The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-03
He PULLS SOLDIERS TEETH.
SEVENTH CORPS HAS A DENTISTS
OFFICE OF IT'S OWN.

and Filling for the Cost of the
MnteriaI-An Innovation in Army
Life That Is Being Appreciated by
the Soldier With Bad Teeth and a
Light Purse-COngress May Yet
Provide for "A Dental Army Corps.
'Dental Office, Seventh Army Corps, U.
G v" This is the sign that extends part
" over Bryan street from a window in the
third floor of the Provident building. 1t
has attracted but little attention from the
general public, and has so far not caught
the eyes of the soldiers for whose benefit
Il hangs there. Now that they are made
aware Of the presence Of the army dentist
there, though, there is apt to be rush of
pain-ridden patriots eager to have molars
extracted or aching cavities filed.
The Seventh Corps is the only one, so
far as is known, that boasts of dentist
OF its own. Dentistry is not recognized by
the government as necessary to a soldiers
comfort and welfare. In the regular army
when men are being enlisted one of the
first questions put to an applicant is Let
me see your teeth?" If they are found
decayed the chances are very good for the
would-be soldier being peremptorily turn
ed down. Sound teeth are regarded as an
essential to sound health, and as the gov
eminent does not want an army of neu-
ralgic or jaw swollen defenders it takes
the precautlon to confine its recruits as
far as possible to men who are able with
out dental aid to masticate bareback with
out wincing.
AS the duty of the regulars heretofore
has been largely on the frontier, many
miles away from a dentist, it has been
wise policy. soldier suffering from the
toothache is hardly apt to make a good
guard.
When the volunteer army was enlisted,
though, the officers in charge could not be
so strict. Men got into the army almost
toothless. Many passed the examination
with plates of teeth adjoining their
mouths, and others are to be found by the
score who would be improved by a SUBJ
stitution of false teeth for the fragment
tary chips that are left of natures original
endowment. The life of a soldier, leading
TO exposure in all kinds of weather, Is
exactly suited to develop neuralgia in
man whose teeth are only waiting some
provocation TO assert themselves. The bis
cults that are furnished, too, are apt to
make a dentists services necessary. To
meet such emergencies in the corps under
his command, Gen. Lee readily consented
to the establishment of the army dental
office
There is no provision for such an officer
In the army regulations. The closest APP
proach is a statement that hospital stew
ards shall treat and extract teeth free
of charge A few forceps are understood
TO be provided for this purpose. But hos
pital stewards are not always dentists,
and soldiers are rather averse TO sitting on
the ground and having a molar jerked out
in primitive fashion. So Gen. Lee consent
ed that Hospital Steward j. W. Horner,
a dentist by profession, should be detach-
ed for dental work, with an assistant If
necessary. Steward Horner had his own
professional outfit brought to Jacksonville
and for three weeks prior TO the corps
leaving that city was kept busy attend
ing to suffering boys in blue. officers as
well as men availed themselves of his at
tention, and both he and Assistant Hos
pital Steward j. H. Watts soon found that
time was not dragging on their hands.
I'm the three weeks we were at that
camp in this capacity" said the army dem
list yesterday afternoon, there were nine
ty-nine patients attended to- A record
was kept of all the work done In all
eighty-six teeth were extracted.
seven gold filings. forty-three amalgam
filings and six cement filings put in,
twenty crowns put on two full sets made
on plates and As sets of teeth cleaned ana
otherwise treated. This was all done at
a gross expense to the soldiers of 500,
while the same work done outside by
regular dentists would have cost them, I
estimate, $454 giving a clean saving to
the men of 1854 in that short space OF
time Some of the men would not have
a m haxv VaafA for
they had been forced to go to dentists
and pay the regular high prices. 1t was
this very thing that led to the creation CT
the army dentist, together with the desire
to have a dentist at hand when the corps
gets to Cuba. Dental costs in Havana
are apt to be high, and the presence of
a dentist office for the corps will save
the men great sum of money in year. "
Are the men charged anything?" the
army dentist was asked.
Yes; the cost of the material must be
paid by them. But that is little, indeed.
There is no expense for extracting teeth
ana Tor filling with cement 1t Is but a
few cents. Filling with amalgam costs
from % to 80 cents a tooth, and gold fill
lngs vary in expense according 10 the size
OF the cavity. 1 receive my regular pay
as hospital steward and my aide, that of
on assistant hospital steward. l am en-
uted to quarters and Communication of Ta-
table board. We will sleep in the office.
Inc government is put to no extra ex-
Pehse IN the matter and it is great con-
Nenence to the men. AS soon as they
ma where the Office is located here we
WIN nave all we can handle. Before we
leIC Jacksonville we had dates ahead fcI
nearly month for all day long, and cal
euiated on pulling scores of teeth in be-
tween enga gements"
a Dill was introduced at the last session
VI congress providing for the establish
tneh' Oh an army dental corps, two dentists
pelh8 allowed for each regiment, or one
20 ABOUT every GOO men. The Seventh
army Corps is merely little bit ahead OF
lessiation in creating its own army
oehtist. With the army vastly increased
~ SIZE and the greater portion of 1t seni
10 the West Indies and the Philippines
Mnere dentists are rarity, 1t is quite
PropdDie that some such arrangement will
oe recognized by Congress as absolutely
necessary. In such an event the Seventh's
UehIlst Is hopeful that ne will be among
favored Uyffh mi in