Doctor, Another Unique Service of Your Ticonium Laboratory. an Award-Winning Magazine You Can Read with Interest, with Pleasure, and with Profit

Doctor, another unique service of your Ticonium Laboratory. An award-winning magazine you can read with interest, with pleasure, and with profit. An award·winning magazine for Dentists, Dental Assistants, and Dental Hygienists the bottle-fed infants ... It may come as a surprise iety, sweating palms, physical abnormalities, emo Publis ed monthly by TICONIUM COMPANY to you but the Journal of Periodontia in a study of tional stress, etc., and alert the dentist so that he can Division of CMP Industries, Inc •• Albany. New York almost 500 smokers and non-smokers found that be better prepared in his initial interview with the pa Editor Joseph Strack there was "no significant difference between plaque tient. Contrib ling Arthur H. Levi ne, D.D.S. accumulation in non-smokers and smokers regardless Dentists are often cautioned about speaking over Ed itors Maurice J. Telfelbau • D.D.S. of the number of cigarettes smoked daily . . . ." We've the heads of their patients. But how about dentists Cover Artist Edward Ka sper heard of a "wolf in sheep'S clothing" but never of a who speak over the heads of dentists? Specialists, in "goat in sheep's clothing." Yet, scientists found that particular, are guilty of using overblown words, per NOVEMBER 1979 Vol. XXXVIII No. 11 sheep reared for the first few months of life in sheep haps to enhance their own image or because they just goat herds showed a strong social preference for the don't know how to write in simple prose. For exam CONTENTS goats. Kids are full of surprises. ple, here is a direct sentence from a brochure an DfNJlSTS III GOVERNMENT nouncing a course on peridontia for the general EXERCISE SHOULD BE FUN The Only Dentist in the Congress ...... 1 practitioner: "The appropriate selection and sequenc If you think exercise will keep you living longer, ing of initial preparation modalities will be covered." II Dentist Gove rnors 3 don't bet on it, you may not be around long enough How about appropriate words, doctor? .. For those III Dentist Leg islators and Mayors 5 to collect. There still is not enough valid, scientific gaining weight, how about "food apportion for girth IV Politics at the Grass Roots 7 evidence to prove that exercise will increase your life control." span. However, regular exercise will improve the quality of life, for the physical and psychological bene DENTAL DILEMMA A PKTORIAt HISTORY Of DENmTRY fits allow you to live life more fully. This is particu In taking an impression and bite, Here is the concluding Part 2 of Dentistry The dentist's result was a sight. larly true if the exercise is fun, if it is a game. Exercise in the 18th Century, the fascinating 10th Daniel B. Crane, MC is an important ingredient for a satisfying life, despite Though his technique was mastered, installment of Curt Proskauer's great pic- George Bernard Shaw, who once remarked that the The patient was plastered ture history ...... '...... 8 only exercise he ever got was walking behind the And didn't know his left from his right. funeral bier of his friends who had exercised; and THE WORlDS OUTSIDE Robert Benchley, who had a theory that in all our RESEARCH (Continued from Pagel2) Collectimania . .. 10 "to develop a multidimensional attitude measurement Dentists In Government joints - knees, hips, elbows, ankles, wrists - there Children Study Hypertension 11 were important fluids that were not to be disturbed, device" to " . . . collect sufficient behavioral data to 12 so that one should not move too much or to SWiftly. relate each attitude dimension to its associated be Research : the bureaucratic way . I The Only Dentist in the Congress havioral correlates" and to " ... define in detail the TIPS FROM THE ADAA experimental design including statistical analysis IMPROVING BUS1NESS MAHAGEMfNT In the middle of his first term as a member of the 96th Congress, The American Dental Assistants Association puts paradigms." Some others: 1M YOUR DENTAl OFFICI Representative Daniel B. Crane, who put aside his dental practice out a four-page quarterly, Tip Sheet, that contains in -Why people fall in love, "especially men and New Approaches to Collections: to speak in Washington for a half-million "friends, neighbors and formation and helpful hints for the dental assistant women." Dentist, Lawyer, Indian Chief .. .. 13 fellow residents" of Southern Illinois, still decides his vote on the which, in turn, can be advantageous to your practice. -Hitchhiking. The Statement Showdown ... 13 deluge of legislation which swamps the lawmakers by the answers Assistants are advised to "take a good look" at the -The social behavior of the Alaskan bear. Goodbye Month Iy Billing? .. 13 to four simple questions: patient before he or she is seen by the dentist. An -The African climate during the last Ice Age. Is it constitutional? observant assistant can spot shortness of breath, anx- Amen! Fixed-Fee Collection Firm s ...... 14 Is it in defense of the freedoms we cherish? The Sales-Pitch Seminar 14 Is it within the framework of a balanced budget? Is it a "rip off" of the taxpayers? \/@Ug AN6lES MID I ESSIOIS Congressman Crane, the only dentist in the 96th Congress, tells FOR Dentist solves art treasury robbery his colleagues in the House and his constitutents back home : New idea for forensic dentists . . . Exer -Government is spending too much money. ~ '1-;=1 ~ cise should be fun ... Dentists who talk -The House can and ought to do something to tighten the na- over the heads of dentists ...... 15 tional purse strings. -Salaries of Senators and Representatives should be cut. -Americans over 65 should have the right to earn money to Iaa I MEMBER PUBLICATION supplement their Social Security benefits without being pen Al\Il ERICAN AsavCIATION OF DENTAL EDITORS ae alized by having those benefits reduced. Send editorial contributions and correspon lle!lce to Joseph -Washington should stay out of state affairs. Strack, Box 4()7, North Chatham, N.Y. 12132; ch e·of· ilddress notices to Circ ulatton Manager, TIC, Box 350, Alban1 -Washington should put an end to its "blackmail" of states and N.Y. 12201 cities with threats to withhold federal funds . TIC Is microfilm ed by Un IverSity MicrOfil ms, Inc., 300 N. Zeeb Road, Congressman Crane, a veteran of Army service in Southeast Asia, Ann Arbor, Michigan 481 06. T IC's International Stand4rd Serial Number IS: US 0040'071& TIC. licensed to practice dentistry in three states, and the father of a Copyright, 1979, T1 conlum Company, Division of 0 P Indu tries, family with five children, tops a long list of dentists serving in In c•• 413 North Pearl Street. Albany, New York 12207 Op inions exprrssed by contributors to TIC do not necessarily reflect government, from the local school board all the way up to the the v ews of the publishers. Governor's mansion and at every level in between. Printed In U.S.A. by Jersey Printllllil Co., Inc., Bayonne, N.J. "UH, OH! I THINK WE'RE IN TROUBLEI" Ann I Subscription. $5.00 Congressman Crane is dedicated to the need for Americans to TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 I 16 TIC, NOVEMBER , 1979 "get involved," especially in government. His involve ment resulted in election last November to a Congress which most national observers say is confronted by the "worst crisis of confidence in government" in American history. Congressman Crane blames a "schizophrenic Con gress" for overspending and insists that the House has to assume the personal blame, since all money bills originate and have to be approved there. He thinks that Congressmen-Senators and House members-get paid too much and wants their salaries cut. He doubts that the bill he has introduced to make by Maurice J. Teitelbaum, D.D.S. such a reduction will pass, but he is making the effort. The unbusinesslike operations of government also pain Congressman Crane who pointed to an instance THISA AND DATA prepaid, publicly-funded dental care plans in that when legislators were given only ten minutes to study A dentist in England was responsible for the re state. The contribution was part of a $2.5 million com several budgetary line items amounting to $38 billion. covery of over $1 million worth of stolen art treasures mitment by