Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1886-12-06
THE DENTISTS CHAIR.
HOW NOTED MEN ACT WHILE
SEATED in IT.

durance-A Naval Officers Enjoyment.
Having occasion to visit dentist the
other day, asked him if | was the most
nervous man he ever had in his chair
BLESS You, no., replied the tooth
tinker You are only about the aver
age patient, and it would surprise you to
see how some of the big men act when
they come here to get their teeth fixed.
Gen. Sheridan, for example, is one of the
worst men in a dentists chair You ever
saw, and Gen. Logan is even worse than
he. Why, Logan is as tender as baby,
and will shrink at the slightest touch on
his nerves, while ] suppose there were
never two drawer men in battle than they.
Gen. Sherman, too, is about as bad, and
acts as if he were going TO have fit
whenever the drill is put into his teeth.
He jumps. and grunts, and groans, and
takes on worse than if he were having
his leg cut of.
Gen Burnside, on the contrary, was
one of the most patient and enduring
men | ever saw. have had him in my
chair a number of times, and have filled
a lot of his teeth He would sit quietly,
without making a moan or saying a
word from the time that he took his seat
until the job was finished. He always
seemed TO be grateful that | had not
caused him any more pain, and when
would ask him, as did sometimes: Does
that hurt you, general'' he would reply:
oh, no, not much; so on and let's get
done with il; the sooner the job is over
the better
Andrew Johnson, when he was vice.
president and while he was in the senate,
came To my Office several times, and was
u very good patient, taking things phil0-
sophically and making me little trouble.
once filed four teeth for him at a sit
ting, and every one of them was in very
bad condition. The JOB lasted nearly
five hours and must have hurt him
dreadfully, but he never WINGED, and did
not seem to have any nerves at all.
OLD ZACH CHANDLEE's GRIT.
cold Zach Chandler was another good
patient He would sit in the chair almost
motionless, and would let me drill away
at his teeth without any remOnstrance or
show of pain. But one time when l
undertook TO draw a tooth for him |
thought the old man would go crazy. 1t
was tough old grinder, and had been
troubling him good deal, being ulcer
ated around the roots. got good hold
with the uippers, and the first time l
nearly lifted him out of the chair. But it
did not come. l took hold again and
lifted him the same rs before. | saw
that his face was quite pale, and asked
him if he did not want TO rcst' He said:
No, would like 10 have it out at once
But as the operation was evidently SO
painful, and as he seemed to keep grow
ing paler, l suggested that he had better
take ether. He declined, saying that he
never took an anesthetic in his life, and
never would. Turning around sharply,
he told me to go on and have it over
without any further delay. l got hold
again and gave jerk that drew the tooth
from his head. tie lay back in the chair
entirely exhausted and closed his eyes.
| thought for a moment that he would
faint, and brought him glass of water,
asking if it hurt him much. Looking up
TO me, he said: Yes, it hurts like -
'There is a naval officer in this city,
whose name / will not mention, who
breads to have his teeth touched more
than any man that / ever saw. The first
time that he came here to have a job done
he frightened me so that ! was on the
point of telling him to SO somewhere else
for his dentistry. 1t was not difficult
or painful operation; simply the filling OF
O small cavity in one of his front teeth,
but when 1 put the drill upon him
thought that he would jump out Of the
chair He threw up his arms, and knock
ing over the stand turned on me with Q
yolley of the most fearful oaths and de-
clared that if hurt him that way again
he would cut my head open. Then he
settled back again and said: Now, be
careful; there is no seuse in killing
man in a little a job like this
THE BRAvEsr ARE TENDEREsT.
at took me a whole afternoon TO finish
that tooth, and would not touch him
again for any amount Of money. This
man was one of the bravest and most
famous naval officers Of the war. Moth
ing in battle ever frightened him, and his
deeds have a large place in history.
'I find almost without exception that
military and naval men are great cow
ards in the dentists chair; the braver
they are in battle the more nervous they
seem 10 be when they come to get their
teeth fixed.
Admiral Jouett is one Of the few ex-
ceptions. never saw man who could
stand more pulling filing, and hammer
ing Ilan ne. SOluelluleS WucH ndNo
had a drill in his mouth and stopped to
make an examination he would sing out:
Let her go, doctorl Give her another
broadsidel Jam it to herr And then
again he would shout, as / would put the
drill in his mouth: Give 1t to her, now,
all handsr He would sit for hours and
let me drill away at his teeth as II he en-
joyed it.
Il think about the worst patient ever
had, even worse than the old admiral l
told you of, was an officer of the army,
formerly on Gen. Howard's staff. Fe
was a very gallant officer during the
war, was shot all to pieces, and, l be-
lieve, has since died from the wounds he
received in battle. At the time he came
to me he was full of lead, and carried
the scars he received in battle. But ]
never in all my life had so nervous and
excitable a man in my chair. Every time
made move toward him he would
shrink, and once when / touched the
nerves he shed genuine tears and begged
me, like child would beg his mother,
not TO hurt him so again. Washington