Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1905-10-12
ARM Y AoFFa
DENT IT'S rs

perhaps, nave tne OpcIdtio' poi io''AN"
by strong armed blacksmith VINO
shod your horse or pulled your aching
molar as occasion demanded biack-
smiths who combined their trade WIN
a rough ana ready dentistry were by
no means uncommon; ana the average
physician or surgeon was certain 10
have a case Of dental instruments anu
use chem With vlgor.
No other profession certainly has ad-
varccd so rapidly in the last half CEN
ltury. The advance has included the
growth of from 80 to 40 dental schools
| in various parts of the country, large
aud small, some with comparatively
| few students, and small group OF the
most important of them with great at
| tendance and international repnta-
lions. Every year a larger number
of young Americans joins the profess
sion, and, in this city. at least, there
| is always an appreciable percentage OF
| foreigners who have come to America
for no other purpose than to perfect
| themselves in dentistry.
With the approaching completion OF
| the new Harvard Medical School build
inss, endowed by J. p. Morgan and
| John d. Rockefeller, in the Back Bay
| district of Boston the plan is also well
| under way to move the Harvard Den
tai School, now occupying the site from
! which the famous Medical School be-
| gan its steady progress from an expert
| ment in medical instruction to what
will undoubtedly be the worlds best
| existing plant for that purpose. to
new location in conjunction with the
medical buildings. AS the first year
| work of both dental and medical stu
dents is practically identical. being In
both cases devoted to the foundation
| facts OF medical knowledge. the move
| is considered almost impcratiVe-the
| more so as the dental school is now do
| ing its work in cramped quarters and
| the 10000 and more patients who yearly
| take advantage of its free dentistry are
| only part of those who need and de-
| sire its assistance. Plans have already
been drawn for this new building and
the money partly subscribed to erect
| 1t.
A very appreCiabic part of the growth
| of dentistry during the past decade
| may be traced to the fact that young
men from the smaller towns. cities
| and even farming communities are
| nowadays turning their attention to
| dentistry Us profession. despite the
fact that the entrance requirements on
| first-claSs dental school have been
| greatly advanced in the same period.
| Formerly almost any young man was
| eligible, 3G was the case somewhat
| earlier with even !he most important
| schools of medicine. and graduation
| was practically Il simple matter of at
| tendance AZ a certain number of lee
| lures Until the foundation of the Har-
| ward Dental School in 1867 no important
| university had considered the subject
one IF sufficient dignity to take under
its immediate protection. and since that
time Harvard has been constantly
| playing the part Of pioneer in advance
| ing the standard both OF medical and
| dental instruction. Some few years
| ago. for example. the final step was
taken in barring the medical school to
all candidates who could not show evil
dcnCc of an amount Of general cduca-
tion equivalent to the regular college
degree of Bachelor OF Arts. II is be-
licved in many quarters that the same
requirement will before long be de-
| handed of the student of dentistry.
Such Il distinction would be in line
| with the remarkably rapid advance Of
the profession itself from a subordinate
position to one Of practically equal
dignity with medicine and surgery: an
advance that WAS given an authorita-
tive statement when the conservative
| American Medical Association recently
officially recognized the dental degree
| Of ID. d. :. as on a par with the older
| NJ. D. of the medical profession. The
| IN.
actual contributions to science brought
| forward by members Of the dental pro-
| fession who had been admitted. not
| very cnthusia stically. to small d.
vision of the Medical Association and
| who then actually compelled from their
| medical associates 4 whole hearted
| recognition of their equal standing.
The recognition carried also a certain
| social advancement. Despite The fact
| that there had been many famous men
| In the profesSiOn-among them. indeed. no
| less important "A parsonage than Paul
| Revere-thc dentist has been generally
| looked upon IS unimportant member
| Of the community. and there was no little
truth i'll the new vanished diSreSpcct III
| which his work was regarded by the ply
Sician and surgeon.
| branch of surgery. 1t consisted chiefly in
| the pulling OF diseased teeth. whereas
| nowadays the whole idea OF the dentist is
| to preserve our teeth long as possible
by taking scientific care of them. AS
| result there are now over 0OO dentists
practising in the United States. as
| against less than 4 hundred In the be-
4 ginning of the preceding century. 1t is
| estimated that fully % per cent. of the
population go to the dentist for preven-
| tive treatment where practically not one
| man in a hundred then went 10 him for
| that purpose The condition has given
| rise to the oft repeated theory that mod
| crn civilization ruins the teeth, while,
as Il matter of fact, il merely teaches
| humanity to take proper care of them.
| The same thing is reflected in the army.
where dental surgeons are now a regular
| part OF the service and in the navy.
| where similar Office is shortly to De
| created. Graduates of American dental
schools. moreover, have practically rcvp-
| lttlonized modern European dentistry
| obtaining a numerical and scientific
| strength on the continent that is ieadingN
the French and German governments to
| adopt legislation that is to all outward
| appearance an application of the protcc-
tive tariff principle in favor OF native
| taught dentists. OF the graduates of the
| Harvard Dental School, for example. over
Il per cent. are now in European practice,
| many of them having come to Boston for
| their dental education and then returned
| home to practise.
At the present time the Harvard Dental
/ School rpuuirpYnpOtS admission