Specialties and their Advantages. 
Kead before the American Dental Convention, at Saratoga, Aito. flth. 1HH2. 
by Dr. Geo. A. Mills, Brooklyn, X. Y. 
Iknkink A: Thomas, Printer**, H Spruce 8t., N. Y. SPECIALTIES AND TlIEfR ADVANTAGES. 
Mk. President and Gentlemen : It is not my purpose to argue the 
question regarding the propriety of specializing various departments of 
labor, but to enter at once the arena of history and to state the accumu- 
lated evidences found in all the dejiartments of divisible work. Nature 
has set the example throughout the cosmos of creation. Look where you 
will and the query will arise to the thoughtful mind—why is this so 
arranged ? And when the answer is found it invariably acquaints us 
with the fact that it is arranged to be so for special purposes. Nothing 
is created in vain. All the multitudinous divisions of the animal king- 
dom into species are so made to promote special ends. Man, who has 
been placed upon the highest plane, has been endowed with intellectual 
capacities to perform special work, showing it is a special purpose for 
wise ends. When this is made clear we shall be satisfied ; until then let 
us wait. The inquiring mind seems to know no satisfaction ; the possi- 
bilities being exhausted in any given direction, new zest is applied to 
researches in fresh and unexplored regions. To our finite comprehen- 
sion there seems to be no limitation to the work which the human mind 
can find to do. All nations have done work, conscientiously or other- 
wise, that has specialized itself in the history of accumulated civilization. 
Nations have done, and still continue to do, their governmental work by 
a system of prescribed laws. All this is working out special ends, and 
the ultimatum will be productive of good results to mankind. Mental 
activity has had its special representatives in all the known history of the 
race ; the recorded evidence of this fact exists, impressed on the works 
of nature by unknown hands, and in some instances in unknown 
tongues, yet to be deciphered by the specialists in the department of 
languages. We can say, as a general remark, that the numerous de- 
partments allied to the interests of mankind are special, and each has, 
and will continue to have, its special end in view, with a trained hand to 
conduct the general work. Under this head there will be subdivisions 
of labor by specialists. In our day we have three divisions of special 
labor, called professions, that have their historic value, which reveal 
potencies that exert an influence resulting in beneficent products to the 
mind and body. These divisions are divinity, medicine, and law. With 
the proper knowledge and its legitimate application, there lies within this 
tripod the solution of the problem of the highest development of civiliza- 2 
tion. The first will lead to mental foresight, the second correct the dis- 
ordered physical condition, and the third establish us on an abiding 
foundation of harmonious living. These callings are associated with 
many departments of collateral research, and there scarcely seems to be 
an end to the devices of men to solve the hardest of all questions : What 
is truth, and where shall I find it ? Through all ages the needs of man- 
kind have, in due time, presented their demands in accord with develop- 
ment, and out of all these emergencies a deliverer has appeared to ap- 
pease the desire. In the language of our old and familiar proverb, we 
find the fact that has always been and always will be true—“Necessity is 
the mother of invention.” The noblest specimens in representative labor 
have had their origin in humble spheres, from the Man of Nazareth to 
our own martyred Garfield. Genius needs the stimulus of necessity. 
The public owes much to that necessity which has so often spurred 
genius into action. While we see much to admire in the noble and 
self-sacrificing life of a genius, yet his greatest nobility will only be re- 
vealed by the pure and white light of those rarefied atmospheres of his 
future life within the realm of unselfishness. 
Genius is not uncommonly found in company with specialized labor; 
but more often special work is found allied to motives that are not com- 
patible with the life of a genius. Perhaps it may be better that a low 
motive prevail than that there be none at all. Yet I am sure that in 
this unparalleled age of progress, in which we are being sped on the 
wings of electricity, whirled at one moment into seeming impossibilities, 
and the next, all doubts being dispelled, we can afford to be patient, 
that out of all these efforts there shall come success. 
What wait we for but the crowning of mankind with peace and good- 
will toward men ? Yet while we wait it is not without hope. America 
is to be the arena in which this grand problem is to be worked out. 