the Kellog Foundation. Happy Birthday A vote was taken and passed even though some Con when he telephoned authorities at Scotland Yard to the Fund! gressmen argued it would take days to digest all the about the ravings of a patient, who, while under light The Swiss have come up with a new idea to help material. anesthesia, talked about the location of the loot. It forensic dentists in the identification of mass disaster "I demanded a roll call vote, just to know who the was a definite triumph for law and justice, but one victims. They advocate sealing a miniaturized gold big spenders are," he said. wonders whether a patient's uncontrolled babbling chip in the tooth enamel using a "fire resistant red A fervent believer in "state's rights"-he cites Arti Busy Congressman Crane hangs coat on doorknob under the influence of anesthesia should be guarded composite material." The chip would have identifying cle 10 of the U.S. Constitution-he frowns on too as zealously as the confession to a priest or a chat with coded numbers on it - Social Security numbers, for much interference from Washington in the lives of a psychiatrist. Incidentally, theft of art treasures ranks example. For most people, sealing the chip under a Dr. Crane, .now Congressman Crane, insists that filling or crown or in a root canal might be more Americans and the rights of local governments to more professionals should take a role in politics even second only to narcotics as the leader in world-wide practical and simpler. ... Gold bars, securities, real make the decisions. He cites as an abuse of the cen though such an involvement is an "intrusion on your crime ... The NYU School of Dentistry, one of the estate - there are many ways, the financial experts tralized power, the threat of Washington to withhold professional image." largest private dental schools in the nation with the federal funds from those states which did not enforce facilities for treating over 1,000 patients a day, seems say, to "consolidate your holdings," "hedge against the 55 miles an hour speed limit. "In no way has my decision to enter politics, to be to be out of step with the general economic trend. The inflation," "beat the recession," or "feather your nest Congressman Crane agrees with those who call involved in government, compromised my profes tuition at NYU has gone down - $1,100 less than in egg." But here is another way to "invest wisely" - Washington the "Disneyland of the East" but is firmly sionalism or my relationship with my patients," he 1978. Probably out of step but marching to a brighter buy wine. Not any wine of course, but special wines convinced in the need for all people to become inter explains. tune . . . Dental study clubs are extremely popular with special artistic labels. It's a heady idea, for wine ested, involved and active in government. "In fact, there is evidence of a greater respect, a among dentists who profit by the exchange of informa gets better with age and therefore becomes more He charges that the "people are not being told the recognition of the imperative to be concerned," he tion and are stimulated by being with other practi valuable. At least that's the opinion of those grape truth" and that personal involvement will do much to says, adding: tioners in discussing dental problems and techniques. of-the-vine connoisseurs, the editors of the Interna give the people "a more active voice" in the law "The dentist-patient relationship is such that pa If you do not belong to a dental study group then you tional Review of Food and Wine. They report that a making process. tients have an established trust and loyalty which rec are definitely in the minority in our profession ... All fine Baron Rothschild double magnum of wine with a Congressman Crane comes from a family active in ognizes that you are not trying to impose your beliefs things being equal, why are some people more sus label designed by Andy Warhol sells for $300. Since government. His brother, Representative Philip Crane, and convictions upon them. Given this implicit assur ceptible to certain diseases of the mouth than others? Warhol paintings go up in value, the wine bottles with who represents the Chicago area of Illinois, is now ance, they give you respect for your convictions and A study both at the State University of New York at his art work should increase in time. However, lest a candidate for the Republican nomination for your right to express them publicly." Buffalo and UCLA reveals that a "weakened defense you think this is something new, since 1927 painters President. He is convinced that patients would rather get a against the gram negative bacteria implicated in perio like Braque, Dali, Chagell, Kadinsky, and Picasso Congressman Crane's "involvement" has not been firm, definite, honest public opinion, rather than a dontal disease may be the cause ..." They also find have all designed wine-bottle labels. One supposes without its price, for he has had to wind down a suc squeamish, fence-straddling politeness which tries to that, strangely enough, the older the patient the great that even if you empty the contents of one of these cessful practice in Danville, Illinois, which took many accommodate and please everyone. "The good guy er the number of antibodies present to combat oral beverage masterpieces, having the empty bottle will years to build. who tries to agree with everyone will soon be seen for disease. It should follow then that the older a person be like having your cake and still eating it. The only His public statements, before Rotarians, before the shallow person he is." gets, the better the defenses are against periodontal problem is, how does one go about framing a bottle? Chambers of Commerce, before the Home Bureau, "There is a unique, personal intimate relationship disease . .. On February 17, 1980, the American Although automobile accident fatalities have risen before the Farm Bureau, before grammar school chil between dentist and patient which permits such phy Fund for Dental Health will mark its 25th anniver 7 percent in the last four years, motorcycle deaths dren, before partisan political supporters-all carry sical closeness as working on the patient's mouth," sary. The Fund has helped hundreds of dentists now have increased to 41 percent, trucks 41 percent, and the central theme of why he made the choice of pub he pointed out. "There is a complete and total reli in practice through scholarship and loans, and has vans and pickup trucks 37 percent . .. Studies show lic service: ance on the dentist by the patient, who entrusts his supported many research and teaching projects. One that breast-fed babies have still another advantage "If the public does not become involved, the nation health to his hands. That kind of relationship cannot of the chief contributors is the W. K. Kellog Founda over the bottle-fed infants. Although the breast-fed will fade into the sunset. be compromised by the intrusion of politics into the tion of Battle Creek, Michigan, who recently donated infants started to suck their thumbs at an earlier age, "Involvement by every citizen is necessary to save practice of dentistry. But it does establish a trust and $102,465 to evaluate a peer review system to assess they gave up the habit sooner and were less likely to the greatest system of government ever conceived." respect that carries over, outside of the office, outside the quality of dental care provided to members of have dental problems because of thumb sucking than

2 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TI C, NOVEMBER, 1979 15 of the practice, and makes service to the community hometown on weekends to finish the treatment of 1. Have each date within the cycle contain approxi agency. From there, the firm mails out the notices. more possible." patients who were under his care. He plans to wind mately the same number of accounts. 3. The agency notifies the patient that they are op There is a similarity between the profession of den this down to concentrate "on representing my people" 2. Base "the frequency" (i.e. the number of dates erating on behalf of the dentist. They request the tistry and the practice of politics, Dr. Crane explains. in Congress. each month that statements are sent) on your dental money be sent to the dentist. (Most firms remit Congressman Crane's district includes 500,000 assistant's workload. The greater the frequency, the money to the doctor within 60 days if payment is -There is a close relationship between patient and people, and covers more than 10,000 square miles greater the number of interruptions in her (or his) mailed to them.) constituent, because both place their welfare in as large as six of the eastern states. other routine tasks. Once the initial courtesy contact is made, each firm your hands. As the first year of his Congressional term comes 3. Allow a few days after the end of a 30-day per has a different technique: -Both require-oblige-mutual trust and faith to an end, the dentist-lawmaker repeats his call to iod before a statement is mailed. This ensures that all 1. Some mail a series of 5 to 10 increasingly curt and rely on integrity for the quality of service fellow dentists: charges and payments have been recorded. Thus, letters 4 to 5 days apart. The dentists may have a rendered. "Get involved in government, be actively engaged unpaid services accrued on the 5th can be mailed to choice of computer prepared letters in different styles -Management of office, of staff, of attention to in politics. Good government needs dedicated, con the patient on the 7th. and languages. patients as persons, with individualized and spe 4. To determine the proper time length between 2. Others use conventional collection action, such cialized needs is the same as the Congressman's cerned people." the billing's closing date and the patient statement as telephone calls and personal notes, if form letters concern for administration and the people he Daniel B. Crane was born in Chicago, Ill., in 1936, mailing date, determine the capabilities of your ac are unsuccessful. If these procedures prove fruitless, represents and serves. received his A.B. degree from Hillsdale College, Hills counting system. Efficient systems have a short lag the account is returned. Another account can usually "I have always been interested in governnient, not dale, Mich., in 1958, his D.D.S. degree from the period between the two dates. be substituted at no cost. A few firms even guarantee in the exercise of its power, but because it must re Indiana University School of Dentistry in 1963 and 5. If you implement cycle billing, include your a collection mUltiple, sometimes up to three times the main the servant of the people," he says. did graduate work at the University of Michigan, dental assistants in the planning stage. Ask what fre dentist's investment. "I had all the material things I wanted, thanks to 1964-65. quency would best accommodate their existing work 3. Some firms offer the dentist or office manager my dental profession, plus a good family and a happy He has served as research consultant and clinician schedule. a toll-free number which can be used to stop further existence. But I also had five children and I had to at the Indiana University School of Dentistry, as a 6. Offer another approach to cycle billing that is collection action. be concerned with their future, for preserving the kind consultant to the Indiana State Board of Health, and not alphabetical, but based on another determinant. 4. Other companies will arrange, upon the dentist's of government that I felt was necessary. If you believe as director of the Crane Clinic, 1963-1967. This may be (a) location of residence, (b) amount of request, for court action to begin. (This is usually not that the system of government is in jeopardy, you are He served three years as a captain with the United a patient's balance, (c) a patient's income/ wealth, done by most dentists.) obliged in conscience to act, to come to its defense." States Army, a year in Southeast Asia and two years or (d) patient's past paying habits. Although cost, approach and guarantee vary Dr. Crane's interest in government came early in at the Fitzsimmons General Hospital, Denver, Colo 7. Consider a system that incorporates the sending among fixed-fee collection firms, many dental prac life, at the age of five, when he "supported" Wendell rado. of statements first to patients who usually pay their tices have found that a suitable firm can be very cost Wilkie in the 1940 Presidential election. Dr. Crane passed the dental boards in three states, bills quickly. effective. In 1966, he had a brief excursion into politics, Indiana, Illinois, and Colorado. The overall financial impact of cycle billing on the In fact, many dentists have found that 40% of their running in the primary, only to find that his brief, six He was selected as one of the Outstanding Young practice is relatively minor. More importantly, it delinquent accounts were collected. weeks campaign was too short, too unorganized. Men of America in 1970 and has been selected for should be a personnel decision. Evenly distributed Dental research had taught him the imperative of Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in Michigan workloads reduce stress within your dental office. The Sales Pitch Seminar doing "your homework" and the lesson served him Football, Notable Americans of the Bicentennial Era, and Indiana Lives. No matter whether you've read it in the Wall Street well later in his political life. In 1978, he won a three-way primary race for the He is co-author of Psychology Applied, and au FIXED·FEE COLLECTION FIRMS Journal or the New York Times, computer seminars Republican nomination for Congress and in Novem thored several research papers in biochemistry and There is a new way to collect from delinquent ac conducted by computer manufacturers are sales ber of that year he scored a startling upset in a district preventive dentistry, and articles in Dental Manage counts after you've exhausted your internal proced pitches. Don't waste your time unless you specifically that had been Democratic for 50 years. He won elec ment and Dental Economics. ures. No longer does your dental office have to write want information about that firm's computers-or tion by 54 percent of the vote of the sprawling, 20- Actively involved in community organizations, he off the account or pay a collection agency the high you simply want to get out of the office for the after county district in Southern Illinois. has served more than 15 of them as president, director, 50 % commission on collections. The increasingly noon For the first year of his term, he returned to his member or consultant. popular alternative: fixed-fee (or flat-fee) collection firms. For a fixed fee, sometimes as low as five to six dollars per account, a company will try to collect for II DENTIST GOVERNORS you. If unsuccessful in, for example, 60 days, the ac F or hundreds of years of American history, den the governor's mansion in Tennessee, South Carolina, count is returned to you. tists have filled government offices at the highest Minnesota, and Guam. And Texas and Georgia con There is a variety of fixed-fee firms. Some firms legislative levels, but not until the 1970's did they sidered dentists for those high posts. are computer letter writers. Others charge a fixed assume the executive leadership of so many American Nine of the decade's 10 years have had a dentist as fee to establish the account and then charge a mini states. governor in at least one American state. mum percentage on small accounts and up to 30% At the beginning of the decade, the dental profes The dentist governors have been : Bryant Winfield on larger accounts. One that we know of is a full sion could count but one of its members who had Dunn, Tennessee; James B. Edwards, South Carolina; service collection firm for a fixed fee. served as governor of an American state. Most companies work this way: As the decade nears the end of its last year, three Rudolph G. (Rudy) Perpich, Minnesota; and Carlos 1. They sell the dentist 25 to 100 transmittal states and a Pacific territory that one day might be Garcia Camacho, Guam. sheets for a fixed amount. part of the 51 st State had been served by dentists as In the mid-70's, Georgia dentist John Savage ran 2. The dentist verifies the patient's data (name, governors. Two other states had nominated dentists for lieutenant governor and James Granberry won the address, amount, etc.) which is sent to the collection for their highest executive offices. Dentists have filled Republican primary for governor in Texas.

