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Words and meanings
can deal competently with the many issues com ing before the House. This requires “preexam ination cramming” of a much greater magnitude than is imagined by the average constituent. In addition to studying the A n n u al R e p o rts and R eso lu tio n s and the S u pplem en t, a delegate may have the assigned task of developing enough knowledge to serve as his delegation’s “ expert” on specific issues. During the last two months before the annual session, a delegate probably will spend a day of discussion with his state delegation and an addi tional day with his district delegates. During the annual session there are several long official meetings of the House of Delegates, plus meet ings of reference committees, reference commit tee hearings, state caucuses, district caucuses, and many other unscheduled meetings. Ultimately, the most impressive observation is that when the House of Delegates convenes, almost without exception, each delegate is thor oughly oriented to forthcoming actions to be considered. This excellent preparation reflects much reading, much thought, and much consul tation with constituents and fellow delegates. Trustees and delegates want adequate infor mation to properly represent your interests. Make your wishes known to them—tell them what you want. But at the same time, give them lots of credit for time and effort expended in your behalf. They deserve it! H . C . B.
An invitation ■ ■ O fte n the tools of a profession become just another part of the routine—we take them for granted because of their everydayness. The ma terials and devices of dentistry are so basic to
980 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, November 1974
our practice that it is easy to forget to step out of the routine occasionally and reflect. And this happens despite the tremendous amount of re search, development, and improvement in the field, and despite our realization of the impor tance of keeping up. In this issue of t h e j o u r n a l we invite you to stop, look, and listen to dental materials and devices. Special contributions, original articles, council reports, even questions and answers, feature some aspect of this ever-growing field. In no way is the material intended to be all-in clusive. Rather, subject matter is selective— ready for expansion in many directions—in hopes that the invitation will be accepted.
W ords an d m e an in g s ■ ■ T h e vocabulary of every active discipline is characterized by expansion, and such growth frequently is accompanied by the appearance of specialized lexicons. The health sciences in gen eral, and dentistry in particular, would appear to be well within the growth group, if the almost simultaneous appearance of three new diction aries may be taken as a criterion. The three, two dental and one medical with broad dental coverage, are reviewed in this issue of t h e j o u r n a l . Each of them is greeted with pleasure by the reviewer, and each review points out that some further revision would appear to be in order. That is as it should be; no dictionary is perfect, and reviewers have the duty to point out possibilities for improvement as well as to note the outstanding qualities of a book. We trust that continuous progress—in re search and in patient care—will make further revision of the dental dictionaries necessary at regular intervals.
An invitation ■ ■ O fte n the tools of a profession become just another part of the routine—we take them for granted because of their everydayness. The ma terials and devices of dentistry are so basic to
980 ■ JADA, Vol. 89, November 1974
our practice that it is easy to forget to step out of the routine occasionally and reflect. And this happens despite the tremendous amount of re search, development, and improvement in the field, and despite our realization of the impor tance of keeping up. In this issue of t h e j o u r n a l we invite you to stop, look, and listen to dental materials and devices. Special contributions, original articles, council reports, even questions and answers, feature some aspect of this ever-growing field. In no way is the material intended to be all-in clusive. Rather, subject matter is selective— ready for expansion in many directions—in hopes that the invitation will be accepted.
W ords an d m e an in g s ■ ■ T h e vocabulary of every active discipline is characterized by expansion, and such growth frequently is accompanied by the appearance of specialized lexicons. The health sciences in gen eral, and dentistry in particular, would appear to be well within the growth group, if the almost simultaneous appearance of three new diction aries may be taken as a criterion. The three, two dental and one medical with broad dental coverage, are reviewed in this issue of t h e j o u r n a l . Each of them is greeted with pleasure by the reviewer, and each review points out that some further revision would appear to be in order. That is as it should be; no dictionary is perfect, and reviewers have the duty to point out possibilities for improvement as well as to note the outstanding qualities of a book. We trust that continuous progress—in re search and in patient care—will make further revision of the dental dictionaries necessary at regular intervals.