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A National Dental Museum
892
T h e J o u rn a l o f th e A m erica n D e n ta l A ssociation
proved that any member of the administrative body had personally received any of the money. T o the layman, the language of the Supreme Court seems to say that if the ad m inistrative officer chooses to look in the other direction when the money is being stolen, he cannot be held responsible. I do not presume to criticize the courts in these decisions: the fault m ay be in the law s; but no one w ill claim that all this spells governmental effi ciency, and that is the point under discussion here. In this connection, I w ish to quote a jurist who w as known for his outstanding fearlessness and integrity and his profound knowledge of the law . H e characterized the municipal and circuit courts as the Courts of O riginal Error, the appellate courts as the Courts of Intermediate Speculation and the Supreme Court as the Court of Ultimate Con jecture. W hile most of these illustrations have nat urally been taken from Chicago and Illinois, sim ilar instances in many other places prove that conditions are just as bad. W e need but refer to the recent dismissal of five judges for gross inefficiency and corruption in N ew York City, and to an address of Samuel Seabury to the justices of the appellate division of the Supreme Court of N ew York in which he said, “It is for you to say whether the m agistrates’ courts shall be turned into bargain-counters where justice is bought and sold, when politi cal leaders are brokers dealing in influence.” In sm aller governmental units, the corruption and inefficiency is, of course, on a smaller scale, but, in many instances, it is there just the same. One writer in a popular m agazine sizes up the whole situation in the follow ing words: “From Teapot Dome to our latest mu nicipal court scandals, w e have seen enough of political and public m alfeasance to believe almost anything of our law-makers, courts and public guardians.” I have devoted this much space to the dis cussion of governmental inefficiency because it is fundamental. If I have demonstrated that most governments are inefficient or corrupt and that some are both and that there is no likelihood of marked improvement in the im mediate future, I have proved that it would be unwise and unsafe to entrust so v ital a function as the almost universal control o f medical practice to governmental supervision and control. If one were to record all the evidence of inefficiency and corruption which occur in all the governmental units of this
country in one year alone, it would require volumes instead of a few short articles. The purpose of these articles is not so much to giv& detailed information as to arouse the allied professions of medicine and dentistry and, through them, the general public to the im pending danger. (T he next two articles w ill show how the quality of medical services deteriorates un der compulsory health insurance.)
A NATIONAL DENTAL MUSEUM A t the meeting of the American Dental A s sociation in 1930, at Denver, a committee w as appointed to study the feasibility of arrang ing a museum to house exhibits of interest to dentistry. W hen the committee entered upon its duties, it w as discovered that many years ago, in 1885 to be exact, the then National Dental Association had by resolution desig nated the Army M edical Museum at W ash ington, D. C., as the official depository for the dental profession of the United States. A meeting of the committee with the Sur geon General of the United States Army was arranged, and the latter heartily approved of a plan to reawaken interest in the dental division of the museum. Plans were shown at this meeting detailing the project of the gov ernment to build a new museum and library at the Army M edical Center in W ashington. The space assigned to the Dental Museum was designed to occupy about five times as much floor area as in the present building. T h e Committee on Museum then made a report to the American Dental Association, in 1931, at Memphis, and its recommendations were that the American Dental Association revive interest in this museum and make it the center of activities for this work in the United States. T h is suggestion met w ith the approval of the Board of Trustees and the House of D ele gates, and the committee w as directed to con tinue its activities and arouse the interest of the dental profession in this museum, to the end that they' would send specimens for clas sification, study or exhibit. The profession is urged to send any such material, either anatomical, casts anomalies or historical specimens to the Curator, Army M edical Museum, Dental D ivision, W ashing ton, D. C. A s rapidly as specimens are re ceived they w ill be classified and indexed. The museum has facilities for accommodat
893
M isc e lla n y ing properly accredited students, who may have access to the specimens arranged for study and also to thousands of slides of path ologic specimens. It is hoped that the profession throughout the country w ill renew their interest in the museum and give it their support.
CORRESPONDENCE To the E ditor: Some time ago, there w as a so-called detail man in the office represent ing himself as being employed by the Spear mint Products Co. of Memphis, Tenn. He had no literature nor samples. T he product that he w as supposed to be detailing w as a milk of magnesia with a spearmint flavor. H ow ever this w as only a ruse to get at his real game, namely, the peddling of a powder which, when dissolved in water, would give a solu tion that would remove rust and tarnish from instruments— a tablespoonful being added to the sterilizer water. I believe that this is noth ing more than our old friend sal soda plus a little whiting. I am enclosing a small sample, also the cover of his package. I also wrote to the firm that he w as supposed to represent, but the letter came back unclaimed. I am en closing it for your examination. It also goes into detail relative to this man’s method of operation. I might add that he collected quite a few dollars in this community, as he has done no doubt in many others. I am passing this information on w ith the thought that it may be valuable to other members of the pro fession. T h is man weighs approximately 135'pounds, has a very sallow complexion, almost yellow, is about 5 feet 5 inches in height, very nervous and an inveterate cigaret smoker. H e says that he is troubled w ith pleurisy. He claims M inneapolis as his home. W e have given this product a fair and thorough trial and find that it w ill not do w hat is claimed for it. F. O . R a a s c h 2703J4 Central A ve. Kearney, Nebr. T o the E ditor: In the review of “Fifty Years of the A . D . T . A.,” published in your February issue, the last paragraph states: “T he review er does not know the price of the book.” W e have made these books available to our members at a price of $1, and w ill be pleased to make them available to others interested at the same price, plus postage.
