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

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Osier has said: See to it that you have also an avocation — some intellectual pastime which may serve to keep you in touch with the world of art, science or of letters. Begin at once the cultivation of some interest other than the purely professional. The difficulty is in a selection and the choice will be different according to your tastes and training. No matter what it is, have an outside hobby. Our concern over the proper orientation of dentistry and of ourselves within it, tends to alienate us from other intellectual pursuits. I know of no better way to begin the acquisition of a wider and freer general education than by the adoption of a hobby. Well planned alloca- tion of time for vocation and avocation allows for mental and physical equilibrium, so necessary for life ' s desirable perspective. The young pro- fessional man has it before him to create a suit- able environment for right living; his philosophy of life will be shaped according to the extent of his study of things and men about him, and the ability to put this knowledge to practical use. This essential phase of his education begins with the search for, and more intimate acquaintance with, some outside interest to which his native inclinations may lead him, his avocation. Every- one should feel the need of pleasurable occupa- tions in life besides the pursuit of wealth, of ACQUIRE A HOBBY! E. C. McBEATH, M.D., D.D.S., B.S. Professor of Dentistry some absorbing activity aside from means of livelihood. Again to quote from Osier: You are to be members of a polite as well as of a liberal profession and the more you see of life outside the narrow circle of your work, the better equipped you will be for the struggle. The enjoyment and happy relaxation de- rived from a gratifying diversion give added energy for further investigation and develop- ment. Aside from increased avocational effici- ency, adequate compensation lies in a lenient, generous and understanding attitude toward all men, and a more kindly devotion of the profes- sional man to his patients; his general ability, which they are able to evaluate, impresses them and makes them regard his learning and judg- ment with greater confidence. Doctor Johnson has said: The day has passed when we can be obscurely wise and coarsely kind. May I suggest to those who have not yet chosen a hobby that the art of conversation, now sadly neglected, is one of the most pleas- urable, exacting, refining and universal of all diversions? The comprehensive search for pre- paratory material may lead one to distant fields and to his own true avocation. You will be a better man and not a worse practitioner for an avocation. — Osier.

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DENTAL EDUCATION HOUGHTON HOLUDAY. A.B., D.D.S. Associate Dean, School of Dental and Oral Surgery Dental education has undergone many changes in the last hundred years. Undoubtedly it has made many mistakes, but at least it can not be accused of becoming static or of need- ing to be torn loose from tradition. Dentistry began as a specialty of medicine. The need for special training in manual dexterity soon became evident, and as the medical schools were un- willing to provide the necessary facilities for the students to acquire skill in the mechanical pro- cedures, dentistry withdrew and set up as an independent profession. The establishment of separate dental schools followed. The faculties of these schools were recruited from the medi- cal profession at first and later from among their own graduates. A highly specialized program of education was developed and unfortunately the previous contact with the biological sciences was all but forgotten. The breach between medi- cine and dentistry was still further widened when the entrance requirements f or dentistry were lowered considerably beneath those of medicine, attracting students who were lacking in the scien- tific training required for entrance into medicine. When dentistry had reached this highly specialized mechanical stage, the disclosures of Dr. Hunter and others proclaimed the fallacy of building a profession based upon any function of the human body without a thorough grounding in the basic biological sciences. The increase in knowledge of diseases of the mouth and teeth, and the growing recognition of the vital rela- tionship of the tissues of the mouth to the body as a whole, has caused dental education to seek again a close relationship with medical educa- tion, and both professions have greatly improved the quality of their instruction by coming under the jurisdiction of univers : ties. The entrance requirements of the dental schools have been ' steadily raised until they are now in many in- stances, as at Columbia, on a par with those of the medical schools. With this closer relation- ship restored, some educators have advocated going the entire distance and again making den- tistry a branch of the medical profession. This plan has met with disapproval on the part of both the dental and medical educators. Many feel that dentistry would lose more than it could gain by such a move and the public would not benefit as a result. It is evident that our ideas about dental ed- ucation have undergone frequent readjustment. Dentistry is functioning as a separate profession, dependent upon the same biological sciences as medicine. However, dentistry still requires a highly developed mechanical ability which is not essential to the general medical practitioner. Probably it will never again be necessary to make any such revolutionary change in dental educa- tion as was made in 1839 when dentistry left the fold of medicine. It will always be necessary, however, to keep our objectives clearly in mind and to adopt such evolutionary changes in den- tal education as may be indicated from time to time. There are changing and growing demands being made upon the profession which must be reflected in the teaching program. We should feel free to reconsider the subject in all its as- pects whenever the spirit moves us and to re- construct it in the light of our growing experi- ence. Some parts we could probably discard as worthless. Others need to be added. It is ver) easy to become tied down to the past, accept- ing what is, as what should be. We need to tear ourselves loose from tradition and periodically, if not constantly, readjust our program to the changes which are taking place. You have received your dental education at a time when it is felt that dental education and medical education are practically on a par qual- itatively, although the content of even the basic courses which are common to both professions are not identical but are adjusted to fit the special needs of each profession. Your training has been better, we believe, than that of any previous group that has been graduated in den- tistry. Your formal dental education has been better than that of your teachers; but we are only slightly envious for we hope and expect that you will do better than we have done, avoid some of our mistakes, and solve some of the problems that we have left unsolved. With all this discussion of courses of study and entrance requirements, we must now con- fess that this formal training which you have re- ceived is but a start in your career. We shall, however, be content if we have succeeded in imbuing you with an enthusiasm to go on. After graduation a prof essional man does not long re- main on the level at which he was graduated. He goes up or he goes down. For many of you, your formal education will probably end with graduation. Much of the progress you will make from then on will depend largely upon the asso- ciations you make with fellow dentists and upon the reading you do. You need to enter upon a course of self-education immediately after gradu- ation, a course that will keep you in touch with the accomplishments of others and which will stimulate you to greater efforts. We are anxi- ous to see you become active forces in the A- lumni Association, in the various dental societies, and social activities of your community. Do not allow your dental education to become static. Twenty-five years from now the formal part of dental training may differ widely from what it is today, but you have received a broad founda- tion and an appreciation of the responsibilities of the profession which should keep you alert and stimulate you to advance with your profession.

