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Fluoridation: Observations of a German professor and public health officer
Fluoridation: observations of a German professor and public health officer Heinrich Hornung, M .D ., Kassel-Wilhelmshohe, Germany
The fluoridation of public drinking water and the controversy caused by the adoption o f the process has become of international interest. This fact is additionally evidenced by a letter recently received by Frederick S. M cK ay from Heinrich Hornung, M .D., assistant professor (D ozent), of Kassel-Wilhelmshohe, Germany, and an experienced public health officer o f that country. Because Dr. Hornung’s observations of the bene fits of fluoridation and because his reactions to the efforts of antifluoridationists in both America and Germany are interesting and enlightening, his letter to Dr. M cK ay is herewith published.
conversations, he m entioned frequently the 70 cases of poisoning caused by fluoridation and repeatedly stated th a t the U . S. Public H ealth Service “had been bribed by the sugar and alum inum industry,” and, therefore, did not find it necessary to investigate these cases scientifically. I then explained th a t I was a public health officer and th a t I was visiting the U nited States mainly to obtain all infor m ation available on fluoridation of drinking water. How were the data on those 70 cases estab lished? D r. W aldbott distributed a question naire in which “ leading” questions were listed, and w henever a single one of these questions was answered positively by one of the recipients of the questionnaire (mostly elderly ladies), this was recorded as proof of poisoning by fluoridation. A lthough during our discussions, Dr. W aldbott had described Spira as unscien tific, the symptoms listed in the questionnaire conform generally w ith those given by Spira. T h e symptoms, described as those of a “chronic fluorine poisoning,” for th e first recorded 18 cases read as follows: “N um b in half of my hands” (M r. R .M .), “M y memory got b ad ” (Mrs. H .E.J., M r. R .H .), “ I did not feel re freshed in the m orning as I used to” (M r. R.M ., M r. W .S.), “ I cannot hold the songbook in church” (Mrs. F .M cC .), “ My nails split,
In T h e N ew Leader of January 2, 1956, I found a nonsensical article by Jam es Rorty opposing fluoridation of drinking w ater. Again and again, this article quotes D r. Nesin and mentions 70 instances of poisoning assumedly caused by fluoridation of drinking w ater in H ighland Park and in Saginaw. T he poisoning supposedly was affirmed and determ ined by Dr. W aldbott. I wish to give you the details on these 70 instances. As you know, I traveled through the U nited States, having been invited by the TJ. S. D e partm ent of State, to study thoroughly the fluoridation of drinking water. I was interested in contacting opponents of fluoridation, and, therefore, I visited D r. W aldbott in D etroit. I w anted to know the real reason for his oppo sition to fluoridation because T h e Fluoridation News published by D r. and Mrs. W aldbott cannot be considered as a scientific periodical; it is purely a polemical publication. For two days, I was Dr. W aldbott’s guest, and I state frankly th at I liked Dr. and Mrs. W aldbott. I still consider D r. W aldbott an em inent scientist in th e field of allergy. I am sorry th at I am unable to say the same with regard to his activity and knowledge in the field of fluoridation. O n the question of fluori dation, his scientific reasoning is tarnished constantly by an emotional bias. D uring our 325
326 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
peel, break off and become ridged” (Mrs. C .M .), “ I feel exhausted, dripping w ith p er spiration after walking two and a half blocks” (M rs. W .E .), “ My legs buckle under m e” (M r. R .M .), “I have difficulty in getting out of bed” (M rs. M .R .E .), “ I have Simmering in both eyes” (Mrs. R .J.G .), “ M y head is foggy, and my thinking not clear” (M rs. H .N .), and “ I can climb stairs more easily after changing to fluorine-free w ater” (M rs. M .R.E., Mrs. W .E.A .). D uring a luncheon in B artlett, Texas, where the drinking w ater contains 8 ppm fluorine, I requested th a t the m ayor of B artlett read the symptoms listed in W aldbott’s questionnaire. I w anted to ascertain w hether such symptoms occur in a town w ith a com paratively high fluorine content in its w ater supply. T he re sponse was hilarious. A particip an t in the dis cussion declared laughingly: “Now I know why my bulldogs can’t catch the ball.” A fter my return to Germ any, I tried to estab lish th at the symptoms listed in the 70 case histories were irrelevant, and th a t the ques tionnaire contained “ leading” (suggestive) questions. I translated the questionnaire. T he symptoms listed in my questionnaire, based on Dr. W aldbott’s m ethod, read as follows: Numbness in thum b, forefinger and middle finger im mediately after wakening in the m orning; numbness in thum b, little finger or end phalanx of forefinger ; small black moving spots in the field of vision; chronic skin erosion; hypersensitivity of mucosa and bu rn ing sensation in both eyes; eczema between fingers and toes; itching; dryness in the oral cavity ; brittle nails ; hives ; gastritis and atrophy of the liver, especially durin g sum m er; dull headaches in forehead; pains in the cranial region; backache; falling o u t of h air; pains in arm and ankle joints; frequent disturbance of the faculty of thinking, and improvem ent immediately after change of domicile. M y questionnaires were distributed in M ar burg, Germany, a city w here drinking w ater contains hardly any fluorine (0.2 ppm ) b u t where it has been chlorinated for years. I re placed the terms “fluoridation” and “fluorine” with “chlorination” and “chlorine.” I prom ptly received 50 answers, of w hich 25 would have been recorded by Dr. W aldbott as established cases of poisoning. I t already has
