The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1888-01-24
HER JAW CLICKED.
Miss Dunn Couldn't Laugh, Eat or Talk
without the Click.

Miss Dunn Couldn't Laugh, Eat or Talk
without the Click.
From the New York World.
A peculiar case came before Judge O'Gor-
man in the superior court yesterday morning.
Margaret Dunn, very pretty brunette,
twenty-three years old, sued Ferdinand Has
brouck, a Broadway dentist, for 5000
damages. The facts were these
On the 18th of November, 1885, Miss Dunn
was suffering from severe toothache. She
went to DIR. Hasbrouck's Office and had the
two first molars in her upper jaw drawn by one
Of the assistants. She went home and lived on
a diet of tea and milk for several days. After
the swelling had subsidized she began to eat
solid food. To her alarm she found that when
she went to chew her jaw clicked merrily. She
laughed, and her laugh died away as the click
grew louder. The clicking operation was ac-
companied by intense pain, and at times it
compelled her TO stay in bed, Hence the suit
for damages.
At the trial yesterday the foregoing was
practically Miss Dunns testimony. The de-
PENDANT testified that Miss Dunn had come to
his Office and had cwo teeth extracted This
was two years ago He did not see her again
until May of last year, when she came and
said she was suffering intense pain. He made
an examination, but found apparently no
trouble. The clicking might exist, he said,
but it was probably caused by yawning, laugh
ing or biting some hard substance, 1t was
probably the latter, as according to Miss
Dunn's testimony she was not troubled with
the clicking until she had eaten something in
a down town restaurant This part of the tes-
timony excited general smile.
Then DR.. Frank Abbot, one Of the defend
ants witnesses, went up to Miss Dunn and re-
quested her to open her mouth. She did so,
and after looking into the pink cavern he
asked her to work her jaw. Click, click, went
Al. IT,, o,o1 m. A N1N,f
knowledged he heard the mysterious sound.
The jury solemnly gazed at the pretty mouth
and then gravely whispered to each other.
Next, Dr. Edward T. Weed, fine looking
young man with silky beard, explained that
the mysterious noise was caused by the stretch
ing of the ligaments of the jaw. He said that
every time Miss Dunn would laugh at joke
or try to masticate beefsteak the jaw would
click, thereby causing much Inconvenience to
the owner 1t never could be cured, but must
click on forever.
This seemed to impress the jury, and they
were so silent that when juror asked Miss
Dunn some questions they easily heard that
fatal click
It looked like verdict for the fair COM
plainant, but ponderous medical works were
brought by the defendants lawyers, and pas
sages were read showing that people could
easily get clicking jaw from numerous causes
besides having molar5 extracted. Then, it was
averred it would DO dreadful precedent
should a verdict be found for the plaintiff, for
everybody who sat in dentists chair might
claim they had clicking jaw, and get big
damages. Then the Judge explained the diff
ference between ''click" and ''clacii,' and the
jury filed out to consider the case.
An hour passed. and they did not return.
The hands of the clock had travelled the cir
cult of the hour several times before they did
come in. They had considered the case, and
their decision was against the girl with the
clicking jaw Dentist Hasbrouck smiled as
the verdict WIGS given.
Miss Dunn is the housekeeper at the Hotel
Winthrop, on Sixth avenue, and would not
talk last evening about the trial tits claimed
that the night air is very bad for her peculiar
nlalady DR.. Weed says that the disease is
incurable, and is a serious drawback for Miss
Dunn.