For to-day indicates that, were we wanting for material with which to 
grapple with the problems of life, we shall have it, for the representatives 
of all nations are flocking—“as doves to their windows”—in almost 
countless numbers to our shores. They are bringing something of al- 
most everything, and with liberty, without license, these commodities 
are to be passed through the process of fermentation, out of which will 
come the spirit of reconciliation which has been brewed out of untram- 
meled intellectual thought and action. Then to no other land can we 
look as offering so much encouragement to progressive specialized la- 
bor. -While there is much that should admonish us that whatsoever we 
sow that we shall surely reap, yet I think much will be accomplished 
that shall soften the harsh grasp of the avaricious, while at the same time 
increasing intelligence shall stimulate others to greater efforts for a bet- 
ter position for themselves by the practice of a greater frugality. Hm- 3 
est, cheerful labor will, I predict, do much to lessen the desire, so de- 
structive, for artificial living. Wealth is not all wrong, neither is labor 
all wrong. 
With this prolonged introductory, if it may be so termed, 1 will now 
note some of the most prominent results of systematic labor by specialists. 
In the financial department we have some very noted specimens, such 
as W. II. Vanderbilt and Jay Gould, who are perhaps the most promi- 
nent. They stand before this young country almost as miracles, re- 
peating that dazzling, wonderful story of our youth, the Arabian Nights. 
I am not one that counts them the worst of sinners. They are doing 
for this country in a decade a work that it would take centuries for as- 
sociations of men to do. By the word of mouth they dictate into exist- 
ence, almost in the twinkling of an eye, a projected artery across a vast 
expanse of territory heretofore abandoned to the wild beast and the cac- 
tus; and ere we are aware of the fact, they are utilizing this ponderous 
channel by sending to these new territories thousands of pilgrims who 
come seeking homes in this great land of liberty, of which we sing, 
there to thrive and become allied, in the comingyears, to all that makes 
us a prosperous and mighty people. These financial giants specialize 
their great and fabulous wealth by gigantic enterprises. If it were not 
for such avenues how would these myriads of human beings be distrib- 
uted upon the countless thousands of unused acres in our land ? It 
would seem, as we look in astonishment upon these determined, bronzed 
countenances that we see almost daily flowing out of the great railway 
caravansaries that jut themselves into the very waters which ebb and flow 
between us and these unlimited countries of Europe, as it were, scooping 
them up on to our hospitable shore; it would seem, I say, that these 
men who are projecting so mightily were, with their energy and millions 
of resources, raised up to do this mighty work of advancing civilization. 
Cannot we wisely halt in our general habit of criticism, and spare a lit- 
tle, to sec what the coming days shall send? Human judgment is so 
very easily made to prejudge in all matters of public doings that its 
haste often prevents the best deductions. A question that may well be 
asked, and which, as you will see, is not foreign to the subject we are 
considering, is: Can the march of civilization to its destined end trav- 
erse the rough and untrodden way of barbarism without disturbing some 
of the lower conditions of existence? 
I might continue on through the varied departments of human labor, 
•and divide and sub-divide from the highest to the lowest, but I will 
hasten to make the application in the interests of the department to 
which we are devoted. And, in passing, we will not omit to notice a 
few who have made themselves prominent in these varied departments, 
more particularly in our time. 4 
In mercantile life we record the two names of A. T. Stewart and H.. 
B. Claflin, both of which find no rivals, and who are classified as mer- 
chant princes. Concentrated energy has specialized their conduct, and 
their methods of trade, wisely arranged, have resulted in munificent re- 
wards. 
The profession of literature has, in our time, given us not a few names- 
of distinguished celebrity, among which are the poets Longfellow and 
Bryant, who have not only sung out to us the language of their own 
souls, but that of thousands of others. And they rest from their labors, 
well done. We cull out from the score or more of authors, the names 
of Irving and Holland, both not soon to be forgotten. Such a philoso- 
pher as Emerson has left the gentle impress of his daily notes, which 
were gently wafted into his fertile mind by day and by night, and the com- 
ing time will record their value, and pay tribute to his memory in the 
utility of his richly garnered pearls. Also the names of Webster and 
Evarts will long illuminate the roadway of the law; and the day will be 
very far from this when the power of that mighty intellect enshrined in 
the form of Horace Greeley, and inspired by an honest heart, shall drop- 
out of memory or cease to inspire the press to high attainments. His 
example shall be even more lasting than any monument that men can 
erect. 