been established th a t chlorination of drinking w ater does not and cannot produce poisoning. Therefore, it can be assumed th a t the positive answers received to Dr. W aldbott’s question naire are nothing bu t the product of sugges tion by “ leading” questions. T he 70 cases of chronic poisoning, claimed to be caused by fluoridation, never existed. I t is rath er amazing th a t in view of the unscientific m ethod used in collecting the data, D r. W aldbott found no more than 70 cases. T he radio announcer M cC arthy of C incin nati, who stated to me th a t he cannot tolerate American beer any longer because of its high fluoride content, which he personally had established, is certainly a victim of the same suggestive process. G erm an beer, w ith allegedly a lower fluorine content, did not affect him “th at way.” C haracteristic of the general attitude of opponents of fluoridation was the question which D r. W aldbott asked m e: “How much American money did you receive to introduce fluoridation in Kassel?” H e was amazed when I stated the plain tru th : “ N ot a single cent.” T he assumption th a t fluoridation of drink ing w ater is nothing bu t a political attem pt by the American Communists can be disproved easily by the fact th a t the Communists were among th e opponents to fluoridation in Kassel. T he American D ental Association and the public health authorities are fully justified in their contention th a t D r. W aldbott presented no proof to substantiate his belief th a t chronic poisoning had been caused by w ater fluorida tion, and those organizations, therefore, should proceed w ith their program . After two and a half years of fluoridation of drinking w ater in Kassel, evidence of its extraordinary effect can be established by recording th a t th e increase in caries (D M F) established in 300 school children of the con trol school (w ithout fluoridation) was twice as large as th a t in the same num ber of school children examined in the section of the city where the drinking w ater was fluoridated. I feel sorry for the population of those cities where the fluoridation of the w ater supply has been rejected on the basis of such unscientific propaganda.
The fluoridation of public drinking water and the controversy caused by the adoption o f the process has become of international interest. This fact is additionally evidenced by a letter recently received by Frederick S. M cK ay from Heinrich Hornung, M .D., assistant professor (D ozent), of Kassel-Wilhelmshohe, Germany, and an experienced public health officer o f that country. Because Dr. Hornung’s observations of the bene fits of fluoridation and because his reactions to the efforts of antifluoridationists in both America and Germany are interesting and enlightening, his letter to Dr. M cK ay is herewith published.
conversations, he m entioned frequently the 70 cases of poisoning caused by fluoridation and repeatedly stated th a t the U . S. Public H ealth Service “had been bribed by the sugar and alum inum industry,” and, therefore, did not find it necessary to investigate these cases scientifically. I then explained th a t I was a public health officer and th a t I was visiting the U nited States mainly to obtain all infor m ation available on fluoridation of drinking water. How were the data on those 70 cases estab lished? D r. W aldbott distributed a question naire in which “ leading” questions were listed, and w henever a single one of these questions was answered positively by one of the recipients of the questionnaire (mostly elderly ladies), this was recorded as proof of poisoning by fluoridation. A lthough during our discussions, Dr. W aldbott had described Spira as unscien tific, the symptoms listed in the questionnaire conform generally w ith those given by Spira. T h e symptoms, described as those of a “chronic fluorine poisoning,” for th e first recorded 18 cases read as follows: “N um b in half of my hands” (M r. R .M .), “M y memory got b ad ” (Mrs. H .E.J., M r. R .H .), “ I did not feel re freshed in the m orning as I used to” (M r. R.M ., M r. W .S.), “ I cannot hold the songbook in church” (Mrs. F .M cC .), “ My nails split,
