Columbia University School of Dental and Oral Surgery - Dental Columbian Yearbook (New York, NY)

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ORAL HENRY SAGE DUNNING, B.S., D.D.S., M.D. Professor of Dentistry I presume that it is expected that I treat upon the problem of oral surgery as it affects the graduate of dentistry. To obtain a clearer perspective of the subject we should consider the progress made in dental education and more especially in dental practice during the past two decades. There are strong indications that dentistry with its comprising specialties is becoming more and more identified with medical health problems. Many factors are responsible for this some- what obscure but nevertheless definite trend. Of great importance, no doubt is, the medical content inherent in dentistry. You are to be congratulated upon entering your professional activities with a preparation which will make it possible for you actively to enhance this salutary trend which will insure you an ampler scope of usefulness and a richer professional life. The public you are to serve conceives the dentist as a doctor who is proficient in the diagnosis and treatment and has a thorough knowledge of the local manifestations and systemic relationships of diseases of the teeth, their investing tissues and the oral region. Surgery of the oral cavity must be based upon the same medical and surgical precepts as other phases of surgical practice. An im- portant part of the work closed under oral surgery is inherently a part of dental surgery and the interest and activity of the dental profession in this field is a natural development. Therefore the training of the undergraduate in this field is a perennial problem. Work performed is the surety of the work that will be performed in the future, state Dr. Daniel C. Gillman. In a broader consider- ation this is very true. It woud be impossible and undesirable to attempt to qualify undergraduates as specialists in oral surgery. It is essential, however, to educate the dental student in the principles of surgery as these teachings have an abundant application in every phase of dental prac- tice. They should have a comprehensive knowledge of the various pathological conditions, injuries and abnormalities about the oral cavity. A sound basic training and experience in the removal of teeth and the simpler surgical procedures incidental to this operation which members of the dental profession in general are called upon to perform, are requisites. As much of this work is being performed under local anesthesia, adequate training in its administration is essen- tial. Besides, local anesthesia has broad application in the modern practice of dentistry. A theoretical and a clinical observation course in the administration of general anethesia is desirable. The adminis- tration of general anesthetics, however, implies graver responsibilities which neither the medical nor the dental student can adequately master during the undergraduate curriculum. JOSEPH SCHROFF, DOUGLAS B. PARKER, FRANCIS S. McCAFFREY, B.S., M.D., D.D.S. M.D., D.D.S. B.S., D.D.S. Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Asst. Prof, of Dentistry SAMUEL BIRENBACH, D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry KENNETH F. CHASE, D.M.D. Instructor in Dentistry

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SURGERY From an extended teaching experience I am ready to assert that courses which are not directed entirely into utilitarian channels offer many advantages. The apparently academic studies may be irksome to the undergraduate as he can but rarely appreciate their far-reaching value. As a result he grows to be overwhelmingly technically minded. He is troubled to an unwholesome degree by the desire and eagerness about technical preparation, especially in types of work to his liking. This tendency is creditable and natural. This is what college is for; to prepare him for his life ' s work. In effect, his college course and therefore his horizon would be bounded by requirements were not the curriculum planned on more liberal academic principles. Concentration, experience and repetition tend to superior dexterity and skill. On the other hand, we must recognize that a highly utilitarian tendency can be carried to a detrimental degree. I am satisfied that the average dental student will be able to meet the technical demands of his practice. In time, it will make little differ- ence whether he removed a few more or less teeth during his under- graduat e years. I am troubled with the thought, however, that after the more important ingredients of professional education are a larger fund of related knowledge and cultivated faculties. In the course on oral surgery we are more eager therefore, to introduce to the student during his preparatory stage those ideals and precepts which must be the foundation of surgical practice. A methodical application of the fundamental sciences such as anatomy, physiology, pathology, bacteriology, pharmacology, etc., in the study of disease is essential. We are eager to initiate the development of certain habits; the habit of observation and coordination; the power of dis- criminating between truth and error; the ability to extract the essen- tials from a mass of information and arrange them according to their value; of making sound deductions and inferences from actual findings; the habit of respecting human suffering, etc. These cultivated perceptions lead to sound judgment and adher- ence to the laws which are fundamental to surgical practice. Many pertinent details cannot be learned entirely from text books. Some of it must be lived until it becomes ingrained into one ' s existence and even then must be vigilantly and sedulously cultivated. Lacking in these details leads more frequently to complications, than failing in such attainments, which in the light of a limited experience, are prized more highly. Be prepared to realize that the life of a professional man is not a dance on the drooping petals of a rose. But if mindful that the greater the task, the greater the achievement, your professional obliga- tions will grow to be problems which will offer constant fascination and interest. Adolf Berger, D.D.S., F.A.C.D. William Carr, Professor of Oral Surgery ADOLPH BERGER, D.D.S. William Carr Professor of Oral Surgery ' ;». P- W JOSEPH L. McSWTENEY, D.D.S. Assistant in Dentistry ALBIN R. SEIDEL, D.M.D. Instructor in Dentistry F. A. STEWART, Jr., A.B.. D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry ROB ' T W. NORTHROP, D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry MORRIS A. ZIMMER, D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry