The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-06-25

Tho history Of dentistry I'D An'i'''
i The story of the evolution oil
so;orco from trade. Although the
ancient Egyptians, Greeks and h'n-
doos are said to have practiced crude
dental surgery, and although II Is as
sor,od that artificial teeth OF brass anu
cold have been found in mummics Ia
H. tombs OF the Pharoahs, dental med
ENC rs il is understood today is a
JoycIonmept of the last 100 years; III
fact scientific dentistry IN America
has come into existence during the last
three quarters of century III Is sai9
Thai modern dentistry 'was conceived
in France. cradlcd i'll England ana ma
tnred in the United States.
In colonial days many persons IN
This country held it sinful to attempt
10 replace teeth or TO attempt TO ar
rest their decay The Puritans partic"
ularlv objected to such nholy. prac'
tices. declaring that when God IN HIS
Judgment decided that the teeth should
become useless II was as wicked to trT
10 repair them as II was TO Walk un-
der an umbrella. in violation OF the
Scriptural law that the rain should tall
upon the Just and the unjust, or TO try
10 prevent badness. There was also
4 widespread belief that cleansing the
teeth with 4 toothbrush might cause
fatal hemorrhage from the gums.
Persons who did patronize dentists,
however vorldly-wicked and free from
moral scruples, were ashamed to admit
that they resortcd 10 such means or
preserving their teeth. and the dentist
who valued his clientele did not speak
10 ladies of fashion in public, no mat
rtpf toI
put in for them in private 1t was not
common FOR a lady whose teeth de-
manded attention TO make ali engage
ment with the dentist TO call at her
house before daylight. or enter by the
rear gate, and do the work behind closed
shutters. Dentists at that time, by the
way. travelled about with kits OF
homemade tools. Ii was not until the
second quarter of the nineteenth cen
fury that the profession began to he
generally recognized and practitioners
worked In their own offices.
During the last decade Of the eight
eenth century there were n few dent
lists more or less broadly educated prac-
ticiug in America. Joseph lie Mair
came 10 this country with the French
army during the Revolution, and won
wide reputation "a transplante"
and extractor of teeth. James Gar
dette, who had studied medicine and
served two wears in a Toulon hospital
before lie came TO America, performed
many dental operations upon military
officers when Rochambeau s army was
AT Newport. r. |. He afterward set
fled in this country, practIclng short
time in New York. and nearly forty
years in Philadelphia. before returning
10 Bordeaux, where ne died in 1881
But before the Revolution, and for
many years thereafter, it was custo-
mary for a man who wanted TO become
A dentist to drop some other trade and
undertake the new calling without any
especial educational equipment, 'fTooth
carpontering, rs IL was derIslvely
called, vas a business in which the
ethics of profession had little part.
An early method of replacing a tooth
was called "transplantation, y A pa
tont with n bad tooth would arrange
with person willing to sell a sound
one for a stipulated sum, and the two
teeth were pulled at the Same. time, the
sound one being Immediately placed
into the socket from which the de
cayed one had been drawn. Naturally
various diseases were transplanted
along with teeth. and the practice was
on that account abandoned. Human
teeth long since pulled were also piv-
oted upon the roots of old teeth. and
for the same purpose teeth made from
blocks of hippopotsmus ivory, and
from cattle teeth were also used. II
WAS customary for dentists 60 rolecs
all of the human teeth they could ce.
and preserve them In jars. and & dcr-
tist who had a few gallons of teeth
was well off.
When human teeth were in demand
at good prices many means OF sccur
ing them were resorted TO- among then
grave robbing, An ayaricious parson
under pretense OF looking for place
IN which to lay away the body of hi:
dear wife, got access 10 the church
vault, Once inside he left a trap door
unbolted, and after nightfall let him
self down into the vault. With :
chisel and hammer he secured tn,
teeth Of all of the dead members ot
his congregation, netting $500 by tn,
enterprise. A sutler in the Frencl
and Peninsular wars drew enough teetI
from the dead bodies of soldiers {,
make himself rich. He went home anC
built hotel at Margate, but the pat
rons of the house got wind Of the fac
that their landlord was a ghoul. an,
trade fell off so that he was forced t.
i '"' aI hea pos'
When the first artificial pivot teet
were being used manufacturer who's
name was Stockton did large bushes
IN New York and adjoining states i
selling them to dentists. He had
large stock on hand when he invente
the single gum artificial tooth, a
Improvement upon the original PAT
tern. By keeping the secret he mad
commercial coup that caused no Iii
tie gnashing Of real teeth among der
tists and dealers, Peddlers were sen
out with sacks of the best teeth the
known in the market reduced TO l
cents each. They were instructed {
make the announcement that Stockto
was selling out to change his business
Dentists who had depended upon Stocl
ton for their supplies borrowed none
to lay in heavy stock lest the
should be ont of teeth before anotht
manufacturer could supply them. Or
broker In New York-there were Ne
York brokers even in those dayg-tric
TO corner the tooth supply and boual
all he conld get 4 short time , q