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

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JOSEPH SCHROFF DOUGLAS B. PARKER F. S. McCAFFREY SAMUEL B1RENBACH B.S.. M.D.. D.D.S. M.D.. D.D.S. B.S.. D.D.S. D.D.S. Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry ALBIN ' R. SEIDEL D.M.D. Presbyterian Hospital Consultant. F. A. STEWART. JR. A.B.. D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry WILLIAM J. SAVOY B.S., D.D.S. Instructor in Dentistry MORRIS KAVELLE B.S., D. D.S. Instructor in Dentistry THEO. M. BUNDRANT D.D.S. Asst. in Dentistry 13

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Oral Surgery MAURICE J. HICKEY D.M.D., M.D. Professor of Oral Surgery The teach- ing of Oral Surgery to the undergradu- ate student poses many problems and we in the Oral Surgery Divi- sion are fully aware of these problems. We can not even attempt, in the limited time al- lotted to sur- gery, to make you accom- plished Oral Surgeons. Yet we have a definite obligation to you. We must give you the basic fundamental principles of surgery and interpret these principles as they apply to surgery of the mouth. We must acquaint you with the diagnosis and treatment of diseases of the mouth amenable to surgery. We must impress upon you the vital importance of aseptic technical and surgical cleanliness. We must show you, to the best of our ability the problems and complications of surgery. If we fulfill these objectives, we will have given you a concept of surgery that will remain with you the rest of your professional careers. Oral Surgery must be considered as a specialized form of General Surgery. Oral Sur- gery is as much a Surgical Specialty as Oto- laryngology or Ophthalmology. This fact has long been recognized but only recently acted upon. The accepted method for providing the public with the protection it is entitled to is by means of Specialty Boards. This is gen- erally accepted by the Medical Profession, and the public, when seeking specialized medical care, has learned to seek a Diplomate of ■ an American Board. Dentistry must, and will, ac- credit its specialist through Specialty Board Examinations. An American Board of Oral Surgery is now functioning. New York State has formed a regional board, to examine Oral Surgeons. Sev- eral . other states have established examining boards for Oral Surgery. This does not mean that a practicing dentist must be a diplomate of a specialty board to do Oral Surgery. It does mean, however, that to be accepted as a specialist in Oral Surgery, he will be expected to have fulfilled the requirements of training and have passed an examination based on these requirements. This progress in the certification of specialists in Dentistry will be slow but it will be inevitable. Only a few of you will be sufficiently inter- ested in surgery to go on and obtain the addi- tional training that is required. Many of you will find the amount of surgery in your practice is so small that you will not attempt it. Some of you will want to do some surgery as part of your practice. We in the Oral Surgery Division sincerely hope that you will obtain sufficient post-graduate training to enable you to do simple surgery wisely and safely. MAURICE J. HICKEY ADOLPH BERGER D.D.S. William Carr Professor of Oral Surgery 12

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Prosthetics Pearl Harbor and Corregidor were fresh in all minds when the last Dental Columbian was published. Its pages reveal the tenseness of war, foreboding for the immediate future, con- fidence in ultimate victory and, above all, a determination to continue the search for truths. The world was being shaken by the forces of physical power, ruthlessness and intolerance; isolationism was giving way to internationalism. Dentistry had awakened to its war-borne respon- sibilities and was looking forward to advances most certain to come from the research forced upon it by the exigencies of armed conflict and a disrupted economy. The shortcomings of the profession stood out in bold relief. Little was known about the cause or prevention of dental caries. Dental training and thinking had been predominantly along reparative instead of pre- ventive lines. Selective Service had revealed the appallingly inadequate dental care received by the average draftee. Many dentists taken into the armed forces were uninformed and untrained to work with other specialists in the medical field. It was a time for courage and devotion to country and profession. The period from then to the present is his- tory. The war was won, though the cost was staggering; the forces of justice and humanity were overpowering; scientific progress made the world smaller; and the need for international harmony became imperative. Dentistry con- tributed its part and much was added to its science and art. Now we are at peace and we are faced with its problems. War must be outlawed; life, free- dom and happiness must be assured ; individuals and nations must sacrifice a degree of their au- tonomy for the benefit of all. The eyes of the world and the hopes of mankind are pinned on the Un ited Nations. Its success will not come easily; traditions must fall; sacrifices must be made; failures and objections must be over- come; and tremendous effort must be expended to achieve the ultimate goal. Much has transpired at Columbia since the last Dental Columbian appeared. Most im- portant was the action of the Trustees of the University in taking another step in their far- sighted program toward placing dentistry in its proper relation to other health services. By closely integrating Medicine, Nursing, Public Health and Dentistry into one faculty, the Fac- ulty of Medicine, the stage has been set for close cooperation and concerted effort in problems common to all. The dental school administration has been changed only slightly to facilitate this union; contacts between the basic science de- partments and the Department of Dentistry have been strengthened materially; barriers between divisions in the Department of Dentistry have been broken and replaced with bonds of harmony and mutual understanding. It will take years to reveal the full wisdom of this medico-dental integration. The Department of Dentistry will now be free to draw on the resources of all the basic science and clinical departments and to con- tribute in like manner. It will not function as an isolated field but will coordinate its efforts with all others in the healing profession. A more intelligent approach to the problems of dental caries and preventive dentistry will emerge from this relation. The Prosthetic Division will be able to take full advantage of these closer associations. Pros- thetics is no longer a purely mechanical art concerned primarily with skills and techniques. No prosthetic restoration will serve acceptably unless it is conceived with an intelligent under- standing of its biologic foundation, soft tissue and bony structure, as well as the functional, physiological and psychological considerations. The Class of 1947 has had the opportunity of seeing this program get under way. Your undergraduate training has all been directed toward this end and it is our hope that you will continue to develop as broadly after your gradu- ation. May the Class of 1947 contribute its share to a better world and to better dentistry. GILBERT P. SMITH 14