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

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Stomatology Diagnosis — a modem concept Prior to modern dentistry the early barber dentists and physicians were skilled men, to be sure. That the origin of a disease and its diagnosis were of any significance in the treat- ment of that disease was unappreciated by them for the most part. Not until John Hunter ' s treatise on oral diseases did the physician-dentist realize the basic relationship between etiology, diagnosis and therapy. Much later, in 1895, a paper was read before the Physico- Medical Society of Wurzburg by a brilliant German physicist. It was read by Wilhelm Roentgen and he described his dis- covery of the rays which bear his name. Lewis R. Stowe. D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry Edward V. Zecarelli A.B., D.D.S., M.S. Assoc. Prof, of Dentistry Diagoosis and Radiology Joseph A. Cuttita A.B., M.S., D.D.S. Asst. Prof, of Dentistry Jack Budowsky, D.D.; Asst. Clin. Prof, of Dentistry F. A. Tuoti. D.jM.D. Instr. in Dentistry G. Minervini A.B., D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry W. Halpert, B.S., D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry John D. Piro, D.D.S. Clin. Asst. in Dentistry Evald Linder Inst, in Radiology Ida M. Golomb. D.D.S. CUn. Asst. in Dentistry 14

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Prosthetics Early prosthodontists, primarily con- cerned as they were with esthetics, were faced with the problem of obtaining teeth for their appliances. What better source of supply than the human dentition? However, demand exceeded supply. A notorious group at the time, the Resurrectionists ' attempted to meet that problem by exhum- ing recently buried corpses. Gilbert P. Smith. D.D.S. Professor of Dentistry Max A. Pleasure Geor»e W. Hindels Herbert D. Avers. Jr. D.D.S., M.S.P.H. M.D., D.D.S. A.B., D.D.S. 4ssoc. Prof, of Dentistry 55 . Clin. Prof, of Dentistry Inst, in Dentistry Robert E. Herlands A.B., D.D.S. Asst. Prof, of Dentistry Louis A. Cohn, D.D.S. Asst. Clin. Prof, of Dentistry W v Oscar E. Beder B.S., D.D.S. Asst. Prof, of Dentistry William J. Miller A.B.. D.D.S. Inst, in Dentistry -- JSZ I. Frank Boscarelli B.S. ? D.D.S. Asst. in Dentistry h (Li ie 4 John J. Lucca H. Arden, B.S., D.D.S. S. A. Bruno. D.D.S. A.B., D.D.S. Inst, in Dentistry Clin. Asst. in Dentistry Instructor in Dentistry 13

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I ' lti iiiiliiiiliilni| Frank E. Beube L.D.S.. D.D.S. Assoc. Clin. Prof, of Dentistry Saul Schluger, D.D.S Asst. Clin. Prof, of Dentistry A. Themann, D.D.S. Asst. Clin. Prof, of Dentistry L. Hirschfeld .B., D.D.S. Inst, in Dentistry Periodontal Disease — as old as man Robert Gottsegen A.B.. D.D.S. Asst. Prof, of Dentistry Ellen Hosiosky D.M.D., D.H., D.D.S. Inst, in Dentistry Melvin L. Morris B.S., M.A., D.D.S. ;.s . in Dentistry Periodontoclasia existed in almost every race of prehistoric man. Its history has been traced to the Old Man of La Chappelle aux Saints, of the Neanderthal race — some 35.000 years ago. A study of the skull reveals that he suffered severely from this disease which resulted in loss of the molar teeth. The earliest known written work was found in the Egyptian manuscripts (1500 B.C.) which listed remedies for strengthening the gums. Later civilizations recorded the use of alum, mit-gall, urine and vinegar as mouth washes for the relief of bleeding and spongy gums. The removal of local deposits around the necks of teeth was a great stride forward. The Arabs fashioned variously shaped scalers and they are credited as the first to treat periodontoclasia by instrumentation. The first classical description of the disease was written by Pierre Fauchard. Dr. John Hunter in 1771 wrote an erudite description of the disease in his book The Natural His- tory of the Teeth. In that era, thoughts as to the etiology of the disease were divided. Followers of John Riggs felt that periodontoclasia was due to a local condition, while others like Chapin Harris thought it was due to systemic factors. Insofar as successful treatment of any disease presupposes to an essential extent the knowl- edge of etiologic factors, therapy for the one disease was applied by two separate schools. There was instrumentation as opposed to the use of systemic drugs. The use of vaccines, oxygen inhalation and emetine, popular at the time, have been proven ineffectual. Our present day knowledge of this one in the many of periodontal diseases is far from complete. Emphasized is the role of local fac- tors, with an attempt to understand, analyze and correlate such concepts as physiologic and pathologic occlusion, oral habits, nutrition and local resistance. Thus history reveals that the techniques are not new, therapy is not new, some of the concepts involved are not new — and the dis- ease is as old as humanity. 15