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Hospitalization for Dental Operations
The Journal of the American. Dental Association 58 East Washington St., Chicago, Illinois.
C. N.
Johnson,
Editor
Published by the American Dental Association. A ll expressions o f opinions and all statements o f supposed facts are published on the authority o f the -writer over whose signature they appear, and are not to be regarded as expressing the views o f the American Dental Association, unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the Association. Communications intended for publication in the scientific or literary pages o f T h e should be addressed to the Editor. A ll advertising matters should be sent to the Advertising Department. Jo u rn a l
Subscription is included 'in the annual membership dues. T o nonmembers living in the United States or its possessions, the price is $2.50 a year in advance; Canada, $3.00; Australia, $4-.00; other countries, $3.25. A ll foreign subscriptions are to be paid in United States money. Entered as second-class matter, March 22, 1915, at the post office at Huntington, Indiana, under the act o f August 24, 1912. Published monthly.
Editorial HOSPITALIZATION FOR D ENTAL OPERATIONS T here is a growing tendency am ong certain of our specialists th at should be discouraged before it goes any further. T h at is the habit of insisting th a t patients m ust go to a hospital for m inor operations such as the extraction of a tooth. N ot that every extraction is a m inor operation, or that there are not exceptions to every rule ; but to insist th at a patient go to a hospital for the removal o f a tooth— even a large m ajority of impacted th ird molars— is a waste of tim e, energy and money. It is a serious injustice to the patient, and smacks in too many cases of mere grandstand play. T h ere seems to be an obsession on the part of too many in the profession to ape the spectacular. A hospital case is more impressive than an office one, but unfortunately the impression on the patient is not always a salutary one. To be sure there are certain individuals who like to be told that their case is unique, who gloat over the fact th at they have some ail m ent of a character infinitely worse than th at of any one else, and 564
E ditorial D epartm ent
565
to w hom the prospect of going to a hospital lends a certain dis tinction. T h ere is a tem ptation w ith th at type to indulge in this grandstand play, but the proper and dignified procedure is to hew close to the line o f fact w ith these people as w ith every one else and not hum or any of their vagaries. W ith most norm al individuals, the idea of a hospital for the extraction o f a tooth is m ore or less terrifying, and they should not be compelled to go there. A ll the surroundings of a hospital are strange and alien to th e routine of their lives. It is bad enough to go to a private office, but this is a cozy home to them compared w ith the bare walls o f a hospital. A nd it is only in the rarest cases th at there is the slightest necessity for going to a hospitaL T h e equipm ent in th e average private office is superior in every way to th at o f a hospital for this kind of service, and the difference in the cost to th e patient is somewhat disconcerting. T his m atter of cost should be considered by the professional man, but apparently the only consideration given it by some of them is to see how large they can m ake it. N o one wishes to detract fro m the great beneficence of hospitals. W ithout them , our civilization would not be complete, and fo r the m anagem ent of certain diseases and for m ajor opera tions, they are an essential part of medical and surgical service. But there is rapidly developing, both in medicine and in dentistry, w hat we may term a hospital habit. Patients are rushed to hos pitals on the slightest provocation, and illness is made as expensive as possible. In too many cases, patients are ordered to a hospital more fo r the convenience o f the professional m an than for the greater w elfare of the patient. T h a t hospitalization is not neces sary nearly to the extent to w hich it is practiced today is self-evident to any thinking man. D r. Charles H . M ayo declares that “ fu lly 90 per cent o f all sickness does not require hospitalization.” I f this can be said of ordinary illness, w hat shall we say of a case of tooth extraction? I t is only in the rarest instances that hospitalization is indicated fo r this operation, and where it is done in any but these cases, it is more for the stage effect than it is for efficiency. Let our practitioners content themselves w ith
566
T h e Journal o f the A m erican D ental Association
keeping their feet on the ground, and not soar off into the heights o f theatrical pretense. In the long run, common-sense methods w ill stand the test and m ake a more perm anent appeal than any th in g merely spectacular and flamboyant. L et hospitalization be reserved fo r its legitim ate function and not be employed as a m edium for impressing the patient. “THE GOOD OLD TIMES” Fortunately, we do not hear so m uch these days of the good old times. T here has been altogether too m uch m audlin regret over the passing o f these same old times. L et us be thankful th at they are gone. O f course, there never was a day since civili zation dawned th at there was not some genius who saw farth er th an his fellows, who really got more out of life than his neigh bors; but, in the good old days, m en of this type appeared only once in a generation. T h e m en who really thought, who were brave enough to unpinion their wings and take a m ental flight out into the unknown, w ho dared to run counter to the prevailing opinion of the day, were few and fa r between. Now, the monarchs of thought are m yriad in number. Every m an realizes that he has the rig h t to think fo r him self, and he also knows that his thought may take any form he wishes as long as it works no in ju ry to his fellow m an. Today, every m an is a m ental king and there are no serfs; every man may look the w orld in the face and th in k as freely as he fancies, and no ruler will clam p the manacles on him. T im e was w hen men feared to express th eir thoughts lest they should chance to run counter to popular belief, or to offend the elect: now, there are no elect. T h e splendid courage o f certain men has toppled the pedestal of pretence and brought down the pretenders. N ow , all m en are on a level; not m en tally— that can never be— but in opportunity. O f course, in this emancipation, some men have thought wildly, foolishly, fatally. Em ancipation of thought was never intended to lead to loose thinking, to w rong thinking or to lawlessness, but to that freedom of m ind w hich gives fu ll rein to the intellect.