For the archives of state dental societies, officers, etc., w e shall be pleased to compliment these books. I know it is needless to say to you that the cost of publishing the book w as in excess, con siderably, of the price w e are charging. Cordially yours, G e o r g e A. L i l l y , M anaging Director A . D. T . A .
NEWS D eath of M r. E astm an: In the recent death of Mr. George Eastman, of Rochester, N. Y., dentistry saw the passing of its most generous patron. Beginning with the founding and en dowment of a dental clinic for indigent chil dren in his own city, the philanthropies of Mr. Eastman have spread to the leading coun tries of Europe, where clinics have been es tablished or are nearing completeion in Lon don, Paris, Rome, Brussels and Stockholm. It is believed that these concrete expressions of Mr. Eastman’s belief in the great value of dental care as a general health measure have been responsible for other large contributions to the dental w elfare of the public, such as those of the late Mr. Julius Rosenwald, of Mr. and Mrs. Guggenheim and of Joseph E. Samuels. D r. W righ t A ppoin ted to H ealth B oard: The appointment of W . H. W right, of Jack son, Miss., to the M ississippi State Board of H ealth for the period of Jan. 1, 1932-Dec. 31, 1938, has been made by the governor of the state. D r. M c K e v itt A ppointed to H ealth B oard: Frank H . M cKevitt, San Francisco, Calif., has been appointed to the Board of Health of the City and County of San Francisco, un der the provisions of a new charter provid ing for the appointment of a dentist to the board. D eath from Radium Poison in Tonic: Re cently, a case of radium poisoning resulting from use of a supposedly harmless tonic con sisting of w ater charged with radium gas, with death ensuing after two years, has been reported. T he victim w as said to be in good health at the time he began to take the “radium w ater,” simply using the “tonic” be cause he believed that it would keep him in good physical condition. T he dose taken w as from 4 to 6 ounces a day. Physicians generally had regarded the water as harmless, but care ful test revealed that it actually contained microscopic amounts of radium salt. This was
T h e J o u rn a l o f th e A m erica n D e n ta l A ssociation
proved that any member of the administrative body had personally received any of the money. T o the layman, the language of the Supreme Court seems to say that if the ad m inistrative officer chooses to look in the other direction when the money is being stolen, he cannot be held responsible. I do not presume to criticize the courts in these decisions: the fault m ay be in the law s; but no one w ill claim that all this spells governmental effi ciency, and that is the point under discussion here. In this connection, I w ish to quote a jurist who w as known for his outstanding fearlessness and integrity and his profound knowledge of the law . H e characterized the municipal and circuit courts as the Courts of O riginal Error, the appellate courts as the Courts of Intermediate Speculation and the Supreme Court as the Court of Ultimate Con jecture. W hile most of these illustrations have nat urally been taken from Chicago and Illinois, sim ilar instances in many other places prove that conditions are just as bad. W e need but refer to the recent dismissal of five judges for gross inefficiency and corruption in N ew York City, and to an address of Samuel Seabury to the justices of the appellate division of the Supreme Court of N ew York in which he said, “It is for you to say whether the m agistrates’ courts shall be turned into bargain-counters where justice is bought and sold, when politi cal leaders are brokers dealing in influence.” In sm aller governmental units, the corruption and inefficiency is, of course, on a smaller scale, but, in many instances, it is there just the same. One writer in a popular m agazine sizes up the whole situation in the follow ing words: “From Teapot Dome to our latest mu nicipal court scandals, w e have seen enough of political and public m alfeasance to believe almost anything of our law-makers, courts and public guardians.” I have devoted this much space to the dis cussion of governmental inefficiency because it is fundamental. If I have demonstrated that most governments are inefficient or corrupt and that some are both and that there is no likelihood of marked improvement in the im mediate future, I have proved that it would be unwise and unsafe to entrust so v ital a function as the almost universal control o f medical practice to governmental supervision and control. If one were to record all the evidence of inefficiency and corruption which occur in all the governmental units of this
country in one year alone, it would require volumes instead of a few short articles. The purpose of these articles is not so much to giv& detailed information as to arouse the allied professions of medicine and dentistry and, through them, the general public to the im pending danger. (T he next two articles w ill show how the quality of medical services deteriorates un der compulsory health insurance.)
