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Advances in Social Responsibility
Advances in
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY H arold J. Noyes, D.D.S., M .D. Portland, Ore. Editor
1 9 0 0 *1 9 5 0
d e n t i s t s remember the physical conditions under which the dental profession labored in 1900, when most dentists were using the foot engine to pre pare cavities and the dental x-ray was not yet a part of their equipment. Members of the profession have even greater diffi culty realizing the limited extent to which the average dentist considered himself responsible to his patient and his com munity. By the turn of the century conscientious dentists and public-spirited leaders had ew
F
742
promoted enactment of dental practice laws in most of the states. This movement began in the middle seventies and was practically completed before 1900. At the same time the profession was beginning to appreciate the advantages which accrue through group enterprise and ex change of ideas. Formation of the National Dental Association by the amal gamation of the Southern Dental Associa tion and the American Dental Associa tion was accomplished in 1897, though the complete amalgamation of these or
Noyes
ganizations was far from a reality. There was, however, great hope for the future in the hearts of many, whose names were later to become famous, as they looked to Dr. G. V . Black, who was president of the National Dental Association for the year 1900-1901. For the most part, the dentist of that day entered upon the practice of his pro fession with little more than a mechanical concept and technical training received in a short dental course or at the hands of a preceptor. His responsibility to his patient lay largely in the performance of individual technical tasks, principally extraction of teeth, placing of simple op erative restorations and fabrication of full and partial dentures. W ith only oc-
J . A . D . A . , V o l. 4 0 , J u n e
1950 . . .
743
casional exceptions, he gave little thought to the prevention of dental disease and care of children, and even less to his role in the education of the public to the need and value of dental care. T he occasional dental service offered through the armed forces was performed by contract dentists who had the status of civilians. T h ere was no United States Public H ealth Service as it is known to day; existing bureaus and departments of government did not concern them selves with dental service. There were a few leaders whose con cepts were in advance of their time and who dreamed of the services which den tistry could render to society. These men, whose views have been preserved in the literature, formed the foundation and spearheaded the great advancement w it nessed in the last h alf century. T h e formation of the National Dental Association, bringing together the den tists of the North and the South, stimu lated profoundly the reorganization of state and local societies in number, mem bership and power. Leaders in state den tal societies, recognizing the need of a stronger national body, advocated a re organization of the National Dental A s sociation. This constitutional reform, which was put into effect in 1913, en abled all dentists who were members of their state and component societies to be
D e n ta l e q u ip m e n t d u r in g the first q u a rte r o f the 2 0 th ce ntu ry. U p p e r : T y p ic a l d e n ta l o ffice of 1900. L ow e r: D e n ta l office o f a b o u t 1920
744
The J o u rn a l o f the A m e r ic a n D e n ta l A s s o c ia t io n
come members of the National organiza tion. Immediately membership in the Na tional Dental Association jumped from 976 in 1913 to 11,883 in 19 I4- BY J922, when the organization reassumed its original name, the American Dental As sociation, membership had grown to 27,090. Today its active members number 68,404. The papers which comprise this sec tion of the m i d - c e n t u r y i s s u e give an
abridged and summary exposition of the advancement of dentistry’s appreciation of its social responsibility in the particular fields which have been chosen for illus tration. A vast difference exists between an awareness on the part of a profession of its responsibility to society and the domineering regimentation of a profes sion by governmental authority, cur rently known as the socialization of the profession.
DEN TISTRY A N D T H E L E G ISLA T IV E P R O C E S S Francis J. G arvey, L.L.B., C h ica go
n a c o u n try
I
like ours which since the early days of the Constitution has been declared to be a government of laws and not of men, it is inevitable that a profession dedicated to the service of the public must in time become con cerned with the mechanics by which laws are adopted that affect its sphere of serv ice. It is likewise inevitable that in the discharge of its social responsibility the authorized agency of the profession must assume the position of spokesman with regard to the effect such laws may have upon the public which it serves, that sec tor of the public which is the particular charge of the profession. It was inevi table, therefore, that the dental profession sooner or later must concern itself with legislation and the legislative processes. In the year 1897, the two existing den tal associations, the American and the Southern, merged themselves into a sin gle association, which until 1922 was known as the National Dental Associa tion. It is significant that following recog nition of the need for a nation-wide organization and its consequent establish ment, one of the first acts of the new as sociation was to establish a Committee
on Legislation. While this group was to be the first national committee on legis lation, it is necessary to remember that in the last quarter of the nineteenth cen tury the individual dental associations had taken an active part in legislation at the state level, and as a result, in the 25 years between 1876 and 1900, 36 states and territories joined the three which had already adopted dental practice acts. This was an expression of social responsibility at the state level; the primary purpose of the practice acts was to insure that only qualified personnel would be permitted to practice dental surgery. The Spanish-American War, with its resultant massing of troops, brought home immediately a serious defect in the or ganization of the Army; that is, the lack of provision of any regular dental treat ment for either officers or enlisted men. Appalled by this situation the new asso ciation created the Committee on Legis lation in 1898 for the purpose of estab lishing some form of a regularized dental service as a part of the medical depart ments of the Army and the Navy. In its first report, filed at the 1899 session of the National Dental Association (Trans
SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY H arold J. Noyes, D.D.S., M .D. Portland, Ore. Editor
1 9 0 0 *1 9 5 0
d e n t i s t s remember the physical conditions under which the dental profession labored in 1900, when most dentists were using the foot engine to pre pare cavities and the dental x-ray was not yet a part of their equipment. Members of the profession have even greater diffi culty realizing the limited extent to which the average dentist considered himself responsible to his patient and his com munity. By the turn of the century conscientious dentists and public-spirited leaders had ew
F
742
promoted enactment of dental practice laws in most of the states. This movement began in the middle seventies and was practically completed before 1900. At the same time the profession was beginning to appreciate the advantages which accrue through group enterprise and ex change of ideas. Formation of the National Dental Association by the amal gamation of the Southern Dental Associa tion and the American Dental Associa tion was accomplished in 1897, though the complete amalgamation of these or
Noyes
ganizations was far from a reality. There was, however, great hope for the future in the hearts of many, whose names were later to become famous, as they looked to Dr. G. V . Black, who was president of the National Dental Association for the year 1900-1901. For the most part, the dentist of that day entered upon the practice of his pro fession with little more than a mechanical concept and technical training received in a short dental course or at the hands of a preceptor. His responsibility to his patient lay largely in the performance of individual technical tasks, principally extraction of teeth, placing of simple op erative restorations and fabrication of full and partial dentures. W ith only oc-
J . A . D . A . , V o l. 4 0 , J u n e
1950 . . .
