State, General and Foreign News

NEWS C A L IFO R N IA

N ation-W ide Survey: T he nation-wide survey being conducted by the American D ental Association to determine the dental needs of school children, from the kinder­ garten through the grades, is under way in California under the direction of C. T . Messner, chief dental surgeon of the U. S. Public H ealth Service, who is chairman of the examination committee. State Board Officers: W ilfred H . Robin­ son has been re-elected president of the California State Board, and D r. N esbitt is once more the secretary. D ental Survey of the Institutions of California: T h e dental problem in Califor­ nia consists in: (1) the inadequate dental quarters in the larger institutions; (2) the smaller institutions w ith no dental equip­ m ent; (3) the more than 47,000 infected teeth in need of extraction; (4) the more than 33,000 teeth presenting cavities; (5) the fact that half of the patients are suf­ fering w ith mouth infections, caused mostly from neglect of oral hygiene; (6) the fact that there is no educational activity to instruct the employes or patients in the care of the m outh; (7) the fact that few patients in the mental hospitals are equipped w ith a toothbrush; (8) the hap­ hazard method of keeping dental records, with no attem pt at standardization. A t­ tack on the problem required six months from Jan. 1 to July 1, 1933. 1. Twelve dental chairs and units were obtained from the departm ent of universities, which doubles the present equipment. 2. L arger and better dental clinics were estab­ lished in the more populous institutions. T h e two institutions having no dental equipment w ere well equipped. 3. A simple method of toothbrush instructions was in­ augurated and today each patient in the thirteen institutions has his or her teeth brushed from once to three times a day. 4. T hirty-tw o thousand toothbrushes were used during the last fiscal year, and nearly 2 tons of tooth powder. 5. Record system changes were made so that active record

could be maintained as to the activity of the D ental Departm ent. T h e remarkable fea­ ture of the dental survey is th at the amount of dental service was increased nearly 100 per cent over that of the preceding year. D IS T R IC T O F COLUM BIA

Legislation: Resolutions relating to con­ trac t dentistry were by unanimous vote sanctioned and recommended to be drafted into the Constitution. T w o bills pertaining to dentistry w ere presented at a recent ses­ sion. House Bill 196, relative to a personal service and professional service tax, is now a law, and the medical and dental profes­ sions have joined w ith others affected on testing its constitutionality before the state supreme court. T h e other bill, House Bill 260, relative to advertising, had no support, and did not get out of committee. IL L IN O IS

D eath of H arry J. Bosworth: M r. H a rry J. Bosworth, of Chicago, widely known as a dealer in dental supplies, passed away April 18. H e was born in Cannon Falls, M inn., September 1, 1874. T he widow, Anna Rogers Bosw orth; his mother, and his brother, Robert R. Bos­ worth, D.D.S., of Chicago, survive. IN D IA N A

R esults of State-W ide Examinations: Indiana is one of four states in which the dental survey has reached state-wide pro­ portions. T h e following are the results of the state-wide dental examination of first to eighth grade school children: total num­ ber pupils examined, 7,528; total number needing dental treatm ent, 6,426; total num­ ber needing no treatm ent, 1,086; total num­ ber needing orthodontic care, 775; to tal ex­ tractions needed, 7,887; total number fill­ ings needed, 46,214. O f all examined, 85 per cent needed dental attention, and 12 per cent needed orthodontic treatm ent. KANSAS

Council on H ealth Promotion: A t a meeting of the Butler-Greenwood County M edical Society in Eureka, January 12, a “professional council on the promotion of

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Neiüs public health” was inaugurated in an a t­ tempt to combine medicine, dentistry and pharmacy for the consideration of prob­ lems common to the allied professions. C. A. N orthcutt, D.D.S., Ponca City, Okla., addressed the meeting on “T h e In terrela­ tionship of D entistry and Medicine.” M ISSISSIPPI

D ental Practice A ct: H . 603, the dental practice act, proposes to make it unlawful for dentists to use handbills, posters, cir­ culars and other advertising devices and means other than such professional cards or announcements as are specified in the bill. N E W YORK

B ills Introduced: S. 1084, to amend the medical practice act, proposes to define the practice of medicine to include the admin­ istration of anesthetics. I t is not to apply to licensed dentists who administer anes­ thetics in connection w ith the practice of dentistry. A. 1377 proposes to prohibit a corporation from using the w ord “D octor” or “D r.” as a p art of its corporate name. A. 1513 proposes to require every person who compounds or manufactures any drug, medicine, chemical, dental, pharmaceutic or cosmetic preparation to register w ith the state department of health, as a condition precedent to his right to sell his product, the exact proportions of all ingredients used in it. T he department is authorized to re­ fuse to grant registration to any applicant whose compound or preparation it deems deleterious or injurious to public health. M IC H IG A N

