Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1855-10-12
One Of John PhPnix's Stories
tFrom the California Pionc.r.l

Or. Tushmaker was never regularly bred
as a physician or surgeon. but he possessed
naturally strong mechanical genius and n
fine appetite and finding his teeth Of great
service in gratifying the latter propensity, he
concluded he could do more good i'll the world
and create more real happiness therein by
putting the teeth Of the inhabitants in order,
than in any other way ; 50 rushmakcr be.
came dentist. lie was the man that first
invented the method of placing small cog
wheels in the back teeth for the more per-
feet mastication of food, and he claimed to
he the original discoverer of that method of
filling cavities with a kind of putty, which,
becoming hard directly. causes the tooth to
ache 50 grievously that it has to be pulled
thereby giving the dentist two successive
fees for the same jon. Tushmakcr was one
day seated in his office, in the city of Boston,
when stout old fellow named Bylcs presented
himsefto lave back tooth drawn. The
dentist seated his patient in the chair of tor
turc, and opening his mouth. discovered
| there an enormous tooth, on the right hand
side, about as large, as he afterwards eX-
pressed it, AS "a small Polyglot Bible. sail
have trouble with this tooth, thought TuSh-
maker, but he clapped on the heaviest Tor
ceps, and pulled. 1t didn't come. Then
/ he tried the turn-scrcw, eIerting hIs utmost
strength, but, the tooth wouldn't STIR. Go
away from here, said Tushmakcr to Bylcs,
| and return in a week, and I'll draw that
tooth for you, or know the reason why. -
| Byles got up, clappad handkerchief to III:
| jaw, and put forth. Then the dentist went
/ to work, and in three days he had Invented
an instrument which he was confident would
pull anything. 1t was combination OF the
lever, pulley, wheel and axle, inclined plane
I ai, and 40 IA,
the machine put up in tho Office. over ~
iron chair, rendered stationary by iron rods
going down into the foundations of the gran
itc building. In n week, old Byles returned
he was Clappcd into the iron chair, tho for
/ ccrs connected with the machine Rttarhe,
firmly to tie tpot., and ruS'makrr station
ing himself in the rear, took hold oi lever
four feet in length, lie turned it slightly
Old Bylcs gave groan, and lifted his righ
leg. Another turn another groan, and M
went the leg again. w hat do You rails
your leg for = asked the doctor, 4 can
help it., said the patient, Well rejoine,
Iushmaker, that tooth is hound to com
now lie turned the lever clear round will
a sudden jerk, and snapped old Byes' hea,
clean and clear from his shoulders, leaving
space of four inches between the severe
parts They had post mortem cXamina
tion-the roots of the tooth were found ex
tending down the right side, through the righ
leg, aud turning up in two Irong. under III
sole of the right foot - NO wonder sal
rushmaker, hc raised hi, right leg Th
jury thought so too, but they found the root
much decayed, and five surgeons swearn
that modification would have ensued in
few months, TushmaSer was cleared on
verdict Of Unsuitable homicide lie was
little shy of that instrument sometime after
ward hut one day. an old lady, feeble, an
laccid, came in TO have tooth drawn, an
thinking it would come out very easy. Tusl
r maker concluded just by way Of variety.
: trythe machine. lie did 80, and tine fir
7 turn drew the old lady's skeleton completed
; and entirely from her body, leaving her
p mass of quivering jelly in tho chair lusl
maker took her home in pillow-case 81