14 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 3 The Dunn Story college. It was a letter written, "pouring out my heart" Bryant Winfield Dunn could have easily found to the Louisville University School of Dentistry, from Improving Business Management success elsewhere, as a lawyer rather than as a den the sea that opened the door to the dental school. tist, in Mississippi rather than in Tennessee. After graduation he spent two years as Navy dentist, in Your Dental Office For those who have an allegiance to the power of returning from service to complete his professional by Practice Productivity, Inc. fate, Dunn was destined for the Tennessee state house studies and to establish himself in Charleston, the by way of a dental career that won him prominence second oral surgeon in South Carolina. Practice Productivity Inc., Dental Practice Division, based in Atlanta, Georgia, is a man After five years as Republican Party chairman in agement consulting firm which offers educational and motivational workshops in business in his profession. concepts to dentists and their dental staffs; and provides in-depth consulting to dentists in private He was born to a Mississippi lawyer who was a Charleston, he was elected to the South Carolina Sen practice. former member of the U.S. House of Representives, ate in 1972. In the middle of a four-year term, he and enjoyed success as an investment banker, an in defeated General William Westmoreland, who had at NEW APPROACHES TO COLLECTIONS Dentist, Lawyer, Indian Chief ... tained considerable stature as American commander The Statement Showdown ... Goodbye Monthly Billings? ... Fixed-Fee Collections surance agent, and shoe salesman before settling down Firms to a career as a dentist, a career that led him to the in Vietnam, in the Republican primary in 1974 and governor's chair. went on to win election as governor that November. By law, he too, was limited to a single term. DENTIST, LAWYER, the best machine for your needs: one that provides The governor's chair did not come easily to him. clean, neat copies. He was a Republican in a state that had elected If your statements are handwritten, make certain The Perpich Brothers INDIAN CHIEF Democrats for 50 years before him. they are done with care. Also, be sure to itemize serv When do the lawyer and Indian chief come before Three opponents challenged his nomination in a It seems that it was inevitable that a dentist by the ices rendered. Handwritten statements that are sloppy name of Rudolph G. Perpich would become the gov the dentist? When it comes to being paid. primary to pick the G.O.P. gubernatorial nominee in or barely legible are not competitive. Neither are ernor of Minnesota. 1970. At age 43, he was elected in November 1970, We realize that late payments are no joking matter, statements that only indicate the total balance due. by receiving 52 percent of a record million votes cast There were three dentists by that name, all broth but what many dentists don't realize is that consumers Although it's better than handwriting, typing is not by Tennesseeans, as the first Republican governor in ers, all serving in the Minnesota State Senate. are becoming more aware, and even being told, that foolproof. Get a good electric typewritter and prepare half a century. Fate tapped the oldest, Rudy Perpich, for the their dental bills can be moved to the bottom of the a professional looking statement that includes itemiza A Constitutional provision limited him to one four honor, a few days after Christmas, 1976. pile with no negative reaction. A Family Circle article tion of - to repeat - services. year term as governor, from 1971 to 1975. At 48, his inauguration capped one of those it (2/ 1/79) defined nine types of household bills and So bring out your best guns and make your shots Dr. Dunn-former Governor Dunn-was born and could-happen-only-in-America success stories. the order in which they should be paid. (If you're count. Make your patient statements competitive. raised in Meridian, Mississippi, aspiring in high school In a moving and emotional inaugural address, on having trouble guessing who was number nine, here's You'll probably come out a winner. to follow his father's footsteps as a lawyer. But iron December 29, 1976, he told the people of Minnesota: a hint - it wasn't the butcher, baker or candlestick ically, his father recommended a career in dentistry, "Forty-three years ago I entered the kindergarten maker!) instead. in a small school on Minnesota's Iron Range. At that Why did this popular publication advise its readers His undergraduate years were focused on the law, time the nation was in the grip of the great depression. to pay their dental and medical bills after all others? Although the most common frequency of sending but after marriage to his college sweetheart he Millions were unemployed, many were ill-nourished Because, it said doctors don't charge interest, won't patient statements is monthly, some practices are find turned to dentistry. Upon graduation from the Univer or ill-housed and few had any real economic security. feed information to credit bureaus, and maintain, at ing a viable alternative. It's called cycle billing. sity of Tennessee College of Dentistry, he joined his As I entered class that day, my father was unemployed best, wishy-washy collection methods. The mailing of statements is done throughout the father-in-law, Dr. Frank Pritchard, in practice in and I spoke no English. And yet, today, I have taken While Practice Productivity doesn't advocate add month. Pre-determined dates are set aside for differ Memphis. the oath of office as the 34th Governor of Minnesota. ing interest to monthly statements we do recommend ent segments of the patient file. He entered politics in 1962, ran unsuccessfully for defining and adhering to a firm collection policy, and Practices, particularly larger ones, find that (a) the state legislature that year, and became Republican the use of competitive statements. statements are mailed sooner; (b) employees who county chairman for two terms. Two years later he mail statements have more evenly distributed work won the gubernatorial race. THE STATEMENT SHOWDOWN loads; (c) any downturns in the local economy are realized a few weeks sooner than those practices which The Dentist Who Beat a General And, believe it or not, the appearance of your pa have monthly billing cycles. Dentistry was not in the plans of 16-year-old James tient statement can make you a loser in the constant The adoption of cycle billing is sometimes met B. Edwards, a self-described "mediocre student," battle to collect. Unless you collect at the time of with employee resistance. Disgruntled employees feel when he graduated from high school in 1944. Like service, you're in direct competition with some for that their work is never caught IIp. Others maintain many boys with no firm conviction about their future, midable opponents. the new system does not fit into their daily work he took to the sea and for the last year of World War After a family is housed, fed, and provided trans schedule. II, helped ferry American troops across the Atlantic. portation, income is distributed among bank, depart With cycle billing, different letters of the alphabet The "sea" ultimately supported his decision for den ment store, credit card, entertainment, dental, medi corresponding to the first letter of the patient's last tistry, for it provided the "scarce" dollars for studies cal, and other obligations. Many in this group charge name-are billed on a specific date each month. at the College of Charleston, S.C. interest on unpaid balances, encouraging quicker pay For example, A through D is mailed on the 8th of Dentistry was the "family profession"-a brother, ment. The statements usually are printed by computer, each month; E through L on the 14th; and so on. The an uncle, a cousin, all were dentists-but it almost with purchases itemized, and are crisp and business balance for collection is taken from the previous 30 refused him. The fierce competition among war vet like. days services. Any previously existing balances are erans after World War II for places in dental school And then there's the dentist's bill. Many are photo also included. denied him admission on his first try. The "sea" that copies of the patient's ledger card. They are often To make a cycle billing system work better for your saved him after high school, "saved" him again after "WHAT WORRIES ME IS THAT HE'S OLD ENOUGH TO YOTE!" smudgy, too dark, or too light. If you photocopy, buy dental office, consider the following suggestions:

4 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 13 Hypertension their families to determine if any of their relatives have This could not happen in many parts of the world." A toothache, strangely enough, put him on the path had heart attacks or strokes. (Continued from Page 11) Rudolph G. Perpich was one of three sons of Mary to both careers. program. Because there are no symptoms of hyperten The ten schools will serve as "demonstration sites" and Anton Perpich, immigrants from Croatia. The The pain of an extraction as a seven-year old pro sion, "we focus on the effects of hypertension such as this year, said Dr. Howell, who developed the curriculum fourth and youngest became a psychiatrist-attorney, duced the determination to be a dentist, and it was heart attacks and strokes," said Dr. Howell. The children in cooperation with the Virginia State Department of practicing in Connecticut. recognition as a dentist that delivered him to the ex will study the cardiovascular system and how the heart Health and the American Heart Association in Virginia. Brother Tony, 46, is a dentist in Eveleth, Minne ecutive mansion of the idyllic Pacific isle that aspires He hopes, however, that the curriculum will become a and vessels work from models of the human body, and sota, and a former state senator; brother George, 43, to American statehood. they will learn what they can do in their daily routines model for the state. is a dentist practicing in Chisholm, Minnesota, and to reduce their chances of developing hypertension. To help determine the effectiveness of the program, As a boy, he learned that preventive and corrective a three-term member of the State Senate. Brother Joe, measures could avoid pain. According to Dr. Howell, the course stresses the effects Dr. Howell said a "knowledge and attitude test" will be 35, is the psychiatrist-attorney. of smoking, salt intake and cholesterol and encourages given not only to the sixth grade students but also to As a man, he found that the same applied to gov Rudolph Perpich practiced dentistry in Hibbings, the children to examine the history of hypertension in their parents and teachers. ernment: preventive and corrective measures carefully after receiving his dental degree in 1954 from Mar planned and efficiently applied could avoid the suf quette University School of Dentistry. fering of neglect. A two-term member of the Hibbings School Board, RESEARCH: the bureaucratic wa~ he was elected to the Minnesota State Senate in 1962, Dr. Camacho was in office as the Governor of reelected in 1966, and, in 1974, was elected lieutenant Guam when the decade of the 70's began, appointed Research is science's lifeblood. -$57,800 to do a study of the body measurements governor with Governor Wendell R. Anderson. to that office on May 6, 1969, by then President Rich On the way to graduation - and after - dentists of airlines' stewardess trainees, to design "safety The election of Minnesota Senator Walter Mondale ard M. Nixon. have suffered the agony and anguish of many research equipment." The 103-page report, dealing with 79 to the vice presidency, under President Jimmy Carter, A native of Guam, he suffered through 32 months projects in and out of the laboratory. measurements, did not note how many 37-24-37's left a Senate vacancy that was filled by the appoint of enemy occupation in World War II before he had For them, research and its conclusions have been were among the measured, but did include the meas ment of Anderson to that post. Anderson's resigna the opportunity after the end of the war to come to a valuable support of their profession. urements of " ... the skinfold of the upper arm and tion as governor gave that office to Dr. Perpich, who the mainland for studies. He attended Aquinas Col The federal bureaucracy has its own thoughts on the posterior calf; the vertical height of the sphyrion; was defeated for governor in November 1978. lege in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and received his research. the popliteal length of the buttocks; the transverse dis dental degree from Marquette University School of Over the years there have been many uniquely dis tance between the centers of the anterior superior iliac Guam's Dentist-Governor Dentistry. spines; the knee to knee breadth while sitting; the tinctive research projects commissioned by the many The first of the dental governors of the 1970's was The 1970's saw more dentists serve as governors maximum horizontal width of the jaw across the go federal agencies. Carlos Garcia Camacho, Governor of Guam. of American states than in any previous decade. Some of them have earned special awards, such as nial angles" and, yes, the height of the nose. "The Golden Fleece" award of Senator William Prox -$500,000 to find out how and why and when mire, who recognizes them for - as he puts it - be monkeys, rats, and humans bite and clench their jaws. III DENTIST LEGISLATORS AND MAYORS ing "the biggest, most ridiculous or most ironic ex (Who knows about monkeys and rats, but people do In addition to State houses, dentists have served butions, from whom they were received and how they ample of wasting federal tax dollars." it when they get mad.) were spent. -$89,000 to produce a dictionary of Tzotzil, an at the head of this country's most important-and Here are a few, culled from a long list of such This act, in 1974, has been the forerunner of state obscure and unwritten Mayan language spoken by progressive-municipalities. awards: and federal legislation requiring such disclosure by 120,000 corn-farming peasants in Southern Mexico. Success in lower level government offices has often -$46,000 to find out how long it takes to cook political candidates. -$2,500 to find out why people are rude, cheat, catapulted them into positions of greater governmental breakfast. Using Time Measurement Units (TMU) responsibility. Dr. Granberry'S efforts on behalf of Lubbock, a which it arbitrarily set at 0.036 second, it figures it and lie on the local tennis court when they play this Texas city of 150,000, won statewide attention for game of "love .. ." In Georgia, John Savage, D.D.S., a highly effective takes 838 TMUs to fry an egg in a skillet; 1,222 member of the State Legislature, was nominated for him and victory in the Republican primary for the -$225,000 on a report to forecast transportation TMUs to come up with a 6-ounce order of hash; 860 the office of lieutenant governor. He startled the politi needs in the year 2025 under four different "scen TMUs for French toast - and for the French toast, cal pundits when he made abolition of the office he arios": (1) where the United States undergoes an Ice 22 TMUs to get the egg and 15 TMUs to break it sought a major issue of the campaign. POLITICAL CONTRIBUTIONS Age; (2) becomes a dictatorship; (3) is transformed against the bowl. (Take heart, a similar study is In Texas, the eyes of that great state were turned AND LEGISLATIVE INVOLVEMENTS into a hippy culture; or (4) blossoms into a society planned for lunch and dinner.) to Dr. James Granberry, an orthodontist, because of The 1977 S'ur l'ey oj Denri.HS conducted b the which the authors call "the American dream." -$27,000 to find out why inmates want to escape his success as mayor of Lubbock. Dr. Granberry's merican Dental " O':la tlOn re" eals intere5ting prison. The finding : "The increase in predictability -$6,025 film project that features taking movies Lubbock performance propelled him into state poli s t a tl~tlcs about the politi al contn butlons and lcg of escape from R=.64 when secondary variables are of crepe paper and burning gases thrown out of an l ~ln tlve 1m Ivement t dent! ts tics and, as a result, he won the Republican statewide Nearly hal f of thc survey respondents contribute used singly and R=.61 when questionnaire variables airplane. primary for nomination for governor. are used singly to R=.77 when both are used co -A $97,500 grant to study behavior and social to their ~t a te dental p liti 'al altlon committee. Neither Dr. Savage nor Dr. Granberry won the Contnbutl om also var' n:gl na Ll) De n tl ~ ts m jointly, empirically demonstrates that escape is asso relationships in a Peruvian brothel (by a researcher statewide office, but left an indelible mark on their the \'\'e~t . outh Cent ral aled (wh ic h include. ciated with both static and dynamic factors." who had just written a book on how to win academic states' political scene. Oklahoma. Texas, Arll.an ~ , and I.ouhiana ). are -To measure human aggression by timing, how and grantsmanship games). Among the articles pro Dr. Savage served two terms in the Georgia State by far the most Itkcly to contribute. With 66 per long a motorist stalled at a stop light takes to honk duced by the research project: "Aymara-Quechua Legislature, and one of the most important pieces of c nt ontributtn g as ompared to the n,\llO nnl aver his horn when he sees a pretty girl provocatively Relations in Puno" and "Inequality in the Peruvian legislation he sponsored authorized the fluoridation of age of 495 pe r ent. ContributJ ns drop to 30 dressed crossing the street, when the same girl crosses Andes, Class and Ethnicity in Cuzco." Georgia's water system. Georgia was the first South p rcent m the New Engl.md rea. the street wearing an outlandish clown mask, and, -$220,000 to study motorists' attitudes toward ern State to take such action. Dentisl 10 the hi 'hc&t c( ntnbuttng region are a l ~ o the most actlvc in ontacting their legislator; later on, when she hobbles across on crutches with a large trucks in which the researcher was expected He became the first candidate for statewide office r gardlll g dental I ue . bandaged leg. (Continued on Page 16) in Georgia to volunteer to disclose campaign contri-

