FEBRUARY 15th, 1883.

VOL. I.-No. 2.

Published by

Edited by

THE BUSINESS QUALIFICATIONS OF PROFESSIONAL MEN.

BY L. ASHLEY FAUGHT, D. D. S.

MUCH has been said and written to guide the young professional, (and we limit the term to those medically educated, i. e., Dentists and Physicians,) to successful practice. Of this dictum from those gone before much pertains to points of medical interest, and very little, if any, to business qualifications. The result of this status is exactly what any body might naturally expect. While many have reached more than fair, and not a few, envious positions as healers of the ills to which flesh is heir; those who have obtained comfortable subsistence for themselves and families can easily be enumerated; and the few who have secured a continuance of the same after their death, can be counted on the the fingers. It is thus an amply proven error to suppose that wealth always follows merit, even when industriously applied. It matters not what other elements may enter into the choice, every one that enters professional life selects it as other men choose other vocations, with the view of reaping pecuniary reward. Yet ere the first year wanes, and through the added ones, the fact that they are professional men with the view of making money is not kept pre-eminently prominent to themselves, as the chief actuating principle of their work. The desires which regulate their lives become arranged thus, their patient's

interests, honor, fame, friends, riches; rather than as would be infinitely more proper, riches, their patient's interests, honor, fame, friends. While the wants of suffering humanity, applying for the healer's art, should always be his highest immediate thought; he should never fail to feel that he himself, and those near and dear, are also human, and that a great responsibility rests upon him which must be discharged in providing for them. By the word "riches" I indicate one's own interests, and mean that which is enough for immediate wants, for it has been well said,-"He who has enough for his own immediate wants, who owes no man any thing, and is not fostering in his own heart a brood of extravagant desires, is comfortably rich." To attain this condition professional men should have, besides professional ability, business qualifications.

As a first requisite, then, professional men should studiously endeavor to acquire, what is termed in business circles, good address. "That rare quality so difficult to define or portray, and much more difficult to impart, but much more valuable than affluence, or the most commanding personal appearance." "A man's own manners commonly frame his fortune." Give careful obedience to all set rules of polite society, even to those which seem of so little weight that one might set them aside with propriety, and add to attention in this direction a calm, courteous, serene bearing under all circumstances and conditions. Be never

only let the mode of behavior be such as can give no possible offence, but even let it be conciliatory when needful; for a disposition to gratify and oblige others, whenever reasonable or possible, without a sacrifice of honor, is sure to command the esteem of the most intelligent. Thoughtful attention to the comforts of those whom business or pleasure brings into immediate contact has a value be

yond comparison. In all dealings conserve the principle of truthfulness. Nothing will so quickly mar the efficacy of address as the element of deceit. Professional men have no more right to lie than have others. The cloak of benefitting the patients by keeping them in ignorance is one, the falsity of which is sure to be made manifiest in distrust, loss of confidence, loss of patients, and final want of success. One is not always constrained or bound to speak, except when silence allows or leads another to make inferences that will work to his detriment; but when one does speak let it be the truth. To the anxious inquiry of patients, it is not only policy, but also duty to instruct them in the rationale of the treatment. One must remember that a charge is made for services rendered, and he is supposed to be familiar with his science, and he owes it to his patients to convince them that he is qualified and worthy of confidence. Let such instruction, however, be clear and concise, for 66 reason wrapped in few words is generally of greatest weight;" and let conversation while receiving and dismissing patients be strictly upon professional matters, and as closely as possible connected with the work in hand. Avoid all gossip, all reference to self, or to other cases in practice; and during active operating maintain a silence, devoting the undivided energies to the satisfactory accomplishment of that for which it is expected to receive a fee. In no

sense become familiar while in a professional capacity. Let outward demeanor be void of all stiffness, yet tacitly offer a bar that would check intrusive inquiry or action. The greater the respect patients have for the practitioner, the more willingly will they seek and accept service, and the more gratefully will they render that pecuniary return which is the acknowledgment of a favor conferred. Above all things keep one's own counsel as to the specific stages of an operation and their attendant result. If change should then be needful or occur in either, it will save making lengthy and often unsatisfactory explanations, and the action will be received as one of original anticipation and intent.

The position in which a business man opens his store has much to do with his success. It is not any the less important that the professional man ponder well the location of his office.