C. N.
Johnson,
Editor
Published by the American Dental Association. A ll expressions o f opinions and all statements o f supposed facts are published on the authority o f the -writer over whose signature they appear, and are not to be regarded as expressing the views o f the American Dental Association, unless such statements or opinions have been adopted by the Association. Communications intended for publication in the scientific or literary pages o f T h e should be addressed to the Editor. A ll advertising matters should be sent to the Advertising Department. Jo u rn a l
Subscription is included 'in the annual membership dues. T o nonmembers living in the United States or its possessions, the price is $2.50 a year in advance; Canada, $3.00; Australia, $4-.00; other countries, $3.25. A ll foreign subscriptions are to be paid in United States money. Entered as second-class matter, March 22, 1915, at the post office at Huntington, Indiana, under the act o f August 24, 1912. Published monthly.
Editorial HOSPITALIZATION FOR D ENTAL OPERATIONS T here is a growing tendency am ong certain of our specialists th at should be discouraged before it goes any further. T h at is the habit of insisting th a t patients m ust go to a hospital for m inor operations such as the extraction of a tooth. N ot that every extraction is a m inor operation, or that there are not exceptions to every rule ; but to insist th at a patient go to a hospital for the removal o f a tooth— even a large m ajority of impacted th ird molars— is a waste of tim e, energy and money. It is a serious injustice to the patient, and smacks in too many cases of mere grandstand play. T h ere seems to be an obsession on the part of too many in the profession to ape the spectacular. A hospital case is more impressive than an office one, but unfortunately the impression on the patient is not always a salutary one. To be sure there are certain individuals who like to be told that their case is unique, who gloat over the fact th at they have some ail m ent of a character infinitely worse than th at of any one else, and 564
E ditorial D epartm ent
565
to w hom the prospect of going to a hospital lends a certain dis tinction. T h ere is a tem ptation w ith th at type to indulge in this grandstand play, but the proper and dignified procedure is to hew close to the line o f fact w ith these people as w ith every one else and not hum or any of their vagaries. W ith most norm al individuals, the idea of a hospital for the extraction o f a tooth is m ore or less terrifying, and they should not be compelled to go there. A ll the surroundings of a hospital are strange and alien to th e routine of their lives. It is bad enough to go to a private office, but this is a cozy home to them compared w ith the bare walls o f a hospital. A nd it is only in the rarest cases th at there is the slightest necessity for going to a hospitaL T h e equipm ent in th e average private office is superior in every way to th at o f a hospital for this kind of service, and the difference in the cost to th e patient is somewhat disconcerting. T his m atter of cost should be considered by the professional man, but apparently the only consideration given it by some of them is to see how large they can m ake it. N o one wishes to detract fro m the great beneficence of hospitals. W ithout them , our civilization would not be complete, and fo r the m anagem ent of certain diseases and for m ajor opera tions, they are an essential part of medical and surgical service. But there is rapidly developing, both in medicine and in dentistry, w hat we may term a hospital habit. Patients are rushed to hos pitals on the slightest provocation, and illness is made as expensive as possible. In too many cases, patients are ordered to a hospital more fo r the convenience o f the professional m an than for the greater w elfare of the patient. T h a t hospitalization is not neces sary nearly to the extent to w hich it is practiced today is self-evident to any thinking man. D r. Charles H . M ayo declares that “ fu lly 90 per cent o f all sickness does not require hospitalization.” I f this can be said of ordinary illness, w hat shall we say of a case of tooth extraction? I t is only in the rarest instances that hospitalization is indicated fo r this operation, and where it is done in any but these cases, it is more for the stage effect than it is for efficiency. Let our practitioners content themselves w ith
566
T h e Journal o f the A m erican D ental Association
keeping their feet on the ground, and not soar off into the heights o f theatrical pretense. In the long run, common-sense methods w ill stand the test and m ake a more perm anent appeal than any th in g merely spectacular and flamboyant. L et hospitalization be reserved fo r its legitim ate function and not be employed as a m edium for impressing the patient. “THE GOOD OLD TIMES” Fortunately, we do not hear so m uch these days of the good old times. T here has been altogether too m uch m audlin regret over the passing o f these same old times. L et us be thankful th at they are gone. O f course, there never was a day since civili zation dawned th at there was not some genius who saw farth er th an his fellows, who really got more out of life than his neigh bors; but, in the good old days, m en of this type appeared only once in a generation. T h e m en who really thought, who were brave enough to unpinion their wings and take a m ental flight out into the unknown, w ho dared to run counter to the prevailing opinion of the day, were few and fa r between. Now, the monarchs of thought are m yriad in number. Every m an realizes that he has the rig h t to think fo r him self, and he also knows that his thought may take any form he wishes as long as it works no in ju ry to his fellow m an. Today, every m an is a m ental king and there are no serfs; every man may look the w orld in the face and th in k as freely as he fancies, and no ruler will clam p the manacles on him. T im e was w hen men feared to express th eir thoughts lest they should chance to run counter to popular belief, or to offend the elect: now, there are no elect. T h e splendid courage o f certain men has toppled the pedestal of pretence and brought down the pretenders. N ow , all m en are on a level; not m en tally— that can never be— but in opportunity. O f course, in this emancipation, some men have thought wildly, foolishly, fatally. Em ancipation of thought was never intended to lead to loose thinking, to w rong thinking or to lawlessness, but to that freedom of m ind w hich gives fu ll rein to the intellect.