Evening star., 1912-09-05
REFORM IS PLANNED
National Dental Association to
Be Reorganized.
MEETS HERE NEXT WEEK
State Societies Give Liberal Assur.
ances Of Support to Proposed
Scheme.

Reorganization along lines which will
make II thoroughly representative of the
profession in the United States. probably
will be one Of the chief items of business
before the sixteenth annual meeting of
the National Dental Association, which
Is to be held in this city September 10
13. proclamation announcing that the
question of reorganizing would come for
mally before the Washington meeting
was issued a few days ago by Dr. Arthur
r. Melendy of Knoxville, Tenn, presi-
dent of the association. and in a pre-
liminary way he stated that the PROPOSE
tion to reform the association has been
receiving liberal assurances of support by
the state societies which have been in
session since the convention in Cleve-
land last year.
The subject of reorganization has been
agitated in the National Dental Associa-
ton for about five years. Not until the
Cleveland convention in 1911 was basis
OF agreement reached and then 1t was
tentatively decided that the association
should be reconstructed after the general
plan of the American Medical Association.
The constitution, which was roughly
drafted at Cleveland, will be submitted
for adoption or rejection at the meeting
in this city.
Governed by Council.
The National Dental Association is gov
erned primarily by an executive. council,
which decides practically all matters of
business in sessions separate from the
scientific meetings. submitting its find
ings only for ratification to the whole as
sociation. Under one plan which is being
considered for the reorganization this
executive council will be retained, with
not to exceed twenty-five members, while
another plan which is in view contem-
plates the formation of a house of dele
gates in lieu of the executive council, the
house to have as many as 100 members.
One of the principal changes to be
obtained under the final reorganization
which seems to be most favored will
be the direct affiliation of state So
cieties with the national body, the pro-
vision being made that city societies
or district societies must be component
before they may become affiliated with
the national association. This will be
in direct contrast to the constitution
Of the organization as 1t now stands.
since many memberships in the asso-
citation are held by societies which
control relatively small areas.
States Rights an Issue.
One of the difficulties which has been
necessary to surmount in carrying the
plans for the reorganization to the point
where it seems likely new constitution
may be adopted has had to do with the
safeguarding of "state rights''-so that
the trainers of the constitution for the
National Dental Association in a way
have been meeting a problem in many re-
spects similar to that which the colonist
statesmen faced in drafting the constitu-
ton which regulated state rights in the
formation of the United States
Aside from the reorganization project.
the annual election of officers of the
Dental Association will be a matter of
the president this year must be chosen
from the western section of the organiza-
tion. rivalry already is keen among the
delegations which will come from differ
ent cities in the west.