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Origin and history of the Academy of Denture Prosthetics
ORIGIN
-4ND HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY OF DENTURE PROSTHETICS I. LESTER FURNAS La Jolla, Calif.
N
0 worth-while organization is organized spontaneously. The usual modus operandi is for a small group of farsighted individuals with common interests to meet on some occasion and talk, plan, and wish for a formal organized group where kindred souls may meet and discussmatters of mutual concern. Such indeed was the organization plan of The Academy of Denture Prosthetics. Just who was the first man to supply the necessary spark is not too definite, but it seemsquite likely that this honor should go to either Dr. George Henry Wilson or Dr. Weston A. Price, both of Cleveland, Ohio. The subject of Prosthetic Dentistry for many years might almost be described as dormant because very little was done to develop its scientific aspects until about the turn of the century. Physiologic and anatomic prob!ems then began to arise, leading to confusion in what had been accepted as functional facts, and men interested in the subject began to question and investigate vigorously. Prosthetic dentistry was not the only branch of the profession that was undergoing a radical revamping. Operative dentistry was having its troubles as well, and it was only natural that the two should combine and from their united efforts produce at least an aid to their dilemma. This was the organization of the National Dental Association Research Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1913 under the direction of the National Dental Association Research Commission with .-Dr. Weston A. Price of Cleveland presiding. ._ Lc Dr. Price was keenly aware of the situation and lost no time in seeing that ‘7Bevelopmentsin the field of prosthetics received equal attention with other branches of the profession. In this he was most ably assisted by Dr. George H. Wilson of Cleveland and Dr. William A. Giffin of Detroit, Mich. These men held many conferences and it is generally conceded that the birth of the idea of a prosthetic organization was one of the many profitable results. It was about this time, and largely through the efforts of Dr. Wilson, that another man prominent in the prosthetic field became interested in the forming of a prosthetic research organization ; this, of course, was Dr. Milus M. House of Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Wilson made many trips to Indianapolis to discuss the matter with Dr. House, and in turn Dr. House spent all available time with Dr. Wilson in Cleveland. Talking and planning continued at every possible opportunity, and at each visit more was accomplished: thus, a basic pattern came. into being. During the warm evening of Aug. 3, 1918, Dr. House and I were attending the annual meeting of the National Dental Association in Chicago, 111. At the time :i
‘I
PURNAS
we were staying at the Congress Hotel. A telephone call came for Dr. House from Dr. Wilson of Cleveland saying that he would like to come to the room to talk with him. Tn a short time Dr. Wilson arrived, and he and Dr. Hour at once started a most serious conversation regarding organizational plans for a prosthetic society. Each agreed that the time element was perfect, with practicall! every prosthodontist of note being available there in Chicago at the convention. One of these men soon called Dr. Giffin. who was also registered in the hotel and who quickly came to the room and participated in the discussion. 1Zt a meeting the next day, the following men were present : Drs. G. H. Wilson. Dr. Giffin was absent B. F. Theilen, M. M. House, .4. Patterson, and I. L. Furnas. because of important committee meetings in connection with the’ National Dental Association. It was mutually agreed that a dinner meeting should be held in the Congress Hotel, Chicago, during the midday of Aug. 6, 1918. A list of names was prepared with each man present to contact as many as possible, spreading the invitation by word of mouth to all who were known to be interested in prosthetic dentistry. Of the 49 men on the list, 31 were present at the meeting on August 6. There was much enthusiasm at this meeting. A temporary organization was formed with Dr. Dayton Dunbar Campbell named as Chairman and Dr. Alex Patterson appointed as secretary. I find the whole record of what followed so well and accurateI! compiled jn the minutes of the meeting that I quote directly from this source : “The Chairman called upon our worthy senior, Dr. George H. Wilson, to lead the discussion and give his views concerning the proposed organization ana to outline the purposes and possible usefulness of such a body. This was done in a most satisfactory manner and in addition to this each member gave hearty approval of the inovement. “The Chairman was then empowered to appoint a committee to select a name for the organization and to draw up a Constitution and By-Laws. Those named to serve on this committee were : Dr. George H. Wilson, ex officio, Dr. W. A. Giffin, chairman, Dr. S. H. McAfee, Dr. M. M. House, Dr. E. H. Mauk, Dr. R. W. Tenth.” On August 9, Chairman D. D. CampbeIl called the group together and proceeded with official business, with Dr. Russell W. Tenth acting as secretary. Needless to sav the organization gained momentum almost at once. AS the project began to unfold, the enthusiasm began to grow. Tt was uppermost in the mind of every man interested in prosthetics at that historic meeting. Committee reports were received and accepted tentatively. The following officers were nominated and elected, each by a unanimous vote : Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
George H. Wilson, Honorary President William A. Giffin, President M. M. House, First vice-president Alex Patterson, Second vice-president Payton D. Campbell, Secretary Russell W. Tenth, Treasurer
Volume Numbers
1 1 and 2
THE
ACADEMY
OF
DENTURE
PROSTHETICS
5
Those present at this meeting were elected charter members. .2 good-will motion to make Drs. George 13. Snow and J. Leon Williams honorary members of the organization was then introduced. Keedless to say, these worthy gentlemen were honored at once. It was next moved and seconded that the Executive Council, as provided for in the tentatively accepted Constitution and By-Laws, be composed of the following men : For one year : Drs. Abraham Hoffman and S. H. McAfee For two years : Drs. Claud J. Stansbery and W. E. Cummer Tt may seem strange that the Organization could attain such stature and growth without a name, but I assure you that this was by no means the case. Since the very first meeting this subject had been constantly discussed, both publicly and privately. Many ditierent names were proposed and discussed such as : The Prosthetic Club, The American Denture Club, The Prosthetic Denture Society, The American Full Denture Society-a name later adopted by another prosthetic organization but rejected by this group because of its limiting the work to full dentures. It was the hope of some to expand the activities of this Society to include partial denture problems at some future date. After much discussion, with everyone making his own suggestions, Dr. Wilson finally came forth with The National Society of Denture Prosthetists. True, it was a tongue twister, and true also is the fact that some of its most loyal charter members never did learn to pronounce the name correctly-some to this day insist upon saying “Pros-thet’-ists” instead of “Pros’-the-tists”-but that did not matter; it was adopted unanimously immediately, and for convenience was just as promptly shortened to N.S.D.P. This group of letters will always have a sacred meaning to a small group of *men. It was, you can understand, with no small heartfelt pain that, in 1940, some of the now “Old Timers” sat back and saw a total “outsider,” a man who never had been and never expected to become a member of the Organization, induce the members to change the name because in his opinion it did not fit the Greek origin or something of the kind. He may have been correct, but he turned down the lights for a small group of men when he put his idea across with the membership at large and made of us not a Society but an Academy of which we were not members but Fellows. The annual meetings of the Academy have always been of a high order. Programs have been well planned. Practically every man in the dental profession who has developed outstanding contributions in the prosthetic field has at some time taken an active part. At times the Academy has been criticized by some members of the profession at large because of its failure to adopt and recommend certain denture techniques, basic principles, and theoretical ideas, most of which have been of a controversial nature. This is not and never has been the intended function of the Academy. All theories, principles, techniques, and materials have at all times been carefully studied by the Academy, and an honest attempt has been made to clarify, to the greatest degree possible, every controversial matter. This has been done to the extent where intelligent men, knowing the facts, may be
FURNAS
competent to choose for themselves that which might seem most practical in their hands. The Academy is, and always has been, an organization developed for scientific research and investigation it) prosthetic problems in the field 111 artificial dentures ; the personal advancement or individual Fellows has I)een. ii and will be entirely a secondary matter. In closing this historic sketch of the founding of the Academy, it must bc emphasized that a long book would be necessary to do it full justice. Perhap this brief sumnary may have caught some of the vitality, the sincerity, ant! perhaps a little of the ingenuity and frienclliness so characteristic of the Academ! itself; if so, the objective of these lines will have been attained in full. 928 SILVERADO STREET, I.:\ JOLLA.
CALIF.
OFFICERS
OF THE
President President-elect Vice-President. Secretary-treasurer
ACADE~IY
OF DENTURE
PROSTHETICS,
Carl 0. Boucher,
1950-1951
Columbus, Ohio
Raymond J. Nagle, Boston, Mass. Ralph Boos, Minneapolis,
Mirtrl.
