An appeal to parliament, the medical profession, and the public, on the present state of dental surgery / by George Waite.

  • Waite George Derby, 1804-1880.
Date:
1841
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: An appeal to parliament, the medical profession, and the public, on the present state of dental surgery / by George Waite. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh. The original may be consulted at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh.

    12/33 (page 11)
    It cannot be thought that I am indifferent to the respectability of our profession ; circumstances have for years connected my family with it. But however much I argue in favour of philosophy, 1 wish by no means to imply that a man of theo- retical acquirements can be compared, as an useful dentist, to one of practical experience. Theories are at all times attainable; but manual dexterity, pliability of finger, steadiness of hand, and other requisites, require tuition from an early period of life to attain ordinary perfection. As regards genius, the case stands the same as with all theories, where the fingers come into operation. The surgeon may theoretically know the distribution of every nerve and artery, but without manual dexterity, which experience alone can give, he never will be an efficient operator. He would never be a Brodie, a Cooper, or a Liston. Genius fostered by theories is invariably of tenfold value. With the conflicting ideas of dentistry which exist, it is not possible to discern where talent really is.