To speak of the long list of names that have marshaled the dogmas 
of theology, and select a trio as shining examples, would doubtless put 
me in the attitude of a sectarian, for the divisions are so numerous, and 
favoritism runs to such extremes, that it is not an easy task. And yet it 
is true that such men as Beecher, Chapin and Bellows, have, in our time, 
wielded a mighty power for the good of their fellows, that will be lasting 
in human experience, animating thousands in their daily work, and 
aiding and advancing Christian civilization. They have cast fr uitful 
seeds into much broken and mellow soil, which must spring up and 
bear fruit to the honor of the race. 
Among the centuries a host of names have been emblazoned on the 
pinnacles of fame from the division of labor classed as the healing art. 
If we garner from out of those that are truly representative of our new 
and growing country, I find myself, as in the last situation, with a diffi- 
cult task in hand, for I am reminded of the pathies and the no-pathies, 
the specialist and the generalist. To speak of the generalist would seem to- 
be apart from the direct purpose of my paper, but that I may harmonize,, 
I shall hold that he can only excel by specializing for general purposes; 
and I shall not expose myself to much, if any, criticism, when I say that 
few are endowed, in any large sense, with capabilities that will or can 
mature a generalist. Such as a Mott, and a few of his stamp, are safe to 
memorialize, but, in the division of the many de partments, we find act- 5 
ive in this day the names of Joel Parker, and Pancoast and Warren, who 
are distinguished quite above the average in the specialty of surgery, 
which is, as you are well aware, a youthful branch, as compared with 
the age of general medicine. Sims and Thomas have made the field 
of the gynecologist one of mercy and relief to that class of sufferers so 
common, and we, who have no knowledge (by experience) of them, can 
well give thanks for their contribution in the alleviation of such peculiar 
trials. Agnew and Knapp doubtless have gained a reputation as ocu- 
lists and aurists, which is freely accorded to them as ranking as high as 
any, if not the highest, among their fellows. 
The time will not allow, without weariness, to fill out to completeness the 
names of the numerous representatives of other specialized departments, 
and only to speak, in passing, of the neurologists, associated with the 
names of Brown-Sequard, Seguin, Beard and Hammond; the orthope- 
dists, Taylor, Sayres and others, and lastly, I will refer to him who, as 
yet, may not be crowned by the general fellowship of his calling, but 
who is destined to be accorded a position as a socialist in the department 
of histological research of the animal tissues, second to none in this coun- 
try, or, I predict, in any country, Carl Heitzmann. Yet but thirty-six years 
of age, a native of Hungary, schooled in medicine in his native land, be- 
coming associated in Berlin, Germany, as a draughtsman with parties 
employed in the department of governmental work in the scientific field 
of research, he was, bv a coincidence which we would often denominate 
providential, by the death of the head of this department, called to sup- 
ply the vacant place at a salary amounting, in our money, to about ten 
thousand dollars. Coming to be cognizant of the work of the several 
specialists employed in this field, he discovered that in the acceptance of 
the protoplasmic theory all had settled down upon the decision that this 
body of material was a structureless one. The thought struck him: is 
that a consistent view to accept ? It was an inspiration to him to try 
and prove the untruth of such a meaningless and vague idea. As he 
said, “When I took up the study of protoplasm in 1872, I had before 
me a blank book.” But to-day he has his reward in the acknowledg- 
ment of the ablest microscopists of the world. Seven years since circum- 
stances favored his coming to this country, with the hope of greater lib- 
erty in the pursuit of his work. Although commencing his labors in a 
quiet and unpretentious manner, his field of labor has steadily been on 
the increase, so that now his laboratory in New York City is a place of 
great resort by those engaged in histological research. 
