
us  what  becomes  of  the  amputated  apex.  Is  it  removed?  If  so, 
please  give  in  detail  the  method  of  removal.  If  allowed  to 
remain  what  becomes  of  it?  If  nature  absorbs  it,  why  did  it 
not  do  so  before  it  was  cut  of¥?  If  it  was  denuded  and  had  more 
or  less  deposits  of  calculi,  it  was  a  foreign  body  as  much  as  it 
would  be  after  amputation.  5'. 

The  editor  of  '"Questions  and  Answers"  has  had  some  very 
successful  experience  in  the  treatment  of  old  abscesses  by  direct 
operation  upon  the  end  of  the  root.  The  method  employed, 
however,  differed  somewhat  from  that  given  in  the  text  book 
referred  to,  depending  more  upon  scraping  the  end  of  the  root 
than  actually  cutting  it  off.  If  the  apex  is  really  excised,  the 
piece  should  be  removed  through  the  opening  in  the  bone, 
which  should  be  of  sufBcient  size  to  permit  this.  At  the  clinics 
of  the  recent  Dental  Congress  in  Paris,  one  operator  claimed 
that  he  treated  all  chronic  abscesses  in  that  w^ay,  but  he  did  not 
excise  a  piece  of  the  root,  simply  ground  off  the  diseased  parts 
with  a  fissure  burr  and  afterward  washed  out  the  cavity,  in  this 
way  getting  rid  of  the  debris. 

The  folloiwing  questions  have  been  received,  and  as  they 
are  both  of  real  practical  value,  and  are  capable  of  being  afi- 
swered  in  a  variety  of  ways  a  general  expression  of  opinion  is 
asked  for. 

Question  101.  How  should  the  hypodermic  needle  be  in- 
troduced into  the  gum  tissue  so  as  invariably  to  produce  the 
''weal"  of  infiltration,  and  thereby  secure  an  immunity  from  pain 
in  the  extraction  of  teeth? 

Question  102.  What  is  the  best  way  to  get  rid  of  gumr 
tissue  extending  into  the  cavities  of  proximate  surfaces  of 
molars  and  bicuspids,  and  also  to  adjust  the  rubber  dam  in  such 
cases  below  (or  above)  the  cervical  margins? 

The  following  replies  have  already  been  received  to  ques- 
tions Nos.  loi  and  102:  First  wash  the  mouth  with  a  three  per 
cent,  solution  of  pyrozone,  and  then  apply  a  twenty  per  cent, 
solution  of  cocain  to  the  gum  tissue  at  the  point  where  the 
needle  is  to  be  inserted.     The  point  of  the  needle,  after  being" 


I 


PRACTICAL  POINTS,  599 

made  thoroughly  aseptic,  should  be  forced  into  the  tissue  at  a 
point  midway  between  the  apex  of  the  root  and  the  margin  of 
the  gum,  allowing  the  point  of  the  needle  to  come  in  contact 
with  the  surface  of  the  alveolus.  The  needle  should  then  be 
slightly  withdrawn  and  a  few  drops  injected,  being  very  careful 
not  to  force  any  of  the  injected  solution  under  the  sub-mucous 
tissue.  It  is  well  to  insert  the  needle  point  at  a  point  near  the 
apex,  and  also^  at  the  gum  margin,  both  on  lingual  and  buccal 
side. 

Gum  tissue  is  easily  gotten  rid  of  if  the  following  methods 
are  observed:  After  a  thorough  cutting  away  of  the  gum  with 
lancet,  pack  the  cavity  for  one  or  two  days  with  cotton  saturated 
with  sandarac  varnish.  Insert  for  the  next  treatment  a  gutta- 
percha filling,  forcing  it  well  up  into  the  gum,  and  entirely  filling 
the  space  between  the  two  teeth,  and  leave  for  one  or  two  weeks, 
when  the  gum  will  have  returned  to  its  normal  condition,  and 
will  be  far  enough  beyond  the  cervical  margin  to  allow  the 
placing  of  the  rubber  dam,  and  a  slow  and  painless  temporary 
separation  will  have  been  produced. 

Other  methods,  more  painful  and  tedious,  can  be  used,  such 
as  the  daily  placing  of  iodin  or  tri-chloracetic  acid  until  the  gimi 
is  absorbed  or  eaten  away. 

jF.  G.  Baldwin^  Ansonia^  Conn. 


iPractiral  ^^oints,* 

Carbolic  Acid  Burns. — Carbolic  acid  burns  may  be  neu- 
tralized by  immediately  sopping  with  alcohol. 

W ,  C.  Smith,  Pacific  Dental  Gazette. 

Soreness  at  Apex  of  Root. — A  solution  of  menthol  in  chloro- 
form, applied  in  root  canal,  will  remedy  the  soreness  at  apex 
after  pulp  has  been  devitalized  by  arsenic  and  removed. 

W.  C.  Smith,  Pacific  Dental  Gazette. 

Polishing  Fillings. — Keep  a  cake  of  calcined  magnesia  in 
the  cabinet  and  when  the  last  disk  of  fine  cuttle-fish  is  to  be 
used,  touch  it  to  the  magnesia  and  you  will  give  the  gold  a  bril- 
liant polish.  Dental  Hints. 

Replacing  a  Broken  Logan  Crown. — When  the  porcelain 
of  a  Logan  crown  has  broken  away,  leaving  the  post  firmly 
fixed  in  the  root  a  Bonwill  crown  may  often  be  made  to  serve 
in  replacing  the  porcelain,  trimming  down  the  Logan  post  and 
fixing  to  it  the  post  of  the  Bonwill  crown. 

JV)n.  Hern,  Jouiiial  British  Dental  .Issoeiation. 


•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Dental  Proceedings,  Bay  St.  Louis, 
Mississippi. 


6oo  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

rilling  Material  for  the  Deciduous  Teeth. — Gutta-percha, 
into  which  has  been  incorporated  dry  powdered  Portland 
cement,  makes  a  hard  filling,  which  seals  the  cavity  perfectly 
and  stands  wear  well.  G.  J.  Siddell,  Dental  Register. 

Lunar  Caustic  with  Cocain. — To  make  the  application  of 
silver  nitrate  less  painful  simultaneous  use  of  cocain  nitrate  is 
recommended.  The  hydrochlorate  is  not  suitable,  as  it  pre- 
cipitates silver  as  chlorid.  Ztsch.  f.  Ph. 

For  Polishing  Plates. — Cones  and  wheels  made  of  car-spring 
rubber  are  superior  to  felt  wheels  and  cones.  But  a  small 
amount  of  water  is  needed,  as  the  rubber  does  not  absorb  the 
water  like  the  felt  cones,  and  this  saves  the  hands  and  clothing 
from  being  soiled  by  the  flying  water  and  pumice. 

H.  T.  Crews,  Dental  Headlight. 

Antrum  Treatment. — If  yoiu  use  peroxid  of  hydrogen,  be 
careful  with  it,  for  almost  all  peroxid  is  strongly  acid  in  re- 
action, and  it  smarts.  Add,  just  before  using,  limewater  or 
sodium  bicarbonate  and  test  it  with  litmus  paper  until  neutral 
m  reaction,  and  you  will  find  it  is  no  longer  painful.  I  neu- 
trahze  it  and  then  use  it  full  strength. 

R.  H.  M.  Dawborn,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Haemophili  v,  — Perhaps  the  administration  of  calcium 
chlorid  is  the  most  scientific  treatment.  Cases  are  cited  where 
this  drug  has  been  used  with  wonderful  success.  On  a  man  of 
20 — alveolar  abscess — incision  -J  inch  long;  profuse  hemorrhage 
in  spite  of  pressure  and  styptics.  He  had  several  times  bled 
until  he  fainted.  Calcium  chlorid  was  given  in  grain  doses 
every  two  hours;  after  three  doses  the  blood  formed  a  firm  clot. 
Worthy  of  trial,  though  in  some  cases  no  benefit  resulted. 
Chas.  A.  Porter,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Crowning  a  Molar  Decayed  Below  the  Gum  Margin. — When 
moisture  cannot  be  excluded  fit  and  adjust  a  band  before  treat- 
ing and  filling  the  roots.  With  the  band  in  position,  and  dam 
adjusted,  the  tooth  can  be  kept  dry,  and  the  roots  treated  and 
filled  satisfactorily.  Cut  the  band  down  to  occlusion  contour, 
and  turn  in  at  the  free  edge  slightly  with  pliers.  Mop  out  the 
cavity  with  a  i  per  cent,  solution  perchlorid  of  mercury  in  abso- 
lute alcohol,  dry  with  hot  air,  and  partially  fill  with  Harvard 
cement.  While  at  its  stickiest  put  on  a  piece  of  fairly  soft 
amalgam,  and  burnish  from  center  to  circumference,  covering 
the  cement,  carrying  the  amalgam  to  the  edges  of  the  band. 
Add  sufficient  amalgam  to  cut  free  of  the  bite.  Polish  at  a  sub- 
sequent sitting. 

/.  H.  Babcock,  Journal  British  Dental  Association. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  6oi 

Hemorrhage  After  Removal  of  Live  Pulp. — Hemorrhage  is 
sometimes  copious,  but  I  have  found  that  witch-hazel,  freely 
used,  would  check  the  flow  in  a  very  short  time. 

A.  H.  Peck,  Dental  Digest. 

Corks  in  Place  of  Glass  Stoppers. — Corks,  steeped  in  vaselin, 
are  an  excellent  substitute  for  glass  stoppers.  Acid  in  no  way 
affects  them  and  chemical  fumes  do  not  cause  them  to  decay, 
neither  do  they  become  fixed  by  a  blow  or  long  disuse.  They 
have  all  the  utilities  of  glass  without  its  disadvantages. 

National  Druggist. 

Partial  Impressions. — To  prevent  adhesion  of  plaster  to  the 
teeth  in  taking  partial  impressions,  request  the  patient  to  hold 
milk  of  magnesia  in  the  mouth  until  the  introduction  of  the 
plaster.  Upon  removal  the  impression  will  be  found  sharp  and 
smooth.  The  film  of  magnesia  adherent  to  the  teeth  prevents 
the  plaster  from  sticking  while  hardening,  but  makes  no  ap- 
preciable difference  in  fit  of  plate. 

H.  H.  Johnson,  Dental  World. 

Chloretone  in  Removal  of  Live  Pulp. — I  injected  the  etherial 
solution  of  chloretone  into  the  live  pulp  of  a  right  upper  cuspid. 
As  the  needle  advanced  into  the  pulp  chamber  I  pressed  warm 
wax  around  it,  thus  closing  the  cavity  so  that  the  liquid  would 
not  escape.  Forty  seconds  later  I  withdrew  the  needle  and 
wax  to  permit  the  ether  to  evaporate.  I  removed  the  pulp  with 
a  broach  one  minute  after  the  injection.  The  patient  stated 
that  the  operation  was  painless. 

Michael  Leo,  Items  of  Interest. 

Failure  in  Regulating  Cases. — This  is  often  due  to  failure 
on  the  part  of  the  dentist  to  recognize  the  similarity  in  process 
between  the  osseous  union  of  a  fractured  bonCi  and  the  for- 
mation of  new  bony  material  around  the  tooth,  losing  sight  of 
the  fact  that  as  absolute  fixedness  of  the  parts  is  essential  to 
the  successful  union  of  a  fracture,  it  must  necessarily  be  quite 
as  important  a  consideration  in  connection  with  tissue  forma- 
tion in  the  alveoli.  The  retaining  apparatus  is  to  the  loose 
tooth  what  a  splint  is  to  a  fractured  iDone,  with  the  difference 
that  it  is  necessary  to  wait  much  longer  for  teeth  to  become 
fixed  in  new  positions  than  for  the  firm  union  of  bone.  Moved 
teeth  exhibit  a  wonderful  perversity  in  their  attempts  to  strug- 
gle back  to  their  old  positions.  A  retainer,  when  removed, 
should  be  left  off  only  a  few  days  before  trying  it  in  place 
again.  If  force  is  necessary  to  get  it  in  position  it  should  be  at 
once  cemented  in  place  again  and  worn  for  a  few  months  longer, 
and  then  tried  again  as  before. 

S.  H.  Guilford,  Dental  Digest. 


6o2  IJEXTAL  BRIEF. 

Annealing  Platinum. — If  platinum  be  annealed  in  the  open 
flame  of  a  Bunsen  burner  it  becomes  very  harsh,  because  it 
absorbs  gas,  but  if  it  be  fused  in  the  muffle  of  a  gas  furnace, 
where  no  gas  can  get  at  it,  or  in  an  electric  furnace,  it  will  be- 
come as  soft  as  tin-foil.  Jos.  Head,  Den.  Cosmos. 

To  Remove  the  Cloth  Adherent  to  the  Sheets  of  Black  Rubber. 

— When  the  rubber  adheres  tenaciously  to  the  cloth  used  in 
separating  the  sheets  of  black  rubber,  cut  the  whole  into  strips 
and  throw  into  cold  water.  The  cloth  can  then  be  readily 
peeled  from  the  rubber. 

T.  F.  CJiapliii,  Dental  Offiee  and  Laboratory. 

Gold  Plate  Strengthener. — Wax  in  position  on  the  plaster 
cast  a  piece  of  half-round  wire  outlining  a  narrow  upper  plate. 
In  the  zincs  this  is  represented  by  a  ridge,  which  strikes  up 
a  groove  across  the  gold  plate,  adding  greatly  to  its  strength. 
The  gum  soon  grows  into  this  so  that  little  or  no  space  remains. 

L.  Read,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Nickel  for  Regulating  Appliances,  etc. — The  five-cent  nickel 
Coin  metal  makes  excellent  bands  for  regulating  appliances.  It 
can  be  rolled  as  thin  as  the  Angle  bands;  it  solders  easily  with 
silver  solder  or  i8K  gold.  It  also  makes  excellent  screws  and 
nuts.  Cut  in  narrow  strips  it  makes  excellent  strengtheners 
for  rubber  plates,  similar  to  the  Hall  white  metal  bars. 

A^  H.  Kleyser,  Dental  Offiee  and  Laboratory. 

In  Case  of  Pericemental  Inflammation. — When  teeth  con- 
taining putrescent  pulps  involved  with  pericemental  inflamma- 
tion and  great  tenderness  are  to  be  drilled  into,  the  tooth  should 
be  braced,  either  with  a  clamp  or  modeling  compound  formed 
about  it  and  chilled  when  it  can  be  so  held  in  place  as  to  sup- 
port the  tooth  and  prevent  the  pressure  in  drilling  from  causing 
pain.  Sharp  instruments  and  burrs  afiford  the  most  effective  aid 
to  other  means  employed  for  relieving  sensation. 

B.  JJolly  Smith,  Den.  Digest. 

Hyperesthesia  in  Erosion. — The  chemical  caustics  like  silver 
nitrate  and  gold  chlorid  are  not  very  powerful,  and  discolor  the 
teeth.  I  have  used  antimony  chlorid  with  advantage,  but  as 
the  caustic  power  of  this  salt  is  extreme  the  greatest  care  is 
required  in  its  use.  Such  therapeutic  use  of  it,  however,  is 
efficacious  and  free  from  inconvenience,  with  proper  precau- 
tions, and  it  does  not  discolor  the  teeth.  Protect  the  lip  with  a 
role  of  cotton.  Protect  the  application  and  retain  it  several 
seconds;  rinse  the  mouth  with  a  soda  solution — four  grains  of 
bicarbonate  to  the  litre  of  water.  Usually  one  treatment  is 
enough,  but  may  repeat  if  necessary. 

M.  Michaels,  International  Dental  Journal. 


I 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  603 

Pyorrhea  Alveolaris:  Complications. — Dr.Wm.  Ewart  (Royal 
Med.  and  Chirur.  Soc,  Eng-.)  said  that  the  consequences  of  the 
disease  were  far  reaching,  and  in  the  way  of  dental  toxins  pro- 
ducing functional  ailments  '''  '-^  '■^'  and  especially  as  a  cause 
of  malignant  endo-carditis,  a  source  frequently  overlooked. 

British  Dental  Journal. 

The  Application  of  Nitrate  of  Silver. — This  salt  is  so  quickly 
dissolved  by  contact  with  saliva  that  the  gum  is  liable  to  be 
cauterized  also.  To  avoid  this,  heat  the  end  of  a  German  silver 
probe  to  nearly  or  quite  red  heat.  On  dipping  in  the  crystals 
some  little  will  fuse  on  the  probe,  thus  making  an  ideal  carrier 
and  applicator.        H.  R.  Neeper,  International  Dental  Journal. 

To  Obtain  Duplicates  of  Plaster  Models. — Soak  about  150 
leaves  of  common  gelatin  in  cold  water  for  one  or  two  hours, 
gradually  adding  four  or  five  ounces  of  oil,  constantly  stirring. 
Place  the  model  in  an  enameled  vessel  and  pour  the  above  mix- 
ture over  it.  After  about  three  hours  it  will  have  hardened, 
when  the  model  may  be  removed  and  any  number  can  be 
poured.  F.  A.  B,  Dental  Office  and  Laboratory. 

Chloretone;  the  Ideal  Local  Anaesthetic  in  Lental  Surgery. — 

Equal  parts,  by  weight,  of  ether  and  chloretone  is  very  efficient 
in  preparing  painful  cavities  for  fillings;  also  in  setting  crowns 
and  in  bridge-work,  in  overcoming  the  pain  caused  by  the  action 
of  the  glacial  phosphoric  acid  of  the  cement.  It  should  be 
employed  when  a  live  pulp  must  be  removed.  This  can  be  done 
painlessly  after  thorough  application  of  the  above  solution. 

Michael  Leo,  Items  of  Interest. 

Preparation  of  Roots  for  Crowning. — In  preparing  roots  for 
crowning  I  think  it  is  good  practice  to  make  sure  of  your 
foundations.  Before  opening  the  nerve  canal  fully,  or  using 
broaches,  I  prefer  to  sterilize  cataphorically  by  introducng  some 
antiseptic,  as  argentine  nitrate  or  formaldehyd,  into  the  canal ; 
then  turning  on  the  current  for  five  minutes,  and  at  the  next 
visit  remove  the  debris.  In  this  way  we  get  rid  of  the  possi- 
bility of  forcing  morbid  matter  through  the  apical  foramen. 
Sir  George  Elliott,  Journal  British  Den.  Asso. 

Cleansing  Pyorrhea  Pockets. — Wash  out  loosened  particles 
of  calculus  with  luke-warm  water,  to  which  an  antiseptic  has 
been  added,  and  follow  by  pyrozone,  which  should  have  been 
brought  to  the  temperature  of  the  body  in  an  open  vessel  and 
a  small  tablet  of  soda-mint  added  just  before  using.  The  in- 
creased temperature  lessens  pain  and  the  soda-mint  neutralizes 
the  acid  and  liberates  oxygen,  causing  greater  cftVrvesccnce 
with  better  cleansing  of  the  pocket.  It  acts  as  a  pus  destroyer 
also.  A.  H.  Mahcc,  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 


6o4  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Milk  as  a  Lubricant. — In  taking  plaster  impressions,  instead 
of  using  vaselin  or  glycerin  to  facilitate  removal  of  the  impres- 
sion from  the  mouth,  the  patient  should  be  allowed  to  rinse  the 
mouth  with  a  little  milk  immediately  before  the  tray  is  inserted. 

Pharmaceutical  Journal. 

Gutta-Percha  Fillings. — Evaporate  the  solvent  from  Canada 
balsam  and  moisten  it  with  chloroform  and  line  the  cavity  with 
this  solution.  Fill  with  gutta-percha,  finishing  the  filling  with 
tape  moistened  with  chloroform.  This  makes  a  filling  which  will 
not  leak,  and  which  holds  so  fast  toi  the  cavity  that  it  cannot  be 
pried  off.  A.  M.  Holmes,  Atlanta  Den.  Journal. 

Investment  for  Soldering  Cap  and  Post  for  Crowns. — The 
investment  for  soldering  metal  post  to  cap  may  satisfactorily 
consist  of  pumice  powder  merely.  Take  an  iron  or  brass  ferrule, 
fill  it  with  pumice  powder  pressed  down.  Then  press  into  it 
the  pin  and  cap,  drop  a  few  drops  of  water  on  the  pumice,  and 
the  flame  may  be  turned  on  at  once. 

H.  Baldivin,  British  Dental  Journal. 

Piatt's  Medicament  Pliers  in  Root-canal  Treatment. — The 
boaks  of  Piatt's  medicament  pliers  approximate  at  the  extreme 
end  only,  and  as  the  pliers  are  dipped  into  the  solution  to  be 
applied,  a  drop  clings  in  between  the  points,  and  upon  placing 
them  in  the  tooth  and  spreading  the  points  the  solution  flows 
just  where  it  is  needed. 

H.  L.  Seager,  Pacific  Dental  Gazette. 

Clyde  Pagni's  Obtundent. — A  small  quantity  each  of  a  satu- 
rated solution  of  cocain  in  carbolic  acid,  and  of  carbonate  of 
potassium  and  glycerin,  is  placed  on  a  warm  glass  slab  (at  the 
side  of  a  flat  bottle  of  hot  water)  and  mixed.  The  rubber  dam 
is  applied  and  the  cavity  made  as  dry  as  possible,  vyith  bibulous 
paper,  absolute  alcohol  and  hot  air.  A  drop  of  the  above  mix- 
ture is  then  placed  in  the  cavity  and  hot  air  blown  on'  it,  as 
warm  as  the  patient  can  bear.  This  is  kept  up  for  five  minutes, 
when  the  tooth  can  be  excavated  quite  painlessly. 

Dental  Office  and  Laboratory. 

When  Extraction  and  Replantation  is  Indicated: — 

1.  In  persistent  alveolar  abscess; 

2.  Abscess  associated  with  pyorrhea. 

3.  When  a  broach  has  passed  through  the  apex  and  re- 
fuses to  be  withdrawn,  or  a  drill  has  broken  off  in  the  pulp 
cavity. 

4.  When  careless  preparation  of  pulp  cavity  for  pin  of 
crown  has  resulted  in  perforation  of  the  cementum. 

5.  In  case  of  deformity  of  roots,  proihibiting  thorough 
cleansing  of  canals. 

6.  A  tooth  having  exostosed  roots ;  amputate  affected  por- 
tion and  return  to  socket.      /.  T.  Murliss,  Jr.,  Dental  Digest, 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  60 


Tempering  Swiss  Broaches. — Place  a  dozen  or  two  in  a  glass 
tube  and  draw  the  temper  to  a  deep  blue  over  an  alcohol  lamp 
or  a  Bunsen  burner.  The  glass  protects  them  from  currents  of 
cold  air,  allows  them  to  cool  slowly,  and  enables  one  to  see  the 
color  of  the  steel.      vS'.  G.  Perry,  International  Dental  Journal. 

Openings  an  Abscess.— If  the  reverse  ■  end  of  a  match  be 
dipped  in  a  saturated  solution  of  carbolic  acid  and  cocain  and 
applied  prior  to  the  injection  of  cocain,  with  gradually  increas- 
ing pressure  at  the  point  of  the  gum  where  the  needle  is  to  be 
inserted,  it  will  render  the  operation  painless. 

B.  Holly  Smith,  Den.  Digest. 

Sterilizing  Brushes. — Tests  with  a  large  number  of  brushes 
showed  that  boiling  them  for  ten  minutes  in  a  i  per  cent,  solu- 
tion of  soda,  keeping  them  afterward  in  a  i-iooo  solution  sub- 
limate, steriHzed  them  in  respect  to  the  pathogenic  germs 
usually  encountered,  with  complete  success  and  without  injury 
to  the  brush. 

A.  Winternitz,  Journal  American  Medical  Association. 

Chloretone;  Strength  of  Solutions. — An  aqueous  solution  of 
0.8  to'  I  per  cent,  of  chloretone  has  approximately  the  same 
anaesthetic  effect  as  a  2  per  cent,  solution  of  cocain.  The  solu- 
tions keep  indefinitely ;  it  is  not  even  necessary  to  use  boiled 
water  to  make  a  sterile  solution.  It  is  itself  a  powerful  anti- 
septic and  destroys  germs.  Therapeutic  Notes. 

A  New  Method  in  the  Employment  of  Cocain. — G.  Milian  (in 
Presse  Medicale)  employs  for  local  anaesthesia,  2  to  4  per  cent, 
solution  lof  cocain  and  ethyl  chlorid,  sprayed  or  applied  with 
a  cotton  plug.  It  cioes  not  produce  deep  anaesthesia,  but  more 
profound  results  than  the  ethyl  chlorid  alone.  It  deposits  the 
cocain  in  the  skin  or  mucous  mem-brane,  causing  anaesthesia  of 
the  superficial  nerves.  Mirck's  Annual. 

Filling  from  the   Lingual   Surface   of   Superior  Incisors. — 

Crystal  mat  gold  offers  great  advantages  from  the  tendency 
of  the  pieces  to  stay  where  they  are  put,  instead  of  falling,  roll- 
ing and  tipping,  as  in  the  use  of  gold  foils.  Use  round-pointed 
pluggers  with  a  rolling  motion,  spreading  the  gold  like  a  paste, 
thus  giving  a  uniform  surface. 

N.  H.  Bishop,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

After  Pains  of  Extraction. — 

R.    Menthol .oi. 

Chloral  Hydrate .21- 

Camphor  Gum .oss. 

Alcohol fl.  ^i. 

Wash  out  the  socket  with  warm  carbolized  water  and  in- 
troduce cotton  saturated  with  the  above. 

/.  Henry  Morgan,  Atlanta  Dental  Jounwl. 


6o6  DENTAL  BRIEF 


iHfli.^rclIanj). 

Asterionella  a  Cause  of  Foulness  in  Drinking  Water. — G.  C. 

Whipple  and  D.  D.  Jackson  have  made  a  study  of  the  life  his- 
tory and  properties  of  Asterionella  fonnosa,  a  diatom  which  is  a 
frequent  cause  of  fouhiess  in  the  supply  of  drinking  water  to 
American  cities,  giving  it  an  odor  varying  from  fishy  to  gera- 
nium-like, caused  by  the  formation  of  an  oil  having  a  strong 
analogy  to  the  essential  oils.  During  periods  of  stagnation  the 
diatoms  form  spores  at  the  bottom  of  the  reservoirs,  and  they 
increase  with  very  great  rapidity  when  these  spores  germinate; 
this  growth  taking  place  chiefly  during  the  spring  and  autumn. 
The  growth  of  the  diatom  is  greatly  favored  by  light;  and  the 
best  mode  of  preventing  its  increase  appears  to  be  to  store  the 
water  in  the  dark.  Journal  New  England  Waterworks  Association. 

Hardening  Steel. — ^A  patent  has  been  granted  to  Ludwig 
Schiecke,  of  Magdeburg,  Germany,  for  a  new  process  of  hard- 
ening steel.  The  piece  of  steel  to  be  treated  is  first  coated  with 
a  protecting  mass  that  is  able  to  resist  the  heat  of  the  fire  in 
which  the  steel  is  placed,  and  cyanide  of  potassium  is  strewn 
upon  the  coating,  after  which  the  whole  is  placed  in  the  fire. 
The  piece  thus  treated  is  then  quenched.  The  coating  is  ap- 
plied with  the  object  of  making  the  action  of  the  cyanide  as  uni- 
form as  possible,  and  it  consists  of  chalk,  clay,  or  similar  ma- 
terial bound  together  by  varnish.  Through  this  porous  coating 
the  cyanide  passes  and  exerts  its  effect  uniformly  on  the  surface 
of  the  steel.  A  development  of  the  process  consists  in  strewing 
a  mixture  of  cyanide  and  salt  upon  the  coating  while  the  steel 
is  being  heated. 

Professions  for  Boys  and  How  to  Enter  Them. — Family  phy- 
sicians are  so  often  consulted  with  regard  to  professions  that 
the  sons  of  their  patients  may  take  up,  that  a  recent  work  of 
Pechell  and  Nolan,  with  an  introduction  by  the  present  Bishop 
of  Calcutta,  the  former  headmaster  of  Harrow  school,  will  be 
of  interest.  The  book  is  eminently  practical  in  the  facts  and 
iigures  that  it  gives.  Young  men  are  discouraged  from  entering 
the  medical  profession  at  present,  owing  to  the  overcrowding 
of  its  ranks.  The  naive  remark  is  added  that  there  is  no  pro- 
fession that  sufifers  more  from  bad  debts.  On  the  contrary, 
the  authors  point  out  that  there  seems  to  be  room  for  young 
men  in  the  dental  profession,  and  they  insist  that  young  Eng- 
lishmen who  take  up  that  profession  should  spend  at  least  a 
year  in  study  in  America.  Our  own  President  Thwing,  of 
Western  Reserve  University,  pointed  out  in  The  Independent 
not  long  ago  that  the  dental  profession  was  the  only  one  which 
a  young  man  might  reasonably  expect  to  enter  in  our  day  and 
make  his  own  living  at  once.  Medical  News. 


MISCELLANY.  607 

St.  Helena  as  a  Place  of  Military  Confinement. — From  the 
health  point  of  view  probably  no  place  in  the  world  could  be 
found  more  suitable  than  St.  Helena  for  the  confinement  of  our 
prisoners  of  war.  There  is  not  in  the  whole  island  an  insalu- 
brious spot.  The  common  English  gorse  (Ulcx  Europeus),  sl 
good  judge  of  climate,  grows  abundantly.  The  temperature  is 
remarkably  equable,  and  although  the  island  is  so  much  nearer^ 
the  equator  than  is  the  cape,  it  is  yet  very  much  cooler.  The 
winters  are  much  warmer  than  those  of  England,  but  the  sum- 
mer heat  is  rarely  so  great.  The  whole  of  the  island  is  much 
above  the  level  of  the  sea  and  always  breezy;  even  Jamestown, 
its  harbor,  is  four  hundred  feet,  while  the  greater  part  of  the 
plateau  is  little  under  a  thousand,  and  much  of  it  yet  higher. 
The  water  supply  (from  160  wells)  is  excellent,  and  almost  all 
kinds  of  European  fruits  and  vegetables  are  grown.  Should  the 
prisoners  desire  employment,  there  is  much  land  needing  re- 
clamation and  abundant  scope  for  gardening.  As  the  island  lies 
on  the  ocean  highway,  there  should  be  no  difficulty  in  supply- 
ing abundance  of  mutton,  coffee,  and  other  Boer  necessaries. 

Polyclinic. 

Quartz  Thermometers. — Taking  advantage  of  the  fusibility 
of  quartz,  that  substance  having  been  shown  by  Boys  to  assume 
a  plastic  state  in  the  flame  of  the  oxyhydrogen  blow-pipe  before 
melting,  A.  Dufour  has  constructed  a  thermometer  for  high 
temperatures  which  has  a  quartz  bulb  and  stem.  Tin  is  used 
for  the  liquid,  since  it  is  readily  obtained  in  a  pure  condition, 
has  a  relatively  low  melting  point,  and  is  not  appreciably  vola- 
tile below  a  red  heat.  The  thermometer  is  filled  with  molten 
tin  by  aspiration.  After  obtaining  as  perfect  a  vacuum  as  pos- 
sible in  the  stem,  it  is  sealed  in  the  oxyhydrogen  blow-pipe. 
The  last  few  bubbles  of  air  are  got  rid  of  by  melting  the  tin 
and  giving  the  thermometer  repeated  shocks.  If  the  tin 
forms  a  trace  of  oxid  this  collects  in  the  bulb  and  remains 
there.  The  meniscus  in  the  stem  is  always  very  bright,  re- 
sembling that  of  a  mercury  thermometer.  The  bulb  must  be 
thick,  otherwise  the  tin,  in  contracting,  will  fracture  it.  The 
author  suggests  that  tubes  of  quartz  are  likely  to  prove  valu- 
able for  spectroscopic  work,  obviating  the  difficulty  of  obtaining 
a  pure  spectrum,  which  is  not  possible  under  certain  conditions 
when  glass  tubes  are  employed.  Commenting  on  this  note, 
Armand  Gautier  states  that  in  1869  he  succeeded  in  making 
small  tubes  of  quartz,  employed  as  air  thermometers,  and  as 
coils  for  causing  gaseous  mixtures  to  circulate  in  unalterable 
capillary  tubes,  in  the  course  of  his  researches  on  the  influence 
of  temperature  on  the  combination  of  gases.  The  apparatus 
constructed  thus  of  quartz  was  shown  by  him  at  the  Universal 
Exhibition  of  1878. 


6o8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Indigestion. — T.  Sander  "Brunton  lays  down  the  following- 
rules  for  treatment  of  chronic  functional  dyspepsia:  The  first 
rule  is  to  eat  slowly,  masticate  thoroughly,  and  insalivate  com- 
pletely, three  things  which  are  not  always  the  same.  The  next 
rule  is  to  take  solids  and  liquids  separately.  The  latter  in  the 
shape  of  hot  water  on  rising  in  the  morning,  between  eleven 
and  twelve  in  the  forenoon,  about  four  or  five  in  the  afternoon, 
and  at  night  before  going  to  bed.  When  these  rules  do  not 
suffice  to  remove  the  dyspepsia  the  patient  must  take  his  fari- 
naceous and  proteid  foods  at  different  meals  alternately;  a 
farinaceous  meal  at  breakfast  time  and  again  at  five  o'clock,  and 
meat  or  fish  meals  at  midday  and  at  eight  o'clock.  In  some 
cases  it  will  be  found  advantageous  to  supplement  the  gas- 
tric juice  with  a  little  acid  and  pepsin.  A  little  alkali  with  calo- 
mel may  be  given  before  meals,  or  if  there  is  gastric  catarrh 
some  substance  containing  tannin,  such  as  infusion  of  gentian, 
may  be  preferable.  In  cases  with  flabby  tongue  perchlorid  of 
iron  with  quassia  will  probably  be  of  more  service.  When 
there  is  gastric  dilatation  which  will  not  yield  to  the  measures 
above  mentioned,  it  may  be  necessary  to  wash  out  the  stomach 
in  the  morning  or  at  night.  The  Clinical  Journal. 


Heredity. — Prof.  Arthur  Thomson's  lecture  on  "Heredity" 
at  the  Royal  Institution  of  Great  Britain  was  an  able  and  lucid 
exposition  of  an  exceedingly  difficult  subject.  Three  kinds  of 
inheritance  were  distinguished:  (i)  Blended,  in  which  the 
character  of  the  two  parents  in  regard  to  a  particular  structure, 
e.  g.,  the  color  of  the  hair,  is  intimately  combined  in  the  off- 
spring. This  form  is  well  seen  in  hybrids  and  is  probably  the 
most  frequent  mode  of  inheritance.  (2)  Exclusive,  in  which  the 
character  of  one  parent  is  suppressed  in  regard  to  a  structure, 
e.  g.,  eye-color.  (3)  Particulate,  in  which  part  of  a  given  charac- 
ter is  wholly  paternal  and  part  wholly  maternal.  Suppose  the 
parents  of  a  foal  to  be  light  and  dark.  If  the  foal  is  piebald 
the  inheritance  is  particulate.  Inheritance  is  not  dual  but 
multiple.  A  man,  says  Mr.  Pearson,  "is  the  product  of  all  his 
past  ancestry,  and  unless  very  careful  selection  has  taken  place 
the  mean  of  that  ancestry  is  probably  not  far  from  that  of  the 
general  population.  In  the  tenth  generation  he  has  theoret- 
ically 1,024  tenth  great-grandparents.  It  is  the  heavy  weight 
of  this  mediocre  ancestry  which  causes  the  son  of  an  excep- 
tional father  to  regress  toward  the  general  population  mean." 
The  transmissibility  of  acquired  characters  was  considered  not 
to  have  been  established,  but  if  the  effects  of  "nurture"  could 
not  be  entailed  on  the  offspring,  it  was  all  the  more  important 
to  secure  for  them  good  "nurture." 


MISCELLANY.  609 

Gasolin  as  an  Antiseptic  and  Surgical  Detergent. — Riordan 
(B.  L.)  finds  that  gasolin  has  a  decidedly  antiseptic  effect  when 
appHed  on  cotton  gauze,  and  that  it  does  not  irritate  fresh 
wounds.  If  after  scrubbing  with  soap  and  water  the  surface  is 
wiped  off  with  gasolin  the  cleansing  effect  is  much  deeper, 
cleansing  out  the  mouth  of  hair  follicles,  sebaceous  and  sweat 
glands  much  more  perfectly  than  soap  and  water  alone. 

Journal  American  Medical  Association. 

The  Toxic  Effects  of  Boric  Acid  are  described  by  Dr.  J.  J. 
Evans  in  the  British  Medical  Journal.  In  treating  a  case  of  cystitis 
increasing  doses  of  10  to  20  grains  of  boric  acid  three  times  a  day 
were  prescribed.  After  about  three  weeks  of  this  treatment  an 
erythematous  rash  spreads  over  the  patient's  neck,  face  and 
head,  followed  by  some  subcutaneous  oedema,  and  a  fine  scaly 
dermatitis.  The  salivary  glands  became  enlarged,  and  eventually 
the  hair  on  the  face  and  head  fell  out,  so  that  in  about  a  fortnight 
the  man  was  perfectly  bald.  The  drug  was  discontinued,  but  six 
weeks  elapsed  before  there  was  any  reappearance  of  hair  on  the 
face  or  head.  In  numerous  other  cases  of  cystitis  and  urethritis 
extending  over  a  period  of  five  years.  Dr.  Evans  has  observed 
similar  effects  following  the  administration  of  boric  acid — that  is, 
an  erythema  followed  by  a  fine  scaly  exfoliation.  Immediate 
discontinuance  of  the  drug  prevented  development  of  the  more 
severe  symptoms,  but  in  one  case,  in  which  it  was  inadvertently 
continued,  the  hair  fell  out  to  a  slig'ht  extent,  and  there  w^as 
marked  exfoliation  of  the  skin,  especially  of  the  hands,  with 
onychia  and  splitting  of  the  nails.  Dr.  Evans  concludes  that  the 
symptoms  w^ere  entirely  due  to  the  action  of  boric  acid  on  the 
skin  and  appendages. 

Oxygen  and  Exercise. — In  the  Bradshaw  lecture  before  the 
Royal  College  of  Physicians,  of  London,  Dr.  A.  Foxwell  states 
that  the  first  result  of  exercise  is  to  increase  the  rate  and  depth 
of  respiration.  The  respiratory  quotient — that  is,  the  amount 
of  carbonic  acid  divided  by  the  oxygen — is  not  increased  with 
exercise,  as  the  tissues  are  as  rich,  if  not  richer,  as  when  at  rest. 
This  necessitates  an  increase  in  the  amount  of  oxygen  absorbed, 
since  a  man  gives  off  more  carbonic  acid  when  undergoing  exer- 
tion that  when  at  rest.  It  is  a  strange  fact  that  arm-work  per 
unit  of  work  done  requires  a  greater  absorption  of  oxygen  than 
climbing;  while  climbing  takes  more  than  walking  on  the  level. 
If  the  amount  of  oxygen  absorbed  during  sleep  is  100  grams  per 
minute,  then  there  would  be  absorbed  500  grams  by  a  man  walk- 
ing at  three  miles  per  hour  on  the  level,  and  5,000  grams  in 
climbing  a  yard  high,  and  in  turning  a  wheel  with  the  arm,  7,000 
grams  for  an  equivalent  amount  of  kilogram  meters.  The 
enormous  increase  in  the  amount  of  oxygen  absorbed  and  car- 
bonic acid  given  out  must  necessarily  act  to  strain  the  organs, 
and  Dr.  Foxwell  believes  that  the  lungs  and  the  right  ventricle 
of  the  heart  bear  the  brunt  of  the  extra  labor  involved  in  short 
strenuous  exertions. 


N  OTES  J'^om  fAe 

PUBLIJ^HER 


NINETEEN  HUNDRED 

Is  rapidly  drawing  to  a  close,  and  in  a  short 
time  every  dentist  will  subscribe  for  one  or  more 
journals  for  1901.  If  lie  feels  that  he  only  wishes 
one,  the  Dental  Brief  will  come  nearer  covering 
the  whole  field  than  any  other  journal  published  in 
the  United  States.  Every  article  (as  its  name  implies) 
is  *'  Brief"  and  to  the  point,  at  the  same  time  covering 
the  subject  thoroughly.  One  has  only  to  glance  at 
the  ^'Questions  and  Answers,"  ''Practical  Points," 
and  "  Miscellany,"  to  appreciate  that  they  are  of 
great  value  to  any  dental  practitioner.  The  series 
of  articles  now  being  written  by  Dr.  I.  Norman 
Broomell  will  not  only  be  found  highly  instructive, 
but  highly  interesting.  Dr.  Broomell  was  sent  to 
Paris,  to  attend  the  International  Dental  Congress, 
as  the  special  representative  and  solely  in  the  interest 
of  the  Dental  Brief,  and  his  writings  will  appear 
only  in  this  journal. 

To  all  new  subscribers  we  make  this  offer.  We 
will  send  to  any  dentist  in  the  United  States  or 
Canada  the  Dental  Brief,  from  September,  1900, 
to  January,  1902,  for  the  price  of  one  year's  sub- 
scription— $1.00. 


I 


statue  Erected  in  Commemoration  ot  the  Discovery  of  the  Inoculation  Treatment  for  Rabies. 

The  figure  to  the  Itft  of  the  statue  is  the  first  patietJt  operated  upon,  and  to-day 

remains  as  Custodian  to  the  Pasteur  Institute.     (See  Page  673.) 


THE 


DENTAL    BRIEF. 


Vol..  V.  PHILADEI.PHIA,  DECEMBER,  1900.  No.  12 


ORIGINAL  COMMUNICATIONS. 


E\)t  5uterttational  Uental  CTongrejsjs?,  IJaris. 

By  I.  Norman  Broomell. 

Between  the  sessions  of  the  Congress 
&^  many  of  the  delegates   availed   themselves 

^aBfeur  JnBfifufe.  of  the  opportunity  to  visit  some  of  the  many 
places  of  interest  in  and  about  the  French 
capitol.  Not  the  least  profitable  and  enjoyable  of  these  visits 
was  the  one  made  to  the  Pasteur  Institute.  The  institute  is  sit- 
uated some  distance  from  the  center  of  the  city,  but  a  pleasant 
drive  of  a  half  hour  or  more  brought  us  to  its  gates.  The  orig- 
inal building,  over  the  entrance  to  which  is  inscribed  ''Institute 
Pasteur,  Subscription  Publique  1888,"  was  first  inspected.  Tliis 
building  at  the  present  time  is  given  up  almost  exclusively  to 
laboratories,  and  there  are  many  of  them.  The  old  rooms  de- 
voted to  this  purpose  do  not  impress  one  as  being  modern  in 
equipment  or  methods,  but  the  visitor  is  at  once  amazed  at  the 
vastness  of  the  work  being  done,  and  soon  a  keen  interest  is 
taken,  an  interest  which  quickly  manifests  itself  by  many  interro- 
gations. 

After  a  general  tour  of  the  building,  we  were  ushered  into 
the  clinic  room,  arriving  just  in.  time  to  see  a  female  patient  re- 
ceive her  final  treatment  for  a  possible  hydrophobic  condition. 
The  treatment,  which  had  been  given  to  sixty-one  patients  on 
this  day,  is  of  brief  duration,  and  is  extremely  simple  in  charac- 
ter, consisting  in  injecting  into  the  peritoneum  a  definite  quantity 
of  the  specially  prepared  virus.  Primarily  the  virus  is  grown 
in  the  spinal  cord  taken  from  a  rabbit;  this,  after  a  suitable  in- 
terval, is  put  into  bouillon,  after  which  it  is  ready  for  use.     The 

673 


674  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Strength  of  the  virus  Is  regulated  by  the  number  of  days  it  has 
been  confined  in  the  spinal  tissue,  this  ranging  from  three  to 
fifteen  days.  The  longer  the  injection  remains  in  the  spinal  cord 
the  weaker  it  becomes,  and  it  is  the  virus  of  little  strength  that 
is  used  for  the  first  injection  into  the  human  subject. 

Beginning  with  the  fifteen-day  virus,  injections  are  made 
at  frequent  intervals,  covering  a  period  of  about  three  weeks, 
the  strength  of  the  virus  being  gradually  increased  until  the 
three  days'  old  is  finally  employed.  It  is  claimed  that  the  use  of 
the  three  days'  virus  in  the  beginning  would  result  in  a  serious 
rabietic  condition. 

In  a  separate  building  were  confined  hundreds  of  rabbits, 
Guinea  pigs,  fowl,  etc.,  all  of  these  being  to  a  greater  or  less 
degree  under  the  hydrophobic  influence,  but  no  visible  result 
of  their  inoculation  was  observed. 

Near  by  is  the  new  bacteriological  school,  laboratory  and 
hospital.  These  departments  are  nearly  completed,  and  when 
they  are  fully  finished,  Paris  will  contain  one  of  the  most 
complete  institutions  for  the  study  and  treatment  of  infectious 
diseases  that  the  world  has  yet  known,  ever  perpetuating  the 
memory  of  the  great  benefactor  of  his  race  whose  remains  lie 
within  its  walls. 

In  front  of  the  entrance  to  the  original  Pasteur  Institute 
stands  a  statue  erected  in  commemoration  of  the  discovery  of  the 
now  popular  treatment  of  hydrophobia.  The  figure  (see  frontis- 
piece) represents  a  youth  in  a  desperate  struggle  with  a  rabid 
dog.  As  the  human  model  for  this  statue,  Pasteur  selected  the 
boy  upon  whom  he  first  attempted  the  use  of  his  new  discovery. 
This  was  many  years  ago,  but  to-day  the  lad  w^ho  submitted  to 
what  was  at  that  time  a  dangerous,  or  perhaps  fatal,  proceeding, 
remains  as  the  custodian  over  the  grounds  and  building  which 
he  helped  to  make  famous. 
^p     /    p »      /  Among  the  most  worthy  papers  of  the 

^  Congress  was  one  presented  by  Dr.  Leon 

^R    -*.    /o  Frey,  of  the  Paris  Dental  School,  the  subject 

being  ''Chemical  Erosion  of  the  Teeth." 
The  paper  begins  with  the  definition  of  the  term  chemical  erosion 
as  applying  to  that  process  by  which  the  exposed  surfaces  of  the 
anterior  teeth  are  progressively  destroyed,  the  principal  location 
for  such  affections  being  near  the  gingigval  border  of  the 
teeth,  such  surfaces  presenting  an  unusually  hard  polished  con- 


Pasteur  Itislitute. 


676  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

dition.  The  author  called  attention  to  the  fact  that  this  de- 
structive process  had  had  the  careful  consideration  of  many 
noted  writers,  each  of  whom  has  contributed  separate  and  dis- 
tinct theories  as  to  the  etiology  of  the  condition.  Some  refer- 
ence was  made  to  the  different  terms  used  in  the  description 
of  this  disease.  In  America  the  term  abrasion  and  atrophy  are 
used,  the  former  in  connection  with  a  mechanical  force,  and 
the  latter  the  result  of  congenital  causes;  the  latter  term  atrophy 
being  characterized  in  many  other  countries  as  erosion.  The 
Doctor  continued  by  giving  a  very  careful  description  of  the  con- 
dition known  as  chemical  erosion.  He  said  that  frequently  on 
the  labial  surfaces  of  the  anterior  teeth  there  occurs  a  gradual 
loss  of  structure,  very  minute  in  extent  in  the  beginning,  but 
gradually  increasing  until  frequently  the  greater  portion  of  the 
surface  of  the  tooth  is  involved.  The  direction  assumed  by  this 
peculiar  structural  loss  varies  quite  considerably,  in  some  in- 
stances following  a  line  parallel  with  the  cervical  border,  and 
taking  on  a  curve  similar  to  it,  while  in  other  instances  the  cav- 
ity formed  corresponds  in  a  general  way  to  the  outline  of  the 
surface  attacked.  One  notable  feature  of  this  affection  is  that 
the  margins  of  the  cavity  thus  formed  are  clean  cut,  this  being 
particularly  true  in  the  margin  nearest  the  cutting  edge  of  the 
tooth.  When  these  cavities  are  examined  under  a  microscope 
the  margins,  which  to  the  naked  eye  appear  to  be,  as  already 
stated,  sharply  defined,  present  many  minute  excavations,  these 
minute  depressions  no  doubt  being  the  seat  of  the  active  pro- 
gressive destruction.  The  color  of  the  depression  corresponds 
in  general  to  the  color  of  the  teeth,  but  not  infrequently  it  is 
darker  in  color,  often  to  the  extent  of  a  dark  brown  or  black. 
Teeth  thus  affected  are  usually  more  or  less  sensitive  when  in- 
fluenced by  heat  or  cold  or  by  the  contact  of  some  acid  or  by 
mechanical  friction.  Eroded  surfaces  presenting  a  color  corre- 
sponding to  that  of  the  teeth  affected  are  usually  more  sensitive 
than  those  presenting  a  darker  surface.  In  describing  the  de- 
velopment of  erosion  Dr.  Frey  called  attention  tO'  the  fact  that 
the  gum  about  the  affected  tooth  becomes  more  or  less  in- 
flamed and  slightly  recedes.  Following  this  there  is  a  gradual 
destruction  of  the  cemental  tissue,  finally  resulting  in  the  ex- 
posure of  the  dentine.  If  this  newly  affected  surface  is  examined 
wdth  the  microscope,  it  will  be  found  that  scattered  here  and 
there  are   many   minute   cavities,   these   finally   spreading   and 


INTERNATIONAL   DENTAL    CONGRESS.  S-jj 

uniting  to  form  a  single  depression.  At  the  same  time  that  this 
outward  affection  is  progressing,  the  pulp  within  is  making  a  de- 
termined effort  at  self-protection  by  the  deposition  of  secondary- 
dentine.  Not  infrequently,  however,  the  erosion  is  so  rapid  in 
its  progress  that  the  pulp  is  unable  to  completely  protect  itself, 
and  finally  its  death  and  destruction  occurs  from  the  rapid  prog- 
ress of  the  disease.  One  peculiar  feature  of  the  condition 
known  as  chem.ical  erosion  is  that  the  number  of  teeth  involved 
varies,  in  some  instances  a  single  tooth  being  the  seat  of  two  or 
three  separate  areas  of  chemical  erosion,  while  again  an  incisor 
and  cuspid  may  be  affected  while  the  intervening  tooth  is  free 
from'  an  attack. 

Many  theories  are  advanced  in  regard  to  the  cause  of  this 
structural  loss  on  the  tooth  surface.  There  is  the  chemico- 
mechanical  theory,  the  chemical  theory,  the  mechanical  theory 
and  the  vitalo-mechanical  theory.  These  were  discussed,  the 
author  plainly  favoring  the  chemical  theory.  In  the  treatment 
of  the  condition,  the  writer  referred  to  three  modes,  any  or  all  of 
which  may  be  used.  First,  the  surgical  treatment  advised  by 
Dr.  Michels,  in  which  the  labial  glands  are  involved,  and  in  which 
he  advises  the  cauterization  of  the  ducts  of  these  glands;  the  use 
of  nitrate  of  silver  as  a  suitable  cautery  for  the  reduction  of  the 
sensitiveness  of  the  surface  before  the  filling  of  the  cavities  with 
gold.  Second,  a  systemic  treatment  against  rheumatism  and 
gout.  Third,  a  local  treatment  consisting  of  alkaline  washes 
and  acids. 

^jj     „ ,  ,      P  Among  the  many  papers  of  the   Con- 

Avo'iv      .     ^    yn       gress,   no   subject  was   so   thoroughlv   dis- 

,     -^      ,  cussed  as  that  of  the  public  care  of  the  teeth. 

in  (KufiBta. 

One  or  two   of  these   papers    ha\e    already 

been  included  in  tl-.e^e  articles. 

"The  State  of  Children's  Teeth  in  Russia,"  by  Professor 
Limberg,  of  St.  Petersburg,  merits  special  consideration,  from 
the  fact  that  it  supplies  much  valuable  data  concerning  the  sub- 
ject, data  which  has  been  prepared  with  great  care  antl  pre- 
cision. Referring  to  the  larger  cities  of  the  world,  it  is  claimed 
that  fully  80  per  cent,  of  children's  teeth  are  early  affected  by 
caries,  and  that  almost  the  same  condition  exists  in  the  smaller 
towns.  Referring  to  the  number  of  teeth  thus  affected  in  dif- 
ferent localities,  the  writer  said  that  in  his  own  city  tlie  j^er- 
centage  is  about  80.     In  the  northern  districts  the  percentage  is 


6:8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

somewhat  reduced,  being  about  65.  In  the  south  it  is  63  and  in 
the  west  58. 

Professor  Skhfasowsky  is  given  the  credit  of  first  calling 
public  attention  to  the  premature  decay  of  the  teeth  of  children 
in  Russia,  and  it  is  through  him  that  the  foregoing  reports  are 
recorded.  He  stated  that  physicians  could  do  much  to  promote 
the  training  of  children  in  the  proper  care  of  their  teeth  simply 
by  calling  the  attention  of  their  parents  to  the  subject,  and  in- 
sisting upon  the  teeth  being  given  prompt  attention.  He 
thought  that  it  should  be  a  part  of  the  school  government  to  re- 
quire healthy  dental  organs  in  the  pupils,  and  that  this  would 
be  greatly  encouraged  by  imparting  to  the  pupils  a  general 
knowledge  of  the  causes  which  produce  dental  decay,  and  by  a 
simple  training  in  the  manner  of  preserving  the  teeth  by  regu- 
lar care.  These  things,  he  affirmed,  should  form'  a  part  of  the 
teaching  of  general  hygiene  in  the  schools.  Among  the  number 
of  treatments  given  at  present  in  the  public  schools,  palliative 
measures  and  extraction  should  be  replaced  by  conservative 
and  systematic  treatment.  A  school  specialist  should  be  ap- 
pointed, whose  remuneration  should  be  according  to  the  num- 
ber of  pupils  in  attendance.  By  the  inauguration  of  such  a  sys- 
tem, poor  children  would  receive  the  same  care  and  attention 
as  their  more  fortunate  classmates. 

Dr.  Ravinowitcz  made  an  examination  of  the  teeth  of  the 
children  in  one  of  the  elementary  schools  in  Finland,  the  pupils 
ranging  in  age  from  nine  to  twenty  years.  Three  hundred  and 
fifty-eight  mouths  were  examined  and  44  per  cent,  were  found 
to  contain  teeth  more  or  less  diseased.  This  examination  was 
principally  confined  to  children  in  good  circumstances,  but  at 
an  examination  in  another  school,  composed  of  poor  chil- 
dren only,  17  per  cent,  of  those  examined  were  found  to  have 
defective  teeth.  From  this  it  was  argued  that  the  teeth  of  the 
poorer  classes  are  less  liable  to  caries  than  are  the  teeth  of 
those  more  fortunate  in  this  world's  goods.  The  Minister 
of  War  of  Russia,  desiring  to  ascertain  if  the  services  of  a 
resident  dentist  were  required,  submitted  the  teeth  of  four  hun- 
dred and  sixteen  pupils  of  one  of  the  military  schools  for  exam- 
ination. Forty-five  per  cent,  were  found  to  be  affected  by  dental 
decay.  Dr.  Limberg  reported  the  examination  of  one  hundred 
and  thirteen  female  pupils  from  eight  to  twenty  years  of  age, 
and  found  over  eleven  hundred  decayed- teeth,  78  per  cent,  being 


INTERNATIONAL   DENTAL    CONGRESS.  679 

between  the  age  of  eight  and  twelve  years,  86  per  cent,  between 
the  age  of  twelve  and  sixteen  years,  and  92  per  cent,  between  six- 
teen and  twenty  years.  In  a  conference  of  physicians  at  one  of 
the  sanitary  reunions  at  St.  Petersburg  the  following  measures 
were  proposed :  (i)  To  organize  regular  treatment  of  the  school 
children  sO'  as  to  prevent  as  much  as  possible  the  occurrence 
of  all  dental  diseases.  (2)  To  found  free  dental  departments  in 
hospitals  where  the  teeth  of  all  alike  will  be  filled.  (3)  To  en- 
gage dental  surgeons  at  once.  (4)  To'  teach  the  teachers  and 
children  the  utility  of  caring  for  the  teeth,  a  duty  which  should 
belong  to  the  physician  of  the  school.  From  the  report  of 
Mr.  Price,  who'  has  studied  the  teeth  of  children  in  the  English 
higher  grade  schools,  the  following  statements  were  quoted  as 
showing  the  regular  dental  care  which  is  necessary  in  schools : 
''First,  the  onset  of  caries  soon  brings  about  the  destruction  of 
the  young  teeth  which  are  as  yet  not  very  strong.  Second,  con- 
tinued care  of  badly  decayed  teeth  in  children  is  urgent,  because 
when  these  teeth  are  left  to  themselves  they  become  a  hotbed 
of  contagion  for  other  teeth.  Third,  the  unopposed  destruc- 
tion in  the  period  of  physical  growth,  arrests  the  regular  develop- 
ment of  the  organism,  and  prepares  the  ground  for  other  dental 
evils.  Fourth,  the  hollows  in  decayed  teeth  are  very  favorable 
places  for  the  development  of  bacteria,  which,  during  conversa- 
tion, may  be  ejected  to  a  considerable  distance,  to  the  possible 
injury  of  those  present.  The  dental  treatment  generally  of  to- 
day differs  considerably  from  what  was  in  vogue  twenty  or  thirty 
years  ago,  but  the  attention  devoted  to  the  teeth  of  school  chil- 
dren has  made  little  or  no  progress  during  that  time." 

,  Another  paper  of  the  same  character, 

WR    TTT       "Dental  Services  in  the  Public  Schools  and 
'"f!L    P  P°°^  Schools  of  England,"  was  presented 

of  (gngfanb.  ^^  ^   j    ^..^^^^  ^^  Edinburgh.     These  serv- 

ices, he  states,  are  very  limited.  Fie,  however,  hopes  for  their 
development  in  the  course  of  time.  The  progress  thus  far  made 
is  due  to  the  School  Commission  named  by  the  British  Dental 
Association. 

The  public  schools  receive  children  of  the  upper  and  mid- 
dle classes.  The  poor  schools  include  the  large  district  schools, 
the  parish  schools,  where  the  children  of  a  parish  arc  instructed 
not  in  an  asylum  of  the  poor,  but  in  a  special  place  and  submit- 
ted to  special  regulations. 


68o  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

The  general  tendency  in  the  pubHc  schools,  as  well  as  in 

the  poor   schools,   is   to  appreciate   the   value   of  these   dental 

services.  i 

—   T    f      f:  ''The  Instruction  of  the  Public  on  the 

^„    r>r>  or     Nccd  of  thc  Rcmoval  of  Dental  Caries  for 

on  i?ft  (Kemotjar  of     ^,      ^       i     r  ^t      tt     i.i   »»  u     t-         .  t 
/rs    z  t>  jkv    '  the  Good  of  the  Health,    by  Ernest  lessen, 

©enfaf  CarteB.  r    c.      i  ^\^  .t 

of    Strasburg-,    was    a   valuable   paper,    the 

substance  of  which  appears  in  the  author's  conclusions,  which 
are  as  follows:  While  there  do  not  exist  in  very  many  coun- 
tries well  equipped  State  establishments,  it  is  necessary  that 
there  should  be  found  in  each  university  town  philanthropic  men 
who  shall  estabish  at  their  own  expense  private  schools  to  in- 
struct students  in  dental  surgery  and  render  them  capable  of 
practicing  this  profession.  When  this  comes  tO'  pass  the  State 
will  soon  declare  compulsory  dental  service,  at  present  so  un- 
justly separated  from  general  medicine  by  the  physicians,  a  pro- 
tection absolutely  justified  by  the  progress  of  bacteriology. 
Thus  will  diminish  those  cases  which  bring,  by  the  infection  of 
septic  instruments  after  extraction  of  teeth,  serious  diseases  and 
even  the  death  of  the  patient  through  the  false  opinion  sO'  wide- 
spread that  antisepsis  in  the  mouth  is  useless. 

_     ^  On  Saturday  morning,  during  the  prog- 

ress  of  the  clinics.  Dr.  Ameodo  was  asked 
oil 
«      f    z  ^'  to  give  his  opinion  in  regard  to  implanta- 

tion, he  at  the  present  time  being  a  firm  be- 
liever in  this  method  of  restoration.  ''Yes,"  he  said,  "I  am  an 
enthusiast,  and  justly  so,  because  I  have  had  success  in  so  many 
cases,  some  of  which  I  performed  eleven  years  ago.  Some  of 
the  methods  which  I  employ  and  insure  success  are:  First, 
complete  removal  of  peridental  membrane;  second,  the  forma- 
tion of  a  temporary  mechanical  union  by  driving  the  tooth  to 
place  and  making  the  home  take  the  shape  of  the  root;  the  sup- 
port of  the  tooth,  by  ligating  with  platinum  wire,  being  careful 
to  so  adjust  this  that  it  will  be  immovable,  and  firmly  hold 
the  tooth  in  position  until  union  has  taken  place." 

"What  is  your  theory  in  regard  to  the  attachment  formed  V 
"The  attachment  must  be  by  ankylosis,  and  may  be  brought 
about  by  osteoclasts  burrowing  many  minute  holes  into  the  sur- 
face of  the  root,  and  into  these  new  bone  is  deposited  from  the 
periosteum." 


INTERNATIONAL    DENTAL    CONGRESS.  68 1 

''Where  the  natural  tooth  socket  has  disappeared  and  witli 
it  the  periosteum,  how  would  the  attachment  be  brought  about?" 

"Under  such  conditions  I  do  not  believe  that  the  operation 

would  be  a  success,  the  natural  socket  with  its  lining  membrane 

are  essential  factors  in  this  operation,  and  an  attempt  to  operate 

without  them  means  disappointment.     In  some  instances  I  have 

attempted  tO'  extract  implanted  teeth  and  have  always  found 

that  the  surrounding  bone  has  become  firmly  united  to  the  root. 

and  that  it  is  extremely  hard  in  character,  even  harder  than  the 

dentine  of  the  tooth.     I  think  the  principal  objection  to  teeth 

thus  restored  is  that  they  lack  elasticity,  and  are  liable  to  suffer 

more  from  this  cause  than  any  other." 

^     ,       ,  ^  Dr.  Rudolph  Weiser  demonstrated  his 

^reafmenf  for  ^u   ^     r  *      f        ^  •  r    i        •      i 

^^      ,  method  of  treatment  m  cases  of  chronic  al- 

^o      o     ^^o  veolar  abscesses.  With  specially  constructed 

^  ^  scalpels  and  engme  burrs,  direct  access  to 

the  root  apex  is  gained.  If  the  foramen  is  closed  it  is  opened 
to  admit  of  free  dressing,  and  a  thorough  cleansing  of  the  canal 
is  accomplished  by  flushing  both  from  the  apical  and  coronal 
extremities.  To  obtain  the  full  benefit  of  the  agents  employed 
in  the  destruction  of  the  pathological  tissues  of  the  apical  space, 
the  entrance  to  this  or  the  external  wound  is  temporarily  closed 
with  a  cotton  and  sandarac  dressing,  and  the  needle  forced 
through  this,  thus  damming  up  the  injection.  No  reference  was 
made  tO'  the  medicaments  preferred,  but  these  did  not  appear  to 
be  so  much  a  feature  of  the  clinic  as  the  methods  employed. 

,  Dr.  Hahl,  of  Berlin,  exhibited  an  appli- 

^  ance,  a  fac-simile  of  which  had  been   em- 

^wi    'pp  ployed  to  reconstruct  portions  of  the  body 

^  ^^^   ^-  Qf  ^j-^g  inferior  maxilla.     The  district  miss- 

ing was  at  the  symphysis,  and  extended  laterally  to  the  right 
and  left  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch.  The  free  extremities 
of  the  bone  were  squared  ofif,  and  into  the  cancellated  tissue  two 
small  gold  tubes  were  inserted,  and  into  these  gold  posts  of  suit- 
able size.  The  intervening  space,  or  that  to  be  reconstructed, 
was  neatly  fitted  with  a  hollow  gold  block  simulating  the  incisal 
portion  of  the  jaw,  and  to  this  the  gold  posts  were  soldered. 
By  spreading  the  natural  bone  the  appliance  was  readily  ad- 
justed. The  practical  appliance  has  been  worn  for  some  months 
with  considerable  satisfaction,  a  full  lower  denture  assisting  in 
holding  the  parts  together. 


682  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

THE  PRACTICAL  SIDE  OF  A  DENTAL  EDUCATION.* 
Dr.  Herman  Haupt,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

This  is  an  ag^e  of  specialties.  Experience  teaches  that  in 
every  department  of  hfe  one  hne,  and  only  one,  can  be  brought 
to  a  successful  issue.  The  "Jack  of  all  trades  and  master  of 
none"  has  become  a  thing  of  the  past.  When  your  health  is 
seriously  imparled  and  your  life  is  in  danger  you  are  no  longer 
satisfied  with  your  family  physician.  Indeed,  he  himself  will 
recommend  a  specialist.  One  who  has  made  a  life's  study  of 
the  eye,  the  throat,  the  ear,  the  lungs,  the  stomach,  or  whatever 
may  the  part  affected. 

This  is  true  in  every  profession.  The  man  who  chooses 
early  in  life  his  profession,  and  bends  every  effort  toward  the 
highest  attainment  in  that  sphere,  is  the  man  who  reaches  the 
highest  round  on  the  ladder  of  fame. 

To  this  universal  principle  the  profession  of  dentistry  is  not 
an  exception. 

By  the  term  profession  I  do  not  mean  to  intimate  that  I 
deem  it  a  distinct  profession.  Dentistry  is  a  specialty  of  medi- 
cine. Like  the  study  of  the  eye,  the  ear,  the  nose,  the  throat, 
or  the  heart,  so  the  study  of  the  teeth  is  a  particular  specialty 
of  that  study  which  embraces  the  whole  human  system.  Some- 
times specialties  are  carried  to  extremes,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
old  German  doctor  in  my  native  country.  He  was  an  eye 
specialist.  A  patient  entered  his  office  for  treatment.  The  first 
question  asked  him  was,  ''Which  eye  is  it?"  The  patient  re- 
plied, ''the  right."  "Oh!"  said  the  doctor,  "my  specialty  is  the 
left  eye." 

That  was  a  specialty  with  a  vengeance.  A  specialist  who 
could  treat  the  left  eye  and  not  the  right  would  not  be  the  man 
in  whom  you  would  care  to  entrust  your  sight.  Neither  would 
the  specialist  in  dentistry  who  knew  nothing  of  the  other  parts 
of  the  human  body  be  competent  to  be  entrusted  with  the 
organs  which  play  such  an  important  part  as  the  mastication  of 
all  solid  foods  which  enter  the  human  system. 

What  preparation,  then,  shall  the  dental  student  have  be- 
fore he  enters  upon  his  collegiate  course?  Shall  he  go  as  far 
as  Dr.  John  I.  Hart,  D.D.S.,  of  the  New  York  Dental  School, 
recommends  in  his  article  read  before  the  Eighth  District  Den- 
tal Society  of  the  State  of  New  York,  in  which  he  advocates 
that  the  student  of  dentistry  should  be  graduated  with  the 
degree  M.D.,  with  all  which  that  means,  and  then  pursue  the 
study  of  dentistry? 

Shall  this  be  the  rule,  or  would  it  be  more  profitable  for 


♦  Read  before  the  Odontological  Society  of  Western   Pennsylvania, 
Marcli  14th,  1900. 


THE  PRACTICAL  SIDE  OF  A  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  683 

him  to  spend  the  same  amount  of  time  in  a  number  one  pro- 
fessional dentist's  office,  getting  something  of  really  permanent 
and  practical  value  in  his  future  profession? 

Much  can  be  said  for  and  against  both  methods.  Dr.  Hart 
speaks  from  the  standpoint  of  a  collegiate  professor.  Permit 
me  to  speak  a  word  from  the  practitioner's  point  of  view.  I 
hold  to  the  doctrine  of  previous  practical  training  in  the  den- 
tist's office.  By  such  training  I  do  not  mean  that  which  con- 
sists in  cleaning  cuspidors,  running  errands,  answering  the  tele- 
phone and  working  in  the  laboratory. 

The  student  should  be  completely  under  the  care  of  the 
dentist.  He  should  be  taught  what  the  dentist  knows  about 
dentistry.  The  mind  of  the  student  should  be  directed  along 
the  line  of  work  which  he  will  pursue  when  he  enters  college. 
Unless  this  is  done  he  will  be  sure  to  find  himself  in  deep  water 
when  he  enters  the  lecture  room  and  the  learned  professor 
throws  at  him  a  mass  of  scientific  words.  He  wonders  what  it 
is  all  about,  and  quickly  makes  up  his  mind  he  cannot  learn 
dentistry.  A  dentist  who  can  devote  no  time  to  his  student 
has  no  right  to  have  a  student  under  his  charge.  He  not  only 
does  the  student  an  injury,  but  he  fails  of  his  own  duty  toward 
him. 

Take  the  student  of  law,  or  the  student  of  medicine.  They 
become  familiar,  while  in  the  office,  with  the  meaning  of  the 
names  and  terms  peculiar  to  their  professions;  they  learn  the 
rudimentary  principles  and  gain  a  comprehensive  idea  of  the 
elementary  methods  of  their  respective  professions.  Then  upon 
entering  college  they  are  equipped  with  such  a  knowledge  of 
their  professions,  as  to  be  able  to  grasp  the  meaning  of  the 
lectures  from  the  beginning.  I  think  it  ought  to  be  so  with 
the  student  of  dentistry. 

Is  there  not  a  danger  of  running  to  extremes  in  theory  and 
losing  sight  of  the  practical?  The  way  for  a  student  of  law  to 
learn  to  plead  at  the  bar  is  to  take  hold  of  an  actual  case  and 
throw  his  whole  soul  into  it.  The  way  for  a  student  of  medi- 
cine to  learn  to  practice  medicine  is  to  take  advantage  of  the 
absence  of  the  old  doctor  and  take  hold  of  the  case;  the  way  for 
a  student  for  the  ministry  to  learn  to  preach,  is  to  preach;  and 
the  way  to  learn  to  practice  dentistry  is  to  get  a  patient  who 
will  be  tamed,  and  go  to  work  on  him.  It  may  be  a  hard  thing 
for  the  client,  the  layman  and  the  patient,  but  it  is  of  the  highest 
importance  to  the  student.  Now  I  don't  mean  to  disparage  the 
necessity  of  a  college  course,  but  what  I  do  moan  is  to  make 
emphatic  the  practical  side  of  a  dental  education. 

Notwithstanding  the  argument  that  students  must  unlearn 
so  much  that  they  have  taken  up  before  they  entered  college, 
I  see  this,  that  the  young  man  who  can  fill  teeth  before  he  en- 
ters college  is  not  the  one  who  sits  idle  in  his  office  for  weeks 
waiting  for  a  patient  after  he  comes  out  of  college. 


^84  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

I  have  no  quarrel  with  colleges,  but  I  see  the  boy  who  has 
learned  by  experience  to  hold  the  handles  of  the  plow  steady  in 
the  stony  ground  can  put  to  shame  the  graduate  of  an  agricul- 
tural school.  I  see  that  the  young  man  who  has  studied  min- 
eralogy in  college  is  unable  to  detect  the  presence  of  silver  in 
the  stone  wall  in  front  of  his  home,  while  his  old  uncle,  who  has 
never  gone  to  college,  but  has  spent  his  life  in  the  mines  of  the 
West,  whose  eye  is  trained  to  detect  the  sparkle,  perceives  it  at 
once. 

As  with  every  pursuit  in  life  the  practical  must  not  be  re- 
placed by  the  theoretical,  so  in  dentistry  we  ought  to  guard 
•against  the  danger  of  advertising  too  high  a  standard  for  ad- 
mission to  our  colleges  in  literary  requirements  and  placing  no 
stress  on  the  practical.  What  our  colleges  need  is  to  send  out 
men  who  have  confidence  in  themselves.  I  know  a  young  man 
who  said  to  his  first  patient  when  asked  for  his  bill,  'Wait  and 
see  if  it  sticks,  and  then  I'll  send  in  my  bill." 

What  qualifications  are  necessary,  then,  to  success  in  den- 
tistry? 

1.  Practical  experience  preparatory  to  attendance  at  col- 
lege. Not  as  an  office  boy,  bringing  water,  sweeping,  dusting 
or  running  an  engine,  but  actual  training  in  operating  and  in 
the  laboratory.  Had  I  not  had  my  five  years  of  actual  oper- 
ating I  should  not  have  been  able  to  follow  up  the  college 
curriculum. 

2.  He  must  have  a  knowledge  of  those  studies  necessary 
to  fit  one  for  grasping  readily  the  subjects  pursued  in  the  col- 
lege course.  1  do  not  wish  to  depreciate  the  value  of  a  literary 
education,  but  we  must  define  terms.  What  do  we  mean  by 
literary?  If  you  say  a  classical  course  in  college  or  an  M.D. 
course,  then  I  say  your  standard  is  too  high.  Time,  expense 
and  impracticability  are  arguments  which  the  mere  mention  of 
their  names  speaks  volumes. 

3.  He  must  have  natural  mechanical  ability.  Man  is  a 
complex  being.  It  requires  the  omniscience  of  an  Infinite  mind 
to  create  him.  It  requires  an  artist  of  no  mean  ability  to  imi- 
tate nature.  Unless  a  man  has  a  natural  adaptation  to  me- 
chanics he  had  best  study  some  other  profession.  To  be  a 
dentist  one  must  be  a  metallurgist,  a  chemist,  an  electrician, 
a  porcelain  worker,  a  rubber  worker,  a  moulder,  and  a  tool 
maker. 

I  know  men  who  might  work  all  their  lives  and  never  be- 
come skilful  dentists.  They  have  no  natural  mechanical  ability. 
Having  these  qualifications  and  ability  and  having  fulfilled  those 
requirements  the  student  is  prepared  to  enter  upon  his  college 
course  and  profit  by  it.  Let  him  pass  through  this  part  of  his 
preparatory  course  in  silence.  He  passes  his  examinations, 
takes  his  diploma  under  his  arm,  and  finding  a  location,  sits  him- 


I 


THE  PRACTICAL  SIDE  OF  A  DENTAL  EDUCATION.  685 

self  down,  and  possesses  his  soul  with  ease  awaiting  his  first 
paf:ient. 

Thus  far  we  have  spoken  of  him  as  a  student;  let  us  now 
sp(!ak  of  him  briefly  as  a  teacher.     And  why  a  teacher? 

Because  he  finds  the  air  full  of  humdrum  and  advertise- 
ments about  the  "Painless  Dentists."  Hand  bills,  dodgers  and 
cards  are  scattered  along  all  the  streets,  and  the  newspapers  are 
full  of  their  announcements.  Even  women  with  baskets  in 
their  hands  are  seen  calling  from  house  to  house,  showing 
samples  of  teeth  and  work,  soliciting  patronage. 

But  worst  of  all  the  honorable  dentist  would  starve  if  he 
would  attempt  to  do  work  for  the  prices  of  these  advertising 
dentists.  Then  to  cap  the  climax  his  patients  begin  to  ask  all 
sorts  of  questions.  Have  you  reduced  your  prices  on  gold  and 
amalgam  fillings?  I  see  the  painless  dentists  will  do  work  for 
less  than  half  your  prices.  I  believe  I  shall  go  and  try  them,  or 
why  is  it  that  you  charge  so  much  more  for  crown-  and  bridge- 
work  than  these  advertising  dentists? 

Gentlemen,  I  know  of  only  one  solution  to  the  problem. 
It  is  to  educate  the  people.  We  have  to  do  with  the  public  for 
our  patronage.  We  depend  upon  them  for  our  business.  In 
justice  to  ourselves  and  to  our  profession  it  is  our  own  duty 
to  show  up  every  false  filling  and  every  flimsy  crown.  We  owe 
it  to  our  patients  to  prove  to  them  that  they  are  being  flim- 
flammed  and  bamboozled  by  these  advertising  dentists;  that 
they  are  given  inferior  work,  and  are  being  charged  exhorbitant 
prices  for  it;  that  they  are  being  imposed  upon  by  these  would- 
be  friends. 

Gentlemen,  it  remains  for  the  dentist  who  does  honest  work 
to  instruct  the  patient.  Let  the  truth  be  known,  let  nothing 
be  done  in  a  corner;  then  will  every  upright  dentist  who  does 
genuine  work  have  practice  enough  and  to  spare. 


686  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


MOUTH  WASHES.* 
Dr.  R.  G.  Burns,  of  Allegheny,  Pa. 

By  request  I  made  comparative  tests  of  the  following  mouth 
washes: 

Sanitol,  borolyptol,  formalid,  pasteurine,  listerine,  glyco- 
thymoline  and  phenol-sodique,  and  compared  them  with  a  solu- 
tion of  hydrarg-bichlor. 

In  all  cases  material  was  taken  from  the  same  mouths,  the 
proportion  determined  by  the  same  measure  and  the  medium 
being  bullion. 

The  time  allotted  for  each  culture  to  develop  being  the  same, 
48  hours  in  an  incubator  at  37  C. 

Tests  were  not  made  with  the  known  pathogenic  organ- 
isms such  as  the  bacillus  anthrax,  tubercle  baccilli  or  the  bacillus 
of  the  typhoid  fever,  but  with  the  germs  from  the  buccal  secre- 
tions and  around  the  teeth.  This  was  done  because  we  believed 
it  the  only  practical  manner  by  which  to  demonstrate  the  germ- 
icidal value  of  a  mouth  wash. 

As  sanatol  is  the  most  widely  advertised  wash  at  the  pres- 
ent time,  we  thought  it  expedient  to  first  examine  it,  beginning 
with  one  part  in  thirty-eight.  This  was  not  germicidal,  then  in 
turn  we  made  the  following:  i — 30,  i — 20,  i — 15,  i — 10,  i — 9, 
I — y,  I — 6.  Growth  was  very  abundant  until  we  arrived  at 
I — 10;  here  growth  was  retarded,  too. 

To  sum  up  in  short,  the  results  are  as  follows: 


Solution. 

Retarded. 

Germicidal, 

Sanitol, 

I-IO, 

1-6. 

Borolyptol, 

1-7, 

1-4. 

Pasteurine, 

1-7, 

1-4. 

Formalid, 

1-6, 

1-4. 

L^'sterine, 

I  5, 

1-3. 

Glyco-thymoline, 

1-4. 

1-2. 

Pheno-sorlique, 

I-IO, 

1-6. 

Hydrarg-bichlor, 

1-50000, 

1-25000. 

In  my  opinion  phenol-sodique  is  the  best  solution  given  me 
for  examination,  looking  at  it  from  a  germicidal  point  of  view. 


*Read  before  Cdontological  Society  of  Western  Pennsylvania,  March 
14th,  1900. 


I 


NEUROTIC  AFFECTIONS  OF  INTERSTITIAL  GINGl  VITIS.     687 

NEUROTIC  AFFECTIONS  OF  INTERSTITIAL 
GINGIVITIS.* 

/.  G.  Kiernan,  M.D. 

The  chief  function  of  the  nervous  system,  beside  its  special 
function,  is  that  of  regulating  growth  and  repair.  This  function, 
as  Marinesco  points  out,  resides  even  in  the  neuron  or  nerve 
unit.  While  this  function  of  regulating  growth  and  repair  is 
often  connected  with  control  of  the  vasomotor  system,  still,  as 
Collins  remarks,  there  are  trophoneuroses  in  which  there  are  no 
appreciable  vasomotor  disturbances,  and  there  are  any  amount 
of  vasomotor  disturbances  which  are  in  no  sense  connected  with 
disturbances  of  nutrition.  The  nerves  regulating  growth  and 
repair  are  called  trophic  nerves,  and  the  conditions  produced  by 
anomalies  of  their  action  are,  as  already  stated,  called  trophoneu- 
roses. It  was  in  the  domain  of  bone  growth  that  anomalies  of 
the  function  of  the  trophic  nerves  were  first  observed.  Brown- 
Sequard  pointed  out  certain  anomalies  in  the  joints  of  locomotor 
ataxics;  later  similar  disturbances  were  observed  in  the  jaws  of 
patients  with  this  disease.  Another  great  neurosis,  paretic  de- 
mentia, presented  similar  trophic  disturbance,  as  I  pointed  out 
twenty-two  years  ago.f  Among  these  trophoneuroses  was  one 
characterized  by  looseness  and  falling  out  of  the  teeth,  alveolar 
resorption,  gingival  ulceration  and  perforation,  with,  at  times, 
maxillary  necrosis.  This  condition  had  long  been  recognized 
by  alienists  and  neurologists  as  causing  that  fall  of  the  teeth 
which  occurs  in  paretic  dementia  and  loconiiotor  ataxia.  As  E. 
S.  Talbot!  remarks,  this  function  of  the  trophic  nerves,  how- 
ever, received  but  little  attention  from  dentists,  albeit  its  influ- 
ence has  been  recognized  in  dental  pathology,  in  connection 
with  the  great  neuroses  in  which  gum  disorder  occurs,  followed 
by  loosening  of  the  teeth.  Cases  illustrative  of  this  condition 
have  lately  been  described  by  Drs.  Rawl,  Baudet§  and  Chagnon.jj 
The  case  of  Dr.  Chagnon  was  that  of  a  nian  aged  34,  who, 
about  ten  years  previous  to  coming  under  his  care,  had  con- 
tracted syphilis.  Two  years  later  he  married  and  had  healthv 
children.     In  June,  1895,  he  was  admitted  to  an  insane  hospital 


^Presented  in  a  symposium  on  Interstitial  Gingivitis,  to  the  Section  on 
Stomatology,  at  the  Fifty-firbt  Annual  Meetirg  of  the  American  Medical 
Association,  held  at  Atlantic  City,  N.  J.,  June  5th-8th,  1900. 

t Journal  of  Nervous  and  Mental  Diseases,  1878. 

X  Interstitial  Gingivitis. 

I  La  Presse  M^dicale,  1898. 

II  American  Journal  of  Insanity,  October,  1899. 


688  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

under  intense  maniacal  excitement,  which  subsided  to  give  place 
to  the  usual  symptoms  of  paretic  dementia,  llie  psychosis  fol- 
lowed its  course  without  any  remarkable  incident  until  about 
September,  1897.  At  this  time  Dr.  Chagnon  found  that  the  two 
incisors,  the  canine,  two  premolars  and  the  first  molar  of  the 
left  upper  ma-xillary  were  very  loose.  The  teeth  on  being  picked 
out  were  absolutely  sound.  The  ulceration  which  affected  the 
surface  of  the  alveoli  following  the  loss  of  the  teeth  did  not 
heal.  About  the  middle  of  September  a  sequestrum,  in  which 
the  work  of  alveolar  resorption  was  not  much  advanced,  became 
detached.  The  palate  roof  forming  the  anterior  border  of  the 
maxillary  sinus  was  part  of  the  sequestrum.  Two  months  later 
the  ulceration  had  healed.  In  June,  1899,  when  Dr.  Chagnon 
reported  this  case  to  the  Quebec  Medico-Psychologic  Society, 
all  the  teeth  in  the  lower  jaw  were  sound.  The  two  premolars 
and  the  right  canine  of  the  upper  jaw  were  decayed.  The  second 
and  third  left  molars  as  well  as  the  first  right  molar  were  loose, 
but  perfectly  sound.  There  existed  no  alveolar  pyorrhea; 
neither  did  any  trace  of  ulceration  appear,  except  a  small  open- 
ing which  would  not  admit  a  probe. 

Conditions  hke  this  may  occur  not  only  from  comstitutional 
neuroses,  but  from  disturbances  of  the  cranial  and  spinal  nerves 
as  well.  They  are  frequently  noticed  after  injuries  to  these 
nerves,  but  they  may  also  occur  as  a  consequence  of  the  great 
functional  neuroses  like  epilepsy,  neurasthenia  and  hysteria. 
Their  part  in  dental  pathology  is  twofold;  they  may  cause  an 
interstitial  gingivitis,  which  pursues  its  course  without  bacterial 
infection,  or  they  may  so  weaken  the  strength  of  the  jaws  and 
gums  as  to  make  these  into  an  excellent  culture-medium  for 
pyogenic  microbes.  In  dealing,  therefore,  with  the  question 
of  treatment,  the  trophic  factor  should  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion, more  especially  as  the  structures  involved,  since  they  are 
cf  a  transitory  type,  are  peculiarly  liable  to  its  operation. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  689 

ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS. 


AFTER-RESULTS   OF   TREATMENT   OF    CARIES    BY 
GERANIUM-FORMOL.* 

MM.  C.  Andre  and  G.  de  Marion. 

In  presenting-  the  results  of  treating  caries  of  the  third  and 
fourth  degree  by  geranium-formol,  a  method  we  introduced  sev- 
eral years  ago,  we  have  a  double  purpose.  First,  to  show  the 
success  of  the  method  when  properly  carried  out;  secondly,  to 
reduce  to  their  real  value  proceedings  which  it  has  been  desired 
to  connect  with  the  formol  method,  and  which  show  that  their 
authors  have  a  complete  misunderstanding  of  the  useful  prop- 
erties of  this  substance  for  the  purpose  we  are  dealing  with. 

This  question  of  the  useful  properties  of  formol  is  one  of 
great  importance,  and  we  feel  ourselves  bound  to  accurately  de- 
termine them.  In  order  to  do  so  let  us  consider  the  problem 
at  the  commencement,  and  see  what  is  the  condition  of  a  tooth 
affected  with  caries  of  the  fourth  degree.  The  pulp  has  been 
destroyed  and  liquefied  by  putrid  fermentation;  in  its  place  we 
find  the  products  of  its  destruction,  and  amongst  these  products 
a  quantity  of  infectious  germs.  The  condition  is  much  the 
same  as  when  animal  matter  is  destroyed  in  contact  with  the  air; 
the  canals  are  filled  with  a  brown  substance  of  soft  consistence, 
moisture,  emulsionized  fatty  acids,  sulphuretted  and  phosphor- 
ized  ammoniacal  derivatives,  and  these,  especially  the  latter, 
which  are  soluble  in  water,  are  disseminated  in  the  dentinal 
tubes. 

Now,  when  formol  is  brought  in  contact  with  putrid  prod- 
ucts there  results  this  remarkable  fact  of  the  almost  instan- 
taneous deodorization  of  these  residues  if  the  formol  has  been, 
used  in  sufBcient  strength.  This  important  property  has  been 
observed  and  noted  by  all  those  who  have  used  formol  in  treat- 
ing the  dental  canals,  as  well  as  by  surgeons  who  have  employed 
weaker  solutions  for  washing  infected  wounds;  but  we  were  the 
first  to  give  a  rational  explanation  of  these  facts  founded  upon 
the  reciprocal  chemical  action  of  formol  and  of  anunoniacal 
products,  t  We  mav  repeat  in  a  few  words  the  facts  which  serve 
as  a  basis  for  this  theory. 

When  equal  volumes  of  formol  and  ammonia  are  mixed 
together  much  heat  is  evolved,  and  the  alkaline  odor  disap- 
pears.    The  two  bodies  combine  thus:  6  molecules  of  formol  -f- 


*  Translated  from  L'Odontologit\ 

t  Le  fertnol  gcranic  en  thcrat>cutique  dctifaire,  par  G.  de  Marion  cl  C. 
Andr^.     Compte  rendu  du  Congres  dentairc  de  Paris,  Octobre,  1897, 


690  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

4  molecules  of  ammonia  =  i  molecule  of  hexamethylenamine 
-f  6  molecules  of  water.  The  reaction  is  rapidly  effected,  and 
we  are  sure  that  it  is  complete  at  the  end  of  a  quarter  of  an 
hour.  The  ammonia  is  thus  replaced  by  the  hexamethylena- 
mine, which  is  a  white  powder  very  soluble  in  water  and  in 
alcohol,  non-volatile,  neutral,  and  which  is  neither  an  irritant 
nor  caustic. 

If  instead  of  existing  free  the  ammonia  be  combined  with 
an  organic  acid,  such  as  acetic,  malic,  lactic,  or  citric  acid,  the 
same  reaction  occurs,  setting  free  the  acid.  For  instance,  with 
acetate  of  ammonia  the  action  may  be  thus  expressed:  6  mol. 
formol  +  4  mol.  ammonium  acetate  =  i  mol.  acetate  of  hexa- 
methylenamine +  3  mol.  acetic  acid  +  6  mol.  of  water. 

One  of  us  has  made  use  of  this  reaction  in  successfully  ad- 
ministering spirit  of  mindererus  as  an  antidote  in  a  case  of  poi- 
soning by  formol.* 

And  if  instead  of  ammonia  we  have  to  do  with  putrid  bases, 
free  or  combined,  the  same  thing  happens;  there  is  always  a 
combination  with  the  formol,  a  resulting  neutralization  of  the 
ammonia  base  and  a  distinct  transformation  into  products  more 
condensed,  inodorous,  non-volatile,  and  deprived  of  all  irritating 
or 'caustic  action. 

It  must  be  well  noted  that  up  to  now  the  question  has  not 
been  as  to  the  microbicide  action  of  formol;  the  only  effect  con- 
sidered is  a  purely  chemical  one  of  changing  volatile  and  foetid 
ammoniacal  derivitives  into  more  condensed,  neutral,  fixed  and 
odorless  products  of  a  constitution  analogous  to  hexamethyle- 
namine, although  having  more  complicated  formulae. 

This  is  not  all,  for  the  products  of  disintegration  of  the 
pulp  are  not  formed  only  of  ammoniacal  derivitives;  there  are 
fatty  acids  besides,  arising  from  the  splitting  up  of  albuminous 
substances  and  which  give  that  peculiar  soft  viscous  consistence 
to  the  contents  of  the  canals;  lastly  there  are  gaseous  products, 
in  small  quantity,  certainly,  principally  formed  of  sulphuretted 
hydrogen  and  carburetted  hydrogen. 

Practically  speaking,  these  fatty  acids  seem  to  have  no 
distinctive  noxious  influence,  since  they  are  non-volatile  and 
their  chemical  energy  is  very  feeble;  but  we  think  that  by  the 
viscous  consistence  which  they  render  to  the  pulp  residue  they 
can,  by  obstructing  the  microscopic  opening  of  the  dentinal 
canals,  oppose  a  barrier  to  the  diffusion  of  formol  and  delay  its 
action.  What  confirms  us  in  this  opinion  is  the  much  greater 
rapidity  of  the  disinfecting  action  of  formol  since  we  employed 
it  in  an  alcoholic  solution  the  same  strength  as  the  aqueous 
ones. 

We  may  recall,  indeed,  that  the  solution  w^e  have  employed 

*  Journal  de  pharniacie  et  de  chemie,  July  ist,  1899. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  691 

since  October^  1897,  under  the  name  of  formyl-geranium  has  the 
following  composition: 

Formic  aldehyd 40  parts. 

Essence  of  geranium,  re-distillt  d 20  parts. 

Alcohol,  80  degrees 40  parts. 

That  is  to  say  that  our  geranium  formic  Hquid  has  a  strength 
of  formic  aldehyd  as  great  as  that  of  the  commercial  formols 
and  contains  a  fifth  of  its  weight  of  pure  essence  of  geranium. 

Now,  alcohol  and  essence  of  geranium  which  separately 
have  a  very  marked  solvent  action  upon  fatty  acids  cooperate 
in  a  very  solvent  manner  by  their  association  in  the  general 
act  of  disinfection  in  disintegrating  and  dissolving  the  viscous 
stufif  which  lines  the  root  walls  and  obstructs  the  openings  of  the 
dentinal  canals.  Besides,  alcohol  by  its  own  dififusibility  in 
moist  places  helps  the  diffusion  of  formol  in  the  fluids  of  the 
dentin. 

There  remain  the  gaseous  products  and  principally  sul- 
phuretted hydrogen  and  formene  upon  which  our  liquid  has  no 
chemical  action  of  absorption.  But  these  products  are  in  small 
quantities,  for  they  are  set  free  as  fast  as  they  are  formed. 
Alcohol,  however,  and  the  essence  of  geranium,  which  in  a  gen- 
eral way  feebly  dissolve  gaseous  bodies,  can  facilitate  their  de- 
parture by  mixing  with  the  fluids  of  the  tooth. 

Now  that  we  have  seen  how  the  principal  constituents  of 
our  combination  help  to  produce  perfect  disinfection  of  the 
root  walls  and  the  dentin,  it  remains  to  speak  of  their  steril- 
izing action. 

When  the  destruction  of  the  putrid  products  is  obtained, 
and  only  at  this  moment,  the  antiseptic  work  begins.  The 
formol,  the  diffusion  of  which  is  very  rapid  in  the  conditions 
of  the  spot  where  it  is  placed,  and  the  essence  of  geranium  itself, 
"helped  by  the  alcohol,  penetrate  into  the  canalicules  and  destroy 
all  the  pathogenic  germs.  We  will  not  insist  upon  these  ques- 
tions of  diffusibility,  no  more  than  upon  the  considerable  anti- 
septic powers  of  formol  and  essence  of  geranium,  antiseptic 
powers  much  superior  to  the  necessity  caused  by  the  germs. 
We  have  established  elsewhere  these  important  points,  and  they 
are  too  well  known  now  to  require  rejK^tilion. 

The  time  has  come  to  say  something  of  the  methods  to 
which  we  alluded  above. 

If  one  is  well  imbued  with  this  idea  that  the  antiseptic 
action  of  formol  is  subordinate  and  subsc(|ucnt  to  its  disinfectant 
action,  that  the  one  can  only  hai:)pcn  when  the  other  is  achieved; 
if,  moreover,  one  recollects  that  the  disinfecting  clYect  of  formol 
is  (according  to  the  reactions  we  have  stated)  proportionate  to 
the  quantity  used,  it  becomes  unnecessary  to  use  any  other 
argument  to  justify  the  use  of  a  large  dose  of  formol  in  dental 


692  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

dressings.  We  must  then  repudiate  every  formulae  in  vvliicli  a 
weak  dose  of  formol  appears  under  the  vain  underestimated 
excuse  of  its  great  antiseptic  power;  as  for  us,  we  have  given 
to  our  sohition  its  minimum  strength. 

After  weak  sohitions  of  formol  there  is  another  form  under 
which  it  has  been  desired  to  use  it  in  dental  therapeutics.  We 
wish  to  refer  to  powders  or  pastes  containing  formol  in  a 
nascent  state  (?). 

We  have  analyzed  a  preparation  of  this  kind;  it  contained 
oxid  of  zinc,  burnt  alum,  anhydrous  sulphate  of  lime,  eugenol, 
and  an  infinitesimal  quantity  of  trioxymethylene.  According  to 
the  instructions  which  accompanied  it  this  powder  should  be 
mixed  into  a  paste  with  a  liquid  which  was  glycerine,  and  used 
as  a  unique  application  to  make  the  most  complete  filling  pos- 
sible in  a  cavity  under  a  permanent  stopping.  Experience  has 
shown  a  short  time  afterwards  the  inadequacy  of  this  mode  of 
treatment. 

We  do  not  know  if  the  owners  of  this  powder  attribute  its 
virtues  to  formol;  for  our  part  we  are  sure  that  it  does  not  in- 
tervene, because  of  its  insignificant  proportion  and  its  immedi- 
ate absorption  by  the  putrid  products  largely  in  excess.  It 
must,  however,  be  recognized  that  there  was  a  relative  success,, 
and  that  for  some  time  it  caused  an  arrest  in  the  progress  of 
caries. 

The  explanation  of  this  fact  seems  ea.sy  to  us  when  we  re- 
member the  dehydrating  qualities  of  sulphate  of  lime  and  burnt 
alum.  It  probably  happens  that  these  powders  absorb  by  de- 
grees the  water  contained  in  the  dentin,  and  as  putrid  fermen- 
tation requires  the  presence  of  water,  there  was  arrest  of  this 
fermentation  and  a  relative  cessation  of  the  morbid  phenomena. 
But  there  was  only  an  arrest  and  not  the  destruction  of  germs 
nor  disinfection,  and  when,  by  a  mechanism  that  we  do  not 
inquire  into  the  dehydrating  properties  of  the  powders  were  sat- 
isfied and  moisture  reappeared  in  the  dentin,  fermentation  re- 
commenced and  with  it  troublesome  symptoms. 

Nothing  like  this  occurs  with  our  method  applied  in  the 
way  we  have  several  times  described  already,  and  which  we 
have  by  successive  steps  brought  to  perfection.  Thus,  whilst 
at  first  we  were  obliged  to  use  six  or  eight  dressings  for  a  large 
tooth  deeply  infected,  we  have  reduced  this  figure  by  50  per 
cent.  Then  the  interval  between  two  dressings  which  we  fixed 
at  two  days  has  been  brought  down  to  24  hours  by  the  use  of 
alcohol  as  the  vehicle  for  the  formic  aldehyd  and  essence  of 
geranium,  and  again  it  may  be  said  that  this  interval  m:uch  sur- 
passes the  necessary  time,  and  could  be  reduced  by  some  hours 
if  the  necessity  of  proceeding  quickly  should  occur  in  practice. 

Finally,  let  us  recall  what  we  said  in  our  first  communica- 
tion with  regard  to  the  cleaning  of  canals;  this  cleaning  is  not  aa 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  693 

indispensable  condition,  and  if  in  consequence  of  irregular  con- 
formation the  ends  of  the  roots  cannot  be  reached  and  cleansed, 
formol  modifies  the  pulp  debris  in  such  a  way  as  to  render  them 
incapable  of  producing  a  later  infection. 

We  have  not  introduced  any  modification  of  our  method 
during  the  last  two  years.  We  may  briefly  say  that  it  consists 
in  making  dressings  at  intervals  of  24  hours  until  the  last  one 
taken  out  shows  not  the  slightest  trace  of  foetor,  but  on  the  con- 
trary preserves  in  absolute  purity  the  smell  of  the  geranium. 
For  these  dressings  strands  dipped  in  the  formol-geranium  are 
introduced  into  the  canals  and  pulp  chamber;  the  whole  is  cov- 
ered in  by  gutta-percha. 

CONCLUSION. 

Let  us  sum  up  in  a  few  lines  what  we  have  just  said  and 
what  we  have  said  in  the  former  communications  upon  the  use 
of  formol  in  dental  therapeutics. 

Geranium-formol  realizes  as  exactly  as  is  possible  the  rec- 
ognized theoretical  conditions  for  the  treatment  of  teeth  with 
dead  pulps. 

1st.  It  is  the  most  powerful  disinfectant  known.  It  de- 
stroys the  products  of  pulp  fermentation,  combining  with  and 
neutralizing  them.  This  efTect  is  shown  by  the  complete  and 
definite  deodorization  of  the  cavity  after  two  or  three  dressings. 

2d.  Its  antiseptic  power  is  superior  to  that  of  sublimate. 

3d.  It  is  extremely  diffusible  in  moist  places.  By  means  of 
this  valuable  property  it  acts  not  only  on  the  root  walls  up  to 
the  apex,  but  even  in  the  dentinal  canalicules  as  far  as  the 
periphery  of  the  tooth. 

4th.  When  geranium-formol  is  placed  experimentally  in 
sufBcient  quantity  among  putrid  products  it  deodorizes  them 
instantly.  This  experience  shows  that  dressings  may  be  made 
with  as  short  intervals  as  may  be  desired,  one  hour  if  the  need 
for  rapidity  occurs  in  practice;  generally  these  dressings  are 
applied  on  several  consecutive  days. 

5th.  Geranium-formol  does  not  in  any  way  injure  the  hard 
tissues  of  the  tooth,  and  does  not  set  up  any  troublesome  con- 
dition (periostitis)  in  the  membrane. 

6th.  Geranium-formol  shows  the  advantage  of  a  lasting  re- 
sult as  compared  with  absorbent  and  drying  powders.  Tlicsc 
only  act  by  causing  a  more  or  less  perfect  dessication  of  the 
tooth,  but  this  dessication  is  only  temporary,  and  when  the 
powders  become  hydrated  pulp  fermentation  recommences  with 
the  train  of  symptoms  which  it  excites. 

British  Journal  of  Dental  Science. 


694  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

A  FATAL  CASE  OF  H/EMOPHILIA.* 

rhomas  Fillcbrozvn,  M.D.,  D.M.D. 

A  patient,  male,  aged  twenty-five  years,  was  suffering  from 
an  alveolar  abscess  on  the  distal  root  of  the  left  inferior  first 
molar,  which  \vas  discharging  through  a  fistula  on  the  side  of 
the  face  near  the  lower  border  of  the  under  jaw.  The  abscess 
was  of  three  years*  standing.  The  constant  discharge  from  the 
abscess  had  become  so  exceedingly  offensive  that  the  patient 
felt  he  must  have  it  relieved.  He  was  brought  to  me  by  Dr.  L. 
G.  Forrest  for  operation,  April  26th,  1899. 

Some  months  previous  Dr.  Forrest  had  consulted  me  about 
the  case,  and  had  given  me  quite  a  full  description  of  the  trouble. 
I  then  advised  that  when  the  patient  decided  to  have  the  tooth 
removed,  he  should  take  a  course  of  astringent  tonic  for  some 
two  weeks  just  previous  to  coming  for  the  operation. 

I  based  this  advice  upon  the  fact  that  I  had  in  several  cases 
pursued  this  plan  with  my  own  patients,  and  the  best  of  results 
had  followed;  and  had  the  state  of  the  blood  in  this  case  been 
the  only  condition  unfavorable,  it  evidently  would  have  proved 
sufficient,  for  the  blood  proved  to  be  readily  coagulable,  forming 
a  clot  firm  and  disposed  to  be  adherent;  and  had  the  arteries 
had  any  contractile  power,  I  am  sure  success  instead  of  defeat 
would  have  been  the  result. 

On  Wednesday,  April  26th,  I  extracted,  the  roots  of  the  first 
and  also  of  the  second  molar,  all  of  v^hich  were  decayed  to  the 
gum  and  quite  loose.  The  roots  were  removed  without  diffi- 
culty. The  bleeding  was  somewhat  profuse,  but  not  excessive, 
and  soon  ceased.  After  a  time  he  went  out  a  short  distance 
and  took  a  light  lunch.  He  returned  to  my  office,  and  in  about 
an  hour  and  a  half  after  the  operation  the  blood  commenced  to 
flow  again. 

I  plugged  the  sockets  with  cotton  and  Monsel's  persulphate 
of  iron,  but  I  could  not  control  the  bleeding.  I  then  took  a 
plaster  impression  of  the  under  jaw  and  made  a  hard  rubber 
jacket  plate,  which,  w'hen  applied  with  a  layer  of  gauze  under  it 
and  held  in  place  by  a  firm  head  bandage,  controlled  the  bleed- 
ing apparently  for  six  hours  or  more,  when  it  had  to  be  read- 
justed, as  the  blood  had  w^orked  its  way  out  under  the  compress. 

He  then  went  to  the  Elliott  Hospital,  in  order  that  he  might 
have  careful  nursing  and  timely  attention. 

The  second  adjustment  of  the  splint  held  the  blood  in  check 
for  about  six  hours  more,  when  the  blood  flowed  freelv  again. 

At  noon  of  Thursday,  the  27th,  as  the  upper  teeth  had  be- 
come quite  sore,  I  concluded  to  try  the  Harvard  dental  splint, 

*  Read  before  the  American  Academy  of  Dental^Scietice,  December 
9th,  1899. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  695 

and  with  the  assistance  of  Mr.  Curry,  one  of  the  students  of  the 
Harvard  Dental  School,  made  a  jacket  and  applied  the  splint  at 
five  o'clock  p.  m.  This  seemed  to  promise  success,  as  it  held 
the  blood  in  check  for  twenty-two  hours,  when  this  also  failed. 

I  then  packed  with  gauze  and  cotton,  holding  it  down  by 
the  upper  teeth.  I  renewed  these  packings  every  five  or  six 
hours  as  that  was  as  long  as  any  one  ap]:)lication  would  serve; 
and  the  large  amount  of  clot  that  came  from  the  mouth  and 
throat  when  the  packings  w-ere  removed  snowed  plainly  that 
the  flow  of  blood  had  only  been  retarded  and  not  stopped. 