A NATIONAL DENTAL MUSEUM A t the meeting of the American Dental A s sociation in 1930, at Denver, a committee w as appointed to study the feasibility of arrang ing a museum to house exhibits of interest to dentistry. W hen the committee entered upon its duties, it w as discovered that many years ago, in 1885 to be exact, the then National Dental Association had by resolution desig nated the Army M edical Museum at W ash ington, D. C., as the official depository for the dental profession of the United States. A meeting of the committee with the Sur geon General of the United States Army was arranged, and the latter heartily approved of a plan to reawaken interest in the dental division of the museum. Plans were shown at this meeting detailing the project of the gov ernment to build a new museum and library at the Army M edical Center in W ashington. The space assigned to the Dental Museum was designed to occupy about five times as much floor area as in the present building. T h e Committee on Museum then made a report to the American Dental Association, in 1931, at Memphis, and its recommendations were that the American Dental Association revive interest in this museum and make it the center of activities for this work in the United States. T h is suggestion met w ith the approval of the Board of Trustees and the House of D ele gates, and the committee w as directed to con tinue its activities and arouse the interest of the dental profession in this museum, to the end that they' would send specimens for clas sification, study or exhibit. The profession is urged to send any such material, either anatomical, casts anomalies or historical specimens to the Curator, Army M edical Museum, Dental D ivision, W ashing ton, D. C. A s rapidly as specimens are re ceived they w ill be classified and indexed. The museum has facilities for accommodat
893
M isc e lla n y ing properly accredited students, who may have access to the specimens arranged for study and also to thousands of slides of path ologic specimens. It is hoped that the profession throughout the country w ill renew their interest in the museum and give it their support.
CORRESPONDENCE To the E ditor: Some time ago, there w as a so-called detail man in the office represent ing himself as being employed by the Spear mint Products Co. of Memphis, Tenn. He had no literature nor samples. T he product that he w as supposed to be detailing w as a milk of magnesia with a spearmint flavor. H ow ever this w as only a ruse to get at his real game, namely, the peddling of a powder which, when dissolved in water, would give a solu tion that would remove rust and tarnish from instruments— a tablespoonful being added to the sterilizer water. I believe that this is noth ing more than our old friend sal soda plus a little whiting. I am enclosing a small sample, also the cover of his package. I also wrote to the firm that he w as supposed to represent, but the letter came back unclaimed. I am en closing it for your examination. It also goes into detail relative to this man’s method of operation. I might add that he collected quite a few dollars in this community, as he has done no doubt in many others. I am passing this information on w ith the thought that it may be valuable to other members of the pro fession. T h is man weighs approximately 135'pounds, has a very sallow complexion, almost yellow, is about 5 feet 5 inches in height, very nervous and an inveterate cigaret smoker. H e says that he is troubled w ith pleurisy. He claims M inneapolis as his home. W e have given this product a fair and thorough trial and find that it w ill not do w hat is claimed for it. F. O . R a a s c h 2703J4 Central A ve. Kearney, Nebr. T o the E ditor: In the review of “Fifty Years of the A . D . T . A.,” published in your February issue, the last paragraph states: “T he review er does not know the price of the book.” W e have made these books available to our members at a price of $1, and w ill be pleased to make them available to others interested at the same price, plus postage.
For the archives of state dental societies, officers, etc., w e shall be pleased to compliment these books. I know it is needless to say to you that the cost of publishing the book w as in excess, con siderably, of the price w e are charging. Cordially yours, G e o r g e A. L i l l y , M anaging Director A . D. T . A .
NEWS D eath of M r. E astm an: In the recent death of Mr. George Eastman, of Rochester, N. Y., dentistry saw the passing of its most generous patron. Beginning with the founding and en dowment of a dental clinic for indigent chil dren in his own city, the philanthropies of Mr. Eastman have spread to the leading coun tries of Europe, where clinics have been es tablished or are nearing completeion in Lon don, Paris, Rome, Brussels and Stockholm. It is believed that these concrete expressions of Mr. Eastman’s belief in the great value of dental care as a general health measure have been responsible for other large contributions to the dental w elfare of the public, such as those of the late Mr. Julius Rosenwald, of Mr. and Mrs. Guggenheim and of Joseph E. Samuels. D r. W righ t A ppoin ted to H ealth B oard: The appointment of W . H. W right, of Jack son, Miss., to the M ississippi State Board of H ealth for the period of Jan. 1, 1932-Dec. 31, 1938, has been made by the governor of the state. D r. M c K e v itt A ppointed to H ealth B oard: Frank H . M cKevitt, San Francisco, Calif., has been appointed to the Board of Health of the City and County of San Francisco, un der the provisions of a new charter provid ing for the appointment of a dentist to the board. D eath from Radium Poison in Tonic: Re cently, a case of radium poisoning resulting from use of a supposedly harmless tonic con sisting of w ater charged with radium gas, with death ensuing after two years, has been reported. T he victim w as said to be in good health at the time he began to take the “radium w ater,” simply using the “tonic” be cause he believed that it would keep him in good physical condition. T he dose taken w as from 4 to 6 ounces a day. Physicians generally had regarded the water as harmless, but care ful test revealed that it actually contained microscopic amounts of radium salt. This was