Author: John G. Harper

Publisher: Forgotten Books

Published: 2018-01-02

Total Pages: 740

ISBN-13: 9780428186678

The Archives of Dentistry, A Monthly Record of Dental Science and Art is a surprisingly entertaining compendium of dentistry around the United States. The compilation is the successor to the Missouri Dental Journal and a consolidation of the New England Journal of Dentistry. The three publications combined forces to provide a comprehensive look at the practice of dentistry in the 19th Century. The first thing you learn reading The Archives of Dentistry, A Monthly Record of Dental Science and Art is that the practice of dentistry in the 19th Century is more advanced than one would have assumed. There are research papers on everything from the science of tooth decay, to the types of cement, to proper hygiene practices for patients. Case studies are presented throughout. Some cases seem roughly equivalent to how dental problems would be handled today, but in other instances the advice reads like horror or science fiction. For example, the professionals debate about whether teeth could be transplanted from one person to another. There is also a description of the uses of cocaine as anesthetic for operations, with the conclusion that it makes surgery completely painless. Minutes from local meetings of dental societies are also presented. For example, at the 22nd Annual Meeting of the Connecticut Valley Dental Society, the dentists share lectures on crown and bridgework before engaging in a round-table about specific case studies. These are great learning opportunities for readers, regardless of whether they are dental practitioners. Cultural stereotypes of the time surface, such as when a dentist says that when fillings were performed on the canine teeth of "the negro," the teeth were guaranteed to fail within three years. Strange ideas are presented, like the alleged relationship between abscessed teeth and the condition of the bowels. There are advertisements for things like tin foil, tooth powder, and Listerine sprinkled throughout the Archive. These observations, case studies and advertisements alone compel me to recommend The Archives of Dentistry, A Monthly Record of Dental Science and Art for a general audience, not just those interested in the dental profession. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.