On  Sunday,  April  30th,  I  decided  to  try  the  actual  cautery, 
and  at  about  three  o'clock,  with  the  assistance  and  advice  of 
Dr.  F.  W.  Rice,  1  thoroughly  cauterized  the  bleeding  surface, 
which  was  confined  to  the  edge  of  the  gum  opposite  the  mesial 
root  of  the  first  molar  on  the  lingual  side.  A  firm  clot  covered 
the  other  parts  of  the  wound  and  completely  stopped  the  blood. 
The  cautery,  supplemented  by  nitrate  of  silver,  completely 
checked  the  flow  of  blood,  and  we  thought  the  victory  won.  In 
about  an  hour  the  blood-pressure  removed  the  eschar,  and  the 
blood  again  flowed  as  freely  as  ever. 

I  resorted  again  to  the  compress,  but  had  more  difTficulty  in 
controlling  the  hemorrhage.  At  eleven  o'clock  p.  m.  I  called 
Dr.  Brewster,  who  advised  with  me,  making  valuable  sugges- 
tions and  rendering  assistance,  which  kept  the  trouble  fairly 
well  controlled  through  the  night.  Dr.  C.  A.  Porter  was  also 
present,  and  at  his  suggestion  and  advice  I  gave  the  patient  a 
full  course  of  chlorid  of  calcium.  The  effect  was  not  so  favor- 
able as  we  had  hoped.  Previous  to  this  I  had  administered 
ergot  in  full  doses  for  nearly  twenty-four-hours,  with  negative 
results. 

On  Monday,  May  ist,  at  noon,  acupressure  was  resorted  to. 
I  secured  the  services  of  Messrs.  Wentworth  and  McHale,  den- 
tal students,  who  kiiidly  volunteered  for  the  service,  and  faith- 
fully and  skilfully  maintained  pressure  during  the  afternoon  and 
night,  but  could  not  succeed  in  wdiolly  arresting  the  flow. 

On  Tuesday,  May  2d,  I  was  called  at  two  o'clock  a.  m.,  as 
the  patient  seemed  sinking,  but  it  proved  to  be  fainting;  and 
as  he  seemed  too  w^eak  to  bear  more  manipulation,  the  packing 
and  pressure  were  not  resumed. 

The  only  hope  now  lay  in  the  natural  cessation  of  the  flo^\" 
of  blood,  as  had  occurred  before  when  the  loss  of  blood  was 
excessive,  and  as  frequently  occurs  in  similar  cases.  But  it  was 
of  no  avail,  and  at  1.30  p.  m.,  Tuesday,  May  2d,  the  patient 
passed  away,  a  victim  to  the  loss  of  blood.  Blood  continued  to 
flow  from  the  wound  after  the  pulse  at  the  heart  had  stopped 
and  the  breathing  had  nearly  ceased. 

On  Monday  evening  the  infusion  of  a  saline  solution  was 
considered,  and  Dr.  Brewster  was  present  ]M-cpared  to  perform 


696  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

it.  Dr.  Porter  was  also  present.  Upon  consideration,  it  was 
deemed  unadvisable,  as  it  wonld  add  another  wound,  and  the 
salt  would  make  the  blood  less  coagulable  and  offer  no  compen- 
sating stimulus  to  the  nervous  system  which  would  serve  to- 
contract  the  vessels.  The  lack  of  contractility  of  the  arteries 
seemed  to  be  the  main  trouble,  as  the  blood  formed  a  very  firm 
clot. 

The  undertaker  gave  me  the  following  statement:  *T  found 
the  arteries  in  a  very  abnormal  condition.  Neither  myself  nor 
my  assistant  could  find  any  trace  of  the  femoral  artery  or  its 
sheath,  and  after  repeated  attempts,  gave  it  up  and  sought  for 
the  left  brachial  artery,  which  1  found. 

"The  division  of  the  artery  occurred  several  inches  above 
■Jie  normal  point.  There  was  hardly  a  semblance  of  a  sheath, 
and  an  almost  total  absence  of  the  middle  coat,  which  made  the 
artery  hardly  distinguishable  from  the  vein. 

*'The  walls  of  the  artery  were  so  tender  that  the  pressure 
of  a  finger  was  sufficient  to  tear  it  open,  whereas  in  a  normal 
case  this  is  impossible,  it  often  requiring  the  aid  of  a  scalpel  to 
extend  the  opening  so  as  to  admit  the  embalming  syringe. 

"The  embalming  was  done  less  than  six  hours  after  death." 

Following  is  the  history  of  the  patient:  Paternal  grand- 
mother suffered  from  excessive  nose-bleed.  Had  nares  plugged 
to  stop  it  more  than  once.  Patient's  father  did  not  inherit  the 
conditions.     Patient's  mother  inclined  to  bleed  freely. 

At  seven  years  of  age  he  suffered  from  a  slight  injury  ta 
his  left  knee,  which  caused  a  scratch  two  or  three  inches  long, 
but  not  through  the  skin.  The  part  swelled  enormously  until 
the  skin  along  the  line  of  the  scratch  burst  open.  Bleeding 
followed,  but  not  profuse,  which  soon  reduced  the  swelling. 
It  was  more  than  a  week  before  the  bleeding  ceased. 

When  about  twenty-three  years  old  he  had  a  tooth  ex- 
tracted, and  for  nine  days  the  blood  flowed  constantly,  but  not 
enough  to  keep  him  from  his  work.  The  same  year  his  lip  was 
injured  quite  severely.  It  swelled  excessively,  and  bled  for 
three  weeks  at  times  before  it  could  be  stayed.  Ice  with  a 
spring  clip  was  the  last  thing  applied.  He  bled  almost  to  col- 
lapse. 

When  twenty-four  the  patient  had  a  portion  of  a  tooth 
hanging  by  a  little  gum  tissue.  It  was  removed  by  the  pressure 
of  a  finger.  The  bleeding  continued  long  and  was  stopped  with 
difficulty. 

The  more  noticeable  features  of  this  case  are  the  peculiar 
conditions  of  the  arteries  and  the  progressiveness  of  the  disease. 
When  a  baby  there  was  but  little  trouble,  but  at  seven  years  of 
age  the  disease  had  become  serious,  and  gradually  increased 
until  at  twenty-five  it  proved  irremediable. 

International  Dental  Journal. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  697 

DISEASES    OF    THE    ANTRUM    OF    HIGHMORE:    A 

STUDY  OF  ONE  HUNDRED  AND  FIFTY 

CASES.* 

L.  C.  Cline,  M.D. 

My  apology  for  presenting  the  often  discussed  subject,  "Dis- 
eases of  the  Antrum  of  Highmore,"  is  the  confusion  among 
observers  regarding  the  etiology  and  pathologic  conditions  found 
in  these  cases,  as  well  as  the  discrepancy  of  opinions  as  to  treat- 
ment. After  an  experience  with  150  cases,  140  of  which  were  in 
my  own  practice,  1  feel  warranted  in  calling  attention  to  a  few 
points  noted  under  my  observation. 

My  cases  have  all  occurred  between  the  ages  of  20  and  70. 
Foi*ty-eight  occurred  in  females,  and  102  in  males.  The  disease 
did  not  predominate  with  any  particular  class  of  people — doctors, 
lawyers,  ministers,  teachers  and  tradesmen — in  fact,  all  the  call- 
ings and  conditions  in  life  were  represented.  Of  the  140  cases, 
6  had  sarcoma,  3  in  women  and  3  in  men.  Two  of  these  were 
operated  on  by  the  late  Dr.  J.  ^^  .  Marsee,  and  in  one  of  them 
the  entire  superior  maxillary  bone  was  removed,  the  other  only 
partially,  which  gave  only  temporary  relief  from  pain.  The  other 
four,  when  apprised  of  the  nature  of  the  disease,  refused  opera- 
tion and  finally  succumbed  to  the  malady.  These  cases  all  gave 
a  history  of  suffering  from  their  teeth  prior  to  the  development 
of  the  disease,  which  fact  leads  me  to  believe  that  the  long-con- 
tinued irritation  from  an  abscessed  root  discharging  into  the 
antrum  is  a  factor  in  the  production  of  sarcoma. 

Four  cases  of  empyema  of  the  antrum  have  come  under  my 
observation.  The  symptoms  were  the  same  as  those  described 
by  Dr.  D.  B.  Kyle  in  his  cases — that  of  escaping  gas  from  ab- 
scessed and  carious  teeth  into  the  antrum,  producing  a  sense  of 
nasal  pressure  with  paroxysms  of  a  dull,  heavy,  sickening  head- 
ache. These  were  all  relieved  by  extracting  or  treating  the  dis- 
eased teeth. 

The  etiology  of  my  cases  could  all  be  fairly  well  traced  to 
three  sources,  viz.:  dental,  nasal  and  la  grippe.  As  nearly  as  I 
can  estimate,  50  per  cent,  were  due  to  diseased  teeth,  40  per  cent, 
to  sequelae  of  la  grippe  and  teeth  combined,  and  10  per  cent,  to 
ethmoiditis  and  the  various  nasal  obstructions.  Probably  a 
greater  percentage  should  be  assigned  to  la  grippe  complications. 
My  estimates  have  been  placed  on  the  clinical  history  as  given, 
which  is  often  misleading. 

Twenty  cases  were  acute,  complicated  with  influenza,  and  all 
subsided. without  operation.     Of  the  other  120  all  were  chronic, 


*  Presented  to  the  Section  on  Laryngology  and  Otology,  at  the  Fiftieth 
Annual  Meeting  of  the  American  Medical  Association,  held  at  Cohunlnis, 
Ohio,  June  Sth-gth,  1899. 


698  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

suppiiralivc  cases  of  from  two  months'  to  seven  years'  standing. 
Operation  revealed  a  marked  swollen  edematous  condition  of  the 
mucous  lining  of  the  antrum  in  16  of  these.  In  none  did  I  find 
true  polypoid  growths,  as  described  in  some  of  the  text-books. 
Curettement  was  done  in  6,  and  packing  with  iodoform  gauze  in 
4  cases.  The  others  yielded  to  hot  astringent  douchts.  Five 
cases  were  bilateral.  Of  the  rest,  75  per  cent,  were  on  the  right 
side.  In  trying  to  account  for  this,  dentists  and  dealers  in  dental 
supplies  tell  me  that  a  large  percentage  of  the  teeth  and  plates  that 
are  broken  occur  on  the  left  side,  which  goes  to  show  that  there 
is  more  biting  and  chewing  on  the  left  side,  thus  favormg  decay 
on  the  right.  Ethmoiditis  was  observed  as  a  complication  in  1 1 
cases,  all  of  which  were  preceded  by  la  grippe.  Two  cases  that 
were  carefully  diagnosed  would  not  submit  to  operation,  and,  so 
far  as  I  know,  they  are  still  suffering  from  the  disease. 

The  zeal  of  some  of  our  dental  brethren  in  crowning,  build- 
ing and  maintaining  bridge  work,  I  am  led  to  believe,  is  a  cause 
of  empyema,  in  some  cases  at  least.  The  thought  was  suggested 
in  6  under  my  observation,  having  had  to  remove  diseased  roots 
under  expensive  bridge  work  before  a  cure  could  be  effected.  A 
purulent  discharge  from  the  antrum,  when  due  tO'  dental  origin, 
IS*  carious  and  fetid,  but  when  its  cause  is  from  other  sources,  like 
the  ethmoid  and  frontal  sinuses,  it  is  creamy  and  almost  without 
odor. 

For  diagnosis  I  rely  principally  on  the  use  of  peroxid  of 
hydrogen  and  the  position  of  the  head.  After  cleansing  the 
nose  and  cocainizing,  a  few  drops  of  peroxid  are  injected  with 
a  small  syringe  armed  with  a  canula,  the  point  of  which  is  bent 
at  a  right  angle,  and  carried  into  the  ostium  maxillary.  If  pus 
is  present,  it  will  be  manifest  by  the  characteristic  reaction.  In 
cases  of  nasal  obstruction  or  a  deflected  septum,  I  make  an  ex- 
ploratory puncture  with  a  small,  sharp-pointed  drill,  througli 
which  peroxid  is  injected. 

Illumination  is  less  reliable  and  more  complicated  than  the 
above  method,  although  it  is  a  useful  aid  in  determining  the  con- 
dition of  the  roots  of  the  teeth.  I  have  come  to  believe,  after  try- 
ing the  different  methods  of  opening  the  antrum,  that  entering 
through  the  alveolar  route  is  by  far  the  best,  for  the  reasons  that 
the  after-treatment  is  less  painful,  and  the  drainage  is  more  com- 
plete, and  the  patient  can,  with  greater  ease  and  facility,  keep 
the  antrum  clean. 

Of  the  118  cases  operated  ou,  all  but  two  had  one  or  more 
carious  teeth,  or  they  had  already  been  removed.  So  that  the 
objection  to  opening  through  the  alveolar  process  on  account 
of  the  teeth  was  reduced  to  a  minimum. 

My  experience  in  puncturing  the  antrum  from  the  outside 
under  the  ginglymoid  fold  has  not  been  flattering.  In  every  in- 
stance I  had  a  swollen  cheek  from  purulent  infection  from  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  699 

discharge.  The  plan  now  followed  in  operating  is  to  first  enter 
the  antrum  with  a  small,  pointed  drill  run  by  an  electric  motor, 
then  insert  a  bit  of  cotton  saturated  with  10  or  20  per  cent,  solu- 
tion of  cocain  well  through  the  hole,  which  soon  enables  me 
to  enlarge  the  opening  to  any  required  size.  When  a  tube  is 
required  to  keep  the  hole  open,  or  food  from  entering,  I  use  one 
made  from  silver  wire  turned  to  form  a  shoulder  on  the  end  to 
prevent  its  entering  the  antrum.  The  tube  I  now  show  you  will 
remain  where  it  is  placed  without  anchorage,  and  the  patient  can 
remove  and  replace  it  at  will.  Some  cases  do  better  without  a 
tube,  using  a  plug  of  cotton  instead,  frequently  changing  it. 

The  time  required  to  cure  a  case  depends  on  the  size  of  the 
opening,  and  the  thoroughness  of  the  operation  in  removing  all 
the  carious  teeth  and  nasal  obstructions,  together  with  thorough 
cleansing,  curetting,  packing  and  stimulating  to  healthy  granu- 
lation. My  cases  have  varied  in  the  time  required  to  effect  a 
cure,  from  three  weeks  to  one  year,  the  average  being  from  three 
to  six  months.  Many  cases  will  relapse  and  require  reopening, 
after  closing,  on  taking  cold.  For  this  reason,  tonics  and  atten- 
tion to  the  general  health  must  not  be  neglected. 

My  practice  has  been  to  have  the  antrum  thoroughly 
cleansed  twice  a  day  until  the  discharge  lessens,  then  once  daily 
until  the  discharge  ceases,  first  using  a  little  peroxid  in  water, 
followed  by  a  solution  of  hot  boric  acid,  or  salt  water;  once  or 
twice  a  week  a  solution  of  silver  nitrate  or  iodin  of  sufficient 
strength  to  make  an  impression  on  the  mucous  membrane  is  in- 
jected. In  the  boggy,  swollen,  edematous  cases  the  best  results 
were  obtained  by  using  hot  water  injections  three  times  a  day 
with  a  little  boric  acid  or  salt  added. 

The  so-called  dry  treatment  of  insufflating  powders  has  not 
come  up  to  expectations.  The  best  results  observed  from  the 
use  of  powders  were  by  first  washing  the  antrum  clean,  and  then 
covering  the  membrane  with  equal  parts  of  finely  powdered  boric 
acid  and  lactopeptin. 

In  tabulating  cures,  I  find  it  difficult  to  keep  track  of  all 
cases,  as  they  are  scattered  over  a  large  territory,  some  changing 
location.  But,  from  my  knowledge  of  the  cases,  a  large  percent- 
age have  been  cured. 

To  siunniarize:  The  points  I  wish  to  emphasize  are: 

T.  The  great  number  of  cases  that  arc  traceable  to  la  grippe. 

2.  The  absence  in  my  cases  of  polypoid  growths. 

3.  The  greater  predominance  on  the  right  side. 

4.  The  importance  of  a  good-sized  opening,  and  the  removal 
of  all  diseased  teeth. 

5.  In  my  experience,  to  open  through  the  alveolar  process  is 
by  far  the  best. 

6.  Hot  douching  to  relieve  the  edematous  conditions. 

7.  The  dry  treatment  alone  after  a  first  washing  has  not 
been  a  success  in  mv  hands. 


700  DENTAL  BRIEF. 


FOOD  STUFFS  IN  GOUT  AND  RHEUMATISM. 
William  Henry  Porter,  M.D. 

As  is  well  known,  all  food  stuffs  are  commonly  placed  in 
two  general  classes:  the  vegetable  and  the  animal.  It  is  further 
known  that  they  both  contain  all  the  constituents  essential  for 
maintaining  life.  They  both  contain  mineral  salts,  saccharine 
-compounds,  fats,  proteids,  and  the  iron-  and  phosphorous-bear- 
ing substance  known  as  nucleo-albumin.  Neither  one,  how- 
ever, contains  these  five  groups  of  compounds  in  just  the  right 
proportion  for  the  highest  type  of  nutritive  activity.  The  ani- 
mal class,  however,  comes  nearest  to  this  perfect  requirement, 
as  exemplified  in  milk.  But  milk  is  defective  in  nucleo-albumin; 
it  also  contains  an  excess  of  the  saccharine  and  fat  constituents 
as  compared  with  the  proteid  elements.  Therefore  it  is  not  ab- 
solutely perfect.  With  the  vegetable  class  there  is  a  super- 
abundance of  the  starch  and  saccharine  elements,  and  a  decided 
deficiency  in  the  fats,  yet  they  all  contain  a  liberal  proportion 
of  the  proteid  constituents,  and  in  many  instances  a  high  per- 
centage of  the  nucleo-albumin.  The  latter  is  especially  true 
of  the  green  vegetables  and  legumes.  In  some  of  the  vege- 
table classes  the  proteid  constituents  are  so  large,  as  compared 
with  the  starch  that  by  the  addition  of  a  certain  amount  of  oil, 
as  is  done  by  the  Chinaman  to  his  rice,  very  good  results,  so  far 
as  maintaining  health  and  the  development  of  robust  consti- 
tutions are  concerned,  can  be  secured  from  a  purely  vegetable 
diet.  All  this  goes  to  prove  that  man  can  live  either  upon  a 
vegetable  or  an  animal  diet.  It  further  shows  that  disease  can 
be  cured  by  placing  the  patient  upon  either  a  vegetable  or  an 
animal  diet. 

There  are  other  factors  that  must  be  taken  into  considera- 
tion before  we  decide  which  is  the  best  and  the  most  available 
diet  in  the  treatment  of  disease.  The  digestibility  must  not  be 
lost  sight  of.  The  adaptability  of  the  system  to  this  or  that 
form  of  diet  must  also  be  considered.  And  last,  but  not  least, 
the  tendency  of  this  or  that  kind  of  food  to  excite  putrefactive 
fermentation  in  the  intestinal  canal  must  not  be  lost  sight  of. 
Again,  certain  foods  are  more  likely  to  cause  undue  irritation  to 
the  mucous  membrane  in  their  passage  through  the  alimentary 
tract.     All  these  important  factors  are  too  often  neglected. 

As  to  the  digestibility,  it  has  been  proved  beyond  a  question 
of  doubt  that  the  animal  foods  taken  as  a  class  are  much  more 
•easily  digested,  absorbed,  and  assimilated.  This  is  explained 
by  the  fact  that  the  molecular  structure  as  found  in  the  animal 
kingdom  is  much  more  simiple  than  that  formed  in  the  vege- 
table class.  It  is  monomeric  in  its  construction,  while  that  in 
the   vegetable    is    multiple    or    polymeric    in    its    construction. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  701 

Hence  the  greater  ease  with  which  the  animal  food  can  be  di- 
gested. On  the  other  hand,  this  ease  of  digestibihty  renders  the 
animal  class  more  prone  to  produce  suboxidation  than  the  vege- 
table class,  unless  the  quantity  ingested  is  restricted  so  that  it 
is  continually  kept  well  within  the  oxygenating  capacity  of  the 
system.  When  this  is  done,  the  digestive  powers  are  conserved, 
the  highest  grade  of  nutrition  is  established,  and  there  can  be 
no  danger  from  suboxidation.  On  the  other  hand,  the  suboxi- 
dation state  can  be  made  to  give  place  rapidly  under  an  animal 
diet  to  one  of  perfect  oxidation.  This  accomplished,  we  have 
our  rheumatic  or  gouty  condition  well  in  hand,  so  far  as  the 
dietetic  management  is  concerned.  Diet  alone  is  not  going  to 
cure  the  difficulty,  but  nature  must  be  assisted  in  this  work  by 
the  judicious  addition  of  suitable  medication,  so  that  she  can 
make  the  best  use  of  the  well-regulated  diet. 

The  vegetable  food  stufifs,  on  the  other  hand,  in  conse- 
quence of  their  polymeric  construction,  are  much  more  difficult 
to  digest,  to  absorb,  and  to  assimilate.  Hence  they  are  not  so 
economic.  Yet  there  is  not  so  much  danger  of  exceeding  the 
oxygenating  capacity  of  the  system  when  on  the  vegetable  diet, 
because  such  a  large  proportion  passes  through  the  alimentary 
canal  undigested  and  unaibsorbed.  Thus  we  find  a  perfect  ex- 
planation for  the  good  results  that  are  often  obtained  by  placing 
the  patient  upon  an  almost  exclusive  vegetable  diet,  or  when  a 
change  is  made  from  a  liberal  animal  to  a  liberal  vegetable  diet. 
This  is  especially  true  when  the  patient  cannot  be  controlled  as 
to  the  amount  of  food  taken,  or  wdiere  the  physician  does  not 
fully  appreciate  the  necessity  of  keeping  the  amount  taken  well 
within  the  oxygenating  capacity  of  the  system.  Under  these 
circumstances  nature  does  what  the  scientific  physician  should 
be  able  to  accomplish  in  a  much  better  manner  by  regulating 
the  quantity  ingested. 

The  indigestibility  of  the  vegetable  class,  and  the  large 
amount  of  waste  material  to  be  discharged  in  the  faeces,  while  it 
may  have  a  tendency  to  loosen  the  bowels,  is  always  a  source  of 
danger,  because  it  often  produces  undue  irritation  to  the  mucous 
membrane  of  the  intestine.  If  this  occurs,  a  catarrhal  condition 
is  excited  with  its  hyperproduction  of  mucus,  thus  forming  a 
favorable  nidus  for  the  growth  of  the  abnormal  microorganisms 
that  may,  and  often  do,  infest  the  alimentary  canal,  thus  excit- 
ing and  maintaining  an  undue  amount  of  putrefactive  fermenta- 
tion. The  saccharine  elements  in  excess  are  further  very  prone 
to  undergo  fermentative  processes,  thus  causing  irritation  and 
helping  to  produce  this  undue  putrefactive  fermentation  of  the 
proteid  constituents.  Furthermore,  all  the  cane  sugar  has  to 
be  converted  into  glucose  before  it  can  be  absorbed,  which  is  an 
excessive  tax  upon  the  digestive  energy.  If  all  these  unpleasant 
results  are  not  induced  by  the  vegetable  diet,  it  may,  and  does 
in  many  instances,  yield  some  very  satisfactory  results. 


702  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Fruits,  as  a  class,  should  be  avoided,  simply  because  of 
their  strong-  tendency  to  start  up  fermentation  and  thus  pre- 
vent the  utilization  of  the  more  substantial  kinds  of  food  prod- 
ucts, which  must  be  perfectly  utilized  if  we  are  to  overcome 
these  pathological  conditions. 

The  adaptability  of  the  system  to  various  kinds  of  diets 
must  not  be  overlooked  in  this  important  study  of  the  diet. 
There  is,  as  we  have  already  found,  no  question  about  the  ability 
to  live  on  a  great  variety  of  food  products,  but  it  often  takes 
the  system  a  long  time  to  adjust  itself  to  forms  and  kinds  of 
food  that  it  has  never  been  accustomed  to  utilize.  This  is 
especially  true  in  relation  to  the  vegetable  class  that  is  so  diffi- 
cult to  digest.  Once  the  system  has  become  accustomed  to 
the  utilization  of  them,  very  good  health  may  be  maintained  by 
their  use.  The  best  results,  however,  are  secured  by  the  use  of 
the  animal  as  against  the  vegetable.  To  secure  the  highest  re- 
sults under  all  circumstances  requires  the  utilization  of  both  the 
animal  and  the  vegetable  in  combination;  in  other  words,  a  well- 
regulated  mixed  diet,  but  one  in  which  the  animal  class  always 
preponderates. 

The  diet  should  at  all  times  be  free  from  an  excess  of  the 
saccharine  elements  and  all  substances  that  easily  tend  to  excite 
putrefactive  fermentation.  It  should  be  one  that  is  as  little 
irritating  to  the  alimentary  canal  as  possible.  The  plain  diet 
largely  composed  of  the  animal  class  is  little  likely  to  undergo 
putrefactive  fermentation.  With  it  there  is  no  undue  irritation 
to  the  alimentary  canal.  Thus  we  reduce  to  the  lowest  degree 
the  growth  and  activity  of  the  putrefactive  fermentative  micro- 
organisms that  may  gain  access  to  the  intestinal  tract. 

If  at  the  same  time  we  reduce  the  total  quantity  of  food 
ingested  so  that  it  will  never  exceed  the  oxygenating  capacity 
of  the  system,  we  have  obliterated  or  removed  the  two  main 
predisposing  factors  in  the  production  of  our  gout  and  rheu- 
matism. If  we  add  to  this  suitable  medication  to  augment  di- 
gestion and  absorption,  and  stimulate  glandular  action  in  gen- 
eral, many  cases  will  make  speedy  recoveries  that  otherwise 
would  become  chronic  and  incurable. 

While  all  this  reads  with  perfect  ease,  it  is  no  simple  task 
that  we  assume  when  we  undertake  to  properly  regulate  the 
diet,  for  we  have  the  prejudices  of  ages  to  overcome — the  in- 
herent tendency  of  humanity  to  eat  what  it  likes,  regardless  of 
the  consequences;  also  the  idiosyncrasies  of  each  individual 
must  be  considered  and  due  allowance  made  for  all  these  vary- 
ing conditions. 

