Book Author Responds

L ET T E R S T O

TH E

E D IT O R

t is t r y

B o o k a u th o r re spo nds

am ong

P o o rw o rk saw

I

was

d is a p p o in te d

to o k

such

book

“ D e n tis tr y

yo u r

D ecem ber

to

is

but

is

d ir e c t e d

w ith

m y

n ot

C o n tra ry you, m y

in t e n d e d o f th e

a g a in s t

d is g r a c e

in

as

a

d e n ta l

d e n tis tr y ,

th o s e

our

m em ­

p r o f e s s io n

im m o r a l, s u b s ta n d a r d w o r k a n d

a g a in s t tu re in

you

o f

it g a ve to

o r o f o r g a n iz e d

w ho

th a t

V ic tim s ”

“ v ilific a tio n ”

p r o f e s s io n

b e rs

Its

e d ito r ia l.

c e r t a in ly

s w e e p in g

see n o t ic e

and

t h e im p r e s s io n

book

to

n e g a tiv e

o r g a n iz e d

o f “ e t h ic s ”

d e n t is t r y ’s

w h ic h

m a n y cases, e v e n

p e r m it s

e n c o u ra g e s

s u b s ta n d a rd

p e rfo rm a n c e .

w e ll- k n o w n

fa c t

b e rs

o f

o u r

s tru c ­

T h is

am ong

th e

p r o f e s s io n

d e n ta l

b e in g c a re

d is e a s e ,

u n tr e a te d

“ d i d n ’t

t is t s

have

t h is

p r o b le m

m ade

e ffo r ts

to

th ro u g h

th e

u o u s te e th , m y

f e e lin g s g r e w

s tro n g ­

e r.

I

sym pa­

E v e ry

th e tic

t im e

w ent

c o lle a g u e

r e c e iv e d your

th e

b e s t,

c le a n .

is

he

yb u r

it s

ow n

ow n

try

to

h u n d re d s

o f r e s to r a t iv e

h a d ju s t r e c e n t ly by

a n o th e r

e n d u re

th e

to te ll h i m

o f

h u s h -h u s h

a ttitu d e .

1

have

a

I

I

I

bat

p u b lic .

t h is

c o rru p t

cancer

th a t

o u r p r o f e s s io n is t o

p u b lic

and

p re s s u re s th e

hope

w ill

th a t

in it ia t e

p r o f e s s io n

th e

r e s u lt a n t

re fo rm

b e fo re

th e

can

g o to th e

w ith in

m a tte r

is

ta k e n o u t o f o u r h a n d s . I

am

accused b y

tr y in g

to

“ exposé”

cash fa d

t h is

book

was

th e s e

o th e r

and

th e

in

a

“ D r.

M y

t io n

book

o th e r

p ro ­

n o t tru e .

b e fo re

M y

any

o f

w e re

c u r re n t,

th e

in t e n t o f

th e

expense

o f

o f m y c o lle a g u e s ( h a d

P o o rw o rk ”

was

th e

and

cashed

p ro d u c t

o f

lo n g

o f a g o n iz in g , h e a r t f e lt f r u s t r a ­ tr y in g

to

th a t

I

p r a c t ic e

decent

den­

to

back I

fro m

have

be

done;

to

I

fro m

no

th e

s tu d y

N ew

us

Y o rk

book

m ay o f

th e

cause p r ic e

a ll

sub­

to

com e

hand, and fo r

has

th e

th e m

th e

to

o b v io u s ly

w o rk s , o n ly

c u re

w h ic h

be

can

d e n tis tr y

w o rk

th e

(a s

try

it

s u r e ly

p e rfo rm a n c e

o f

o f

not

is

not

w h ic h

be

I

m akes

it

w i l l n o lo n g ­

hope w ill

in to

e le ­

P o o r-

a c c o m p lis h e d

“ D e n tis tr y fo rc e

t h is

m e th o d s

b e tte r

th e

d e n tis tr y

V ic tim s ”

o rg a ­

p o s tu re

by

o f

D r.

P o o r­

u n d e rs to o d

and

m o re

r e c o g n iz a b le b y t h e p u b lic . I

hope,

in

f a ir n e s s ,

le t t e r a n d

fro m

th e

c ia lly

im p o r t a n t

re a s o n

you

in v it e

m e m b e r s h ip

to

have

a

fro m

th e

book

w ill

I

th a t

g re a t

m e m b e r s h ip ,

d e n tis ts ,

p r e v io u s ly

t h is

m y

to

c ru ­ e v e ry

p o s itio n

o f

s u p p o rt

and

th e

f it

have

deal

p r o v id e

see

c o m m e n ts

on

t o p ic .

suspect

w ill

th a t

th e

s t im u lu s

fo r

tim id

to

speak

o u t , t o m a k e t h e ir fe e lin g s k n o w n . I n c id e n ta lly ,

e x u b e ra n c e

to

pa­

does

c o m m e n ts ,

t o le r a t e d .

Its

but

cancer

L o rd ” th e

th e p r o b le m

a ll

p e rfo rm a n c e

book,

w ay

a ll

c e r ta in ly

i f o r g a n iz e d

m a k in g

be

m ust

“ G ood

re d o

o f

d e n tis t

does n o t w o rk , b u t to

th e

dust

it

pa­

o u r p r o f e s s io n ’ s im a g e .

o f

m e

th a t

new

lik e to

and to

h e ld

M e d ic a id

f o r e x a m p le ) . T h e

p a rt

en­

s h o u ld

o th e r

th e

w ay

p r in t t h is

s im p lif ie d

P o o rw o rk

d e s t r o y in g

w o u ld ; th e

th a t

d e c id e d

see

p re v e n t

ra m p a n t

v a te

accept

r is k s

do

says

p u b lis h in g

f in a lly

is

n iz e d

m is c o n s tr u c ­

d id n ’t

y e a rs

in

th e

t o m y o w n o f fic e , b o o k in

F o r

p o p u la r

th e

e x p e c t p a t ie n ts

done.

th e

w i t h o u t r i s k i n g a n y o n e ’s f e e lin g s ) .

y e a rs

f u lly

open

on

I w a n te d t o d o t h a t I w o u ld h a v e b e ­ com e

I

to

s o p h is t ic a t e d

R e v e re

n o t w ith

r e p u ta tio n

t io n .

be

a

D r.

exposes

at

m ay

o f

th a t

o f

w hat

w r itte n

m oney

je c t

c o m p la in

is s im p l y

c e r t a in ly

m a k in g

know

s o m e t h in g

c o n t r ib u t e

and

is th e

h e a rd h is to r y

t ie n t ’ s r e s to r a t io n s . T h is s o r t o f t h in g

and

t h is b o o k b e fo r e th e

y o u r e d ito r ia l o f

c u rre n t

f e s s io n s . T h i s book

in

I

p r e s e n t a t io n

d e n tis ts ,

p r o c e e d in g

had

w it h o u t b e in g a b le

a w a re

p u ttin g

o fte n

d e n ta l

er

“ c o m p le t ­ and

n o t p re p a re d

w e ll

t a ile d in

has a

been

p a r e n t ’s m is t r u s t

and

s a y in g and

us

c le a r t h a t P o o r w o r k is m

th e r e a l re a s o n m y o w n

am

am

c o n c lu d e d t h a t th e o n ly w a y t o c o m ­

c r ip p le

o f

g iv in g

tre a tm e n t w h e n

d e n tis t,

a n g e r re tu rn e d ,

f in a lly

ex­

d o lla r s ’

th e “ h y p o c r ite o f th e y e a r ” a w a rd .

m a in t a in

E ach

r e p r e s s io n

re w a rd .”

I h a d to

re ­

us.

The

r e s u lt .

to

fo rm

“ D o

s o c ie ty

b e in g

t h e c a n c e r c o n t in u e s a n d t h e g o v e r n ­ m e n t ( f o r e x a m p le ) u n d e r ta k e s t o

nose

o f t h e d e n ta l s o c ie ty , b u t t o n o a v a il, p o lic y

I

t o a n ir a t e p a r e n t w h y h is te e n ­ needed

ed”

s to r ie s

a n s w e r:

keep

V ir tu e

a

m y

sam e

and

to

w ith

B u t th e n e x t t im e

w o rth

c h a n n e ls

ba­

d e c id ­

is

d e a l w ith

th e

r e g u la r

w ith

ager

o th e r d e n ­

re ­

because

b o th e r”

a n g e r a g a in s t m e

and

had

p e r io d o n t a l

m a lo c c lu s io n

d e n tis t

to o

I

a

I

c h a n g in g

f illin g s ,

to

y e a rs

w ho

on

to

t im e

la d e n

b e e n h e ld u n d e r th e c a r p e t f o r m u c h lo n g ; f o r

E ach

t ie n t s

p la in

has

c o n d it io n e d

s is a n d y e t h a d m i s s i n g t e e t h , d e c a y ­

t h is a

hum an

c e iv e d

and,

m em ­

w h ic h

a

p e o p le

tre a tm e n t.

try I

ja c k e t

and am

th e

o f

not

book

th e

o f

I

p ic tu r e

a

m y

p ro u d

V ic tim s ” ;

th e

was

th e

o f

th e

p u b lis h in g

id e a .

and

e x e rt

in d u s ­

N e v e r th e le s s ,

" D e n tis tr y

hope

w ill

on

p ro d u c t

a

and

expect g re a t

Its th a t

p o s itiv e

f o r c e o n o u r p r o f e s s io n .

“ P A U L R E V E R E ” DDS

p ro g ra m ,

in c o n v e n ie n c e th e to

good

w e

d e n tis ts

m ust

pay

is fo r

E D I T O R ’S

N O TE:

p re s s e d

th e

in

O p in io n s

e d ito r ia l

ex­

“ A u th o r

h a v in g p e r m it te d th e c a n c e r t o f lo u r ­

P o o rw o rk ”

i s h . I t is , I t h i n k , a s m a l l p r i c e

com ­

is s u e o f t h e j o u r n a l a r e u n c h a n g e d .

p a re d to w h a t w e m a y h a v e to p a y if

(C ontinued on page 4 6 9 )

in

th e

D ecem ber

1970

JADA, Vol. 82, March 1971 ■ 465