The evening times., 1895-11-15
DENTAL BOARDS REPORT
Grave Charges Brought to Atten-
tion Of Commissioners.
VIOLATIONS OF THE LAW
Review of the Recent Police Court
A Local Institution the Subject of a
Series of Serious Allegations Al
fecting Its Standing.

The report of the board of dental exam
iners, Who instituted the prosecution and
secured the conviction of Frank E. Burke,
an alleged student in thessO-called dental
department of the National Homeopathic
Medical College," for practicins in viola-
ton of law, has been received by the Dis
trict Commissioners, and is of unusual in
terest 10 the general public.
The report in full Is as follows:
The board of dental examiners, created
by an act of Congress entitled An act for
the regulation al the practice of dentistry
in the District of Columbia and for the
protection of the people from cfnpiricisn
in relation thereto and appointed by your
honorable board, are required To report 10
you vioiatiunssof said act.
''At Your suggestion, such reports have
been made directly TO the prosecuting
officers, the cases taken into court and in
each instance the law Sustained by con-
viction. But we now beg To call your
attention, by this special report, To case
regarded by this board as a peculiarly
gross and contemptuous disregard of the
plain and wholesome purpose of the law,
namely, the protection OF the public from
the consequences OF ignorance and inca-
pacity on the part of persons commencing
the practice o { dentistry by first testing their
fitness by an examination or demanding
graduation from Il dental college requiring
Il three years course of study.
WHAT IT ADVERTISED.
''The National Homeopathic Medical Col
lege' was incorporated October IA, 1898,
as an Institution of learning, the branch to
he taught being limited by the terms of the
charter to preclude dentistry. Yet within
a year a so-Chlled dental depa rtment' was
put in operation, and so-calied dental
infirnary, falsely advertised as Tree
dental infirlInry, was opened TO the pub
lie.
AT the close of the first session Of this
alleged dental department there, Frank f.
Burke was graduated, given the degree OF
doctor of dental surgery and advertised ms
a member of the faculty thus, Frank i.
Burke, D. j.. s., demonstrators in charge OF
the infirmary.
MIR. Burke applied to this board May 10.
1895, for the required certificate of quail
ification, declining an examination to test
his fitness. and basing the claim solely ON
the degree conferred by the National
Homeopathic Medical College, which Ger
iificate was refused on account Of the In
sufficiency of the course of study.
This action of the board and the plain
letter of the law did not deter the alleged
college from using Mr.. Burke, with the title
ID. ID. s.. as the head of the so-cai!cd free
dental mflrnlary, nor restrain Mr.. Burke
from using the position for remuneratiye
practice nor in acting with the National
homeopathic Medical College in aluring
Credulous persons TO seek free professional
service, aud then using such persons for
'-@N-
gain.
SwoRE oUTA WARRANT.
Complaint having been made to this
board by persons competent to give suffi-
cient testimony to convict Mr.. Burke, our
secretary, on behalf of the board, sworc
out Il warrant for his arrest, and the facts
a. related above were put in evidence on his
trial October 20, the defense, while serv-
ing to beCloud the question at issue for a
time. showed more deplorable and disrep-
'Mr. .Mullow wney SO sourgentlyimpressedt the
Importance OF this case that Judge Mil
Ter, for the purposes OF fully considering
the law and the evidence, postponed his de-
cision for TWO days, and then i'll an ella H.
crate opinion fully sustained the prosecu-
tion on every point raised. His decision,
briefly stated. was:
THAT the National Homeopa thic Med
cal College mad exceeded its legal rights in
attempting to operate q dental depa riinent
and public dental infirmary, and therefore
its curriculum aud degree OF DDS. could
not operate to give its students or its grad
yates legal status.
That q dental student must take his
infirmary training under the present in
structiou and immediate supervision of
Instructors legally qualified to practice.
"'That a person, though student of
dentistry, or actually qualified to pra cticc
dentistry, may not assume any function
of a practitioner of dentistry without first
obtaining a certificate of qualification from
the board of dental examiners. and regis
teriug the same with the Health Officer
- Under this Interpretation which is in per-
feet harmony with former decisions of
Judge Miller this board has heretofore, and
viii hereafter continue, to administer this
law. TO the end that the people may he pro-
tectcd from the dangerous Consequences OF
Ignorance and incapacity and the etluca
tional requirements maintained at the
standard fixed by the profession
SHOULD BE STOPPED.
an connection with that part OF the
above report which relates to the character
OF the National Homeopathic Medical Col
lege, we beg To submit that such an insti-
tuition should not be permitted TO continue
If there is any legal means to terminate its
existence, and should there be No such legal
means il should receive the brand of Off
cial condemnation and Congress petit
toned for a law that will prevent the addi
ton Of another such sO-called educational
institution 10 blot the fair name of our
National Capital.
1T is the opinion OF this board, based on
information and belief, that it was never
intended TO he an educational institution
in any proper sense Of the term: that it is
scheme for money making; that ii is
without endowment. adequate facilities,
or professional recognition: that it fails to
meet the universally recognized standard
of q reputable dental school; that its meth
DDS are such as have been Condemned and
by many of the States; that its curriculum
and the personnel of its faculty exclude it
from alliance with the National Association
of Dental Faculties, with which all repu-
table dental colleges seek aSsociat ion:
that its students are discredited by the con-
ditions of reciprocal recognition existing
between and extended TO the students Of