The Winslow mail., 1898-10-22
NEED OF THE ARMY.
Reasons Why Dental Surgery
Should Be Given Soldiers.
An Urgent Plea Presented by Charles
y. stanley, ID. ID. S., for the EN-
pIOymcnt OF Dentists by the
Government.

In Leslie's Weekly DR.. Charles S.
Stanley presents the suggestion that
dentists be employed in the army. He
says: Our government surrounds her
enlisted men with comfortable sani-
tary quarters, supplies them with
GOOD, wholesome food and cnforces
physical exercise for the proper main
tenance Of good health. During Ill
ness the hospital facilities are of tie
best, and only skilled surgeons and
thoroughly trained assistants arc en-
aloyed The latest improved surgical
Instruments and the best medicinal
agents are used, regardless of cost.
Ali portions of the human organism
are guarded with care, excepting one
IF the most important, the dental or
rams. What part of the physique is Of
1ore Importance than the teeth? And
il they be extracted Or diseased the
whole system suffers, and perhaps be-
yond remedy.
We have neglected the blessings of
dental science. Statistics show that
30 per cent. Of the people of this coun-
Try need dental attention, while only
20 per cent. receive the same. DR.. Otto
arnold forcibly remarked, while
speaking on that subject to the Ohio
State Dental societJ:
"In our army there is great sus-
"eptib;lity to the insidious process Of
7ental carries, which Is no respecter of
ersons. and has no limit; for other
diseases may come and go, but dental
aries, when once begun, like the
rook, goes on forever"
In mauy instances persons suffering
Nth dental disturbances are totally
Incompetent for the performance Of
heir regular duties. When dental
aries reaches q certain stage, and if
he skilled knowledge of the dentist is
ct employed, the extraction of the
ffending tooth is necessary, which re-
ults i'll irnpairing the utility Of the
:ntagorizi1g tooth, causing the ad-
dining teeth to lean toward the space
rom which the tooth was extracted,
due to the stress of masticatiOn, in 3ur
ing articulation and making n1astica-
ton more difficult. The loss of several
teeth VIII SO impair mastication that
constitutional disturbances will often
result.
Proper dental attention would de-
crease the retired list, and many val
liable men would be retained in the
service who are now disqualified; diag-
nosed as dyspeptics, because suffering
from indigestion traceable to lack of
proper masticating facilities. Assim-
ilation is imperfect unless there is
proper mastication of the foods, and
where there is malassimilation the
susceptibility to contagious diseases
-diarrhoea, dysentery, etc.--is eX-
ceedingly great, and the effects of
fatigue are more rapid and lasting.
The dental surgeon would be of in
valuable benefit to the general sur
oeon in cases of gun shot wounds or
other injuries to the mouth or face.
The dental surgeon would be of vaiu
able assistance on the examining
board in preventing the enlistment Of
men with defective teeth. An almost
accurate means of Identification
would be available from the charts
kept by the dental surgeon. We have
in the army veterinary surgeons, but
is the care of the horse of more i'm
portance than the proper care of the
men. and do they have proper care if
dental surgery is lacking?