When  all  this  has  been  accomplished,  the  variety  and  the 
quantity  of  the  food  properly  adjusted,  we  find  that  the  diet  that 
is  good  for  the  one  condition  is  equally  good  for  the  other.  The 
main  thing  to  be  accomplished  in  all  cases  is  first  to  get  the 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  703 

quantity  well  within  the  oxygenating  capacity,  and  then  aid  the 
system  to  properly  digest  and  utilize  the  food  pabulum  intro- 
duced into  the  system.  Then,  if  recovery  is  within  the  realm  of 
possibility,  it  is  bound  to  speedily  follow.  Speedily  does  not  of 
necessity  mean  in  a  few  days  or  weeks,  but  as  compared  with 
the  time  that  it  has  taken  to  bring  about  these  pathological 
changes.  New  York  Medical  Journal. 


WOMAN'S  BRAINS. 

Mr.  Alexander  Sutherland  writes  in  Nineteenth  Century  for 
May  upon  ''Woman's  Brains."  Mr.  Sutherland  points  out  that 
as  the  result  of  recent  investigations  it  is  proved  that  the  aver- 
age man  has  from  ten  to  twelve  per  cent,  more  brain  weight 
than  the  average  woman,  but  in  proportion  to  the  weight  of 
her  body  woman  has  six  per  cent,  more  brain  than  man. 
Her  average  runs  about  fifty  ounces  of  brain  for  every  pound  of 
weight  in  her  body,  while  man,  in  proportion  to  his  body,  has 
only  forty-seven  ounces.  But  on  the  whole,  he  says,  that  "how- 
ever or  wherever  we  make  the  inquiry"  it  is  always  seen  that 
when  men  and  women  are  of  equal  height  and  weight  the  men 
have  something  like  ten  per  cent,  more  brains  than  women.  The 
average  brain  of  a  man  genius  is  only  9.3  per  cent,  more  than 
that  of  the  ordinary  individual.  The  average  woman  is  to  the 
average  man  as  the  average  man  is  to  the  man  of  genius,  if  the 
weight  of  brains  were  to  settle  it.  Lest  the  average  male  should 
be  inclined  to  vaunt  himself  over  his  sisters,  Mr.  Sutherland  tehs 
him  that  even  if  it  were  demonstrated  that  the  average  woman, 
because  she  had  ten  per  cent,  less  brain  weight,  had  therefore 
ten  per  cent,  less  intellectual  capacity  than  the  average  man,  it 
would  have  to  be  remembered  that  even  then  ninety  per  cent, 
of  the  women  are  the  equals  of  ninety  per  cent,  of  the  men, 
and  this  would  seem  to  imply  that  the  average  man  has  to 
recognize  about  forty  per  cent,  of  the  women  as  his  superiors 
in  intellect. 


704  DENTAL  ItlilEF. 


HEALTH  THOUGHTS. 


Isn't  it  queer  that  some  people  care  more  for  what  they 
eat  them  for  how  they  feel? 

The  degree  of  health  produced  by  a  certain  amount  of 
food  measures  its  value  to  some,  but  the  majority  asks  how  it 
tastes! 

The  question  usually  is  not  how  much  good  is  this  food 
going  to  do  me,  but  how  pleasant  will  it  taste  for  an  instant 
while  it  is  passing  through  my  mouth ! 

Why  is  it  if  eating  two  good  meals  a  day  of  nourishing  food 
will  keep  a  person  in  the  highest  degree  of  health  that  most 
people  will  insist  upon  filling  their  stomachs  to  bursting  three, 
four  or  five  times  a  day? 

Queer,  too,  that  most  people  will  argue  for  an  hour  that 
children  of  necessity  must  have  worms,  but  will  not  consent  to  a 
simple  regulation  of  a  child's  diet — as  an  experiment,  if  nothing 
more — and  see  what  effect  it  has  on  the  aforesaid  worms! 

Another  strange  thing  is  that  when  people  knowr  that  re- 
breathed  air  is  an  active  poison,  that  many  have  a  horror  of  pure 
air  in  their  homes,  and  especially  in  their  bedrooms! 

Strange,  too,  when  a  physician  in  an  entirely  disinterested 
way  tells  a  woman  that  in  order  to  use  all  of  the  lung  tissue  God 
gave  her  she  must  make  certain  changes  in  her  mode  of  dress, 
that  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten  she  will  listen  to  the  advice  of  her 
dressmaker  instead! 

Also  queer,  that  while  all  people  have  a  horror  of  disease, 
they  are  so  long  in  finding  out  that  the  only  sure  v^ay  of  avoid- 
ing disease  is  by  keeping  every  organ  in  the  body  perfectly  well! 

So  queer  that  while  v^e  are  all  so  deathly  afraid  of  germs, 
microbes,  bacteria,  etc.,  v^e  live  in  such  a  way  that  our  bodies 
become  deficient  in  resisting  power  to  these  same  germs,  and 
when  they  are  present,  expect  in  some  miraculous  manner  to 
have  them  expelled! 

Queer  that  we  so  enjoy  talking  about  disease,  and  plasters, 
and  poultices,  and  are  so  apt  to  forget  "the  contagiousness  of 
health"  and  that  ''health  and  cheerfulness  mutually  beget  each 
other!" 

Queer  that  while  we  all  want  so  much  to  enjoy  life,  with 
all  its  comforts,  pleasures  and  happinesses,  we  are  so  apt  to 
forget  that  upon  health  these  all  depend,  that 

"Health  is  the  vital  principle  of  bliss, 
And  exercise  of  health." 

Syracuse   Clinic. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  705 


THE  PINS  IN  ARTIFICIAL  TEETH. 

Why  do  they  pull  out  so  easily?  Twenty-five  years  ago  the 
degeneracy  in  the  manufacture  of  artificial  teeth  began.  It  was 
one  of  the  coincidences  of  the  curse  of  vulcanite.  Anything 
was  then  thought  good  enough  for  a  plastic.  But  the  fact  is, 
the  rubber  is  not  so  much  to  blame  as  the  tooth-material.  The 
pins  come  out  of  the  porcelain.  Twenty-five  years  ago  (see 
Canada  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Vol.  Ill,  page  161)  Dr.  C. 
Brewster  read  a  paper  before  the  Montreal  Dental  Society  on 
this  subject,  in  which  he  described  his  experiments  in  pulling 
out  the  pins  of  American  and  English  teeth,  in  which,  in  the 
former,  the  teeth  went  to  pieces,  and  the  pins  came  out  whole 
and  perfect,  and  in  the  latter  the  tooth  could  not  be  broken  by 
the  same  strain,  and  the  pin  could  not  come  out,  but  was  broken 
off  by  sheer  force  close  to  the  porcelain.  It  is  well  known  that 
if  we  want  to  separate  a  gum-block,  it  can  be  divided  with  a  pair 
of  scissors  easier  than  a  caramel!  The  American  artificial 
tooth-structure  of  thirty  years  ago  was  as  much  ahead  of  the 
modern  in  point  of  strength  as  a  piece  of  steel  is  ahead  of  a 
piece  of  tin.  Dominion  Dental  Journal. 


RESUSCITATION   AFTER   SUFFOCATION,    CHLORO- 
FORM POISONING  AND  ELECTRIC  SHOCK. 

Dr.  J.  Prus,  in  Wiener  Klein.  Woch.,  arrives  at  the  theoretical 
conclusion  that  healthy  human  beings  who  are  suddenly  ap- 
parently killed  by  asphyxiation,  electricity,  chloroform,  or  other 
poisons,  can  be  resuscitated  by  artificially  imitating  the  condi- 
tions in  which  higher  organisms  are  accustomed  to  live.  These 
conditions  can  be  simulated  by  artificial  respiration  and  by  an 
artificial  circulation  of  blood.  The  former  may  be  accomplished 
by  the  various  well-known  methods,  while  Prus  found  in  his 
experiments  that  the  circulation  can  be  artificially  stimulated 
most  closely  and  most  certainly  by  rhythmical  pressure  of  the 
finger  upon  the  exposed  heart,  for  only  in  this  way  is  it  possible 
to  evoke  a  systole  and  a  diastole  of  the  heart.  By  experiment, 
the  author  proved  that  his  theory  works  in  practice.  He  was 
able  to  resuscitate  animals  after  suffocation  after  an  apparent 
death  of  an  hour  by  means  of  massage  of  the  exposed  heart, 
artificial  respiration,  and  an  infusion  of  normal  salt  solution  into 
the  femoral  artery.  Seventy  per  cent,  of  his  experiments  were 
successful.  Of  twenty-one  experiments  with  animals  in  which 
the  pulse  and  respiration  were  stopped  by  chloroform,  the  author 
successfully  resuscitated  sixteen,  or  seventy-cix  per  cent.  In 
some  instances  an  hour  had  elapsed  from  the  moment  of  death 
to  the  time  of  beginning  the  massage  of  the  exposed  heart. 

Dr.  Prus  has  found  that  animals  killed  by  electricity  can  be 


7o6  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

resuscitated  by  his  method  of  exposing  the  heart,  practicing 
cardiac  massage,  and  artificial  respiration.  His  experiments 
have  led  him  to  believe  that  persons  killed  by  lightning  or  severe 
shocks  of  electricity  die  from  cardiac  paralysis.  His  conclusions 
on  the  entire  series  of  experiments  are  that  an  important  ele- 
ment is  massage  of  the  heart  exposed  by  resection  of  a  rib. 
This  manoeuvre  must  be  undertaken  at  the  latest  a  minute  and  a 
half  after  death  by  asphyxia,  three  to  four  minutes  after  poi- 
soning by  alkalies,  and  three  to  nine  minutes  in  chloroform  poi- 
soning. The  author  has  found  the  human  heart  still  responsive 
to  this  method  of  massage  two  hours  after  death  by  hanging, 
and  urges  that  it  be  tried  in  all  suitable  cases  when  other  means 
of  resuscitation  have  proved  fruitless. 

New  York  Medical  Journal. 


A  UNIVERSAL  ANTIDOTE. 

A  writer  in  a  recent  number  of  the  Pharmaceutical  Era 
emphasizes  the  use  of  milk  as  a  universal  antidote  applica- 
ble to  most  cases  of  poisoning.  By  its  fatty  matter  and  its 
casein,  it  protects  the  mucous  membrane  against  the  corrosive 
action  of  acids,  alkalies,  and  other  caustic  or  irritant  substances. 
The  chemical  role  of  casein  is  here  very  remarkable  and  very 
valuable.  It  is  able  to  fill  the  double  part  of  acid  and  of  base,  in 
the  presence  of  compounds  with  which  it  is  brought  in  contact. 
It  not  only  coagulates  under  the  action  of  acids,  by  combining 
with  them,  but  it  also  yields  a  precipitate  with  most  mineral 
bases,  forming  insoluble  caseates.  If  precipitation  does  not  im- 
mediately take  place  with  a  product  having  a  given  reaction — 
acid  or  basic — this  precipitate  will  appear  through  the  interven- 
tion of  another  substance  of  contrary  reaction.  Dr.  Crowzel 
proposes  to  add  to  the  milk  5  per  cent,  of  borate  of  soda.  This 
salt  is  not  toxic,  and  is  employed  because  it  precipitates  as  in- 
soluble borates  all  the  mineral  bases,  except  harmless  ot  slightly 
poisonous  alkaline  bases.  The  poison  acids  decompose  it,  seizing 
on  the  soda  and  setting  free  boric  acid,,  which  is  less  poisonous  and 
less  soluble.  The  mixture  of  borate  of  soda  and  milk  is  an  anti- 
dote at  once  neutralizing  and  precipitant.  It  can  be  used  especially 
with  mineral  poisons,  although  we  must  except  cyanids,  ferro- 
cyanids,  ferricyanids,  chlorates,  nitrates,  arsenites,  arseniates  and 
oxalates.  Of  these  the  fii'st  three  are  precipitable  by  a  mixture  of 
ferrous  and  ferric  sulphate,  while  chlorates  and  alkline  nitrates 
cannot  be  precipitated  by  any  offensive  reagent.  Arsenites  and 
alkaline  arseniates  can  be  eliminated  by  magnesia.  In  any  case 
no  risk  is  run,  and  good  may  be  done  by  giving  milk  with  borate 
of  soda  to  one  who  is  thought  to  have  been  poisoned.  It  is  the 
first  thing  to  be  done  after  emptying  the  stomach.  If  arsenic 
is  suspected,  magnesia  should  be  given.  If  there  are  vegetable 
poisons,  the  best  antidote  is  a  i  per  cent,  solution  of  perman- 
ganate of  potash,  Medical  News. 


ABSTRACTS  AND  SELECTIONS.  707 


THERAPEUTIC  CYCLES  IN  LARYNGOLOGY. 

Dr.  Beverley  Robinson  states  that  just  as  there  are  cycles 
in  the  therapeutics  of  most  diseases,  so  there  have  been  in  the 
treatment  of  nasal  affections.  Twenty  years  ago  the  diathesis 
underlying  certain  manifestations  in  the  nose  was  frequently 
much  more  important  and  needed  treatment  rather  than  the 
nasal  disease  itself.  The  constitutional  condition  of  the  patient 
was  the  cause  of  the  nasal  symptoms  and  it  was  only  by  improv- 
ing this  that  any  permanent  relief  could  be  obtained.  Although 
many  changes  have  come  in  rhinology  during  the  last  twenty 
years,  there  seems  no  reason  to  change  this  opinion  except,  if 
possible,  to  emphasize  it  more  strongly  than  ever.  There  is 
undoubtedly  more  danger  in  operations  upon  the  nose  than  has 
been  thought.  Not  only  is  there  a  certain  amount  of  immediate 
danger,  as  reported  deaths  show,  but  there  is  a  large  risk  of 
serious  after-results  from  useless  operations.  Pathways  for 
the  entrance  of  germs  are  frequently  provided  by  the  mutilating 
effects  of  operations,  and  the  physiological  function  of  the  nose 
as  the  gateway  of  the  respiratory  tract  is  often  so  interfered 
with  that  pulmonary  affections  become  much  more  frequent 
than  before.  There  is  still  a  limited  field  for  surgery  in  the 
nose,  but  it  must  be  remembered  that  many  of  the  operations 
done  so  thoughtlessly  are  of  considerable  moment  and  demand 
for  their  proper  accomplishment  a  previous  surgical  training. 
The  entrance  of  a  number  of  men  into  laryngology  and  rhin- 
ology without  previous  surgical  training  has  undoubtedly  hurt 
the  surgical  side  of  the  specialty.  The  first  principle  of  all 
medical  treatment  non  nocere  has  only  too  often  been  flagrantly 
violated.  Many  a  patient  could  have  endured  much  better  the 
nasal  condition  from  which  he  was  suffering  than  he  can  the  re- 
sults of  operation  that  was  supposed  to  relieve  his  symptoms. 
An  occasional  feeling  of  fullness  in  the  nose  is  a  good  deal  easier 
to  bear  than  the  scabs  and  constant  dryness,  wdth  consequent 
discomfort,  which  will  exist  in  the  nose  so  persistently  as  the 
result  of  mutilating  operations  upon  the  nasal  mucous  mem- 
brane. Medical  Nczvs. 


THE 


Dental  Brief. 

A  Journal  of  Dental  Science,  Art  and  Literature. 

PUBUSHED   MONTHI.Y. 


WILBUR    F.    LITCH,    M.D.,    D.D.S.,    EDITOR. 


*'No  Mosquitoes,  No  Malaria." 

It  is  probable  that  no  one  of  the  many  diseases  to  which 
mankind  is  subject  has  been  a  more  potent  cause  of  physical 
degeneracy,  or  has  in  the  aggregate  claimed  more  victims,  than 
what,  for  want  of  a  better  name  and  more  accurate  knowledge, 
has  been  termed  "malaria." 

The  correctness  of  this  designation,  involving  as  it  does  an 
implied  hypothesis  as  to  the  agency  causative  of  the  disease  in 
question,  has  long  been  the  subject  of  doubt,  and  recent  re- 
search would  seem  to  establish  the  fact  that  mala  aria  is  not 
necessarily  a  determinative  factor,  although  it  may  often  be,  and 
perhaps  generally  is,  an  associative  condition  of  disorders  of  the 
malarial  type. 

The  fact  that  the  true  morbific  principle  in  malarial  dis- 
ease is  not  a  mephitic  gas  or  vapor  of  unknown  composition 
was  fully  established  by  Laveran,  who  demonstrated  the  exist- 
ence in  the  blood  of  the  Plasmodium  malarice,  a  parasitic  organ- 
ism which  infests  the  red  corpuscles  in  malarial  fever  cases. 
These  multiplying  with  enormous  rapidity,  by  a  process  of  spor- 
ulation  or  segmentation,  create  coincidently  with  the  segmenta- 
tive  stage,  those  periodic  crises  symptomatic  of  malarial  dis- 
orders, and  at  the  same  time  by  impairing  or  destroying  the 
oxygen  carrying  and  other  nutritory  functions  of  the  corpuscu- 
lar blood  elements  (and  possibly  also  by  the  secretion  of  as  yet 
undetermined  morbific  principles)  set  up  that  series  of  degen- 
erative changes  in  the  general  system  which  characterize  dis- 
eases malarial  in  character. 

Before  the  ravages  of  this  scourge  mankind  was  relatively 

helpless  until  the  discovery  by  the  Spanish  conquerors  of  Peru 
708 


EDITORIAL. 


709 


of  the  medicinal  virtues  of  cinchona  bark,  perhaps  the  New 
World's  most  precious  gift  to  the  Old.  The  efficacy  of  this 
agent  was,  however,  not  fully  available  until  the  isolation  of  its 
alkaloidal  principles  more  than  three  centuries  subsequent  to 
the  employment  by  Europeans  of  the  bark  itself. 

Even  then  its  administration  was  entirely  empirical.  It 
was  recognized  as  one  of  the  few  remedial  agents  entitled  to 
rank  as  specifics,  but  the  rationale  of  its  action  could  not  be 
determined  until  the  demonstration  by  Laveran  of  its  true 
germicidal  action  upon  the  Plasmodium  malaria',  which  he  found 
to  rapidly  disappear  from  the  blood  under  full  medicinal  doses 
of  the  drug. 

This  fact  determined,  there  yet  remained  to  be  discovered 
the  genesis  of  the  germ  and  the  channel  of  infection.  While 
it  cannot  by  any  means  be  affirmed  that  these  problems  have 
been  fully  solved,  much  lig'ht  has  been  thrown  upon  the  etiology 
of  malarial  diseases  by  the  discovery  that  certain  genera  of 
mosquitoes,  more  especially  the  genus  Anopheles,  of  which  there 
are  several  species,  may  act  as  the  intermediate  host  for  the 
malarial  parasite,  and  that  mosquitoes  thus  infected  can  and  do 
communicate  that  infection  to  human  beings  by  inoculation. 

The  connection  between  mosquitoes  and  malaria  had  long 
been  suspected,  and  indeed  has  been  a  matter  of  popular  belief 
in  many  of  the  coimtries  in  which  malaria  is  prevalent.  Medical 
literature  furnishes  numerous  allusions  to  the  possibility  of  this 
relationship.  Dr.  King,  of  Washington,  in  1883,  published  a 
pamphlet  in  which  he  presents  many  facts  confirmatory  of  the 
theory.  It  remained,  however,  for  Dr.  Patrick  Manson,  of  Eng- 
land, in  1896,  tO'  definitely  formulate  the  hypothesis  and  offer 
scientific  evidence  in  its  support.  To  him  credit  for  the  dis- 
covery is  generally  accorded. 

In  confirmation  of  the  theory  the  following  account  (Mcdieal 
Record,  October  6th,  1900,)  of  an  experiment  but  recently  con- 
cluded in  England  is  of  interest: 

"Three  batches  of  AnopMcs  were  fed  in  Rome  by  Dr. 
Bastianelli  on  three  separate  malarials  (tertians),  and  forwarded 
in  cages  to  the  London  School  of  Tropical  Medicine.  Dr.  Man- 
son's  son,  P.  Thurburn  Manson,  was  bitten  every  second  day 
by  the  insects  until  they  died — usually  about  ten  days  after  their 
arrival  in  London.  The  first  batch  was  fed  in  London  on  the 
first  and  second  week  in  July,  the  second  at  the  end  of  August, 


7IO  DENTAL  BRIEF, 

and  the  last  during  the  second  week  of  this  month.  The  subject 
of  this  experiment  remained  in  perfect  heaUh  till  the  morning 
of  September  13th,  when  headache,  boneache,  lassitude  an- 
orexia, with  rise  of  temperature  to  102  degrees,  set  in.  On  the 
15th  there  was  a  distinct  intermission  during  the  forenoon. 
High  fever,  104  degrees,  set  in  about  4  p.  m.,  with  delirium,  re- 
lieved during  the  night  by  profuse  diaphoiresis.  The  same  series 
of  events  recurred  on  the  i6th.  On  the  morning  of  the  17th 
tertian  parasites  were  found  in  the  blood." 

As  negative  evidence  that  mosquito  inoculation  is  the  chief, 
if  not  the  sole,  agency  in  malarial  infection,  a  highly  interesting 
experiment  has  during  the  past  few  months  been  conducted  in 
the  Roman  Campagna,  one  of  the  most  fever  stricken  regions 
of  the  globe.  The  district  in  question  abounds  in  stagnant 
pools  formed  from  the  streams  wdiich  descend  from  the  sur- 
rounding mountains  and  volcanic  hills.  These  pools  and  the 
contiguous  territory  are  infected  by  mosquitoes  of  the  Ano- 
pheles genus.  So  deadly  is  the  region  that  it  is  practically  un- 
inhabitable. 

Here  about  two  miles  from  Ostia  was  built,  under  the  aus- 
pices of  the  British  Colonial  Office,  a  mosquito  proof  hut,  in 
which  Dr.  Louis  M.  Lambon,  Dr.  E.  G.  Lowe,  of  the  School  of 
Tropical  Medicine,  and  Signer  Terzi,  an  Italian  artist,  wath  two 
Italian  servants,  took  up  their  residence  in  June  of  the  present 
year.  They  took  with,  them  no  quinine  or  other  prophylactic 
drug,  drank  freely  of  the  water  of  the  region,  and  lived  an  out- 
of-door  life  during  the  day,  as  the  Anopheles  bite  only  at  night. 
Their  only  protection  against  malarial  infection  was  the  care- 
fully screened  hut,  in  which  they  remained  from  an  hour  before 
sunset  until  an  hour  after  sunrise. 

On  September  12th  they  were  visited  by  several  Italian 
physicians,  who  verified  their  perfect  health  at  that  date.  The 
experiment  is  to  continue  until  the  close  of  the  malarial  season, 
which,  if  the  theory  thus  crucially  tested  is  correct,  should  be 
coincident  with  the  disappearance  of  mosquitoes  before  the  cold 
of  advancing  winter. 

The  same  line  of  experimentation  has  been  pursued  by 
other  observers.  Eugenio  di  Mattei  reports  (Archivio  per  le 
S dense  Mediehc,  No.  2,  Vol.  XXIV,  1900)  that  for  thirty-two 
nights  he,  with  four  workmen,  occupied  a  gauze-protected  hut 
located  in  an  extremely  malarial  region.     During  the  day  they 


EDITORIAL,  -J  II 

were  engaged  in  arduous  manual  labor.  Their  diet  was  meagre, 
and  they  were  without  quinine  or  other  antiperiodic.  Neigh- 
boring workmen  living  under  much  the  same  conditions,  but 
without  protection  against  mosquitoes,  contracted  malarial 
fever,  while  those  who  occupied  the  mosquito-proof  hut  were 
entirely  exempt. 

In  a  paper  by  Professor  C.  Fermi  and  Dr.  Tonsini,  on 
"The  Prophylaxis  of  Malaria  and  the  Destruction  of  Mosquitoes 
in  the  Island  of  Asinara"  {The  Lancet,  October  20th,  1900,  trans- 
lated from  the  Annali  d'Igiene  Spcrimentali,  Vol.  X,  Fasc  II, 
1900,)  an  interesting  account  of  another  experimental  effort  to 
prevent  malarial  infection  is  given.  The  island  of  Asinara  is 
situated  north  of  Sardinia,  and  is  only  inhabited  by  convicts, 
and  by  the  staff  of  the  lazaretto  and  the  penal  colony.  As  a  pre- 
liminary to  eradicative  measures  the  malarial  centers  of  the 
island  were  carefully  ascertained.  They  were  found  to  be  eleven 
in  number,  and  the  malarial  foci  appeared  to  be  associated 
with  brackish  pools  and  marshes,  and  also  with  wells,  cisterns 
drinking  tanks  and  tubs,  all  more  or  less  infected  with  the  larvae 
of  Anopheles. 

The  preventive  measures  adopted  consisted  in  frequent 
changes  of  water  in  all  storage  tanks,  the  destruction  of  the 
mosquito  in  the  larval  stage  by  petroleum,  and  of  the  adult 
mosquito  by  various  insecticidal  powders,  such  as  pyrethnun, 
chrysanthemium,  valerian,  etc.,  and  in  the  dormitories  of  the  con- 
victs by  chlorine  gas.  As  a  further  protection  all  dormitories 
were  carefully  screened. 

The  results  reported  are  that  the  Anopheles  was  almost  never 
found  in  any  of  the  dormitories  and  the  Culex  Pipens  was  much 
diminished  in  comparison  with  former  years;  that  no  case  of 
primary  malaria  originating  in  the  island  was  observed,  although 
in  the  preceding  year  there  had  been  ninety-nine  cases,  of  which 
forty  had  been  contracted  on  the  island. 

