The Washington herald., 1912-07-17
DENTISTS TOOLS
OFTEN UNCLEAh
Army Surgeon Writes Article on
Subject Of "Wanted q Sense
Of Asepsis."
CRITICISM MIGHT
APPLY 10 PHYSICIANS
Local Tooth Doctors Say There Are
Different Kinds Of Persons
Called Dentists.

an article in the journal of the American
Medical Association by DR.. John 8. Mar
shall, of the United States Army, on
"wanted-A Sense Of Asepsis,". declared
last night that the indictment brought
against the dental profession by DIR. Mar
shall might, with almost II not quite
equal force. be brought against the medi-
cal profession.
DR.. Marshall asserted that the failure
CT careless dentists to sterilize their in
struments is responsible for a spread Of
germ diseases. including tuberculosis,
diphtheria, and tonsilitis. While this
may be true Of some dentists. members
Of the dental profession stated last night.
It Is also true Of many physicians.
Marshalrs Criticism.
The article written by Dr. Marshall
is quite severe. After asserting that
dentists. as a class. are not ignorant Of
the need Of having their instruments
germ free when used on patients, the au-.
thor declares the teachings they have
received In their dental courses and in
the lecture rooms practically are ignored
in their practice. Then he carries his
accusations further by stating that even
in many OF the dental colleges and clinics
the disregard of modern methods to pre-
vent infection is appalling.
in one college there were only two
sterilizers in the operating room and one
In the extracting room for the use of
more than fifty students" writes DR..
Marshall. The majority Of students
contented themselves with simply wiping
their instruments on a towel, often
soiled one, before passing to the next
patient, rather than wait for their turn
at the sterilizers. One towel was made
to do duty for an entire clinical period
lasting from two to three hours.
II have seen a prominent teacher pass
through his room with a hand mirror in
his waistcoat pocket. examining the
work Of his students and going from
chair to chair without once washing his
hands or cleansing the hand mirror.
Verify We do need sense Of asepsis.
and IN this case something more.
IT have visited the offices Of many
dental practitioners in which there was
no provision for cleansing instruments.
'Enameled furniture and zinc painted
walls prove OF no value IL the more i'm
portant matters Of local and personal
asepsis are ignored. The charge often
made by physicians that tonsilitis, diph-
iberia, and tuberculosis frequently have
been transmitted from one patient to an
other by unclean septic dental instru-
ern dentistry.
Twice in my professional life I have
been a patient at the clinics of the Ma
tional Dental Association. and. therefore,
speak with authority and much feeling
when say that looked with fear at the
dirty fingers thrust into my mouth by the
interested operators. 1 know Of physi-
clan who left the chair OF a dentist of
high reputation because of his fear of
infection on observing the unscientific
technique practiced by the dentist"
Too True of Some.
Such an indictment of the dental pro-
fessIon is unfortunately. but too true Of
some individuals" a well-known Wash
tngton dentist, who asked that his name
be not used, said.
But 1 think 1t is hardly fair to make
the allegation against our profession any
more than 1t would be fair to make
similar allegation against the medical
profession. Physicians, who as rule
know little about dentistry or its prac-
titioners. neglect to divide dentists into
two classes, as they should be divided
those who practice dentistry as pro-
fession. and those who regard 1t simply
and solely as a money-making business.
Among those who have no care for
dentistry except for the purpose OF eK-
plotting Il for mercenary gain. and who
have no ethical sense of the duties OF
the profession to its clients. I fear that
there may be a very reprehensible lack
OF a sense of asepsis,' to use DR.. Mar
shalrs phrase.
scrupulous Case.
But Dr. Marshall or any one else
would find, II he chose to examine the
offices and work of dentists who have
proper sense of the dignity and response
bility of their profession, that scrupulous
care is exercised to prevent any danger
from uncleanliness. As DIR. Marshall ad-
mits, the members of our profession are
trained and informed of the need and
methods of asepsis. Where the need and
the methods are forgotten or neglected.
the fault is the fault Of the individual.
not of the profession.
without wishing to criticise adversely
another profession, I would say that in
the medical profession DR.. Marshall can
find individuals just as careless Of asep-
sis as are some individuals Of the dental
profession.
"Of course, I do not condone the fault
among our own men. 1t ought not to be
condoned. but corrected. But the i'm
preston ought not to be made upon the
r.. &or se