12 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 5 gubernator,ial nomination, no mean feat in a tradi and his master of science degree in oral surgery from ample, a Lionel Blue Comet set of trains that sold for to offset the chaotic life around us and the ego satis tional Southern State, which is now electing Republi Northwestern University Dental School in 1951. He seven dollars in 1935 is now worth about $2,300. A faction of possessing something that others may desire cans to statewide offices. has had offices in Arlington, Illinois, and practiced in wind-up Mickey Mouse toy that cost just a few dollars and admire. An Air Force veteran of the Korean War, he Elgin for a quarter-century. He serves as a guest lec can bring in $3,000, while a turn-of-the century Fa Of course, there is no accounting for the taste of worked part time for the local newspaper as a staff turer of postgraduate oral surgery at Loyola Univer berge egg from Russia is worth $220,000. Old coins a collector - why one individual collects corkscrews writer while attending Tyler Junior College as a pre sity of Chicago School of Dentistry. and stamps bring in tens of thomands of dollars and and another pokes around a flea market and country dental student. He was graduated with honors from Typical of the demands government office puts on in the world of art and antiques, hundreds of thou store in search of cups and saucers. Dentists are no Baylor University College of Dentistry, opened prac a practicing dentist is the schedule of Dr. Anthony M. sands. A Chippendale chest of drawers went for exception as far as the pursuit of collectibles. Many tice in Lubbock in 1961. Three years later he was Villane. $135,000 last year and the Gutenberg Bible changed of them collect antiques, art, old dental instruments, credited with having one of the largest orthodontic He practices dentistry in Eatontown, New Jersey hands for $1,800,000. For the average collector these stamps, coins - and one we know collected butter practices in the state. and serves as a member of the State Legislature in transactions are merely part of a fanciful dream. Yet, flies. In some way the things we collect for the joy of An active involvement in community-Chamber Trenton, a 75-minute drive from his office. profits can be made with collectibles if one makes a collecting are a reflection not only of our personalities of Commerce, United Fund, symphony orchestra, Monday and Thursday, he sits in the State Legisla study of the items desired and keeps abreast of the but also of our life experiences and contacts, it is part traffic commission-led to election to the City Coun ture, for five to six months a year. market, the supply and demand. Conforming to Isaac of our life style. cil and then to the mayoralty. Success in the office And when he is not attending commission or com Newton's principle, whatever goes up comes down, was remarkable and his leadership after the disastrous mittee meetings, testifying on behalf of legislation he and prices on collectibles are no exception. Some May 1970 tornado won presidential commendation, sponsors or supports, and the political and social func paintings and antique furniture have dropped drastic Children Study Hypertension world attention, and ultimately a call to bid for state tions obliged by his office, he practices dentistry. ally in value the past few years. Timepieces and old wide office as governor. He does "legislative business" in his dental office Hypertension, a key factor in heart disease, will be stringed instruments dipped about 30 percent since the subject of an experimental program for sixth graders A highlight of his career-professional and politi with his dental patients. 1975. Then there is always the danger of being taken in ten Virginia schools this year, the Health Insurance cal-was the receipt in 1971 of the American Aca Away from the harried halls of the State Legisla in by fakes if one is not astute or knowledgeable. Ac Institute reports. demy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award, inscrib ture, colleagues come to him for treatment, which, he cording to John Peterson in his book Investment for Dr. Keith Howell, assistant professor of health edu ing his name alongside of John Wayne, Bob Hope, says, "Gives me an extremely welcome opportunity Pleasure and Profit, the best way to make money on cation at the University of Virginia and program-founder, James Michener, and Helen Keller. to talk about problems of mutual concern. I find that collectibles is to "know more about the item than told the Institute that the eight-day curriculum on hyper State legislatures have offered many dentists oppor we can talk more easily about the very real and clear other people." To the serious investor, collecting is no tension was developed in an "attempt to deal with tunity for service. needs of the people of the state, without partisan or longer a hobby but a business. He must study, take (disease) prevention at an early age and encourage self One of the most successful has been Dr. Bruce L. political considerations intruding." courses, attend auctions and lectures and shop at mu responsibility for health care." Douglas, professor of community dentistry and pre He laughingly adds: "I sometimes think that the leg seums and flea markets to increase his expertise. The Sixth graders were selected, he said, because "studies ventive medicine at the University of Illinois College islators who come to my office do so as much from show that children at this age are more likely than amateur is often lulled into the so-called "market younger children to follow instructions and benefit from of Dentistry. their need to talk to a colleague in a less frantic set value" of a collectible, as if the prices quoted in a cata the course." One publication called him "the most educated ting as they do for dental work." logue or magazine are the g:ospel. The true value of The children will learn how to use the sphygmomano legislator" in Illinois. It said: "Dr. Douglas may well It also helps to have a chairside assistant who dou any item is not the quoted asking price but rather the meter and stethoscope in measuring each other's blood be the most 'educated' state legislator. A product of bles as the administrator of Dr. Villane's legislative actual cash a ready buyer has to offer. For example, pressure. They will also be able to take the equipment Princeton and N.Y.D. College of Dentistry, he also office, which occupies a cluttered room in his dental some stamps may be catalogued for $300 - but the home. The program, said Dr. Howell, is intended not only holds an M.A. (education), M.S. (oral surgery) and office on the edge of the downtown business area of true test of the value of that stamp lies in finding the to teach children basic health knowledge they can use the M.P.H. He earned a Professional Diploma (higher Eatontown. buyer who will give you $300. A few years ago, beauti rest of their lives, but also to teach their parents. "The education) and Teaching Certificate (high school "Sometimes," Dr. Villane says, "she can provide ful engraved silver ingots were sold in sets for around school is one mechanism to get to the community," he science) ." He went to Japan as a Fulbright profes that extra little bit of convincing a legislator may need $250 - with a forecast of good profits in future sales. said. sor, served as a consultant to the World Health Or about something while she's assisting me." Recently, a woman who had purchased a number of Learning to take blood pressure is just one facet of the (Continued on Page 12) ganization and to the Illinois Department of Health, REFERENCES these sets as a means of investment in savings tried and is considered an authority on hospital dentistry. Go, Janet G. "Meet the Governor." CAL 32:22-4. March, to sell them. The most she was able to get was the He earned the coveted William J. Gies Award, 1970. value of the silver at a loss of about $200 per set. presented annually by the American Association of Ruby, Glenda & Lavidge. "The Governor is a Dentist." Codesco Communicator, 1 :4-6. Winter, 1971. Collecting for Pleasure Inflation fighter Dental Editors for the best editorial contribution to Drier, David L. "Governor James B. Edwards." JADA dental literature. 