All successful business men have been pre-eminently distinguished for their intense and steady industry, so if a dentist would succeed he must give great application to his work. Having appointed office hours he should see to it that he is always there during them. It is well to be in our place even if we have nothing to do there but to passively await what may arise; never forgetting that if we have no positive engagement with any one individual, we have an implied engagement with the whole public; and should one of the community see fit to hold us to it, nothing would so rightly provoke him as upon calling to find that it had been forgotten. For instance, "Office hours from nine to four " is on the card. These hours have been voluntarily set. The hand of the clock points to five minutes of four, and as the dentist has patiently born confinement all the day, he feels that the last few minutes are of no

consequence, and departs. Some one calls just before the stroke of the hour,

and finds that he has apparently forgotten the implied engagement with him. It does not take long for the public to question, when inclined to call upon such for services, as to whether it is worth while, as ten chances to one they will find him out. When in the office, with no direct work in hand, application to something in the allied line of professional labor will bring great reward. It will keep one from stagnating; it will keep one bright, with the faculties all awake and ready for the next case when it appears.

Good business men always possess the power of attention. A good dentist needs to cultivate this quality, until he can force his mind upon one subject and keep it there, in spite of distracting surroundings, until he has accomplished his purpose. He should be able without fatigue to connect inference with inference through a long series to a set end; mastering all principles and bearings, all details and applications, letting nothing escape his observation which will contribute to a successful issue.

System is essential to all who would accomplish much with the greatest economy of time. In the first place have system in regard to memory. In placing things away in the store-house of knowledge arrange them in such order that they will not be in a snarl when wanted. It is not what a man knows, but what he can use on the instant, that will be his greatest aid in business and the standby in times of emergency. Some men know much, indeed are quite learned, are acquainted with all possible points of the matter in hand, but their knowledge is so illy arranged that it is utterly impossible for them to get at it, or to wield

it with power. Confusion, blundering

progress, and final failure, crown efforts of many who are well capable to be successful, except that they keep their mental furnishing in such disorder. It is not because they are unarmed, but because

they cannot get the sword in hand in time to wield the deadly thrust. The mind should have its facts, as the bobbins ready for the loom in a great weaving establishment; each thread, of every color and kind, neatly wound with the end fastened securely. When wanted, any one can be quickly selected, placed in the shuttle, and shuttle, and without knot, tangle, or snarl, woven smoothly and freely into the web. Next, have system in regard to work. "Have a place for everything and evrything in its place." Do nothing without plan and method, and never try to do a dozen things at once. He who catches at first one thing and then another, rarely succeeds in doing one well. It is easy to sneer at what is termed "red tape," but if it be judiciously used, it must contribute to success.

Be accurate in all transactions, "whatever is worth doing at all, is worth doing well." Every one recognizes that it is better to do one thing well, than to accomplish much in a slovenly way. The quality of being accurate is vital to the business man, and even more so to the professional. He who is inexact can have little hope of success, though he have every other essential quality.

Punctuality is a necessary virtue to the successful dentist. Nothing will so sap all confidence in you as to have the reputation of being always behind time. To be late is to waste the time of another, to be ahead of time, to waste your own. Punctuality consists in neither being early nor late, but on time. Keep a watch. Carefully regulate it, and then follow it. Meet appointments promptly. If promises, to be at a certain place at a given moment, have been made, be surely there as the hand points the hour. Of all things be punctual in the payment of promised moneys. How many men have been made bankrupt by customers delaying paying their notes and accounts.

Dispatch is another essential in pro

fessional life. This quality is not so vital as some we have mentioned, yet it gives a finish which will bring much profit. Train to do everything in the least possible time. Wait upon a patient with the same consistent speed, as though there was not a moment to spare, even when positively knowing that no one waits to fill the chair when empty. The highest skill is obtained in this way, and a confidence inspired, which will wield a strong influence over practice. The effect is to cause patients to feel that such a dentist has no time to waste, the inference being that he must be very busy. Peculiar

as it may seem, the overworked men in any profession are the men sought by the multitude. The reason for this is that the public recognize that a man in full running order is much more likely to serve them promptly and satisfactorily, than one who has to get up steam for the occasion.

There can be no success in any professional life without decision of character. He who is constantly thinking of the opinion his patients may entertain of this or that action, is one whose best efforts will be weak, vacillating, and short of the mark. Let us do whatever we do, because it is the best thing to do, and we know it to be right, regardless of for whom or to whom it is rendered. Victories and defeats in this world often turn on minutes, and there is nothing like promptness and firmness. Impress upon the patient that we are never wavering in our line of treatment, where we have formed an opinion of his case, and he will soon feel that the reason for our steady progression is a decision based upon knowledge. In times of great responsibility he is generally successful in treatment who grows cool in proportion as the patient grows scared. There are some professional men too, who never know what point they desire to reach in a line of treatment, and go on seeking

failure far past that at which they could have rested their labors with success. There are times also, when it is just as well, yea, infinitely better, to refuse a case than to attempt its cure. One must decide promptly in such matters, for it I will not do to first blow hot and then cold.

