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Outlines of Dental Science
306
PUBLIC HEALTH.
SCOURGES OF TO-DAY. The Modern Health Book Series. By E. T. BURKE, D . S . O . , M.B. London : Faber and Gwyer, 1926. pp. 166. Price 3s. 6d. net. This is one of the volumes issued under the general editorship of Professor D. Fraser Itarris. It deals with venereal disease, cancer, tuberculosis and alcoholism in a rational and popular manner. Like others of the series to which it belongs, this book is written in order to further the education of the public in health matters. There is really little doubt that a better understanding of the problems of venereal disease would make for a healthier and better race, and general knowledge of the importance of seeking early treatment in cases of cancer would result in the cure of a very large number who now die from this disease. The problem of tuberculosis, however, is more intricate, and the healthy rules of living that Dr. Burke lays down in his book for the general public would go far to diminish the prevalence of this disease. On the whole, the section of the book dealing with alcoholism is sound, although we should be inclined to dissent from the view that the onset of pulmonary tuberculosis is in many instances due to an alcoholic debauch. Medical Officers of Health who are taking an interest in public education in health would do well to get Dr, Burke's book. It is attractively written, and studded with facts of great importance to. the puMic. Indeed, all the books which have up till now been issued in the Modern Health Series should be in the library of every medical officer of health. ~11 of them, too, and especially this work of Dr. Burke, can be recommended to the lay reader.
OUTLINES OF DENTAL SCIENCE. Vol. I. Dental Anaesthesia, by G. F. RAVCDON S~tlTH, M .D. Vol. I I. Dental Bacteriology, by RALPH A. BRODERICK, M.B., L . D . S . Vol. III. Dental Materia Medica, by PROSPER H. MARSDEN, M.Sc., Ph.C., F.C.S. Vol IV. Dental Prosthetics, by J. DOUCLAS LOGAN, L . D . S . (Edin.). Vol. V. Dental Radiography, by CHARLES A. CLARK, L.D.S., R . C . S . E d i n b u r g h : E. and S. Livingstone, 1926. Price 7s. 6d. net each volume. These five volumes are the first of a series in which it is proposed to cover the whole field of dental science and art. Each is written by an expert in the particular subject under con-
JUNE,
sideration, and seeks to provide a compendium of up-to-date knowledge in a convenient and easily readable form. In the volume on Anaesthesia, Dr. R a w d o n Smith deals with a subject which must always interest the dental surgeon, and he will do well to peruse the chapter on " General Considerations in the Use of Anaesthetics." Atl the better-known anaesthetics are discussed, and the Conclusions of the General Medical Council on the medico-legal aspects of anaesthetics are summarised. One is in agreement with the author that N=O is the safest for the routine of his practice, and that there is no need to produce either extreme cyanosis or iactitation, a stage which does not help the operator. Reference is made to analgesia with N~O for minor operations. Ethyl chloride is recommended and deserves a wider use in suitable cases. Ether and chlorof0rm and mixtures are fully considered, ether being regarded as unsuitable in a dental surgery on account o f its pungent odour if other patients are to be seen in the same room. T h e stuffed rubber pads shown are not much improvement on the pneumatic one, and should be done away witti and replaced by metal as in the Trewby apparatus, so avoiding the objectionable odour of rubber, and affording ease of sterilisation. The author of the volume on Bacteriology states that there is no such thing as Dental Bacteriology, which means that a wider knowledge of medicine possessed b y the L . D . S . is necessary to deal with the problems of this science. The chapter on methods of examination of materials from the mouth sets out the precautions essential on the part of the dental surgeon if the bacteriologist is to obtain the infecting organisms in question. The work is comprehensive and well illustrated, and small as it is, may be regarded as providing a complete text-book for dental surgeons. T h e volume on Materia Medica is essentially a Dental materia Medica, and is full of practical suggestions as to the uses of special drugs, that will prove useful and may be safely relied on by the student and practitioner. A warning is given that the dental surgeon is limited in his use of drugs, and that he should l~ave the co-operation of his medical confr&es when it is necessary. The chapter on Astringents and Haemostatics contains much valuable information gained since the days when ferri, perchlor, was practically the only hmmostatic, and tannin the only astringent.