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ADOLPH BERSER, D. D. S. William Cam Professor of Oral Surgery In a recent issue of the Journal of the Amer- ican Dental Association an editorial appears bearing the caption, Dentistry Written Out. ' ' It relates the incident that years ago the editor of a dental journal resigned his position because he felt that dentistry could develop or achieve nothing more worthy of publication. No doubt, the statement was made with no derogatory in- tent but because of limitations of vision and un- derstanding. Such contemplations, nevertheless, force numerous thoughts upon our mental vision. As I am addressing these lines to a graduating class the first one is naturally, what a dismal and bar- ren future such a prospect would offer to men who are about to enter upon the study and prac- tice of dentistry. A problem in which the dead end has been reached and offers no further op- portunities for progress and achievement would be scarcely worthy of a life ' s devotion. Such an outlook would be certainly disheartening not only to the men who have creative aspirations, for it is not given to all of us to make notable or out- standing contributions, but even those passively inclined to live within and be a part and parcel of an activity which is not dead or dying, but still retains the seeds of growth, and in which the fountains of achievement have not been dis- sipated. Analysis of that utterance, nevertheless re- flects more than merely an individual state of mind. It seems to reveal the contemporary status of dental education and by and large the gen- eral attitude of the dental profession of the day. It is well known that during an important period of its development, dental education and dentol practice have been dominated by a very definite technical outlook. We are just about beginning to emerge and to emancipate ourselves from this retarding influence. If we were to conceive den- tistry as a purely technical vocation, such a view- point may find a degree of justification, for there are limitations to technical procedures and to technical perfection. I wish to remind you that since those days the functions of the dental profession have been vastly extended. In those days there was little scientific grasp of the problems. The study of the pathology of dental disorders had scarce- ly begun; there was no x-ray, no casting pro- cedures, etc., all of which not- only revolu- tionized the practice of dentistry but also brought about a more definite and finer social responsibil- ity and relationship. The biological problems inherent in the path- ological conditions and abnormalities which the dentist is called upon to diagnose and treat are being more carefully studied and better recog- nized. A very important part of dental educa- tion and dental practice is being not too speed- ily but gradually directed into these channels. Recent research findings, though inconclusive, definitely point to the fact that caries of the teeth is not a purely local problem, and that with fuller knowledge its prevention and treatment will essentially entail constitutional considera- tions. The different lesions grouped under the heading of periodontoclasia offer abundant and highly complex constitutional considerations of which the surface has scarcely been scratched as yet. Orthodontia has accomplished a great deal in the way of technical procedures but still offers a fertile field for more accurate study from the standpoint of heredity, pediatrics, endocrinology, dietetics, etc. Many pathological conditions which come under the grouping of oral surgery still require a careful study and a better under- standing from a biological standpoint. Briefly, dentistry has scarcely begun its larg- er and more important mission. This statement is not to be construed, however, that much has not been achieved especially when we consider the thwarted and meagre beginnings. We stand before those who have brought the profession to its present stage with a tribute of gratitude and humility. By all means, try to remember that DEN- TISTRY IS NOT WRITTEN OUT. We look to our younger graduates to take up the task of carry- ing the torch and holding it high. There is more than one way of helping and enhancing advance- ment. All can help by aspiring, by attempting, and doing when the opportunity presents. Above all, let us lend encouragement to those who have dedicated their lives to the advancement of the profession so that its members may be bigger in outlook, nobler in their attitude, richer in re- sources for service, and more useful in their activities. I hope that upon graduation you are carry- ing with you not only an exceptional preparation for the pursuit of your professional obligations but also a strong incentive to add to what is al- ready ours. Carry with you, also, my very best wishes for a useful and happy life.