While  the  stamping-out  process  thus  outlined  presents 
comparatively  few  difficulties  in  an  island  of  small  area,  the 
attempt  would  seem  to  be  utterly  hopeless  as  applied  to  the  vast 
reaches  of  mosquito-infected  swamp  and  morass  found  in  this 
and  other  countries.  Fortunately,  however,  mosquitoes  are  not 
migratory,  and  in  any  g-iven  neighborhood  are  not  usually  found 
far  from  their  breeding  places.     Hence,  there  is  every  reason 


712  UKSTAL   h  If  IFF. 

to  hope  that  carefull}-  and  persistently  conducted  preventive 
measures  will  i^Tcatly  limit  the  number  of  these  pests,  even  if 
they  do  not  entirely  eradicate  them.  Manson  suggests  the  fol- 
lowing modes  of  prophylaxis : 

"i.  To  begin  by  administering  quinine  for  long  intervals  to 
all  cases  of  malarial  fever,  since  a  single  man  is  a  source  of  in- 
fection to  a  whole  locality.  2.  To  cause  all  persons  suffering 
with  malarial  fever  to  sleep  under  mosquito  netting.  3.  To 
compel  all  the  uninfected  to  sleep  in  mosquito-proof  houses  or 
beds.  4.  To  kill  by  different  culicicides  all  mosquitoes  entering 
houses.  5.  To  destroy  all  the  mosquito  larvae  before  they  reach 
maturity  or  the  biting  stage — to  which  might  be  added  the  de- 
struction of  the  adult  mosquitoes  in  their  places  of  hibernation. 
And,  6,  a  combination  of  all  these  methods." 

A  culicicide  to  be  commercially  available  must  be  cheap  as 
well  as  effective.  As  far  as  ascertained  the  agent  which  best 
meets  these  conditions  is  petroleum;  a  thin  film  of  this  spread 
over  the  surface  of  an  infected  pool  will  in  a  few  hours  destroy 
all  larvae.  Dr.  Albert  Woidert  finds  after  a  carefully  conducted 
series  of  experiments  {Journal  American  Medical  Association, 
October  13th,  1900),  that  by  macerating  a  certain  proportion  of 
tobacco  in  the  oil  its  efficacy  is  somiewhat  increased. 

If  the  results  thus  outlined  are  confirmed  by  subsequent 
experiments,  and  the  dictum  "no  mosquitoes,  no  malaria"  stands 
the  supreme  test  of  time  and  practical  experience,  the  old  med- 
ical aphorism,  that  a  disease  is  already  half  cured  when  its  cause 
is  known,  will  find  a  new  illustration,  and  in  the  annals  of  a  cen- 
tury already  made  illustrious  by  the  discovery  of  anaesthesia  and 
antisepsis  will  be  recorded  a  hardly  less  epoch-making  triumph 
for  the  healing  art. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  713 

(Questions  anil  anstofts  * 


Question  106.  Do'  you  consider  the  practice  of  cutting-  the 
teeth  from  the  plaster  cast  advisable  when  the  cast  is  to  be  used 
as  a  model  for  molding  for  a  zinc  die?  H.  H.  P. 

If  many  teeth  are  remaining  scattered  about  the  mouth 
the  practice  referred  to  has  numerous  advantages.  In  the  first 
place  it  simplifies  making  the  mold,  and,  secondly,  changes  the 
swaging  process  from  one  full  0|f  complications  to  one  of  pro- 
nounced simplicity.  Leaving  the  teeth  on  serves  no  good  pur- 
pose, except  as  a  guide  for  mounting  the  porcelain  teeth,  and 
this  can  be  accompjished  much  better  by  taking  a  second  im- 
pression of  the  miO'Uth  with  the  plate  in  poisition,  this  procedure 
giving  the  relation  between  the  plate  and  the  natural  teeth.  It 
is  the  practice  of  some  tO'  break  the  teeth  from  the  plaster  cast, 
and  mold  and  swage  over  this  broken  surface,  after  which  the 
fractured  teeth  are  replaced,  and  the  original  model  used  for 
mounting.  This  method  is  much  better  than  leaving  the  teeth 
on,  but  nott  so  good  as  cutting  them  down  and  rounding  off  the 
stumps.  One  very  great  advantage  in  swaging  over  the  rounded 
stumps  is  that  a  very  accurate  adaptation  of  the  margins  of  the 
plate  to  the  neck  of  the  tooth  is  obtained.  Of  course  it  is  not 
always  desirable  to  have  the  margins  of  the  plate  in  actual  con- 
tact with  the  necks  of  the  teeth,  but  in  general  outlines  these 
margins  should  accurately  follow  the  curvatures  produced  by 
the  surfaces  of  the  remaining  teeth.  I  would  say  most  emphat- 
ically to  always  cut  off  the  plaster  teeth. 


The  practice  of  cutting  the  teeth  from  a  plaster  cast  pre- 
paratory to  using  it  as  a  model  for  a  metallic  die  is  inadvisable — 
it  is  unworkmanlike.  It  ruins  it  for  use  later,  when  the  presence 
of  the  plaster  teeth  in  accurate  relation  to  other  portions  of  the 
cast  is  imperative.  A  skilful  workman  is  able  in  all  ordinary 
cases  to  obtain  a  metallic  die  sufficiently  accurate  without  rcsort- 


*Underthis  head  the  editor  solicits  correspoudence  bclh  of  a  practical 
aud  theoretical  nature.  These  may  be  in  the  form  of  queries  or  answers, 
or  the  brief  report  of  some  special  experience  of  general  interest.  In  all 
instances  the  name  of  the  writer  nmst  accompany  the  communication,  and 
will  be  published  unless  otherwise  directed. 

Edited  by  I.  No7?7ian  Broomell,  D.D.S.,  14.20  Chestnut  St.,  Phila. 


714  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

ing  to  this  expedient.  The  art  of  so  doing  is  well  woTth  cul- 
tivating. Filling  in,  around  the  necks  of  the  teeth,  or  building 
out  with  yellow  wax  at  this  point,  so  as  to  measurably  correct 
leaning  or  ill-shaped  teeth,  will  frequently  prove  a  decided  help. 
Tlie  inaccuracy  this  causes  in  the  die  is  readily  corrected  by 
means  of  a  cold  chisel,  with  a  properly  shaped,  sharp  cutting 
edge,  and  the  file  and  graver.  In  extreme  cases  resort  may  be 
had  to  cores;  this  is,  however,  seldom  necessary.  I  prefer  in 
such  cases  to  take  a  plaster  impression  of  the  cast,  allowing  it 
to  cover  those  portions  only  actually  needed  in  the  die;  and 
from  this  make  a  duplicate  cast  to  serve  as  a  model  for  the  dies, 
and  for  use  in  fitting  the  plate.  We  thus  preserve  intact  the 
original,  for  use  in  fitting  clasps  or  arranging  the  teeth.  In  ex- 
ceptional cases,  where  the  removal  of  the  plaster  teeth  may  seem 
best,  it  is  better  to  make  a  slight  saw  cut  at  the  point  where 
it  is  desired  that  the  tooth  should  break,  and  carefully  break  it 
off  with  a  clean  fracture,  protecting  this  fractured  surface  on  the 
cast  with  a  covering  of  wax  until  the  dies  have  been  made  and 
the  plate  fitted.  The  tooth  may  then  be  replaced  by  cementing 
with  hard  wax.  Even  with  the  greatest  care  we  never  can  be 
sure  of  its  accurate  replacement.  A  very  slight  change  will,  at 
times,  make  serious  trouble,  if  the  tooth  is  to  be  clasped,  or  it 
is  a  tooth  against  which  a  tooth  is  to  be  closely  fitted. 

The  destruction  of  the  original  cast  by  cutting  off  the  teeth 
necessitates  a  second  cast  for  adjusting  clasps  and  teeth.  This, 
if  made  from  a  second  impression,  will  seldom,  if  ever,  be  an 
exact  duplicate  of  the  first.  The  plate  will  not  fit  a  cast  from 
it  as  accurately  as  it  does  the  one  on  which  it  was  made,  nor 
yet  as  it  fits  the  mouth.  If  the  plate  is  in  position  in  the  mouth 
while  the  second  impression  is  being  taken,  it  is  apt  tO'  be  dis- 
placed during  the  operation.  I  consider  it  far  better  to  cul- 
tivate skill  at  the  molding  bench.  With  the  sand  in  good  or- 
der, the  judicious  use  of  tho;se  little  expedients  learned  by  prac- 
tice; careful  manipulation  of  the  mold,  replacing  portions  of 
sand  partially  dislodged,  and  at  times  building  out  or  restoring 
portions  drawn  away  with  the  model,  it  is  surprising  how  ac- 
curately, and  how  easily  an  apparently  impossible  model  may 
be  reproduced  in  the  die.  It  should  be  a  workman's  ambition 
to  return,  with  the  finished  denture,  the  model  upon  which  it  was 
made  in  as  good  order  as  it  was  received. 

Naaman  H.  Keyscr,  Gcrmantown,  Phila.,  Pa. 


QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS.  715 

Question  107.  I  should  like  your  opinion  in  the  following 
case.  I  made  a  denture  for  a  patient  who  for  some  time  had 
been  complaining  of  excessive  dryness  of  the  oral  mucous  mem- 
brane, feeling  that  perhaps  the  insertion  of  the  plate  under  such 
conditions  would  remove  the  trouble.  Contrary  to  my  expec- 
tations, the  gentleman  is  unable  to  wear  the  plate  because  there 
is  now  present  not  only  the  dryness  of  the  membrane,  but  also 
extreme  heat,  this  latter  sensation  being  so  marked  that  he  is 
compelled  to  remove  his  plate  to  obtain  relief.  Very  frequently 
after  wearing  the  plate  for  a  short  time,  the  membrane  becomes 
SO'  inflamed  that  it  peels  off  with  the  removal  of  the  denture. 
He  complained  also  of  a  continual  throbbing  sensation  in  his 
gums  when  the  plate  is  in  his  mouth. 

F.  H.  Blaschka,  Waterloo,  Wisconsin. 

See  the  answer  tO'  'T.  S.  T.,"  in  "Questions  and  Answers," 
November  number  of  the  Brief.  You  do  not  say  what  kind 
of  a  plate  was  inserted,  but  it  is  presumed  that  you  mean  vul- 
canite rubber.  It  is  not  at  all  likely  that  the  presence  of  a  plate 
in  the  mouth,  be  it  metal  or  plastic,  would  assist  in  relieving  the 
discomfort  spoken  of,  but  without  doubt  the  non-conductibility 
of  rubber  would  be  the  more  objectionable,  and  would  tend  to 
increase,  rather  than  relieve,  the  condition. 

In  reply  to  "J.  L.  G."  I  desire  to  submit  the  following,  my 
opinion  being  based  on  the  actual  observation  of  a  similar  case 
in  the  living  subject.  In  the  case  reported  by  ''].  L.  G."  I 
would  say  that  without  doubt  the  condition  was  one  of  dental 
origin,  an  excessive  and  chronic  enlargement  of  the  percimental 
tissue  about  the  apex  of  the  root  being  responsible  for  the 
wholesale  destructioin  of  the  bone  at  the  base  of  the  alveolus 
and  about  the  f^oor  of  the  nares.  The  bone  did  not  have  the 
appearance  of  necrosis  because  it  could  not  be  considered  such. 
One  of  the  characteristics  of  the  cancellated  bony  structure 
forming  the  alveodus  is  its  readiness  to  succumb  to  the  pressure 
of  hypcrtrophied  soft  tissues,  and  where  absorption  takes  place 
from  this  cause  the  surface  of  the  destroyed  area  is  smooth,  as 
shown  in  the  case  reported.  The  case  which  came  before  me 
was  one  in  which  a  chronic  enlargement  occupied  the  space  im- 
mediately over  the  left  central  incisor.  The  patient  would  not 
consent  to  an  operation  until  the  growth  became  so  large  that 
she  was  compelled  to  do  so'.  After  an  incision  through  the 
parts,  it  was  found  that  a  tumor-like  growth  was  attached  to 
the  apex  of  the  root  of  the  tooth,  this  gradual!  \'  causing  dost  rue- 


7i6  DENTAL  BlUEF. 

tion  of  the  oiiter  plate  of  the  alvcohis  and  forming-  a  saucer- 
shaped  depression  on  the^  inner  plate.  The  pulp  in  the  tooth 
was  dead  and  the  tooth  very  loose  from  lack  of  bony  support. 

/.  T.,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

Question  108.  Can  you  describe  a  successful  methoid  of 
opening  the  bite  and  arresting  the  progress  of  abrasion,  by 
placing  caps  over  certain  natural  teeth?  The  teeth  of  a  male 
patient  over  forty  years  of  age  are  very  much  worn  by  mechan- 
ical abrasion,  those  of  the  upper  jaw  on  the  right  side  being 
thus  affected,  while  the  teeth  of  the  lower  jaw  on  the  left  side 
show  a  similar  condition.  In  the  anterior  part  of  the  mouth, 
the  lower  teeth  with  their  cutting  edges  somewhat  abraded,  fit 
into  deep  oblong  depressions  worn  into  the  palatal  surfaces  of 
the  upper  teeth.  Is  there  not  some  method  by  which  this 
gradual  but  sure  destruction  may  be  checked?  Nearly  all  the 
teeth  are  more  or  less  sensitive,  and  the  jaws  are  deformed  by 
the  close  bite. 

The  condition  you  describe  is  one  rather  difficult  to  cope 
with.  Involving  as  it  does  some  mechanical  addition  to  every 
tooth  in  the  mioluth,  it  means  in  the  first  place  considerable 
expense.  Secondly,  the  close  proximity  of  the  pulps  to  the  sur- 
face would  necessitate  their  destruction  in  order  to  properly 
adapt  any  siort  of  an  appliance,  and  in  addition  to  this  the  com- 
pleted restoration  would  be  unsightly.  But  with  all  these  draw- 
backs the  parts  may  be  restored  to  usefulness  by  certain  meth- 
ods of  capping,  or  building  up  of  the  abraded  surfaces.  If  the 
teeth  are  hard,  as  they  usually  are  under  such  circumtsances, 
partial  gold  caps  may  be  fitted  over  each  one,  beginning  with 
the  back  teeth,  and  establishing  the  proper  distance  between  the 
jaws  at  this  point.  By  a  partial  cap  is  meant  one  that  envelopes 
only  a  portion  of  the  crown  of  the  tooth,  just  enough  toi  give 
the  cap  support,  leaving  the  balance  of  the  tooth  surface  free, 
and  avoiding  the  possible  gingival  irritation  so  frequent  when 
gold  bands  are  in  contact  with  it.  In  1897  Dr.  M.  F.  Finley 
described  before  Section  i,  American  Dental  Association,  his 
method  of  building  up  molars  that  had  suffered  from  mechanical 
abrasion.  This  was  accomplished  without  the  destruction  of 
the  pulp.  The  occlusal  surface  was  ground  off  tO'  a  level  plane, 
and  four  holes  parallel  with  each  other  and  perhaps  an  eighth 
of  an  inch  in  depth  were  drilled  at  each  angle  of  the  crown. 
Gold  caps  were  swaged,  fitted  and  filled  to  the  desired  thickness, 
four  posts  were  soldered  to  the  under  surface  and  cemented  in 


OBITUARY.  ji-j 

position  in  the  holes  made  for  their  reception.     (See  page  239 
Transaction  A.  D.  A.,  197.) 

Question  109.  What  other  substance  beside  sodium  chlorid 
will  hasten  the  setting  of  plaster  of  Paris  and  at  the  same  time 
increase  its  hardness? 

Many  experiments  have  been  made  to  determine  the  effect 
of  various  agents  on  calcium  sulphate,  nearly  all  of  them  result- 
ing in  extending  the  time  required  for  the  mass  to  harden,  and 
to  a  greater  or  less  degree  interfering  with  its  quality.  Mixed 
in  water  to^  which  has  been  added  glycerin  the  proportion  of 
one  to  four,  the  setting  process  will  be  extended  to  one  hour 
and  ten  minutes.  A  twenty-five  per  cent,  of  glue  water  will  delay 
the  setting  to'  about  one  hour;  albumin  in  various  proportions 
added  to  the  water  will  also  retard  the  setting  process.  While 
there  may  be  other  agents  which  will  assist  the  mix  to  harden 
more  quickly  there  are  none  so  reliable  and  readily  applied  as 
sodium  chlorid.  While  glue  water  increases  the  time,  it  event- 
ually results  in  an  extremely  hard  mass. 


HENRY  H.  BURCHARD,  M.D.,  D.D.S. 

At  the  regular  meeting  of  the  Academy  of  Stomatology 
held  Tuesday  evening,  October  23d,  1900,  the  Committee  on 
Resolutions  upon  the  death  of  Dr.  Henry  H.  Burchard,  sub- 
mitted the  folloiwing,  which  were  accepted  and  adopted: 

Whereas,  Henry  H.  Burchard,  M.D.,  D.D.S.,  has  been 
removed  by  death  from  the  scene  of  his  toils  and  his  honors; 
therefore,  be  it 

Resolved,  As  the  sense  of  this  society,  that  in  the  death  of  Dr. 
Burchard  the  Academy  of  Stomatology  has  lost  one  of  its 
most  brilliant  and  useful  members  and  the  dental  profession  one 
of  its  most  earnest  workers.  As  one  of  its  organizers  he  was 
foremost  in  the  endeavor  to  establish  the  Academy  of  Stoma- 
tology upon  a  plane  of  high  professional  usefulness,  and  was  ever 
active  in  advancing  its  interest  by  contributing  his  own  work 
and  enlisting  the  cooperation  of  others.  He  gave  unselfishly 
of  his  energies  and  best  endeavors,  even  when  physically  un- 
fitted for  the  task.  His  active  brain  not  only  stimulated  thought 
and  discussion  at  the  sessions  of  the  Academy,  but  his  sugges- 


7i8  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

tive  help  In  tlic  ordering"  of  its  affairs  was  always  a  material  aid 
in  its  progress.  He  was  earnest  and  enthusiastic  in  his  efforts 
to  impart  his  knowledge  to  others.  As  a  teacher  he  was  clear, 
logical  and  forcible.  These  qualities  he  evinced  both  as  a  writer 
and  as  a  speaker.  As  a  man  Dr.  Burchard  was  genial  and 
affable  in  disposition,  ever  ready  to  sacrifice  his  own  time  and 
strength  whenever  it  was  within  his  power  to  aid  others,  and 
especially  those  who  were  earnestly  working  in  the  field  of  den- 
tal advancement.  In  his  brief  and  brilliant  career  as  writer  and 
teacher  he  had  attained  remarkable  distinction,  and  though  his 
untimely  decease  has  occurred  at  an  age  when  the  promise  of 
still  greater  achievements  seemed  clearly  befote  him,  he  never- 
theless attained  an  eminence  in  his  profession  as  teacher,  writer 
and  investigator  seldom  reached  by  others,  and  less  frequently 
by  those  of  his  short  period  of  life. 

Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  spread  upon  the  minutes 
of  the  Academy,  and  that  a  copy  be  transmitted  tO'  his  family, 
and  be  published  in  the  dental  journals. 

Edwin  T.  Darby, 

S.  H.  Guilford, 

Edward  C.  Kirk, 

Archibald  C.  Eglin,  Secretary. 


INSTITUTE  OF  DENTAL  PEDAGOGICS. 

The  eighth  annual  meeting  of  the  Institute  of  Dental  Peda- 
gogics will  convene  on  Thursday,  December  27th,  1900,  at  10 
o'clock  A.  M.,  at  the  Maxwell  House,  Nashville,.  Tenn.  Ses- 
sions: December  27th,  28th,  29th. 

OFFICERS.      ■ 

President — ^Harry  P.  Carlton,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 
Vice-President — George  E.  Hunt,  Indianapolis,  Ind. 
Secretary  and  Treasurer — H.  J.  Goslee,  Chicago,  111. 

EXECUTIVE  BOARD. 

Henry  W.  Morgan,  Nashville,  Tenn.,  one  year. 
David  M.  Cattell,  Chicago,  111.,  two  years. 
Walter  E.  Willmott,  Toronto,  Canada,  three  years. 

MASTER    OF    EXHIBITS. 

George  H.  Wilson,  Cleveland,  Ohio. 


INSTITUTE  OF  DENTAL  PEDAGOGICS  719 

LOCAL  ARRANGEMENT  COMMITTEE. 

Henry  W.  Morgan  and  J.  P.  Gray. 

THURSDAY,   DECEMBER  27. 

10  A.  M. — Organization;  Executive  Business. 

10.30  A.  M. — President's  Address. 

Discussions— Drs.  J.  Taft,  W.  F.  Litch,  H.  B.  Tileston,  F. 
W.  Weisse,  W.  C.  Barrett. 

12  M. — The  Use  of  Flexible  Rubber  in  Orthodontia  and 
Other  Technic  Teaching.     Dr.  J.  Q.  Byram. 

Discussions — ^Drs.  S.  H.  Guilford,  C.  S.  Case,  Walter  H. 
Funderburger,  W.  W.  Evans,  W.  E.  Grant. 

2  p.  M. — ^Teaching  of  Materia.  Medica  and  Therapeutics, 
How  and  How  Much?     Dr.  A.  H.  Peck. 

Discussions — Drs.  James  Truman,  John  I.  Hart,  S.  W. 
Foster,  G.  E.  Hunt,  J.  D.  Patterson. 

5  p.  M. — Exhibit  Open. 

8.15  p.  M. — The  Use  of  the  Lantern  in  Teaching  Dental 
Histology  in  Its  Relation  to  Operative  Dentistry.  Dr.  Fred. 
Noyes. 

Discussions — Drs.  I.  N.  Broomell,  A.  H.Thompson,  W.  G. 
Foster,  H.  T.  Smith,  Louis  Leroy. 

FRIDAY,   DECEMBER  28. 

9  A.  M. — Exhibit  Open. 

10  A.  M. — Presentation  of  the  Technic  of  Crown  and  Bridge 
Work,  Metal  and  Porcelain.     Dr.  Thos.  E.  Weeks. 

Discussions — Drs.  Otto  Arnold,  Fred.  R.  Sandusky,  R.  H. 
Nones,  N.  S.  HofT,  H.  R.  Jewett. 

1  p.  M. — Exhibit  Open. 

2  p.  M. — Class  Room  Method  of  Teaching  Oral  Surger>\ 
Dr.  G.  V.  I.  Brown. 

Discussions — Drs.  M.  FL  Crycr,  T.  S.  Gilmer,  Eugene  Tal- 
bot, J.  Y.  Crawford,  E.  M.  Kettig. 

4  p.  M. — A  New  Feature  in  Teaching  Dental  Anatomy  and 
Operative  Technic.     Dr.  A.  E.  Webster. 

Discussions — Drs.  E.  C.  Kirk,  G.  V.  Black,  Wm.  A.  ]\Ion- 
tcll,  G.  W.  Dittmar,  W.  H.  Whitslar. 

SATURDAY,   DECEMBER  29. 

9  A.  M. — Exhibit  Open. 

10  A.  M. — Class  Room  Method  of  Teaching  Prosthetic 
Technic.     Dr.  Grant  Molyneaux. 


720  IttiMAt.    liUlhlt'. 

Discussions— Drs.  J.  H.  Kcnnerly,  J.  P.  Gray,  J.  Bond  Lit- 
tig-,  T.  M.  Allen,  A.  O.  Hunt. 

11.30  A.  M. — Reports  of  the  Coniniittees  on  Syllabi  of  Op- 
erative and  Prosthetic  Technics. 

Exhibits  should  be  shipped  to  the  Maxwell  House,  care 
Dr.  J.  A.  Dale,  or  Dr.  G.  H.  Wilson,  Master  of  Exhibits,  with 
college  name  on  it  before  the  holiday  rush. 

All  teachers  are  cordially  urged  to  attend  these  meetings. 
Every  school  should  be  represented. 
Fraternally, 

Henry  IV.  Morgan, 
'    •  David  M.  Cattell, 

Walter  E.  Willnwtt, 

Executive  Board. 


PATENTS  OF  INTEREST  TO  DENTISTS,  RECENTLY 

GRANTED. 

659,886,  Dental  cervical  clamp,  Courtland  G.  Capewell,  Bos- 
ton, Mass. 

659,747,  Dental  vulcanizer  and  celluloid  press,  Henry  Hart- 
wig  and  A.  W.  Feltmann,  Chicago,  111. 

659,871,  Dental  articulator,  Theodore  G.  Lewis,  assignor 
to  Buffalo  Dental  Manufacturing  Company,  Buffalo,  N.  Y. 

659,684,  Dental  rubber-dam  holder,  Jo^hn  A.  W.  Lundborg, 
San  Francisco,  Cal. 

660,411,  Dental  plugger,  Robert  Blum,  Corpus  Christi, 
Texas. 

660,434,  Dentifrice  bottle,  Carl  G.  Hilgenberg,  and  H.  R. 
Loper,  Baltimore,  Md.,  assignors  to  Carr-Lowrey  Glass  Com- 
pany, Baltimore,  Md.,  and  New  York,  N.  Y. 

660,194,  Tooth-straightening  appliance  Clarence  D.  Lukes, 
St.  Louis,  Mo. 

660,172,  Dental  cuspidor,  Herbert  J.  Tarr,  Chicago,  III. 

660,319,  Apparatus  for  making  seamless  tooth  crowns, 
Joseph  F.  Twist,  San  Francisco,  Cal. 

660,677,  Tooth  brush,  David  J.  Archer,  Toronto,  Canada. 

660,943,  Preparing  dental  remedies,  Hermann  Bauermeis- 
ter,  Brunswick,  Germany. 

Copies  of  above  patents  may  be  obtained  for  ten  cents  each 
by  addressing  John  A.  Saul,  Solicitor  of  Patents,  Fendall  Build- 
ing, Washington,  D.  C. 


PRACTICAL  POINTS.  yjt 


practical  joints. 


* 


To  Save  on  Cost  of  22-K.  Gold  Plate.— Roll  United  States 
gold  coin  (21  6-io  k.)  and  save  $1.40  on  each  $5  worth.  A  $5 
g-old  piece  weighs  5  pennyweights  and  ten  grains. 

/.  G.  Templeton,  Dental  Register. 

Removal  of  Tartar. — If  50  per  cent,  solution  peroxide  of 
hydrogen  is  prescribed  as  a  mouthwash  for  several  days  pre- 
vious to  operating,  it  will  greatly  facilitate  scaling  off  heavy 
deposits  of  hard  tartar.  Wallace  Wood,  Jr.,  Dental  Hints. 

Investment  Material  for  Gold  Soldering. — Equal  parts  of 
finely  sifted  coal  ashes  and  plaster  of  Paris  makes  as  good  an 
investment  as  any  I  have  tried,  and  is  about  as  cheap  and  con- 
venient as  anything  else. 