1927.
PUBLIC
So many new drugs have been introduced that one needs such a book as this to keep up-todate. Our old friends oil of cloves and creosote are given well-deserved praise. The author of the volume on Dental Prosthetics shows how much success depends on meticulous care by explaining fully the mixing of plaster of Paris and the time for its setting, a remark that applies also to the flasking and packing of vulcanite. He perhaps undervalues some of the elaborate bite frames which have been invented, and details the method of making the simplest and cleanest of all bite blocks, viz., the composition slab. Objection may be raised, owing to their liability to act as food traps, to the recommen~iation of wire bands fitted to the necks of teeth. The technique of double lower bar dentures is explained, and the method of chasing the metal on the necks of the teeth, a procedure now obsolete in many practices where the Badcock method is adopted. Strengtheners for vulcanite are not recommended, and the method of making contour vulcanite plates is =omitted, yet the strength of vulcanite depends on its uniformity of thickness. The chapter on Mounting Teeth is Well worth reading though, as the work is intended for dental surgeons who control the dental mechanic, it might have been useful to say more about the design of dentures. There is always room for criticism on a subject such as this in regard to which every dental surgeon finds by experience methods best suited to his own use, but after all a work of this size cannot include everything. R a d i o g r a p h y is a new science and the monograph on the subject is written by one who has made it specially his own. To compress into such a small volume all of importance that might have been written must have been no easy task, yet the author succeeds in revealing the technique and methods by which success may be achieved. The chapter on Interpretation is well worth careful study and is the result of extensive experience and judgment. W i t h o u t such knowledge radiographs are useless. Detailed advice as to the equipment necessary is given, and numerous illustrations are shown of the various dental units available. Speaking generally, if succeeding volumes maintain the standard of the first five they should form a valuable addition to the library of every dental surgeon.
HEALTH.
307
THE TEETH AND HEALTH. The Modern Health Books Series. By J. SIM YYALLACE, D .Sc., M .D., L .D ,S. L o n d o n : Faber and Gwyer, 1926. pp. 214. Price 3s. 6d. net. This is one of the " M o d e r n Health B o o k s " series, to be found on the shelves of that growing body of people who are taking a keen interest in communal and personal health. While the general impulse towards a healthier state of life is of immense value, nevertheless, the driving force must be directed. Practical aims must be based on scientific facts, but facts are distinct from theories, and notions are not easy to come by. This book is one of those tickets of admission for all and sundry to the marvellous laboratory where science is remaking the modern world. The writer holds our attention throughout the ten chapters which deal with the structure of the teeth, caries, pyorrhoea, etc. Hypoplasia or defective formation of the enamel, shown by depressions on the surface, is attributed to bacterial infection, to febrile disorders, measles, scarlet fever and to infantile indigestion. This is a change from the view that hypoplasia was due to teething powders containing mercury, or to deficiency in lime salts in the first year of life. T h e r e is sound teaching in the chapter on the prevention of caries; the author prescribes the diet for children of different ages, and quotes the leaflet of the Society of Medical Officers of Health on the " tooth-cleaning " foods which should be used to prevent decay in teeth. Vegetables and fresh fruits as tooth-cleaners we know of, but it appears that such substitutes as savouries or nuts should be used by those whose digestions cannot cope with them. This is an instructive and stimulating book which maintains the high standard of the series.
THE
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TREATMENT OF CHILDREN IN RICKETS, AN2EMIA AND MALNUTRITION. BV KATHERINE M. L. GAMGEE, M . R . C . S . , L . R . C . P . , D . P . H . L o n d o n : H. K . Lewis and Co., Ltd., 1927. pp. 172, illustrated. Price 10s 6d. net.
In this volume Dr. Gamgee has made an ambitious attempt to cover the scientific, social, clinical, therapeutic and administrative
PUBLIC HEALTH.