To this famous student and a few co-laborers from out of our ranks, 
.(for which great credit is due to Dr. W. H. Atkinson, who introduced 
him to the notice of our calling) we owe much ; and, gentlemen, the 
pages of our literature are now bearing testimony to the fruits of these 6 
labors, and we are able to say that in no branch of scientific research as- 
sociated with the healing art are the histological and morphological por- 
tions of the human anatomy belter understood than that of the human 
teeth and their connected tissues. The confirmed knowledge of the mi- 
nute anatomy of these tissues has come into our possession in less than 
a half decade, by the energies of Carl Heitzmann and his eminent co- 
laborer, Dr. C. W. Boedecker, of New York City, a member of our call- 
ing whom we delight to honor. This feature of my remarks brings me 
to the part of my paper that will be of special interest to us. We are 
well aware of the attitude of this our department of dentistry at the time 
of its conception. Generated in lonely surroundings and nurtured on a 
low diet until it was evoluted into a more ambitious stage of existence, 
and going on until it reached the times of such a benevolent spirit as 
Chapin A. Harris, who caught the inspiration to provide a more befitting 
atmosphere for its future life. And we may well do honor to such a 
man, that with so little he did so well. By special energy and concen- 
trated labor with wise associates, our department for the alleviation of 
human suffering was first cradled in the city of Baltimore, by the institu- 
tion of the Baltimore Dental College, under a charter given in Maryland 
in 1839. And the alumni of this college embraces in its list not a small 
number who have occupied positions of prominence both in this country 
and in foreign countries. From this special endeavor a nucleus of energy 
was created, which has been disseminating its influence gradually and 
certainly, so that to-day we number in all fourteen institutions. All this 
is the result of honest, earnest and special effort. The progress made in 
our calling has not been surpassed in any other during the last twenty- 
five years. Doubtless the feature of associated effort has given a direct 
impulse by developing the latent forces acted upon so advantageously by 
the fraternal atmosphere of association. This body has had a signal in- 
fluence upon this work. It commenced the labor of bringing (in large 
bodies) out of chaos into concert of action, from which advancing thought 
has grown to a more defined method of labor. Although it may be 
thought by some that it has outlived its mission, yet it does not follow 
that if there be a feeling of devotion to the institutions of a more demo- 
cratic method of governmental action, it need be discontinued; it is cer- 
tainly not hurtful, but cannot be anything but helpful, for the fraternal 
influences alone will develop a bond of union that is not without its ex- 
pression for usefulness. We have not outlived yet our mission towards 
the unorganized mass of practitioners. I declare myself here and every- 
where an integral part of the department of the whole healing art, and 
on the side of helpfulness to any and all that I can assist. The day has 
not yet come to draw the lines too strictly, and it would be more becom- 
ing, I think, for some who figure so diligently as law-makers to be a 7 
little modest. It is better, and I think it is profitable, that occasionally 
we look back to the pit from which we were digged. I am not by any 
means opposed to any and all work of our several societies who have in 
mind sincerely the elevation of our profession. But I do think that the 
transactions of some of these societies are fostering more of a spirit of 
arbitrary seclusion, fostered under the guise of pretension, that, if con- 
tinued, will give rise to the suspicion that the best interests of the pro- 
fession will not be attained; for instance, the creation of a degree by the 
New York State Society, and this degree put side by side with those 
given by institutions chartered by the various States, and one particu- 
larly in this State. It is a lack of good judgment, certainly, and if it is 
continued will be a shame and disgrace. No high-minded man with a 
little reflection can but see the shallowness of such a degree as this 
M.D.S. issued by a State organization. What would common sense say 
of such a procedure applied to law and divinity, or to medicine gener- 
ally? It would stamp it a sham. This may be thought a little general 
in its application, yet I answer no; it is a work of special labor to see 
that it does not long deface the creditable advancement of our calling. 
It behooves ever}- thoughtful man to give emphasized expression until 
its work of misguiding shall come to an end. Does any one think I am 
a lonely voice to speak against this thing ? Nay, nay, I know whereof I 
affirm. More, I know the thought, in no small degree, of the represent- 
ative portion of the profession regarding this, but it will take a little 
courage to throttle this mistake. It has unfortunately, and, I believe, 
unthinkingly, been attached to the signatures of not a few worthy men, 
and this fact makes it all the more serious in its results, and this very 
class of men should see to it that they do not countenance a work that 
stands so utterly in opposition to all that is progressive. For bodies of 
men to form themselves into exclusive alliances, shutting out such as do 
not chance to hold any degree, seemingly giving out the idea that at- 
tainments only can be found behind a degree, is very weak indeed. I 
honor all degrees creditably secured, but I say that in these days of such 
rapid advancement in the acquisition of real scientific knowledge, these 
distinctions based on such puerile pretensions are certainly not becoming 
any body of men who are truthfully desiring the elevation oftheir calling. 
I assume the liberty of this digression, knowing that I am before a very 
democratic body; yet I shall claim that what I have said has an immedi- 
ate bearing upon what I propose to say further in this paper. 