92:505-8. Since there are many collectors who do not antici How do big-city families cope with inflation? L. Dreier, David L. "Dentists make leadership contributions as pate a profit from their collections, why do they per In the main, they cut down on their food bills. Dr. Richard Verbick, an oral surgeon in Elgin, Governors: Winfield Dunn and James B. Edwards." JADA Illinois, has the choice of being called doctor, council 92:502-3,8. March 1976. sist in this pastime? For this vast majority of collec That, at least, was the most popular method man, mayor, and almost Congressman. "Dr. Rudy Perpich Installed as Governor of Minnesota." tors there is the thrill of the hunt and the discovery of a being u ed by residents of New York City, De Northwest Dentistry 56 :A-19. Jan.-Feb. 1977. missing long-sought-after item; the exhilaration of the troit, Atlanta and San Franci' co, according to a He entered the political arena as an appointee to "Meet John Savage, D.D.S. Georgia Dentist Running for the Elgin City Council in 1972, ran for a four-year Lieutenant Governor." CAL 37:21. June 1974. completion of a collection; and the simple pleasure of four-city survey. Harrell, DeLinda & Lynch, Etta. "Multi-faceted James admiring one's acquisition amassed through the years. The Center for the Study of Metropolitan term the following year, won overwhelmingly, and Granberry DDS." CAL 37:4-9. July 1973. then ran for mayor the following year, beating the "Portrait of a dental educator: Dr. Bruce Douglas' Commit The pleasure is further increased when one is able to Problems. which conducted the study, said the incumbent by a wide margin. Finally-or perhaps not ment to Public Service." Dental Student 49:31. May 1971. display that collection for the admiring eyes of others. second mo' t used tactic was to try to work more. Brophy, James M. "Oral Surgeon Serves as Elgin Mayor." According to the Center, over a third of the finally - he lost a primary Congressional race to a Illinois Dental Journal 45:506-7. October 1976. Psychologists say that one of the reasons for the popu long-time Republican incumbent. Brophy, James M. "Doctor, Councilman, Mayor, Congress larity of collecting is the sense of order one gets in families tried to raise their incomes by overtime work or, les frequently, by moonlighting or Dr. Verbic received his degree in dentistry from the man!" Illinois Dental Journal 47: 118-9. March 1978. keeping, mounting, cataloguing and compiling a col Golden, Carl R. "Here, sir, the people govern." CAL 43 : 10- ending an additional family member to work. University of Illinois College of Dentistry in 1950 13. May 1978. lection. There is also the sense of stability one gets

6 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 II IV POLITICS AT THE GRASS ROOTS by Roni Borden

"M y first plunge into local politics came when I felt a sudden surge of energy when I realized that the ran for the Board of Education in 1969. I not only polls had just opened, and had to rush down to the won, but I led the ticket, which, of course, increased polling place. Of course, at 1 p.m. I was back in my my appetite for politics," said Dr. Bernard G. Park, office, ready for my next patient." "a small-town dentist" (Colchester, Connecticut, pop And though his deep involvement in politics has is the true hobbyist who collects things purely for the ulation, 7,000). caused some problems-he is out more evenings than COLLECTIMANIA pleasure of amassing a collection. However, with the Although Dr. Park's interest in politics dates back he is in, attending committee meetings, board meet by Marc Tyler rising market on just about everything, the hobbyist to the time he was president of his fraternity in the ings, finance meetings - he feels there are more pluses may also have his eye on eventually turning a profit University of Pennsylvania School of Dentistry, he What do cigar bands, beer cans, and shaving mugs but this is not his primary goal. than minuses. And the big plus is the effect his involve was afraid to get involved in town politics during the ment has had on his children. have in common with music boxes, vases, and old Those who seek collectibles purely as an investment early years of his practice. He thought that, as a pro "The kids (two girls and a boy, the oldest of whom dental instruments? On the surface it would appear are not about to hunt for shaving mugs or baseball fessional, he had to remain impartial - that joining is now a junior in high school) are extremely well that they have nothing in common, but actually they cards (although a Honus Wagner card, because only a party might antagonize some people and lead to are all collectibles - objects prized by a vast army 19 were printed, recently sold for over $3,000). They versed in every facet of the political process. They love some embarrassment. of hobbyists throughout the country known simply as are more likely to collect objects d'art, coins, antiques, to help out in campaigns, and particularly enjoy work "But I found out later that it just wasn't true," he "collectors." Now, more than ever before, it seems rugs, art, porcelain, etc. Bankers will advance money ing with me on election day, making phone calls to said. "In fact, at one political rally a woman who was that people will collect just about anything for fun, for on these items as collateral but even if you have a party members who have not voted, running lists back my patient turned to me and said, 'You're here! That's profit, or just for the pleasure of collecting. "Collecti "friend" at Chase Manhattan don't expect to get a dol and forth, and so forth. But more than that, they have nice!' Only a few words, but it made me feel it was mania" is indeed sweeping the nation. You name it lar for your collection of cigar bands. You will also come to see the importance of involvement, and, in important for me to be active in the town." and someone somewhere is saving it, wants to sell it, find stamp collectors in this group of investors, for the their own lives and on their own levels, they, too, are buy it, or trade for it. It is difficult to account for the value of stamps has been rising at a steady rate of 20 It is Dr. Park's idealism that keeps him politically actively involved." surge of collectors in any single aspect of our life style percent each year. Yet, most philatelists save stamps involved. "I watch the candidates and I see a great Would Dr. Park recommend political involvement in the seventies. However, authorities in the field attri for the pure enjoyment of it. The majority of these number of reasons for running, some good and some for other dentists? "Absolutely. Not only do I recom bute the rising demand for collectibles to our affluence, collectors are specialists aiming for complete collec not so good. But in the structure of our democracy, mend it, but I feel it is incumbent upon the people who inflation, increased leisure time, with more people re tions (rarely obtained) according to countries, or such where constitutionally everyone has a right to do all live in a town and who practice a profession in that tired or semi-retired at an early age, and the general topics as medicine, dentistry, art, science, flags, these things, people are elected and given positions town to be active there. One of the worst things a prac increase in the price of just about everything plus the bridges, animals, sports, etc. of authority for which they are unprepared and un titioner can do is to cut himself off from people." fear that prices will go even higher. Add to this nos Making money on an investment in collectibles is a concerned." talgia. For during times of economic stress people matter of supply and demand. Something that is rare It is easy to get involved in the political structure, So Dr. Park considers it important to unseat or to tend to yearn for the "good old days" and it is this or that has changed radically or has suddenly come according to Dr. Park. Just join a board, a commis prevent the election of people who run for the wrong feeling of nostalgia that leads people to collect memen into fashion can bring unbelievable profits. For ex- sion or a town committee - any group where towns reasons, or who lack the capacity for the job. In line tos of a bygone era. people are given a say in how to run some aspect of with his convictions, he has devoted a lot of his en What are collectibles? They are dolls, door knobs, the town. And Dr. Park believes that politics is an ergy during the past few years to unseating people he napkin rings, spoons, thimbles, stamps, coins, match especially good field for dentists to get involved in, considers to be party hacks. box covers, posters, cups and saucers, pewterware, partly because the credibility rating of dentists is so corkscrews, old photographs, Indian relics, postcards, In addition to working towards improving the cali high - people do tend to listen to what they have to cameras, books, magazines, porcelain, pens, pencils, bre