SCOURGES OF TO-DAY. The Modern Health Book Series. By E. T. BURKE, D . S . O . , M.B. London : Faber and Gwyer, 1926. pp. 166. Price 3s. 6d. net. This is one of the volumes issued under the general editorship of Professor D. Fraser Itarris. It deals with venereal disease, cancer, tuberculosis and alcoholism in a rational and popular manner. Like others of the series to which it belongs, this book is written in order to further the education of the public in health matters. There is really little doubt that a better understanding of the problems of venereal disease would make for a healthier and better race, and general knowledge of the importance of seeking early treatment in cases of cancer would result in the cure of a very large number who now die from this disease. The problem of tuberculosis, however, is more intricate, and the healthy rules of living that Dr. Burke lays down in his book for the general public would go far to diminish the prevalence of this disease. On the whole, the section of the book dealing with alcoholism is sound, although we should be inclined to dissent from the view that the onset of pulmonary tuberculosis is in many instances due to an alcoholic debauch. Medical Officers of Health who are taking an interest in public education in health would do well to get Dr, Burke's book. It is attractively written, and studded with facts of great importance to. the puMic. Indeed, all the books which have up till now been issued in the Modern Health Series should be in the library of every medical officer of health. ~11 of them, too, and especially this work of Dr. Burke, can be recommended to the lay reader.
OUTLINES OF DENTAL SCIENCE. Vol. I. Dental Anaesthesia, by G. F. RAVCDON S~tlTH, M .D. Vol. I I. Dental Bacteriology, by RALPH A. BRODERICK, M.B., L . D . S . Vol. III. Dental Materia Medica, by PROSPER H. MARSDEN, M.Sc., Ph.C., F.C.S. Vol IV. Dental Prosthetics, by J. DOUCLAS LOGAN, L . D . S . (Edin.). Vol. V. Dental Radiography, by CHARLES A. CLARK, L.D.S., R . C . S . E d i n b u r g h : E. and S. Livingstone, 1926. Price 7s. 6d. net each volume. These five volumes are the first of a series in which it is proposed to cover the whole field of dental science and art. Each is written by an expert in the particular subject under con-
JUNE,
sideration, and seeks to provide a compendium of up-to-date knowledge in a convenient and easily readable form. In the volume on Anaesthesia, Dr. R a w d o n Smith deals with a subject which must always interest the dental surgeon, and he will do well to peruse the chapter on " General Considerations in the Use of Anaesthetics." Atl the better-known anaesthetics are discussed, and the Conclusions of the General Medical Council on the medico-legal aspects of anaesthetics are summarised. One is in agreement with the author that N=O is the safest for the routine of his practice, and that there is no need to produce either extreme cyanosis or iactitation, a stage which does not help the operator. Reference is made to analgesia with N~O for minor operations. Ethyl chloride is recommended and deserves a wider use in suitable cases. Ether and chlorof0rm and mixtures are fully considered, ether being regarded as unsuitable in a dental surgery on account o f its pungent odour if other patients are to be seen in the same room. T h e stuffed rubber pads shown are not much improvement on the pneumatic one, and should be done away witti and replaced by metal as in the Trewby apparatus, so avoiding the objectionable odour of rubber, and affording ease of sterilisation. The author of the volume on Bacteriology states that there is no such thing as Dental Bacteriology, which means that a wider knowledge of medicine possessed b y the L . D . S . is necessary to deal with the problems of this science. The chapter on methods of examination of materials from the mouth sets out the precautions essential on the part of the dental surgeon if the bacteriologist is to obtain the infecting organisms in question. The work is comprehensive and well illustrated, and small as it is, may be regarded as providing a complete text-book for dental surgeons. T h e volume on Materia Medica is essentially a Dental materia Medica, and is full of practical suggestions as to the uses of special drugs, that will prove useful and may be safely relied on by the student and practitioner. A warning is given that the dental surgeon is limited in his use of drugs, and that he should l~ave the co-operation of his medical confr&es when it is necessary. The chapter on Astringents and Haemostatics contains much valuable information gained since the days when ferri, perchlor, was practically the only hmmostatic, and tannin the only astringent.
