University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School - Mirror Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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per cent, of the people of this country have not the time to consider nor obtain information concerning conditions which pertain to proper sanitation and health, or, if they have the time, have not the means for obtaining them. How to assist these people in obtaining such knowledge that they may properly preserve their teeth, and by preserving their teeth prolong their lives and health, is of vast importance to the public and the dental profession. One cannot work to any advantage without the assistance and co-operation of the other. Newspaper articles and dental exhibits have confronted the people for many years, but have not induced the proper and anticipated result. The child, being the coming generation and the only indi- vidual where a preventive, and not a cure, is needed, is the fortress toward which the different move- ments of the present campaign are directed. The child, then, is not reached by any of the newspaper articles nor dental exhibits. But the child must attend school. It is there, then, that the fortress is best attacked, and to this end the public should pass laws granting the Dental Profession the power of ex- amining and interesting the children through the medium of the public schools. But examination and instruction is not all that is needed. Practical work and the clinics must be maintained in order to prevent the further development of those conditions which already exist. To further this purpose then, the public, again as a part of its duty to itself, should furnish money and means for the proper accomplishment of these ends. But, as I said, the public cannot work without the assist- ance of the dentist, nor can the dentist accomplish much without the co-operation of the masses. Then, what obligations rest upon a member of the Dental Profession? He, to be sure, is not exempt. He must, as one of the people, be willing to share their burden of financing the campaign, whether it be in currency or in devoting his time and labors to the curative processes. Then, too, as a unit in the population, he should enthuse in the enacting and lend all possible assistance to the passing of such laws as will further the means of accomplishing the best result. He should also, when giving his labor to the clinics, whether gratuitously or otherwise, work conscientiously to this great and noble end — the prolongation of human life, the more hygienic condition of the country, and the riddance of numerous diseases, many of which have proven fatal, should be the aim and ambition of every being in this great civilized country in gen- eral, and every member of the dental profession, and of each student of that profession in particular. E. D. L., ' 13. 19

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Oral Hygiene ENTAL HYGIENE is not the innovation that the present widely-reaching movement would seem to indicate. As far back as the first century, before the Christian era, we find Asclepiades advocating a sterile condition of the oral cavity, basing his curative processes upon hygienic care. Following him came Cornelius Celsus, the Roman, also born before Christ. He was even more explicit than his predecessor, advocating the removal of black stains and a thor- ough rinsing of the mouth every morning. Next in line were Pliny and Archigenes, both of whom men- tioned the application of medicines in the treatment of toothache. After these, little is known until Albucasis the Arabian came forward in the eleventh century with a full set of tartar-removing instruments, with directions for their proper use. Succeeding Albucasis, we find a long line of writers and prominent medical men, enthusiasts of Oral Hygiene. We have Guy de Chauliac, the greatest surgeon of the Middle Ages ; Grovanni of Arcobi ; Pari, Riviere and many others. But there is a vast difference between the present movement and the Oral Hygiene advocated by Ascle- piades and his successors. These were far-sighted men, who appreciated its value, but they reached only those who were educated sufficiently to grasp its meaning, and take advantage of their teachings. The scope of the presene Dental Hygiene movement has been immensely increased from those iso- lated efforts of our predecessors because of the economic problems involved. Where enormous sums have been spent for hospitals, sanitariums, and the like, it has been found more economical to prevent the spreading of these conditions, which require such places of recuperation, than to allow them to occur and do the repair work afterwards. The present campaign, then, is based upon the economic idea that the teeth are an essential factor in producing efficiency in the human body, and that the masses, being the economic factor in the develop- ment of the resources, wealth and power of the century, should be protected in every possible manner from those conditions which detract from their efficiency as a producing agent. A large number of persons at the present time have sufficient interest in their well-being to consult their dentist often enough to insure the retaining of these organs. But the masses which represent 75 18

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Address to Class 1911 By W. W. Parker, LL.D. HE problem that presents itself before the mind of the average young man starting out upon his life journey is often appalling, and always serious. Upon the young man himself devolves the solution of this problem, and whether or not he shall be correct only his whole career will demonstrate. It is not my intention to burden you with preachments nor to weary you with a rehearsal of platitudinous statements, yet I consider that the result of all the experience of which I have been the subject and of all the experience of which I have been the observer will well serve to enlighten, to strengthen and to support the courageous efforts of the young men who tonight find themselves face to face with the world, with the world ' s ambitions, the world ' s successes, and the world ' s disappointments. It has been said that the world owes every man a living, but he who seeks to receive a fair remunera- tion for his services must be a good and a persistent collector indeed. Do not misconstrue my meaning, I am not seeking to discourage any one of the members of this class. My sole purpose is to lay bare the truth as I have found it, so that a full and complete realization of it at the beginning of these men ' s life careers may so warn them, so prepare them, and so embolden them as that they will be able to look the whole world in the face without flinching. Deception is unfair, howsoever good the intentions of the deceiver may be. It is unfair to tell the weary, worn, and footsore traveler that the mirage of a great city, which he has seen seemingly but an hour ' s journey ahead, is in fact a great city where he may find his haven of rest. He may be buoyed tem- porarily by the prospect, but when the real truth dawns upon him his last state will be worse than his first. Worst of all is it eminently unfair and lastingly harmful for any man to deceive himself. Men should look conditions squarely in the face ; learn the real meaning of them ; seek to know their purpose and their results, and then, if baneful, strive and plan and struggle to circumvent them; and if good, to take advantage of them and ride the wave of opportunity to success. 20