R.  E.  Sparks,  Dominion  Dental  Journal, 

For  Setting  Crowns. — Mix,  with  heat  and  careful  working, 
one  part  of  gutta-percha  and  three  parts  of  vermilion.  For 
setting  porcelain  crowns  w4th  pin  extending  into  the  root  canal, 
or  gold  crown  and  cap,  this  will  be  found  thoroughly  resistant 
to  the  action  of  the  fluids  of  the  mouth. 

W.  H.  Rollins,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Painful  Erosion. — The  following  application  to  eroded  spots 
that  are  painful  will  be  found  useful: 

B.     Gum  raastich  (powder) .^i. 

Ziuci  chloridi ITlv. 

Chloroformi ,^!>s. 

To  be  used  as  a  paint.  /.  Royston,  Dental  Record. 

Incisor  Crowns. — ^Instead  of  building  up  tho  lingual  wall  to 
the  natural  contour  leave  it  concave,  to  enable  the  lower  tooth 
to  bite  into  the  hollow,  so  that  should  any  rising  of  the  lower 
teeth  take  place  it  would  drive  the  upper  root  up  into  the  socket 
rather  than  allow  it  to  be  pressed  outward,  as  is  so  frequently 
the  case  when  the  tooth  is  built  up  to  the  original  shape, 

G.  0.  Whittakcr,  Journal  British  Dental  Association. 

Retention  of  Corner  Inlays. — To  retain  a  small  corner  or 
an  incisor,  it  is  sometimes  advisable  to  form  a  groove  at  the  base 
of  the  cavity,  pushing  a  staple  of  platinum  wire  through  the 
bottom  of  the  matrix,  held  in  position  with  a  little  dampened 
body,  the  whole  withdrawn  from  the  cavity  and  baked.  If  some- 
thing of  this  kind  is  not  done  the  corner  is  liable  to  become 
dislodged  from  a  very  slight  strain. 

F.  J.  Capon,  Dental  Cosmos. 

•Compiled  by  Mrs.  J.  M.Walker,  Special  Reporter  of  Denial  rrocoedings,  Bny  St.  Louis, 
Mississippi. 


722  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

To  Cleanse  the  Cement  Slab. — Keep  a  bottle  of  ammonia 
water  convenient  for  cleansing  your  cement  slab  and  instru- 
ments. A.  M.  Jackson,  Dental  World. 

To  Prevent  Profuse  Flow  of  Saliva. — A  dose  of  sulphate  of 
atropin  (1-120  gr.)  three-quarters  of  an  hour  before  operating, 
will  secure  a  very  convenient  though  not  uncomfortable  dryness 
of  the  mouth,  lasting  from  four  to  five  hours. 

H.  Otis  Longne,  Southern  Dental  Journal. 

Sensitive  Dentin. — ^Carbolic  acid  crystals  and  cocain  hydro- 
chlorate  rubbed  together  with  a  spatula  until  the  cocain  is  dis- 
solved, forms  a  thick  syrup  which  is  escharotic,  antiseptic  and 
obtundent,  and  gives  the  most  gratifying  results  in  the  treat- 
ment of  sensitive  dentin. 

C.  B.  Rohland,  Welch's  Dental  Magazine. 

Amalgam  Fillings  in  Deciduous  Teeth. — Some  thirteen  or 
fourteen  years  ago,  Dr.  J.  T.  Crawford  looked  into  the  mouth 
of  my  little  boy,  and  seeing  some  amalgam  fillings  which  I  had 
placed  in  his  posterior  teeth,  said:  "I  want  you  to-  notice  the 
effect  of  that  amalgam  upon  those  teeth;  those  which  have  been 
filled  with  amalgam  will  not  shed  as  soon  as  the  others."  This 
proved  to  be  true,  and  since  that  time  I  have  not  filled  the  teeth 
of  children  with  amalgam,  knowing  that  it  retards  absorption  of 
the  roots.  /.  A.  Chappie,  Items  of  Interest. 

Spraying  Cavities  and  Keeping  Them  Free  of  Debris. — I  at- 
tach a  piece  of  rubber  tubing  (about  5  feet  long  and  ^  inch 
diameter)  to  my  compressed-air  cylinder ;  pressing  a  spring-clip 
regulates  the  stream  of  air,  or  liquid,  as  case  may  be,  and  is 
a  great  time-saver  as  there  is  no  need  to  stop  the  engine  to 
pick  up  a  chip-blower  or  syringe.  It  is  almost  indispensable 
in  grinding  down  teeth  for  crowns.  The  cylinder  costs  about 
$20,  does  not  occupy  much  space ;  fifty  tbs.  pressure  of  air  lasts 
several  days.  A.  M.  Jackson,  Dental  World. 

The  Ledge  Crown. — The  root  having  been  properly  prepared 
for  crowning,  and  shaped  with  flat  top,  and  the  band  fitted  and 
trimmed  with  reference  to  both  the  gum  margin  and  the  oc- 
clusal edges,  a  flat  piece  of  gold  plate  is  welded  to  the  occlusal 
end  of  the  band  and  trimmed  flush  with  the  outside  of  the  band. 
The  central  portion  is  then  cut  out,  leaving  a  narrow  ledge  ex- 
tending from  the  circumference  towards  the  center,  all  around. 
The  hollow  cusp  or  occlusal  surface  is  then  soldered  to  the 
band  as  usual,  the  whole  placed  in  position  and  the  patient 
allowed  to  press  firmly  on  the  soft  yielding  surface,  thus  giving 
a  perfect  occlusion.  The  cusps  are  then  filled  with  solder,  the 
ledge  effectively  preventing  the  solder  from  climbing  up  the 
sides  of  the  band,  and  insuring  a  solid,  heavy  grinding  surface, 
with  uniformly  flat  bottom. 

/.  K.  Burgess,  Dental  Cosmos. 


PBACTIOAL  POINTS.  723 

Aseptic  Cement. — Mix  iodoform  or  aristol  with  the  powder 
of  cement  in  placing  crowns,  bridges,  or  in  substrata  under 
cement  filHngs.  Destroys  septic  germs  from  the  fluids  of  the 
mouth.  B.  H.  Teague,  Dental  Hints. 

The  Gold  Inlay;  Protecting  the  Cement  Joint. — Protecting 
the  cement  joint  by  bevehng  fully  and  carrying  the  gold  over 
the  bevel,  is  the  vital  principle  of  the  gold  inlay.  The  imprac- 
ticability of  extending  porcelain  in  thin  edges  is  often  against 
the  use  of  the  porcelain  inlay. 

IV,  V.  B.  Antes,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Amalgam  as  a  Filling  Material. — One  of  my  objections  to 
amalgam  is  that  it  is  productive  of  pulp  stones,  one  of  the 
most  annoying  things  a  dentist  has  to  contend  with.  After  long 
observation  and  careful  study  I  am  well  satisfied  that  this  is 
true.  There  is  nO'  doubt  but  that  all  metals  employed  in  filling 
teeth  are  more  or  less  responsible  for  the  production  of  pulp 
stones,  but  it  is  especially  true  of  amalgam. 

/.  Y.  Crawford,  Items  of  Interest. 

Treatment  of  Pulpless  Deciduous  Teeth. — Open  pulp 
chamber;  allay  soreness  by  dressings  of  old  wood  creasote;  fill 
pulp  chamber  half  full  of  cotton  moistened  and  rolled  in  pul- 
verized nitrate  silver;  cover  with  temporary  stopping  for  ten 
days.  Remove  the  dressing;  excavate  the  crown  cavity; 
syringe  carefully  with  Pasteurine ;  bathe  with  creasote ;  fill  cavity 
with  amalgam,  making  no  efifort  to  cleanse  or  fill  the  pulp 
canals.  Have  not  had  a  single  case  of  abscess  after  the  above 
treatment  and  no  symptoms  of  after  trouble. 

L.  G.  Nael,  Welclis  Dental  Magazine. 

The  Pneumophone. — This  apparatus  consists  of  a  motor 
which  operates  a  pump  producing  different  forms  of  pneumatic 
action  according  to  the  position  of  a  lever.  In  one  position  the 
action  is  strictly  blozving;  in  another  there  is  an  alternating 
action  of  blowing  and  sucking;  still  a  third  is  of  a  sucking 
nature.  Little  glass  tubes  of  different  shapes  to  fit  the  varia- 
tions of  form  of  the  different  parts  of  the  mucous  membrane 
attach  to  the  end  of  the  rubber  tubing  that  connects  with  the 
pump.  The  action  is  valuable  in  giving  pneumatic  massage, 
in  increasing  the  nutritional  condition  of  the  gums,  and  the 
tone  of  the  alveolus  generally,  especially  in  certain  forms  of 
pyorrhea  and  erosion.  M.  L.  RJicin,  Dental  Cosmos. 

For  Relief  of  Reflex  Pains  from  Diseased  Pulp. 

K  .     Acetanelid grs.  viii. 

Phenacetiu prs.  x  v. 

Caffeine  citrate grs.  xv. 

Misce  et  ft.  piilv.  No.  viii. 
Sig.— Oue  to  be  taken  every  two  hours. 

Leo  Greenbauni,  International  Dental  lournal. 


724  hKSTAI.   lUflKF. 

Cement  for  Broken  Casts. — Dissolve  sheet  celluloid  in  ether, 
making  a  thick  creamy  paste.  Coat  the  broken  surfaces  thickly 
and  hold  together  for  a  few  minutes;  allow  to  harden  not  less 
than  three  minutes  before  handling.  Dental  Weekly. 

Platinum  and  Gold  Plate.— Melt  with  blowpipe  pure  gold 
on  a  piece  of  platinum  plate,  and  roll  to  desired  thickness, 
thereby  saving  thirty  cents  per  pennyweight  over  buying  the 
same  from  a  supply  house. 

/.  G.  Templeton,  Dental  Register. 

Gutta-Percha  in  Setting  Inlays. — Wherever  an  inlay  can  be 
placed  in  a  tooth,  the  pulp  of  which  has  been  destroyed — and  it 
is  possible  to  get  a  pin  to  go  into  the  root— use  gutta-percha 
always  and  forever,  and  I  am  satisfied  you  will  never  regret  it. 

F.  N.  Brozim,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Removal  of  Gum  Tissue  From  Over  Third  Molars. — ^I  use  a 
rotary  trephine  knife  in  the  engine,  and  it  works  well.  The 
beauty  of  it  is  you  not  only  cut,  but  you  take  your  chips  with 
you.     I  use  a  local  application  of  guaiacol  on  the  surface  first. 

Dr.  Price,  Ohio  Dental  Journal. 

Repairing  Broken  Plaster  Models.— Attach  weak  or  broken 
models  to  the  articulator  by  setting  in  a  soft  mat  of  modeling 
composition,  instead  of  a  mix  of  plaster.  They  are  easily  de- 
tached by  softening  the  composition  in  hot  water,  while  in 
separating  from  plaster  breakage  is  almost  sure  to  occur. 

B.  H.  Teagne,  Dental  Hints. 

A  Place  for  the  Porcelain  Inlay. — My  practice  has  been  to 
use  the  inlay  in  the  first  half  or  two-thirds  of  a  proximal  cavity, 
never  bringing  it  to  the  grinding  surface,  anchoring  it  with 
cement  and  then  filling  the  remainder  of  the  cavity  with  gold, 
burnishing  it  over  the  inlay,  leaving  the  foil  filling  as  the  masti- 
cating surface  of  the  tooth.  I  have  found  these  operations  to 
be  admirable,  especially  when  the  walls  are  frail,  as  the  cement 
strengthens  the  wall,  while  burnishing  up  to  the  wall  from  with- 
out holds  the  inlay  admirably;  the  foil  filling  for  the  surface 
being  less  easily  displaced  than  the  inlay,  is  very  satisfactory. 

C.  S.  Butler,  Dental  Cosmos. 
Taking  Impression  of  Mouth  with  Very  High  Vault. — A 

flat  piece  of  copper  or  German  silver  plate,  shaped  like  the  out- 
line of  the  letter  U,  and  of  size  to  approximately  fit  against  the 
sides  of  the  vault  some  distance  below  its  deepest  portion,  and 
to  which  is  affixed  a  removable  handle  of  heavy  copper  wire 
bent  at  right  angles,  is  used  to  carry  a  body  of  plaster  to  the 
high,  inaccessible  part  of  the  palate.  When  the  plaster  has 
hardened  the  handle  is  withdrawn,  leaving  the  plate  and  plaster 
in  position;  the  major  part  of  the  impression  is  then  taken  in 
the  usual  way,  and  the  complete  impression,  in  two  pieces,  re- 
moved and  fitted  together  out  of  the  mouth. 

Dr.  Tomasku,  Dental  Record. 


MISCELLANY.  725 

Decalcified  Dentin. — Permeate  the  softened  dentin  with  oil 
of  cassia.  Dry  the  surface  with  chloroform  and  fill  with  aristol 
mixed  with  chloro-percha.  This  becomes  hard  and  glossy  when 
the  chloroform  has  evaporated.     Finish  with  cement. 

B.  H.  Teague,  Dental  Hints. 

To  Secure  a  Smooth  Surface  to  Vulcanized  Plate. — Dilute  the 
liquid  silex  with  twice  its  quantity  of  alcohol.  With  camel's 
hair  brush  paint  the  model  within  and  without.  This  gives  a 
smooth  surface  and  is  much  less  trouble  than  using  tin  foil,  etc. 

Wm.  Crenshaw,  Dental  World. 

To  Give  Relief  in  Case  of  Pulpitis. — In  many  cases  the  appli- 
cation of  hot  water  to  the  neck,  and  above  the  ear,  of  the 
afTected  side,  by  means  of  heavy  toweling — six  or  eight  thick- 
nesses, soaked  and  partially  wrung  out,  will  prove  efficacious 
if  continued  for  from  five  to  ten  minutes. 

A.  W.  Harlan,  Dental  Cosmos. 

Grinding  Porcelains. — Many  operators  seem  to  be  afraid  of 
grinding  the  labial  surface  of  crowns  for  fear  of  destroying  the 
lustrous  surface  of  the  facing.  I  grind  and  mutilate — so  to 
speak — until  I  have  obtained  the  desired  shape ;  it  is  then  made 
smooth  with  fine  sandpaper,  and  put  on  a  buff  of  cotton  bat- 
ting, using  pumice  first,  then  whiting,  which  brings  a  gloss  more 
in  keeping  with  the  adjoining  natural  teeth. 

F.  J.  Capon,  Dental  Cosmos. 


iHflijsrellanj). 

Absorption  of  Medicine  in  the  Stomach. — Professor  Moritz 
has  been  studying  this  subject  with  sodium  salicylate,  potassium 
iodid  and  pulverized  charcoal  administered  before,  during  and 
after  meals,  investigating  the  results  with  the  stomach  pump. 
They  confirm  the  results  already  empirically  established,  although 
he  was  surprised  at  the  rapidity  with  which  water  and  any  much 
diluted  medicine  passes  out  of  the  fasting  stomach.  A  medicine 
given  with  milk,  soup,  wine,  oil,  etc.,  leaves  the  stomach  much 
less  rapidly;  still  slower  if  taken  with  the  meals,  and  so  slowly 
after  a  meal  that  in  case  of  hepatic  colic,  etc.,  occurring  after  a 
meal,  morphin  should  be  administered  subcutaneously  or  per 
rectum.  Fluids  like  soup,  milk,  oil,  etc.,  cause  a  secretion  of  q-as- 
tric  juice,  and  the  motor  function  of  the  stomach  is  proportion- 
ately less  as  the  secreting  function  is  active.  He  confirms  the 
benefits  of  a  mucilaginous  vehicle  in  protecting  not  only  the 
stomach,  but  the  intestines  from  irritation,  recommending;  that 
digitalis  be  thus  administered,  and  mentions  as  progress  Sahli's 
"glutoid  capsules"  made  of  gelatine  hardened  formaldehyde; 
practically  insoluble  in  the  gastric  juice,  but  readily  dissolved  by 
the  pancreatic  secretions. 


726  DENTAL  BRIEF. 

Chronic  Brass  Poisoning. — Dr.  W.  Murray  describes  the 
condition  of  chronic  brass  poisoning  as  seen  by  him  in  Bir- 
mingham, Eng.  The  first  indication  of  poisoning  is  the  exist- 
ence of  anaemia,  with  its  usual  accompaniments  of  palpitation 
and  dyspnoea  on  exertion,  dyspepsia,  etc.  Even  prior  to  the  first 
symptoms  of  poisoning  one  may  discern  a  green  line  upon  the 
teeth.  It  is  on  the  teeth,  and  forms  a  band  of  varying  depth 
in  front  of  the  bases  of  the  teeth  just  where  they  emerge  from 
the  gums,  and  most  marked  on  the  teeth  of  the  upper  jaw.  This 
line  is  only  an  indication  of  exposure  to  brass,  not  of  actual 
poisoning.  As  the  disease  progresses  there  is  gradual  emacia- 
tion and  aggravation  of  the  various  symptoms  (dyspepsia,  etc.). 
Diarrhoea  is  seen  only  in  the  later  stages  of  the  disease.  Neu- 
ralgic pains  and  great  nervousness  are  common.  Cough  is  con- 
stant. Profuse  sweatings  occur  in  many  cases.  While  admit- 
ting that  brass  poisoning  is  chiefly  due  to  the  copper  in  the 
brass,  yet  the  writer  holds  that  the  zinc  also  plays  a  part. 
Potassium  iodid  is  of  little  service.  The  writer  has  found  phos- 
phorus, in  the  form  of  dilute  phosphoric  acid,  fifteen  minims 
three  times  a  day,  almost  a  specific.  In  many  cases  the  patients 
did  not  discontinue  work,  and  yet  recovered  under  its  use. 

Ahzv  York  Medical  Journal. 

Beer  Drinking  by  Children. — Stumpf,  of  Munich,  called  at- 
tention in  forcible  language  to  the  lamentable  habit  of  the  Miin- 
cheners  of  giving  beer  to  their  children.  It  is  a  frequent  occur- 
rence, he  states,  to  see  children  of  two  years,  and  even  of  one 
year,  drinking  out  of  the  beer  mugs  of  their  parents.  In  the 
women  of  Munich  the  excessive  consumption  of  beer  leads, 
among  other  disorders,  to  a  huge  fat-development  in  the  breasts; 
thereby  the  function  of  the  organs  is  impaired,  and  it  becomes 
necessary  to  resort  tO'  artificial  feeding,  with  all  its  disastrous 
consequences.  From  the  figures  given  by  Stumpf  one  can  form 
an  idea  of  the  appalling  capacity  of  the  Bavarians.  In  a  popu- 
lation of  5,818,544  the  annual  per  capita  consumption  of  beer  is 
243  liters,  or  over  250  quarts,  representing  an  outlay  of  nearly 
$15  per  annum,  or,  for  the  whole  population,  an  expenditure  of 
$84,834,122.    And  this  only  for  a  single  article — beer! 

From  a  purely  economic  point  of  view,  a  reform  of  such 
conditions  is  necessary,  and  from  the  standpoint  of  national 
character,  the  reform  is  imperatively  demanded.  The  success 
of  the  temperance  movement  in  England  and  America  has  served 
to  encourage  the  German  agitators.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  the 
habits  of  the  nation,  which  are  probably  ineradicable,  may  at 
least  be  modified  on  a  national  basis  so  that  science  and  art  may 
continue  to  reap  the  benefit  of  all  that  is  noblest  and  best  in  the 
German  character.  Philadelphia  Medical  Journal 


MIB0ELLAN7,  72? 

Arsenic  and  Copper  in  Enameling  Materials. — Specimens  of 
kryolite  and  of  fluor-spar,  intended  to  be  used  in  the  enameling  of 
cooking  pans,  have  been  examined  by  Dr.  Van  Hamel  Roos,  of 
Amsterdam.  He  reports  finding  a  considerable  amount  of  arsenic 
in  the  kryolite,  and  of  copper  in  the  fluor-spar.  The  German 
firm  which  was  supplying  these  substances  to  certain  Dutch 
enamelers  was  at  once  warned  to  stop  the  sale,  and  the  facts 
were  made  public.  Dr.  Van  Hamel  Roos  mentions  that  some 
time  ago  he  found  lead  in  a  specimen  of  kryolite  intended  for 
enameling,  and  explain  that  the  presence  of  these  dangerous  sub- 
stances is  due  to  the  fact  that  the  minerals  in  question  are  asso- 
ciated in  the  crushing  process  with  minerals  containing  arsenic, 
copper  and  lead.  The  great  danger  attending  the  use  of  these 
poisonous  materials  for  enameling  cooking  utensils  is  too 
obvious  to  need  comment.  British  Food  Journal. 

Burden  of  Proof  as  to  Value  of  Dental  Services. — In  Harring- 
ton vs.  Priest,  wherein  it  was  sought  to  recover  $250  for  dental 
services,  and  the  defendant  set  up  a  counterclaim  for  $1,000 
damages  for  poor  work,  the  Supreme  Court  of  Wisconsin  re- 
A^erses  a  judgment  for  the  plaintiff,  on  account  of  error  in  the 
instruction  given  the  jury.  It  holds  that  the  burden  of  proving 
that  the  services  rendered  were  performed  with  reasonable  skill, 
and  were  worth  the  sum  mentioned  was  on  the  plaintiff.  And  it 
approves  of  the  instruction :  ''The  burden  of  proof,  so  far  as  this 
case  is  concerned,  rests  upon  the  plaintiff  to  establish  his  side  by 
a  fair  preponderance  of  the  evidence,  which  is  sometimes  called 
the  ''down  weight  of  evidence."  If  you  find  from  the  testimony, 
as  I  say,  that  the  plaintiff  did  this  work  in  a  reasonably  careful 
and  skilful  manner — in  such  manner  as  dentists  of  ordinary 
standing,  of  good  standing  in  this  community  or  this  vicinity 
would  have  done  it — and  that  the  price  he  has  charged  is  a 
reasonable  price,  then  you  should  return  a  verdict  in  favor  of  the 
plaintiff  for  the  full  amount  claimed."  But  the  Supreme  Court 
says  that  the  judge  went  wrong  when  he  added  to  this  the  further 
and  inconsistent  charge  that,  in  establishing  the  fact  that  work 
was  improperly  done,  the  burden  was  on  the  defendant.  Con- 
fessedly, says  the  Supreme  Court,  the  plaintiff  had  the  laboring 
oar.  There  was  no  burden  on  the  defendant,  on  this  issue,  to 
show  affirmatively  that  the  services  in  question  were  negligently 
or  unskilfully  performed,  or  that  they  were  not  worth  the  sum 
claimed.  If  his  evidence  in  defense  left  the  issue  in  doubt  or  un- 
certainty, the  plaintiff  could  not  recover.  Under  these  circum- 
stances, it  could  not  be  true  that  the  burden  rested  on  the  de- 
fendant, "in  establishing  the  fact  that  the  work  was  improperly 
done."  But,  when  it  game  to  the  question  of  damages  under  the 
counterclaim,  or  the  other  issue,  then,  the  court  goes  on  to  state, 
the  defendant  could  not  secure  a  recovery  except  that  he  estab- 
lish a  claim  therefor  by  the  preponderance  of  the  evidence. 

Jour.  Auicr.  MciJ  .Isso. 


728  liESTAL  lililEF. 

The  Century's  Chief  Characteristic. — What  has  been  the  chief 
characteristic  of  the  nineteenth  century?  No  two  critics  agree, 
nor  can  they,  because  each  prefers  a  different  quahty.  One  singles 
out  science,  another  invention,  as  the  dominant  trait.  A  third, 
who  looks  mainly  at  the  political  aspect  of  life,  says  democracy. 
Others,  again,  say  pessimism,  philanthropy,  doubt  or  toleration. 
So  many  features,  so  much  diversity,  argue  at  least  for  many- 
sidedness. 

There  is  one  characteristic,  however,  which  distinguishes  the 
nineteenth  century  from  all  previous  centuries — a  characteristic 
which  has  become  too  common  to  attract  the  attention  it  de- 
serves, although  it  really  masters  all  the  rest;  this  is  longevity. 
During  the  past  hundred  years  the  length  of  life  of  the  average 
man  in  the  United  States,  and  in  the  more  civilized  parts  of 
Europe,  has  increased  from  a  little  over  thirty  to  about  forty 
years.  A  multitude  of  causes,  mostly  physical,  have  contributed 
to  this  result.  Foremost  among  these  should  be  placed  (i)  what- 
ever may  be  included  under  the  general  term  sanitation ;  (2)  im- 
proved methods  in  medicine,  and  (3)  the  more  regular  habits  of 
living,  which  are  the  direct  outcome  of  industrial  life  on  a  large 
scale.  These  are  some  of  the  evident  means  by  which  life  has 
been  lengthened.  Inventions,  which  have  made  production 
cheap,  and  the  transportation  of  all  products  both  cheap  and  easy, 
have  had  an  influence  too  great  to  be  computed.  And  no  doubt, 
much  has  been  due  to  a  general  improvement  in  methods  of  gov- 
ernment; although,  in  the  main,  there  has  been  much  less  pro- 
gress in  practical  government  than  is  commonly  supposed.  No 
great  railroad  company  or  banking  house  or  manufacturing  cor- 
poration could  prosper  if  its  officers  and  employes  were  chosen 
and  kept  in  office  according  to  the  system  by  which  political 
offices,  almost  everywhere,  are  filled.  ''None  but  experts  wanted," 
is  the  sign  written  over  the  entrance  to  every  profession,  trade 
and  occupation — except  government. 

But,  whatever  governments  have  done  or  left  undone  the 
fact  to  be  insisted  on  here  is,  that  the  average  man  to-day  lives 
almost  ten  years  longer  than  his  grandfather  lived.  Indisputably, 
therefore,  the  year  1900  finds  conditions  more  conducive  to  lon- 
gevity than  existed  a  century  ago.  This  is  true  beyond  question 
for  the  masses,  who  feel  immediately  the  effects  of  plenty,  hunger 
and  cold — the  great  physical  dispensers  of  life  and  death. — The 
Forum. 


This  book  must  be  returned  to 

the  Dental  Library  by  the  last 

date  stamped  below.      It  may 

be  renewed  if  there  is  no 

reservation  for  it. 


270-7-60 


Harry  R.  Abbott 
Memorial  Library 


mi 


CO: 

-Pi 
®i 

©i 
Hi 


FACULTY  OF  DENTISTRY 
TORONTO