The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1943-01-14
A Suggestion
To The Dentists
of Montana
Editorial in Miles City Starr

Some years ago, during a session
OF the Legislature, certain changes
were made in the section of Mon .
tana statutes pertaining to Den.
tistry = Regulation of Practice.
When these changes had been made
section 3115:13 under chapter 2bb
had this to say:
.Unprofessional conduct: includes,
advertising prices, advertising pro-
fessional superiority, advertising by
means of large display, glarlng
light sign. or other sign or device
containing as a part thereof, the
representation of tooth, teeth,
bridge work, or any portion OF the
human head, advertising over the
radio in any manner not expressly
permitted by this chapter, advertls-
ing by sign or printed advertise
ments under the name of corpora
ton. company, association or trade
name
After laying down the above pro-
hibition Of advertising, section
SI15.17 appears as follows:
; 1T shall not be considered I'M
professional for dentist to place
in any newspaper or publication,
!, card bearing his name only, to-
!, ge'.,er with his or her degree, OF
! the word dentist, and giving office
) location, hours, and telephone num-
bers. and if he limits his practice
E to a speciality he may SO announce
q it. or he may announce his absence
from or his return to practice, II
: the same manner. Such cards Of
i announcements shall not be more
than one column in width nor more
than three inches in depth.
The suggestion that we Woult
make TO the dentists of Montana i
that another Montana legislature i
now in session and they should g
back there and repeal those parts 0
Chapter 266, referred to above.
: We believe the dentists Of Mon
' tana and other states, in which the
t have sponsored similar laws hav
i done dentistry an injustice In tn
= first place it is evident from tn
II legislation quoted, that the denta
, profession is not DESTROYS of usln
Z time honored advertising medium
n such as newspapers and magazines
!, or the more recently created radio
= for the promotion Of the use Of den
l. tai service While a newspaper ma
: would naturally consider that a mis-
: take, because of the axiom IF you
% business is not worth advertising
u advertise it for sale no one WI
- quarrel with what the dentists hav
: come to regard as an unethlcs
.e practice in their vocation. HoWeve
= when it comes to putting legislatio
S on the law books of the nation, pun
! licly prohibiting the use of the proc
:, uct of another profession, we cor
ld slider it to be a mistake of the fir:
- water. If the dentists feel that &C
: vertising in newspapers, magazine
re or over the radio is mark OF III
, ! professional conduct within the
= group, they should take up the
Y, own self-regulation and should NJ
4 virtually blacklist the wares of al
: other business. We do not mean tn
O. the dentists had any such idea
mind in the legislation that appea
on our Montana code books, but 9
ed must admit that it does constitute
~ slap in the face for those groul
" which do make their living by sci
lr ing the space or time of their me-
III iums for advertising purposes.
y the dentists thought their organic
r. ton needed regulation in this ma
!. ter Of advertising, they should ha
= done SO within their professl'
he much as The medical group does
:; is no secret that medical peoI
- froWn on paid advertising BY 7
en- members thereof but they regula
~ the matter from within. Wheth
- even that is wise is question but
&C II 4 locr nrtggc-;stic method Of Pr
al cedure, Failure to keep contact WI
az the masses through public medium
such as the magazines, newspapt
and radio has probably been one
NJ the contributing factors in the r
an Eof Social Medicine The New De
administration was fast pushing :
III cial Medicine into a national all
,at and it would in all probability, ha
become another one OF their.
ry ftablished movements, had not !
in war in Europe turned their ate
I ton TO peacetime defense, and tn
III II wartime offense. We have hea