You have doubtless noticed, as I have, the fact that few men are en- 
dowed with capabilities sufficiently fertile to enable them to excel in 
any large sense as generalists. We are not unfrequently reminded by 
this fact of the reasonableness of a greater division of labor, and to some 
extent it has been effectually put into practical use. And this evidences 8 
the importance of urging the value of more numerous subdivisions, with 
the hope that more fruitful results will follow; and I think all of us 
should seek to do all that we can to mould the future character of our 
calling in this direction, and aim by word and deed, in concerted action 
and in our general intercourse, to so mature the purposes of such action 
that it shall be instilled into the minds of those who shall choose our 
vocation. These should be impressed to follow the branch of labor for 
which they are best fitted. For instance, one has a particular taste and 
fitness for filling teeth, another is possessed of patient ingenuity, adapt- 
ing him to occupy the field of correction of oral deformities, for which 
mechanical appliances are requisite. This may or not embrace the 
portion of service allied to the construction of artificial teeth, yet my 
theory is that the field is so fertile, and so much in need of a higher 
grade of culture, that it could wisely and profitably be made to become 
more beneficial in its results. And I would say the same in connection 
with the more prominent features of surgical services. All these divis- 
ions require, yea, they demand (that they may result in the greater good) 
the most liberal assistance of all the scientific allies that will aid in the 
largest acquirement of skill. And here I propose to make particular 
mention of some who have, in no small degree, acquired merit, and 
have received a reward that compensated somewhat for their efforts, ac- 
companied with many difficulties which will not as much distress those 
who may ally themselves to these special departments hereafter. 
How little we realize the cost of foundation work, and how little we 
understand, in any large sense, or appreciate the motives of those in- 
spired to do this preparatory work. 
No man has been more intimately identified with the special life labor 
of infusing a spirit of progression into our calling than Dr. W. H. At- 
kinson, of New York. He has been a Prophet, Priest, and King. As 
you all know, with an endowment which has shown remarkable evidence 
of unlimited resources, he has been an Elijah to us, fearing no obstacle 
of opposition. Some of you will remember his first advent before this 
body at a meeting in New Haven. He then came among us like an 
apparition, unshorn and unshaven, and was then termed the crazy At- 
kinson, the wild man of the west, etc. Now if you can cast a view from 
that day until now, you can behold what he has wrought. Any that 
have been at all cognizant of professional workings until this time can 
readily see his imprint on all that has marked the way of progress. By 
this I do not mean to infer that nothing has been done but by him, but 
that he has been largely the inspiration of most of that which has in- 
fused a spirit of enthusiastic zeal, is certainly true. Wherever the in- 
terest of this profession exhibits itself there his name is known and 
honored. Truly his reputation is not alone national, but world-wide. 
May his last days with us be his best. 9 
We cannot fail to notice so valuable a contributor to the advancing 
status of our service as Dr. Garretson, of Philadelphia, who has labored 
so assiduously to raise the standard of special surgical skill to a position 
that is second to no other department of the healing art. It is doubtless 
true that he has no peer as an oral surgeon, and we can only be proud 
of such an accession. The establishment of the Hospital of Oral Surgery, 
in connection with the Philadelphia Dental College, is certainly one of 
the most signal stej)s in advance that has been made in connection with 
practical instruction, and offers advantages that should tempt cultured 
men to this sj>ecial field of service, for I know of none that holds out 
more flattering opportunities for large success. It is truly gratifying that 
the indication of the demand for advance in this work is being vividly 
impressed on the profession. 
Another feature of practice has fallen signally low, and done much 
to dim the earlier lustre that had been doubtless truly accorded to the 
branch that has been termed mechanical dentistry. Put to-day it is 
rallying for a better expression, I predict, under a new and doubtless 
more befitting term, prosthetic dentistry. I do not mean to detail the 
decline of this department; I had much rather hasten to signal the pros- 
jiect of a higher grade of practice. The desponding position of this 
department has commenced to yield its results, and is already indicating 
that we are nearing a grade of practice associated with higher attainments. 
Vet these hopeful signs are not the results of sudden chance. Thanks 
to the nobility of untiring genius that has not bowed the knee to Baal, 
but through years of patient toil, encountered by many sad and heart- 
sore disappointments, cast down but not defeated, stern necessity has 
stimulated to higher purposes, and year by year diligently pursuing, and 
learning to labor and to wait until the reward of honest purposes should 
appear. 