T he Committee on Postgraduate In ­ struction in the M edical Sciences of the University of Michigan reports that, Ja n u ­ ary 25, clinical demonstrations covering ten subjects were presented at the University Hospital and at the dental school to ap­ proximately 375 dentists. T he plan now is to divide the state into sections and to offer to each section in tu rn intensive one-day postgraduate courses on two or three sub­ jects at a time. T he committee expects later to present some instruction on cer­ tain subjects, which will cover a period of two or three days, or perhaps a week. It

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is the plan and purpose of the committee to keep the expenses to the individual den­ tist at a minimum for these courses, but probably for courses which cover more than one day, a small fee will be charged to meet the expenses of this instruction. State D ental Board to Organize A fte r Court Victory: T h e Michigan State Board of D entistry will proceed to organize at once, under the provisions of A ct 235 of the Public Acts of 1933, after a decision handed down by the Judge of the W ayne County Circuit Court, January 31. T h e state board has heretofore been restrained by court or­ der from organizing under the new act, and from adopting such rules and regulations as it deemed necessary and expedient to carry out the mandate of the state legisla­ ture as expressed by the term s of the act itself. T h e action was instituted by a group of dentists who claimed th at their rights under the state and federal constitution would be violated, should the act be up­ held; that the act itself was not properly passed; th a t the act provided for an unlaw ­ ful delegation of legislative and judicial powers; that it gave the state board power to revoke licenses for violation of its rules and regulations; th at the act did not set forth any standard of conduct by means of which the state board might lawfully act; and further th at the making and enforce­ ment of rules and regulations would w ork irreparable injury to themselves. T hey asked the C ourt to declare the act uncon­ stitutional, null and v oid; th at Act 7 of the Public Acts of 1921, which act governed the practice of dentistry before the act of 1933 was enacted, remain in full force and effect, and that a permanent injunction be issued enjoining the defendants from doing any act or thing to carry out or enforce any of the term s and provisions of Act 235 of the Public Acts of 1933, Regular Session. T h e state dental board filed an answer to the plaintiff’s bill of complaint on behalf of the State of Michigan. T h e Michigan State D ental Society and the D etroit D istrict D ental Society intervened as party defendants and filed their individ­ ual answer to plaintiff’s bill of complaint. T he m atter then came on for hearing and

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The Journal of the American D ental Association

after several legal tilts was submitted to the court on briefs. T he court, in its de­ cision, dissolved the restraining order and dismissed the plaintiff’s bill of complaint, thus leaving the state board free and un­ hampered to carry into immediate effect the provisions and term s of the new law. I t is probable that an appeal will be taken by the plaintiffs to the state supreme court in Lansing. Such action, if taken, should inure to the benefit of the dentists of the state at large, because it would render a final adjudication of the 1933 Act, and the de­ cision, if affirmed, would enable the state board to wage a more effective campaign against those who would prostitute the den­ tal profession. N orth End Clinic Report: Figures that have just been released by the N orth End Clinic reveal the service that has been ren­ dered for the past ten months by a group of D etroit dentists under the sponsorship of the Alpha Omega Fraternity. D uring this period, the staff of thirty-five dentists has extended temporary relief and diag­ nostic service to approximately 5,000 pa­ tients. O f this number 3,984, or 80 per cent, were given free treatm ent, while the remaining 20 per cent paid a small fee. These dental services were only given to patients who had been investigated by so­ cial service w orkers and declared unable to obtain regular private treatm ent. M ISSO U R I

R elief Fund: T h e local committee on the A.D.A. Relief Fund, operating under the direction of E. H . Keys, presents the fol­ lowing: T he state contribution last year was $1,094.30, of which St. Louis con­ tributed $413.00, or 37 per cent. T his year it fell to $918.50, of which St. Louis con­ tributed $675.50, or 73 per cent. Although membership declined, the numbers of mem­ bers contributing increased in every one of the six districts (in the fifth district, more than 250 per cent). T he average contribu­ tion per member in all districts increased, the highest contribution average being in district No. 3, with an average of $1 per member for the entire city.