743
casional exceptions, he gave little thought to the prevention of dental disease and care of children, and even less to his role in the education of the public to the need and value of dental care. T he occasional dental service offered through the armed forces was performed by contract dentists who had the status of civilians. T h ere was no United States Public H ealth Service as it is known to day; existing bureaus and departments of government did not concern them selves with dental service. There were a few leaders whose con cepts were in advance of their time and who dreamed of the services which den tistry could render to society. These men, whose views have been preserved in the literature, formed the foundation and spearheaded the great advancement w it nessed in the last h alf century. T h e formation of the National Dental Association, bringing together the den tists of the North and the South, stimu lated profoundly the reorganization of state and local societies in number, mem bership and power. Leaders in state den tal societies, recognizing the need of a stronger national body, advocated a re organization of the National Dental A s sociation. This constitutional reform, which was put into effect in 1913, en abled all dentists who were members of their state and component societies to be
D e n ta l e q u ip m e n t d u r in g the first q u a rte r o f the 2 0 th ce ntu ry. U p p e r : T y p ic a l d e n ta l o ffice of 1900. L ow e r: D e n ta l office o f a b o u t 1920
744
The J o u rn a l o f the A m e r ic a n D e n ta l A s s o c ia t io n
come members of the National organiza tion. Immediately membership in the Na tional Dental Association jumped from 976 in 1913 to 11,883 in 19 I4- BY J922, when the organization reassumed its original name, the American Dental As sociation, membership had grown to 27,090. Today its active members number 68,404. The papers which comprise this sec tion of the m i d - c e n t u r y i s s u e give an
abridged and summary exposition of the advancement of dentistry’s appreciation of its social responsibility in the particular fields which have been chosen for illus tration. A vast difference exists between an awareness on the part of a profession of its responsibility to society and the domineering regimentation of a profes sion by governmental authority, cur rently known as the socialization of the profession.
DEN TISTRY A N D T H E L E G ISLA T IV E P R O C E S S Francis J. G arvey, L.L.B., C h ica go
n a c o u n try
I
like ours which since the early days of the Constitution has been declared to be a government of laws and not of men, it is inevitable that a profession dedicated to the service of the public must in time become con cerned with the mechanics by which laws are adopted that affect its sphere of serv ice. It is likewise inevitable that in the discharge of its social responsibility the authorized agency of the profession must assume the position of spokesman with regard to the effect such laws may have upon the public which it serves, that sec tor of the public which is the particular charge of the profession. It was inevi table, therefore, that the dental profession sooner or later must concern itself with legislation and the legislative processes. In the year 1897, the two existing den tal associations, the American and the Southern, merged themselves into a sin gle association, which until 1922 was known as the National Dental Associa tion. It is significant that following recog nition of the need for a nation-wide organization and its consequent establish ment, one of the first acts of the new as sociation was to establish a Committee
on Legislation. While this group was to be the first national committee on legis lation, it is necessary to remember that in the last quarter of the nineteenth cen tury the individual dental associations had taken an active part in legislation at the state level, and as a result, in the 25 years between 1876 and 1900, 36 states and territories joined the three which had already adopted dental practice acts. This was an expression of social responsibility at the state level; the primary purpose of the practice acts was to insure that only qualified personnel would be permitted to practice dental surgery. The Spanish-American War, with its resultant massing of troops, brought home immediately a serious defect in the or ganization of the Army; that is, the lack of provision of any regular dental treat ment for either officers or enlisted men. Appalled by this situation the new asso ciation created the Committee on Legis lation in 1898 for the purpose of estab lishing some form of a regularized dental service as a part of the medical depart ments of the Army and the Navy. In its first report, filed at the 1899 session of the National Dental Association (Trans