[TO BE CONTINUED.]

CARBOLIC ACID IN PULPITIS WITH EXPOSURE.

BY EDWARD C. KIRK, D.D.S.

PERHAPS no method of treating exposed pulps has given more satisfactory results than that introduced, I believe, by Dr. King, of Pittsburgh, which consists essentially of covering the point of exposure with a putty of zinc oxide and carbolic acid, and covering this with oxychloride, over which may be placed a facing of gold or alloy. A large number of exposed pulps have been saved in this way, even after they have ached for a time, which otherwise would have been sacrificed. That the successful results which follow this treatment must be due in greater part to the action of the carbolic acid cannot be doubted. With a view to obtaining further information as to its action upon pulp tissue, I made a series of experiments about two years ago to study its coagulating effect on albumen. Into several test tubes, each containing an equal bulk of albumen from the egg, was poured the same volume of carbolic acid of varying strengths. To the first tube was added the strongest liquid acid that could be obtained. To the second tube was added a somewhat diluted acid, and to the third a still weaker, and so on in like manner to the end of the series.

The result in the first tube was a dense, white coagulum, which formed as a thin layer between the surfaces of the two liquids.

This coagulum did not increase perceptibly in size after standing for several hours, showing that the action of the strong acid is self limited.

The coagula formed in the other tubes showed a regular gradation in volume and density as the acid was more diluted, that formed by the weaker solutions being soft and friable and without power to retain its form.

When carbolic acid is applied in full strength to an exposed pulp the pain is lessened, carbolic acid being a local anaesthetic, and a dense pellicle of coagulated tissue is formed, which acts as a protective coating to the pulp beneath, thus preventing any irritation from the capping material which is to follow.

This cap can be made of almost any non-conducting material, cemented in with oxychloride or oxyphosphate of zinc. Before the cement is inserted, however, the cavity should be painted with a resinous solution, such as Canada balsam in chloroform to prevent any irritation to the pulp from the free chloride of zinc before the cement has set.

Pulps can be treated in this manner, and the cavity closed at once without fear of subsequent inflammation from the action of the carbolic acid.

A property of carbolic acid which renders it especially applicable to the treatment of pulpitis is that the inflammation produced by its local application is reparative in character and always stops short of suppuration. It alters the character of a pus-exuding surface, causing it to take on a healthy inflammatory action, tending towards repair.

Dr. R J. Levis in his clinical lectures at Pennsylvania Hospital strongly advocates its use in the treatment of certain serous cysts. In such a condition, for instance, as hydrocele his plan is to evacuate the contents of the cyst through a canula, and chen inject through the same instrument, by means of a suitable syringe,

about two drachms of deliquesced crystals of carbolic acid, withdraw the canula and close the wound with a piece of adhesive plaster. A slight feeling of warmth but no pain follows the operation and there is no subsequent formation of pus. In these latter particulars it differs from tincture of iodine which always gives intense pain, is frequently followed by dangerous sloughing and always by an amount of inflammation sufficient to produce pus which must escape or be absorbed.

These facts and the experiments made with albumen tend to show that in certain cases of pulpitis with exposure strong carbolic acid is one of the best remedies at our command. When a patient presents an exposed and aching pulp for our treatment we have to deal with an inflamed tissue or organ, which inflammation does not differ in its essential characteristics from an inflammation in any other part of the body except in so far as it is modified by the peculiarities of its position and surroundings.

If we decide to make an effort to restore the pulp to a physiological condition by reducing the inflammation and capping, the use of strong carbolic acid is indicated. If the tooth has ached for some time it is more than likely that slight suppuration is taking place at the point of exposure. An application of carbolic acid corrects this condition at once as above indicated.

The question may arise, is not creosote equally good in such cases? The difficulty of obtaining a good article, uniform in quality and composition, and the fact that its coagulating power is inferior to strong carbolic acid would give the preference to the latter material although there may be but little, if any difference in the value of these two agents for disinfecting pulp canals both possessing antiseptic, and disinfecting qualities in a marked degree.