Brass Plate and Brazen Impudence

This study of the development of dental practice between 1755-1855 attempts to trace the factors and conditions that helped the occupation achieve professional status. It looks at the situation in the provinces since it is here that the factors forming the new profession are most apparent.

---

This study of the development of dental practice between 1755-1855 attempts to trace the factors and conditions that helped the occupation achieve professional status. It looks at the situation in the provinces since, in many respects, it is here that the difficulties encountering the new profession are most apparent. The book does not intend to be a complete picture of dentistry in this period, but readers are directed to the bibliography for details of the extensive literature on the scientific and social aspects of dentistry at the time. Throughout, "dentistry" is used in a specific sensae, conveying the meaning which led to the very coining of the word in the 18th century, namely the treatment of the teeth and oral tissues by preventative, restorative, prosthetic and surgical means. Although toothdrawers of many varieties feature in this study, they are not synonymous with the dentists who are the main subject of this work.