Gentlemen, to whom do we owe a debt of gratitude in this direction 
more than to any other man ? To our worthy and world-honored brother 
and co-laborer who sits with us to-day, Dr. John Allen. My dear sir, 
you have fought this warfare long and well; you have never faltered even 
in the hour of seeming defeat; when many would have been discouraged 
you rallied your little all of efforts—and they were little of this world’s 
goods—with a faith that looked over and beyond, to a future that should 
reveal a more hopeful time. My dear brother, in your fast declining years, 
though indicating that physical infirmities are fastening themselves upon 
you, and you are reminded that what you do must be done quickly, you 
will soon rest from your labors. But most assuredly your works will re- 
main ; and those of us who may survive you will sincerely accord to your 
memory honor and praise for the noble and self-sacrificing work you 
have accomplished. And it is a comfort to know that, although we 10 
commit our works to other hands, that which is of value will remain. 
We are so constituted that we do derive satisfaction in the rewards com- 
ing to us in this world for meritorious services, and you have not been 
overlooked in this respect. You have, certainly, in those richly orna- 
mented gifts presented to you by all the national and international ex- 
hibitions, the world’s evidence that the attainment of skill has been of a 
grade much above the ordinary; and we can but hope that they will find 
some secure place of deposit that will be, in the near future, provided 
by the munificence of some one or more of our calling; for certainly 
they can but be estimated, in no small sense, as an incentive to those 
who will follow us. 
I have noticed that there has recently been pu blished and distributed, 
by authority of our congress, the official reports of the United States Com- 
missioners of the Paris Exhibition in 1878, and among other things 
mentioned it says, under the head of American Dentistry: “The exhibits 
in this department were adjudged far above all others, and the award of 
the grand prize medal was accorded to Dr. John Allen & Son, of New 
York City.” Certainly we can truthfully congratulate you and rejoice 
with you; and we also are able to deduce from all this, tangible testimony 
of the advantages resulting from special service. There is already enough 
evidenced in what I have said to inspire the purposes of all, and also to 
create an incentive that will impress upon us the importance of greater 
exertion in the department of special surgical labor. 
I have alluded to the signal evidence of a decided upward advance in 
the department of prosthetic dentistry, and it may be well to notice in 
what direction it is. In the first place, by a greater desire shown to con- 
serve the natural features of the face by a decrease in the practice of so 
ruthlessly removing useful teeth by extraction; second, in the marked in- 
crease of retaining the roots of teeth from which the crowns have failed; 
third, a return in a larger percentage to crown setting upon these roots, 
associated with improved facilities which give greater assurances for their 
more uniform ccmfort and durability. We can but notice with what en- 
thusiasm special effort is working in this direction, and helping in no 
small sense to answer that question, which has an important bearing upon 
the work we have in hand: how shall we meet the masses at a price they 
are able to pay? For, view this as we may, the poor and the penurious 
we have with us always. Probably the two most prominent improve- 
ments, and the two that will become the most universal because of their 
greater simplicity and inexpensiveness, are the Richmond and the Bonwill 
crowns. Their introduction has proved their supposed value, in a very 
large sense, by their popularity in so short a time. The Bonwill crown 
will doubtless find a more ready application in practice at the outset. 
Both of these methods have objections raised against them. The Bon- 11 
will is the least expensive, considering its first cost, yet I think they are 
far more liable to require frequent repairs. I think in the Richmond 
method, and in connection with it, there has been devised an improve- 
ment that should attract our attention. 
I have not yet, only in a general way, alluded to artificial teeth in- 
serted on plates coming in contact with the mouth. Though there will 
be cases, from the necessity of which we can as }et see no escape, yet we 
know, all of us, the disagreeable conditions produced by the contact of 
any and all kinds of materials with the mucous membrane of the mouth; 
vastly more so with all non-conducting substances, such as rubber and 
celluloid. These plates not only pollute the health of the mouth in no 
small degree, but they entail other difficulties which are unlimited. I 
refer to the changes that take place in the tissues, both soft and hard. 
These changes are produced by absorption, and bring about untold com- 
plications and discomforts, associated with frightful contortions of the 
features of the face, carrying distortion of expression to such an extreme 
that it is a common remark among all close observers. How many, 
many there are that exhibit a prematurely old face? Is there anything 
that the mass of human beings will hail so joyously as an escape from 
these direful consequences? 
Now, there may be evils associated with all these methods, but the 
thing we most desire to do is to make choice of that which entails the 
least of them. Now, from what I have seen in quite a large number of 
practical cases, I am able to say that, in my honest judgment, there has 
never come to us such a boon of relief to offer to the world at large, as 
the method of attaching artificial teeth combined with the Richmond 
Crown. I do not consider that the objections urged against the plan of 
placing the gold band attached to the crowns under the gum at the neck 
of the root, are weighty enough to militate against the priceless advan- 
tages gained over other methods. This kind of work, you will under- 
stand, I am advocating in such cases as it is applicable, where, for in- 
stance, the intervening teeth are absent and intervening roots are present, 
so that by the application of the crown on the several roots, the sjaces 
requiring teeth where there are no roots can be combined by a process 
of bridging. I am well aware that this endorsement (which is of my own 
free will) will be thought a somewhat singular procedure by some (con- 
sidering my standing in the profession) because of the plan adopted by 
Messrs. Sheffield & Richmond to make this invention known in such a 
public manner as they have done, by a large expenditure of money 
through the columns of the leading newspapers of the country. Hut I 
am reminded again that I am in the presence of a body that has no pre- 
scribed laws dictating the methods of conducting a practice. Gentlemen, 
I am openly and avowedly opposed to any and all codes of ethics, and 12 
have always advocated against them, so this cannot be ascribed to me as 
any new impulse. I see more clearly than ever the absurdity of such 
proscription ; and I assert, knowingly, that the heart of the profession are 
in spirit absolutely against the continuance of these laws. And I pre- 
dict that the time is near when the current will be changed, and in my 
estimation it will do more to adjust the discriminations than anything else 
we can do. Allow me to ask, what moral right have any body of men 
to legislate against any man making known to the whole human race, if 
he desire to do so, that he has (or believes he has) a special service at his 
command. It is a singular fact that the Healing Art is almost, if not 
quite, the only calling that holds to such a relic, if it be one, of heathen- 
ism. You will notice that the new organization that has come into ex- 
istence, and which calls itself, in spirit, the National and International 
body, have purposely, and in view of the progress of the age, kept it out 
of their constitution, and they have acted wisely, for men whose chief de- 
sire is scientific attainment have no taste or desire to quarrel with their 
co-workers on methods, but their first and only thought is knowledge. 
The quicker all proscriptions are removed, the sooner the public will 
arrive at a wiser discrimination in their choice. I state knowingly that 
the honest convictions of our best men are in sympathy with my expressed 
thought. Many are on record in accord with these views, and many 
more entertain them, as yet quietly, and I predict that the time is not 
far off when we will see them put into practice. Special labor in this 
field will bring its advantages in this direction. 
The subject of pericementitis, with the Riggs feature included, which 
means, in a practical sense, a specific disease of the membrane of the 
socket, and manifested in a variety of ways, more or less familiar to many, 
viz., accumulations of lime with their admixtures; so-called tartar; in- 
flammation of the gums, causing them to bleed by the slightest pressure, 
being very tender without apparent cause, often very loose; marked de- 
struction of the gums and falling away, frequently an exterior exudation of 
pus, associated with a sickly, fetid odor in the breath, more noticed by 
others than bv the person in trouble; and, in not a few cases, a general 
disarrangement of the bodily functions, expressed by great lack of energy, 
low spirits, loss of appetite; and with this exhausting condition of health 
the patients are wholly unconscious that it is attributable to this disorder 
in the mouth, while they are constantly appealing to their physician for 
relief, and to no effect. I am impressed that these facts must be brought 
to the minds of medical men. To commence such a labor I prepared 
and read, by invitation, a paper, in May last, before the Kings County 
Medical Society, in Brooklyn; subject, “ Pericementitis, its Manifestations 
in the Oral Cavity, and its Serious Effects upon the General Health.” 
This has been published in their monthly journal, and I have had a re- 13 
print of a thousand copies for general distribution, which will be sent by 
mail to any who desire them. The physician has it in his power to con- 
tribute much assistance in the line of relief that calls so loudly for help. 
In my judgment more encouragement will come from medical gentle- 
men, for the reason that they will more readily detect the peculiarities of 
this insidious disorder because they are cultured in surgical perceptions. 
Experience assures me that specialized energy will bring the results 
sought, sooner or later, in this direction. 