I. Lester Furnas, La Jolla, Calif.
-4ND HISTORY OF THE ACADEMY OF DENTURE PROSTHETICS I. LESTER FURNAS La Jolla, Calif.
N
0 worth-while organization is organized spontaneously. The usual modus operandi is for a small group of farsighted individuals with common interests to meet on some occasion and talk, plan, and wish for a formal organized group where kindred souls may meet and discussmatters of mutual concern. Such indeed was the organization plan of The Academy of Denture Prosthetics. Just who was the first man to supply the necessary spark is not too definite, but it seemsquite likely that this honor should go to either Dr. George Henry Wilson or Dr. Weston A. Price, both of Cleveland, Ohio. The subject of Prosthetic Dentistry for many years might almost be described as dormant because very little was done to develop its scientific aspects until about the turn of the century. Physiologic and anatomic prob!ems then began to arise, leading to confusion in what had been accepted as functional facts, and men interested in the subject began to question and investigate vigorously. Prosthetic dentistry was not the only branch of the profession that was undergoing a radical revamping. Operative dentistry was having its troubles as well, and it was only natural that the two should combine and from their united efforts produce at least an aid to their dilemma. This was the organization of the National Dental Association Research Institute in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1913 under the direction of the National Dental Association Research Commission with .-Dr. Weston A. Price of Cleveland presiding. ._ Lc Dr. Price was keenly aware of the situation and lost no time in seeing that ‘7Bevelopmentsin the field of prosthetics received equal attention with other branches of the profession. In this he was most ably assisted by Dr. George H. Wilson of Cleveland and Dr. William A. Giffin of Detroit, Mich. These men held many conferences and it is generally conceded that the birth of the idea of a prosthetic organization was one of the many profitable results. It was about this time, and largely through the efforts of Dr. Wilson, that another man prominent in the prosthetic field became interested in the forming of a prosthetic research organization ; this, of course, was Dr. Milus M. House of Indianapolis, Ind. Dr. Wilson made many trips to Indianapolis to discuss the matter with Dr. House, and in turn Dr. House spent all available time with Dr. Wilson in Cleveland. Talking and planning continued at every possible opportunity, and at each visit more was accomplished: thus, a basic pattern came. into being. During the warm evening of Aug. 3, 1918, Dr. House and I were attending the annual meeting of the National Dental Association in Chicago, 111. At the time :i
‘I
PURNAS
we were staying at the Congress Hotel. A telephone call came for Dr. House from Dr. Wilson of Cleveland saying that he would like to come to the room to talk with him. Tn a short time Dr. Wilson arrived, and he and Dr. Hour at once started a most serious conversation regarding organizational plans for a prosthetic society. Each agreed that the time element was perfect, with practicall! every prosthodontist of note being available there in Chicago at the convention. One of these men soon called Dr. Giffin. who was also registered in the hotel and who quickly came to the room and participated in the discussion. 1Zt a meeting the next day, the following men were present : Drs. G. H. Wilson. Dr. Giffin was absent B. F. Theilen, M. M. House, .4. Patterson, and I. L. Furnas. because of important committee meetings in connection with the’ National Dental Association. It was mutually agreed that a dinner meeting should be held in the Congress Hotel, Chicago, during the midday of Aug. 6, 1918. A list of names was prepared with each man present to contact as many as possible, spreading the invitation by word of mouth to all who were known to be interested in prosthetic dentistry. Of the 49 men on the list, 31 were present at the meeting on August 6. There was much enthusiasm at this meeting. A temporary organization was formed with Dr. Dayton Dunbar Campbell named as Chairman and Dr. Alex Patterson appointed as secretary. I find the whole record of what followed so well and accurateI! compiled jn the minutes of the meeting that I quote directly from this source : “The Chairman called upon our worthy senior, Dr. George H. Wilson, to lead the discussion and give his views concerning the proposed organization ana to outline the purposes and possible usefulness of such a body. This was done in a most satisfactory manner and in addition to this each member gave hearty approval of the inovement. “The Chairman was then empowered to appoint a committee to select a name for the organization and to draw up a Constitution and By-Laws. Those named to serve on this committee were : Dr. George H. Wilson, ex officio, Dr. W. A. Giffin, chairman, Dr. S. H. McAfee, Dr. M. M. House, Dr. E. H. Mauk, Dr. R. W. Tenth.” On August 9, Chairman D. D. CampbeIl called the group together and proceeded with official business, with Dr. Russell W. Tenth acting as secretary. Needless to sav the organization gained momentum almost at once. AS the project began to unfold, the enthusiasm began to grow. Tt was uppermost in the mind of every man interested in prosthetics at that historic meeting. Committee reports were received and accepted tentatively. The following officers were nominated and elected, each by a unanimous vote : Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr. Dr.