of the Democratic Town Committee, of which he say - and partly because the dentists can arrange his costumes, sculpture, art, campaign buttons, license is an active member, he is also chairman of the Board involvement to suit his personality, since political ac plates, Civil War paraphernalia, cookie cutters, sheet of Education. Moreover, during this recent election tivity can be direct or indirect. music, autographs, playing cards, glassware, lamps, he was Colchester Coordinator for Ella Grasso, in Dr. Park has no ambitions toward elective office, weather vanes, tobacco cans, comic books, bathtubs cumbent governor who ran for re-election, and cam although four years ago he did have an opportunity to and even pieces of barbed wire - plus hundreds of paign manager for a candidate for the State Senate. get his party's nomination for the State Legislature. other assorted items that would interest people be And he plans to continue seeking the opportunity to His goal is to remain active and involved in local poli cause they are old, beautiful, or a hedge against infla represent his town at state conventions and Presiden tics in order to make his town as close to ideal as he tion. Collectibles are as varied as an individual's tastes tial primaries, which he has done in the past. and interests. can. Politics is a source of never-ending fascination for Dr. Park concluded by saying: "The nicest feeling Dr. Park. "I want to be there at the opening moment Collecting for Profit comes when I can see some positive changes that have of any election, and if TV covered the setting out of Basically there are two types of collectors. One is come about as a direct result of my activity." primarily interested in collectibles for profit. He may the chairs for political conventions, I would watch or may not be interested in the item itself, but he is "THEY WERE DYING AT HOME, SO I BROUGHT that! I clearly remember the first election in which I Victoria Drive interested in it for the money he can make. The second THEM DOWN HERE FOR THE HOT AIR." was involved. I finished with a patient at 12 noon, Colchester, Ct. 06415

10 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 7 Part X of A Pictorial History of Dentistry ItTJ ' J I 1 T i:'F l' ll

Dentistry In• the 18th Century .":~,~-- -. L _ ,. Caricaturist Thomas Rowlandson's copperplate "Mineral Teeth. "

- No.2 vened. For the people of Paris the Frech Revolution was certainly a more important event than the inven by Curt Proskauer, D.M.D. Like so many other things in this world, porcelain tion of porcelain teeth. Interest in De Chemant's teeth owe their invention partly to chance. A French incorruptible teeth dwindled. He lustily rolled the apothecary named Duchateau wore a denture made drums of publicity, but few attended. In an effort to of the usual hippopotamus ivory. He was annoyed as well by their form and colour as by the portions of In addition to his porcelain teeth, De Chemant capitalize on his find, he emigrated to England and by the discoloration and odor of his denture, which artificial gums which support them, and to which devised a new kind of spring: "The whole sets are met with great success. On May II, 1791, the Patent grew worse every day. This was the year 1774. An M. Dubois De Chemant also gives a very great like put in motion by means of springs which are very Office of Great Britain granted a patent for his "com idea struck him: some inorganic material should be ness to natural gums. But what merits for them a different from those used heretofore, and which not position for making artificial teeth, either single, used, since organic matter has so many disadvan considerable preference beyond all those which have only separate the parts when the jaws are distended, double, or in rows, or in compleate setts." tages. He lived near Versailles, in the little town of been composed hitherto, is, that they are of a hard but also allow the side motions." On the plates in The famous London caricaturist Thomas Row Saint-German-en-Laye, a spot that happened to be substance, upon which the saliva and the particles Fauchard's work we saw that the springs used at the landson (1756-1827) engraved and colored a copper very close to the world-famous porcelain manufactory of food which remain in the mouth have no effect; time were narrow elastic metal bands, bent in form plate entitled Mineral Teeth, wherein "Monsier De of Sevres. It is quite possible that this proximity in whereas the others, made of animal substances, and of a U between the ends of the two dentures so that Charmont from Paris" is represented. A handbill spired him with the idea of making teeth out of the little resembling natural teeth, are easily spoiled, the latter were automatically pressed against the fastened to a wall announces that he "enjois to affix same material as dishes, cups, and soup tureens, for acquire a dirty colour, and contract a smell as offen upper and lower jaws on the opening and closing of from one tooth to a whole set without pain. Mon household utensils come in contact with food and sive as it is prejudicial to the health." the mouth. But since these metal bands were flexible sieur D. can also affix an artificial Palate or a glass fluids, hot and cold, much as do artificial dentures, only vertically, the dentures also could move only Eye in a manner peculiar to himself he also distills and without causing any fetid odor. vertically, "which caused a disagreeable and incon .. . " The Monsier De Charmont whose manifold There are various stories about his endeavors to venient resistance in the different motions of the talents are thus extolled is doubtless the Parisian produce a porcelain denture. The most plausible mouth." De Chemant's newly invented springs for dentist Dubois De Chemant. This copperplate may version is that he approached a porcelain manufac fastening whole sets of teeth were made of "gold of be regarded as a realistic satirical take-off on a cer turer, one of the many in the region, who agreed to a certain purity, made into wire of the required tain method of dental treatment that was attracting reproduce his ivory denture in porcelain. But since strength." They were both flexible and solid, having wide attention at the time. Rowlandson was an artist no allowance had been made for shrinkage of the "a rotary motion which artists had not before been inclined to portray the follies and foibles of his fel porcelain, and neither party was experienced at mak able to give them, and there is nothing complicated lowmen; he enjoyed ridiculing the social manners ing artificial dentures, the replica did not fit. Duch in their contrivance, for their extreme simplicity and crudities, the fashionable stupidities of his era. ateau realized that he must contact an expert; he enables everybody to be able to fix them." In this cartoon he reduces to absurdity the whole confided both his idea and his troubles to the well In June 1791 De Chemant obtained letters patent idea of porcelain teeth, applying his powers of keen known Parisian surgeon and dentist, Dubois De from King Louis XVI for the exclusive manufacture observation and his talent for pointing up the comic Chemant. This fox grabbed Duchateau's ingenious and sale of his "incorruptible and odourless teeth aspects of a situation by exaggeration. This satirical lOea, experimented with several substances variously and dentures of mineral paste" for a period of fifteen portrayal is at once a valuable contribution to our mixed, and finally succeeded in producing porcelain years. knowledge of the history of dentistry and an inter dentures fit for use. Thereupon he unscrupulously He did not enjoy his stolen glory for long in Paris, esting revelation of contemporary opinion of a den pushed aside the true originator and this extremely however. The cheated Duchateau and some of the tal fad. The artist enables us to consider the stylish important invention slipped out of Duchateau's most eminent Paris dentists, among them Dubois treatment not with the eyes of the professional den hands. Fifteen years later, in 1789, De Chern ant pre Foucou, dentist to the King and later to Napoleon, tist but with the eyes of the lay public. Such a carica sented his artificial "teeth and sets of teeth of the brought a legal action against De Chemant; they ture is almost a documentary record of contemporary new composition" to the Royal Academy of Sciences, charged that he was not the inventor of the porcelain evaluation of a dental achievement. which entirely approved and said of his invention: "In additian ta his porcelain teeth, De Chemant devised a new kind denture and demanded that the letters patent be " ... those teeth and sets very nearly imitate nature, of spring .... " withdrawn. They lost the lawsuit, but fate inter- (Installmen t XI next month)

8 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 TIC, NOVEMBER, 1979 9