The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1903-04-12
A FORTY-NlNER DENTIST.
Outdoor Office, High Prices and Mug
gets For Filling.


A smooth bowlder for il chair, high
towering walls of impregnable granite
for walls and the blue sky for roof
We're the unique conditions surround
ing what was probably the first dental
office in California. The dentist was
DR.. S. NJ. Harris, then known as Lit
tie Doc today mayor of Grass Valley,
Nevada county.
This odd dental office was founded
in the day when mcn rocked cradles
with more cherished burdens than new
born babes; when caravans of people
t1Ocked into California in search of
gold; when the founders of this great
state took up their habitation in a
wild and desolate country.
When you arrived at DR.. Harris Of
fee. there was a noticeable absence Of
the plush covered chair and other ac-
couterments which usually mark the
dentists Office. There was no drill run
by foot power, no bulb to wash out the
cavity. For chair the smooth bowlder
on which DR.. Harris sat when rocking
his cradle answered this requisite. For
a drill short pieces of wire were used,
and when a cavity was ready for fill
ing and needed cleansing with water
the patient was handed a tin dipper,
and the stream furnished the water
The charge for this work was rather
in advance of present day fees, but
there was never trouble over a pay
ment after an aching member was ex-
tracted. One-half ounce of gold-the
equivalent of SS-was the fee for eN-
traction, and for filling double that
amount
When patient arrived. there were a
few formaIities to go through, as in
most cases neither knew the other. If
the case was one of extraction, the
dentist would go TO his camp and get a
pair of fOrceDs-the only article be-
longing to the dentists kit which he
then oWned-and extract the tooth;
but, on the other hand. if filling was
the requirement, the process was of a
more slow and tedious nature. The
patient having a cavity to fill would
usually make an appointment for Sun
day, as a good part of a day was neces-
sary for the operation.
The. doctor would go to his campfire,
which was situated about fifty feet
from his cradle, and temper his instru-
ments. Here a small bowlder answered
very well for forge. When the tools
were got into shape, work was begun
on the patient.
Small pieces of wire from six to eight |
inches in length and fattened out con-
stituted the excavators. Constant rub. |
bling Of a smooth rock, just as a knife |
is sharpened on a milestone, kept them |
sharp. Filings were made from gold |
nuggets scraped with a pocketknife in
to small shavings, then amalgamated |
with mercury. Silver coin was also |
used at times, although silver was
very scarce article in that day. A
heavy piece of wire served as plugger
to insert the filling. When this filling |
it made very lasting one.
Every day while DR.. Harris worked |
his claim he had one or more patients.
For the reason that he came to Cali |
fornia to hunt gold and not to fill teeth
he did not encourage business. AS the
country settled around him the pioneer
dentist turned his practice over to 9TH
ers who came in later, and when he
left that section he did not leave them
without dentist. - San Francisco
Chronicle.