In T h e N ew Leader of January 2, 1956, I found a nonsensical article by Jam es Rorty opposing fluoridation of drinking w ater. Again and again, this article quotes D r. Nesin and mentions 70 instances of poisoning assumedly caused by fluoridation of drinking w ater in H ighland Park and in Saginaw. T he poisoning supposedly was affirmed and determ ined by Dr. W aldbott. I wish to give you the details on these 70 instances. As you know, I traveled through the U nited States, having been invited by the TJ. S. D e partm ent of State, to study thoroughly the fluoridation of drinking water. I was interested in contacting opponents of fluoridation, and, therefore, I visited D r. W aldbott in D etroit. I w anted to know the real reason for his oppo sition to fluoridation because T h e Fluoridation News published by D r. and Mrs. W aldbott cannot be considered as a scientific periodical; it is purely a polemical publication. For two days, I was Dr. W aldbott’s guest, and I state frankly th at I liked Dr. and Mrs. W aldbott. I still consider D r. W aldbott an em inent scientist in th e field of allergy. I am sorry th at I am unable to say the same with regard to his activity and knowledge in the field of fluoridation. O n the question of fluori dation, his scientific reasoning is tarnished constantly by an emotional bias. D uring our 325
326 • THE J O U R N A L O F THE A M E R IC A N D EN T A L A S S O C IA T IO N
peel, break off and become ridged” (Mrs. C .M .), “ I feel exhausted, dripping w ith p er spiration after walking two and a half blocks” (M rs. W .E .), “ My legs buckle under m e” (M r. R .M .), “I have difficulty in getting out of bed” (M rs. M .R .E .), “ I have Simmering in both eyes” (Mrs. R .J.G .), “ M y head is foggy, and my thinking not clear” (M rs. H .N .), and “ I can climb stairs more easily after changing to fluorine-free w ater” (M rs. M .R.E., Mrs. W .E.A .). D uring a luncheon in B artlett, Texas, where the drinking w ater contains 8 ppm fluorine, I requested th a t the m ayor of B artlett read the symptoms listed in W aldbott’s questionnaire. I w anted to ascertain w hether such symptoms occur in a town w ith a com paratively high fluorine content in its w ater supply. T he re sponse was hilarious. A particip an t in the dis cussion declared laughingly: “Now I know why my bulldogs can’t catch the ball.” A fter my return to Germ any, I tried to estab lish th at the symptoms listed in the 70 case histories were irrelevant, and th a t the ques tionnaire contained “ leading” (suggestive) questions. I translated the questionnaire. T he symptoms listed in my questionnaire, based on Dr. W aldbott’s m ethod, read as follows: Numbness in thum b, forefinger and middle finger im mediately after wakening in the m orning; numbness in thum b, little finger or end phalanx of forefinger ; small black moving spots in the field of vision; chronic skin erosion; hypersensitivity of mucosa and bu rn ing sensation in both eyes; eczema between fingers and toes; itching; dryness in the oral cavity ; brittle nails ; hives ; gastritis and atrophy of the liver, especially durin g sum m er; dull headaches in forehead; pains in the cranial region; backache; falling o u t of h air; pains in arm and ankle joints; frequent disturbance of the faculty of thinking, and improvem ent immediately after change of domicile. M y questionnaires were distributed in M ar burg, Germany, a city w here drinking w ater contains hardly any fluorine (0.2 ppm ) b u t where it has been chlorinated for years. I re placed the terms “fluoridation” and “fluorine” with “chlorination” and “chlorine.” I prom ptly received 50 answers, of w hich 25 would have been recorded by Dr. W aldbott as established cases of poisoning. I t already has
been established th a t chlorination of drinking w ater does not and cannot produce poisoning. Therefore, it can be assumed th a t the positive answers received to Dr. W aldbott’s question naire are nothing bu t the product of sugges tion by “ leading” questions. T he 70 cases of chronic poisoning, claimed to be caused by fluoridation, never existed. I t is rath er amazing th a t in view of the unscientific m ethod used in collecting the data, D r. W aldbott found no more than 70 cases. T he radio announcer M cC arthy of C incin nati, who stated to me th a t he cannot tolerate American beer any longer because of its high fluoride content, which he personally had established, is certainly a victim of the same suggestive process. G erm an beer, w ith allegedly a lower fluorine content, did not affect him “th at way.” C haracteristic of the general attitude of opponents of fluoridation was the question which D r. W aldbott asked m e: “How much American money did you receive to introduce fluoridation in Kassel?” H e was amazed when I stated the plain tru th : “ N ot a single cent.” T he assumption th a t fluoridation of drink ing w ater is nothing bu t a political attem pt by the American Communists can be disproved easily by the fact th a t the Communists were among th e opponents to fluoridation in Kassel. T he American D ental Association and the public health authorities are fully justified in their contention th a t D r. W aldbott presented no proof to substantiate his belief th a t chronic poisoning had been caused by w ater fluorida tion, and those organizations, therefore, should proceed w ith their program . After two and a half years of fluoridation of drinking w ater in Kassel, evidence of its extraordinary effect can be established by recording th a t th e increase in caries (D M F) established in 300 school children of the con trol school (w ithout fluoridation) was twice as large as th a t in the same num ber of school children examined in the section of the city where the drinking w ater was fluoridated. I feel sorry for the population of those cities where the fluoridation of the w ater supply has been rejected on the basis of such unscientific propaganda.