Date of Award

1-1928

Degree Type

Bachelors Essay

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Dentistry

First Advisor

John F. McCormick

Abstract

The reason why the practice of dentistry is sometimes criticized to-day is because it was separated from the practice of medicine at a time when mouth disorder as a cause of systemic disease was not recognized, and mechanical restoration of teeth was made the foundation of dentistry. The keynote in judging a man's ability was by the expertness of his mechanical skill. This attitude toward dentistry, not only by the medical men but by the laity as well, has been a regrettable weakness in the dental profession. The dentist's work was regarded as entirely mechanical and for the purpose of repair instead of diagnosis, elimination of the cause of the trouble and prevention of further trouble. And yet it is exactly this that is expected of the physician. When a patient with toxemic symptoms, --headache, tiredness-- presents :~himself, the physician does not, if he has the best interests of the patient at heart, just .give that patient a tonic or drug, but he has a blood count made, possibly a Wassermann test also, That is, he aims at a diagnosis and elimination of the trouble, whatever it may be--not at restoration of normal feeling only, except in so far as that is attained by elimination of the abnormal cause.

Comments

Written to fulfil the requirements for the degree of Bachellor of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts of Marquette University, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

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