NEBRASKA

N utrition Included in Curriculum: N u ­ trition in its relation to dental pathology is now included in the Creighton U niver­ sity College of D entistry curriculum. A ct­ ing Dean F. J. Viner announced th at with the beginning of this semester it would be provided for the juniors under the direction of Victor Levine, M .D ., professor of bio­ chemistry and nutrition, School of M edi­ cine. N E W YORK

Debate: T h e G reater N ew Y ork D e­ cember M eeting Committee held a debate at the H otel Pennsylvania, M arch 27, the subject being: “Resolved: T h a t a clean tooth does not decay and that mouth clean­ liness affords the best known protection against dental caries.” T h e affirmative was presented by Thaddeus P. H yatt, A lfred W alker and M aurice W illiam ; the nega­ tive side by E. V. McCollum, W eston A. Price and A rth u r H . M erritt. Illegal Practitioners Convicted: In one month, the State Board of D ental Exam ­ iners has succeeded in obtaining five convic­ tions against illegal dental practitioners in Kings County. R H O D E ISLA N D

State Society Officers: Following are the officers of the Rhode Island State D ental Society for the year 1934: president, H arry F. M cKanna, W est W arw ick; vice presi­ dent, M orris R. Lebow, Providence; treas­ urer, Francis A. Holland, Providence; sec­ retary, Charles J. Smith, Providence; edi­ tor, Edw ard C. M orin, Paw tucket; librarian-curator, M ark Tishler, Newport. GENERAL

D ental Education: Eight schools of den­ tistry in the E ast and M iddle W est have recently formed the association for the ad­ vancement of university education in den­ tistry. T h e newly formed body announces as its aims the fostering of rational integra­ tion of dental w ith medical education, de­ velopment of the science of dentistry and m utual improvement of the subscribing schools. I t advocates two years of pre­ dental education and four of professional

N ew s training and its membership is restricted to schools now operating under that plan or those that have publicly announced the adoption of the tw o-four year plan and the approximate date w hen it will be put in operation. M embers of the association are : University of Buffalo School of D entistry; Columbia University School of D ental and O ra l Surgery; H arv ard University D ental School; University of Illinois College of D entistry; Ohio State University College of D entistry ; T hom as W . Evans M useum and D ental Institute School of Dentistry, University of Pennsylvania; T u fts College D ental School and W estern Reserve U ni­ versity School of D entistry.—J .A .M .A ., M arch 31, 1934. FO REIG N

Ceylon D ental Association: T he Ceylon D ental Association, which is an affiliated body to the British D ental Association, closed its first year of existence on January 17. Prom pt recognition by the government of the island has stim ulated the association to much activity and it is able to record to its credit some amendments and deletions of dental regulations governing the prac­ tice of dentistry in Ceylon. F or instance, in future, only such qualifications as are rec­ ognized by the D ental Board of the United Kingdom will be registrable there. T he title “dental surgeon” is also confined to the academically qualified. T he association is also figuring prominently in the scheme for a proposed dental school. Entrance Requirements, Emphasizing Standards of Acceptance from B oth F or­ eign Universities and Foreign D ental Schools: D ental education in Switzerland is conducted in Zurich, Geneva, and also in Basel and Berne. In these, the dental in­ stitute is a departm ent of the correspond­ ing university (U niversität von Zurich, Université de G eneve). For the diploma entitling the holder to practice in any of the cantons of Switzerland, which is awarded by the state, and confers the title “Zahna rtz ” or “D entiste” according as it is in G erm an or French Switzerland, four years are required. A gymnasium or high school certificate is required for entrance to the dental school. T his is called “Le Certificat

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de M atu rité” in French Switzerland, and “ M aturitats-Z eugnis” in the German speaking part. Typical certificates cover the following subjects: French language and literature, German, Latin, English, philosophy, history, geography, m athem at­ ics, physics, chemistry, and n atu ral science. Syria: T h e American University in Beirut, Syria, has a course similar to the American as it is conducted under Ameri­ can auspices. F our years of dentistry are preceded by one predental year of college grade in the university, in which it com­ pares well with our own dental schools. Egypt: A new dental school organized in Cairo in connection with the Egyptian U ni­ versity is conducted along the lines of B rit­ ish dental schools. A university m atricula­ tion examination or its equivalent is re­ quired for entrance. India: T h ere are two private dental schools, the Calcutta D ental College and Hospital at Calcutta, and another at K a­ rachi. Both have a three-year course, and a university m atriculation standard is stated in their catalog to be required for entrance. Another school exists at Bombay in connec­ tion with G ran t M edical College, of which little is known. T here are no dental laws as yet in India, but the m atter is widely agitated. A government dental school in Bombay and another in Punjab have al­ ready been approved, but are not yet in be­ ing. Japan: D entistry is highly developed in Japan. T here are three dental schools, all independent, which are " designated" by the minister of education. T his means that graduates of these schools, on receiving their degrees, are automatically entitled to practice. These schools are the Tokyo D ental College, the Nippon D ental Col­ lege and the O saka D ental College. T he first two have a four-year course and last a three and one-half year course. G rad u ­ ates of these three schools are permitted to use the degree Shikwa-Igakushi (doctor of dental science). G raduation from a Ja p a­ nese middle school is required for admis­ sion. T he standard of this is equivalent to our four-year high school. T h ere are two other dental schools which have 1college