The institutions for teaching, in our calling, are becoming conscious 
of the demands pressing upon them for additional efforts, and they must 
be prepared to meet them, or they will see opportunities springing up 
about them that will entice those seeking our calling through educated 
channels. One thing is sure, they must keep an energetic thought in 
action, ready to cultivate the field that signalizes the certain tendency to 
social teachings for sj>ecial purposes. So far, all of the teachers have 
fallen far short of the duty they owe to the student and the people, by 
their neglect to teach the knowledge attainable in connection with the 
special disease I am emphasizing the importance of. The time will come 
when the schools of dental teaching will be compelled to give more than 
a passing notice to a subject which is of such vital impirrtance to the 
people. What do the students that are passing out of our several colleges 
by scores from year to year, know of this cyclone of destruction that is so 
insidiously entailing untold distress upon the mass of human beings? Is 
there any evidence that is worthy of record that is manifested in the in- 
firmaries of these institutions? I answer most emphatically, no; and 
there will be none until the subject is brought before the classes by some 
one who has some knowledge to speak with, and something that shall 
inspire the young men who are looking for just such opportunities as such a 
field of service offers, second to none other in the whole range of pro- 
fessional science. Such apathy as I see manifested by men of no small 
attainments in other departments, is quite incomprehensible, with the 
view I take of the duties of one who assumes the responsibilities of a 
teacher. So far as I have been able, I have had one steadily growing 
purpose during my whole professional life, to make such use of oppor- 
tunities that I might be fitted to dispense helpful serv ice in a degree above 
the ordinary. How far 1 have succeeded I leave for future decision. 
Fortunately, I came into the calling impressed from the first with a love 
for it, ami now, in my twenty-eighth year of practice, my affection does 
not wax cold, nor have I ever seen a moment when I could wish I had 
chosen any other avocation. In this I have escaped the direful lamenta- 
tions that have so often come to me in my associations: “ I wish I had 
never heard of dentistry,” “a dentist has no honor,” etc. etc. Such 
members of the profession have been only barnacles upon it, and have 
done much to retard and hinder the advancement of those who desire to 14 
make it an honorable calling. Those men are found clamoring for the 
elevation of the profession by loud and frequent lip-service and a very 
meagre attainment of ability to serve the people with a service based on 
real intelligence. 
I am well aware that my enthusiasm has made me aggressive in advo- 
cating my views, and I have learned that all progress is, of its very nature, 
so. Fortunately for my growth, intellectually and practically (at least) I 
' have allied myself in my most intimate associations, with those who were 
my superiors, and, as I look over the last twenty-one years, I must say 
that if I could not see tangible evidences of a rich development I would be 
compelled to admit that I have been a dull student. And all this enables 
me to bring to bear upon this specialty I have espoused, a degree of zeal 
and understanding that the nature and circumstances of such a subject 
require. With this, as with all other departments that I have made spe- 
cial efforts to excel in, I have found the appreciation and reward slow in 
coming. Whatever course my future will determine, one thing I shall 
do, I shall strive and aim to pursue a course that shall contribute the 
greatest goad to the largest number possible. I know, in the ability I 
have acquired in the treatment of the disease that is causing the destruc- 
tion of so much health, and the loss of so many teeth ultimately ; I say 
I know, by a demonstrated practice, that I have it in my power to render a 
vast amount of service to my fellows ; and the problem is, how to reach 
the people and impress them with the fact that there is a balm for their 
sufferings. How this can be best brought about I am not fully prepared 
to answer. And yet, if I should see my way clear in the future, by cast- 
ing aside all supposed professional restraints, that I may bring about a 
more speedy accomplishment of my purpose, I shall not shrink from it, 
and I give my assurance that I will strive to prove that a live professional 
man is one that makes his efforts concentrate toward the accumu- 
lation of such knowledge as will lift the burden of physical affliction, that 
hangs so like a pall over humanity; and this regardless of all the protests 
of a so-called code of ethics whose purposes were conceived in an ante- 
diluvian age, and have no mission in this day. I have noticed, to my 
sorrow, that the ones that clamor so loudly for such relics of barbarism 
are, by their acts, the most frequent violators of them, not so much by 
the use of printer’s ink, as by ungentlemanly deportment, the use of un- 
becoming language, and their immoralities. Now, all 1 ask is to be 
judged on the basis of virtue ; and may I so conduct my life that it shall 
write out the unwritten code of ethics, which shall be as pure gold refined 
in the crucible of human experience. For an affection for my profession 
I yield the palm, to no one ; I have, by specialized labor, daily sought 
its advancement in all that pertains to its upbuilding on a moral and 
intellectual foundation, and this I shall continue to do until I am called 
from my present activities into those of greater promise.