The Excruciating History of Dentistry: Toothsome Tales and Oral Oddities from Babylon to Braces By James Wynbrandt (review)

in strict chronological order, but follows his life fairly well from beginning to end, mentioning many of his scientific interests. There is some attempt to understand why such a capable scientist is not more highly recognized today for his many contributions to our knowledge base. This book is well worth reading—especially if you wish to be a posthumously recognized biologist. Francis H. Straus, II University of Chicago The Excruciating History ofDentistry: Toothsome Tales and Oral Odditiesfrom Babylon to Braces. By James Wynbrandt. New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998. Pp. 248. $24. As a practicing dentist for close to 20 years, I had definite concern when asked to review The Excrudating History ofDentistry. As a medical colleague dropped the book off at my office, he had that broad smile and departed with a smirk. Such gestures often come with each patient, as they bring their stories or tales of woes and or about experiences from another lifetime. This book reflects that smirk; it is comprised of anecdotal stories mixed throughout dentistry's history. The subtide "Toothsome Tales of Oral Oddities from Babylon to Braces" is a little less harsh to my palate and truly describes this text. James Wynbrandt has done his homework. He begins with dentistry in the Ancient world, and follows through the past eight to 10 centuries of cures and treatments for dental maladies. We start with physicians smoking worms out of teeth in 2250 BC and proceed along a variety of pre-medieval remedies. These include bloodletting (as our medical colleagues practiced similarly); theJapanese practice of cauterizing tissues by igniting a moxa plant; and numerous remedies for toothache, including the use of wads of cotton and wool, or the remedy of arsenic pills or various pastes placed in the opposite nostril. Yes—I'm thinking dentistry has made a few improvements over the last thousand years. As we proceed, the book is full of accurate stories about numerous historical figures and their relationship with the field of dentistry. Aristotle and Hippocrates thought men had more teeth than women, and Avicenna, a leader in the medical field, supported the toothworm theory. The big breakthrough in dentistry occurred in 1729, when patients were asked by a Dr. Fauchard to sit in a chair rather than on the floor. Dr. Fauchard advanced dentistry with new instruments: the pincers, the gum lancet, the punch, the lever, the pelican, and similar instruments are used today, witìi a few alterations. He too had special concoctions, which utilized many ingredients from the poisonous pyrethrum root to various opiates (the opiates were essential in that time period) . A significant portion of this book is devoted to the time period from 1700 to 1900, and stories are both numerous and humorous. Take the famed Paul Revere, a rider in evening and a dentist during the day. George Washington had so many dental problems that he had a choice of his favorite dentists—and you have to read this book to find out the common African animals utilized in our first president's dentition. Would a trip to the local tooth drawer be complete without leeches placed on one's inflamed gums? (This practice continued through the early part 144 Book Reviews of this century.) Painless Parker the advent of commercialism, and quackery are all apart of the glorious past of this profession. Given that the history of dentistry may not be on anyone's Top 10 list, Wynbrandt creatively writes a book that provides details about the history of the profession mixed widi anecdotes that allow the reader to whimsically browse through the pages. The evolution of dentistry is presented, and the reader gets a picture of the creativity and the crudeness of dentists, craftsman, tooth-drawers, barber-surgeons, and all others mentioned in this text. Topics such as mercury (silver fillings) and its health implications dating back hundreds of years or the first uses of implantology or transplantology may surprise the reader. Subchapters discussing fluoride, bacteria, X rays, cosmetic dentistry, and other current "hot" topics are all included, and they provide the reader with a basic, understanding of these areas. The historical presentation in Wynbrandt's text allows the reader to understand...