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T h e Journal of the American D ental Association

rank, the Tokyo D ental College, and Kyushu D ental College, w ith three-year courses. T here are five other schools not of college rank. Latin America: In the Latin American republics of C entral and South America, the completion of the secondary school course of from three to six years usually carries w ith it a degree which, translated into English, is “bachelor.” T h is is pre­ ceded by a prim ary school curriculum cov­ ering from five to seven years. T h e sec­ ondary school certificate or diploma admits to the dental schools generally, though in U ruguay, Peru, Mexico and Chile, addi­ tional courses either in special preparatory schools or institutes connected w ith the uni­ versity are required. T he title bachelor varies as to the course upon which it is based and must not only always be re­ garded as a secondary school diploma, but also m ust be evaluated in accordance with the requirements of the country in which it is issued. D eaths

B arker, J. Tenney, N ew Haven, Conn.; Philadelphia D ental College, 1884; died, M arch 24; aged 69. D r. B arker was a form er vice-president of the N ational Board of D ental Examiners. T h e widow and a son, John Eric Barker, D.D.S., sur­ vive. Bowles, George C., D etroit, M ich.; U ni­ versity of Pennsylvania, 1899; died, Feb­ ruary 18; aged 63. D r. Bowles w as the librarian of the University of D etroit D en­ tal College. Braun, Irw in C., Berwyn, 111.; U niver­ sity of Illinois, College of Dentistry, 1927; died, M arch 21. T he parents and a brother, Leslie J . Braun, D.D.S., survive. H eper, Carl, Chicago, 111.; Chicago College of D ental Surgery, 1898; died,

M arch 21; aged 56. D r. H eper w as also a g radu ate of the N orthw estern University School of Pharmacy. P feifer, Josephine M ., Chicago, 111.; American College of D ental Surgery, 1892; died M a rc h 5. D r. Pfeifer was one of the first w om an dentists in the middle west. She w as a founder and the first president of the W om en’s D ental Club. R ettich, H ugo, N ew Y ork City; Temple U niversity School of D entistry; died, Feb­ ruary 20. Saum , Ira M ., Cleveland, Ohio; School of D entistry of W estern Reserve U niver­ sity, 1902; died, F ebruary 19; aged 58. BOOK R EV IEW

Chemical Foundation of the Processes of L ife. B y Carl Oppenheimer; 298 pages, Leipzig, 1933, George Thiem e, publisher. T he au th o r divides the book into the fol­ lowing p a rts: 1. T h e living substance as a chemical system. 2. T h e structure of the liv­ ing substance. 3. Form ation and destruction of the nutritional and cell material. 4. T h e chemical mechanism of the cell processes: katalysis, fermentation, desmolysis. 5. T he energy of the living substance. H e dis­ cusses th e foundation of life from a chemi­ cal point of view. H e gives full recogni­ tion to the botanist, microbiologist, zoolo­ gist and physician. H e claims th a t biochem­ istry is the main science and ought to be placed in the foreground. I t is of great importance to the dentist to understand the metabolic changes th at occur in the living body in health and in disease and their rela­ tion to dentition. Life is ordained both in healthy and sick days by mysterious powers that influence the organization of struc­ tures and organs. Chemicophysical proc­ esses are the center and they are the ruling influence in the healing of all disease.

ANNOUNCEM ENTS (A nnouncem ents m ust be received by the fifth day of the m onth in o rd e r to be published in the forthcoming issue of T he J ourn a l.)

CALENDAR OF M E ETIN G S A m erican D e n ta l A ssociation, St. P au l, M inn., A u g u st 6-10.

American Academy of Periodontology,