1927.
PUBLIC
So many new drugs have been introduced that one needs such a book as this to keep up-todate. Our old friends oil of cloves and creosote are given well-deserved praise. The author of the volume on Dental Prosthetics shows how much success depends on meticulous care by explaining fully the mixing of plaster of Paris and the time for its setting, a remark that applies also to the flasking and packing of vulcanite. He perhaps undervalues some of the elaborate bite frames which have been invented, and details the method of making the simplest and cleanest of all bite blocks, viz., the composition slab. Objection may be raised, owing to their liability to act as food traps, to the recommen~iation of wire bands fitted to the necks of teeth. The technique of double lower bar dentures is explained, and the method of chasing the metal on the necks of the teeth, a procedure now obsolete in many practices where the Badcock method is adopted. Strengtheners for vulcanite are not recommended, and the method of making contour vulcanite plates is =omitted, yet the strength of vulcanite depends on its uniformity of thickness. The chapter on Mounting Teeth is Well worth reading though, as the work is intended for dental surgeons who control the dental mechanic, it might have been useful to say more about the design of dentures. There is always room for criticism on a subject such as this in regard to which every dental surgeon finds by experience methods best suited to his own use, but after all a work of this size cannot include everything. R a d i o g r a p h y is a new science and the monograph on the subject is written by one who has made it specially his own. To compress into such a small volume all of importance that might have been written must have been no easy task, yet the author succeeds in revealing the technique and methods by which success may be achieved. The chapter on Interpretation is well worth careful study and is the result of extensive experience and judgment. W i t h o u t such knowledge radiographs are useless. Detailed advice as to the equipment necessary is given, and numerous illustrations are shown of the various dental units available. Speaking generally, if succeeding volumes maintain the standard of the first five they should form a valuable addition to the library of every dental surgeon.
HEALTH.
307
THE TEETH AND HEALTH. The Modern Health Books Series. By J. SIM YYALLACE, D .Sc., M .D., L .D ,S. L o n d o n : Faber and Gwyer, 1926. pp. 214. Price 3s. 6d. net. This is one of the " M o d e r n Health B o o k s " series, to be found on the shelves of that growing body of people who are taking a keen interest in communal and personal health. While the general impulse towards a healthier state of life is of immense value, nevertheless, the driving force must be directed. Practical aims must be based on scientific facts, but facts are distinct from theories, and notions are not easy to come by. This book is one of those tickets of admission for all and sundry to the marvellous laboratory where science is remaking the modern world. The writer holds our attention throughout the ten chapters which deal with the structure of the teeth, caries, pyorrhoea, etc. Hypoplasia or defective formation of the enamel, shown by depressions on the surface, is attributed to bacterial infection, to febrile disorders, measles, scarlet fever and to infantile indigestion. This is a change from the view that hypoplasia was due to teething powders containing mercury, or to deficiency in lime salts in the first year of life. T h e r e is sound teaching in the chapter on the prevention of caries; the author prescribes the diet for children of different ages, and quotes the leaflet of the Society of Medical Officers of Health on the " tooth-cleaning " foods which should be used to prevent decay in teeth. Vegetables and fresh fruits as tooth-cleaners we know of, but it appears that such substitutes as savouries or nuts should be used by those whose digestions cannot cope with them. This is an instructive and stimulating book which maintains the high standard of the series.
THE
ARTIFICIAL LIGHT TREATMENT OF CHILDREN IN RICKETS, AN2EMIA AND MALNUTRITION. BV KATHERINE M. L. GAMGEE, M . R . C . S . , L . R . C . P . , D . P . H . L o n d o n : H. K . Lewis and Co., Ltd., 1927. pp. 172, illustrated. Price 10s 6d. net.
In this volume Dr. Gamgee has made an ambitious attempt to cover the scientific, social, clinical, therapeutic and administrative