George H. Wilson, Honorary President William A. Giffin, President M. M. House, First vice-president Alex Patterson, Second vice-president Payton D. Campbell, Secretary Russell W. Tenth, Treasurer
Volume Numbers
1 1 and 2
THE
ACADEMY
OF
DENTURE
PROSTHETICS
5
Those present at this meeting were elected charter members. .2 good-will motion to make Drs. George 13. Snow and J. Leon Williams honorary members of the organization was then introduced. Keedless to say, these worthy gentlemen were honored at once. It was next moved and seconded that the Executive Council, as provided for in the tentatively accepted Constitution and By-Laws, be composed of the following men : For one year : Drs. Abraham Hoffman and S. H. McAfee For two years : Drs. Claud J. Stansbery and W. E. Cummer Tt may seem strange that the Organization could attain such stature and growth without a name, but I assure you that this was by no means the case. Since the very first meeting this subject had been constantly discussed, both publicly and privately. Many ditierent names were proposed and discussed such as : The Prosthetic Club, The American Denture Club, The Prosthetic Denture Society, The American Full Denture Society-a name later adopted by another prosthetic organization but rejected by this group because of its limiting the work to full dentures. It was the hope of some to expand the activities of this Society to include partial denture problems at some future date. After much discussion, with everyone making his own suggestions, Dr. Wilson finally came forth with The National Society of Denture Prosthetists. True, it was a tongue twister, and true also is the fact that some of its most loyal charter members never did learn to pronounce the name correctly-some to this day insist upon saying “Pros-thet’-ists” instead of “Pros’-the-tists”-but that did not matter; it was adopted unanimously immediately, and for convenience was just as promptly shortened to N.S.D.P. This group of letters will always have a sacred meaning to a small group of *men. It was, you can understand, with no small heartfelt pain that, in 1940, some of the now “Old Timers” sat back and saw a total “outsider,” a man who never had been and never expected to become a member of the Organization, induce the members to change the name because in his opinion it did not fit the Greek origin or something of the kind. He may have been correct, but he turned down the lights for a small group of men when he put his idea across with the membership at large and made of us not a Society but an Academy of which we were not members but Fellows. The annual meetings of the Academy have always been of a high order. Programs have been well planned. Practically every man in the dental profession who has developed outstanding contributions in the prosthetic field has at some time taken an active part. At times the Academy has been criticized by some members of the profession at large because of its failure to adopt and recommend certain denture techniques, basic principles, and theoretical ideas, most of which have been of a controversial nature. This is not and never has been the intended function of the Academy. All theories, principles, techniques, and materials have at all times been carefully studied by the Academy, and an honest attempt has been made to clarify, to the greatest degree possible, every controversial matter. This has been done to the extent where intelligent men, knowing the facts, may be
FURNAS
competent to choose for themselves that which might seem most practical in their hands. The Academy is, and always has been, an organization developed for scientific research and investigation it) prosthetic problems in the field 111 artificial dentures ; the personal advancement or individual Fellows has I)een. ii and will be entirely a secondary matter. In closing this historic sketch of the founding of the Academy, it must bc emphasized that a long book would be necessary to do it full justice. Perhap this brief sumnary may have caught some of the vitality, the sincerity, ant! perhaps a little of the ingenuity and frienclliness so characteristic of the Academ! itself; if so, the objective of these lines will have been attained in full. 928 SILVERADO STREET, I.:\ JOLLA.
CALIF.
OFFICERS
OF THE
President President-elect Vice-President. Secretary-treasurer
ACADE~IY
OF DENTURE
PROSTHETICS,
Carl 0. Boucher,
1950-1951
Columbus, Ohio
Raymond J. Nagle, Boston, Mass. Ralph Boos, Minneapolis,
Mirtrl.
I. Lester Furnas, La Jolla, Calif.