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Sindecuse Museum Artifacts Displayed at MDA s 150th Anniversary Celebration I think every dentist who will see these artifacts will appreciate what their predecessors had to work with one hundred or

I m sure they will also marvel at the beauty of many of these instruments and appreciate their craftsmanship. For more than a year, O Dell worked with Dr.

1 Sindecuse Museum Artifacts Displayed at MDA s 150th Anniversary Celebration I think every dentist who will see these artifacts will appreciate what their predecessors had to work with one hundred or more years ago, said Sindecuse Museum Curator Shannon O Dell as she prepared exhibit cases for the Michigan Dental Association s 150th anniversary celebration this spring. I m sure they will also marvel at the beauty of many of these instruments and appreciate their craftsmanship. For more than a year, O Dell worked with Dr. Michael Maihofer, chair of the MDA s 150th Anniversary Task Force, reviewing countless artifacts in the School s Sindecuse Museum. [DentalUM, Fall 2005, page 78.] From May 17 to 20, a floor display of a typical dental office from around 1900 and 19th century artifacts were displayed during the MDA s sesquicentennial celebration at the Lansing Center. The School of Dentistry assisted the MDA in not only providing access to collections in the Sindecuse Museum, but also offered historical background information about the artifacts and various photographs. The Museum also loaned 23 photographs and documents it received more than a decade earlier from the MDA. Three previously unpublished photos were also unveiled. Because of the age and condition of the artifacts, viewers could not touch any of them when they were publicly displayed. Smaller items were easily viewable behind exhibit cases. Some of the items from the Sindecuse Museum that were displayed are also on pages 14 and 15. Photo courtesy of the Michigan Dental Association These dental instruments, from the School of Dentistry s Sindecuse Museum, were displayed during the Michigan Dental Association s 150th anniversary celebration this summer. DentalUM Fall

MDA s 150th Anniversary Celebration This oak instrument case,

then known as the College of Dental Surgery at the University

Bion s brother, Clare, graduated with a dental degree from

Bion s son, Jack, earned his dental degree in 1941.

2 MDA s 150th Anniversary Celebration This oak instrument case, used by U-M dental students in the early 20th century, was used by Dr. Bion L. Bates who received his dental degree in 1905 from what was then known as the College of Dental Surgery at the University of Michigan. Bion s brother, Clare, graduated with a dental degree from Michigan in Bion s son, Jack, earned his dental degree in These portable dental instruments were used mostly for extractions from about 1820 to These tools, from , were used by the School of Dentistry s first Dean, Dr. Jonathan Taft. 14 DentalUM Fall 2006

Stanley Kirby, a 1902 graduate of the U-M College of Dental Surgery (as it was known then).

Gordon Sindecuse These ivory-handled instruments from the School of Dentistry s Sindecuse Museum were

Alfred Baldwin, an 1898 graduate of the University of Michigan College of Dental Surgery, shows the

Housed in the School of Dentistry, the Sindecuse Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the world

A substantial gift in the early 1990s from the late Dr.

collections, and establish an endowment to ensure perpetual support.

3 Manufactured around 1901 by the S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company, this chair was used in the Hillsdale, Michigan dental office of Dr. Stanley Kirby, a 1902 graduate of the U-M College of Dental Surgery (as it was known then). The Gift from Dr. Gordon Sindecuse These ivory-handled instruments from the School of Dentistry s Sindecuse Museum were part of a general dentist s kit that was used in the 19th century. Dr. Alfred Baldwin, an 1898 graduate of the University of Michigan College of Dental Surgery, shows the equipment in his dental office in Calumet, Michigan. Housed in the School of Dentistry, the Sindecuse Museum is one of only a handful of museums in the world devoted to preserving the history of the dental profession. A substantial gift in the early 1990s from the late Dr. Gordon Sindecuse (DDS 1921) made it possible to renovate areas in the Kellogg Building, purchase collections, and establish an endowment to ensure perpetual support. Officially opened in September 1992, the Gordon H. Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry holds more than 12,000 items that showcase the evolution of the dental profession from the late 1700s through the 1960s. A r e n o v a t i o n p r o j e c t completed in September 2000, allowed the Museum to expand space for exhibitions and storage. C l i m a t e c o n t ro l s w e re a l s o installed to help preserve dental equipment, photographs, and other memorabilia. [DentalUM, Fall 2000, page 11.] DentalUM Fall

Museum Ar tifacts Show Dentists were pioneers clinically, scientifically, and how they used what was As I look at the many artifacts we have in our museum and think about the final years of the

Curator Shannon O Dell. That story is one that O Dell is more than happy to tell.

4 Museum Ar tifacts Show Dentists were pioneers clinically, scientifically, and how they used what was As I look at the many artifacts we have in our museum and think about the final years of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth century, I m amazed and impressed with how dentists helped to shape both the profession and society as we know it today, said Sindecuse Museum Curator Shannon O Dell. That story is one that O Dell is more than happy to tell. As she prepared two exhibit cases with 19th century artifacts from the Museum that were shipped to Lansing and displayed during the Michigan Dental Association s 150th anniversary celebration in May, O Dell spoke nostalgically and enthusiastically about that pioneering role. Dentists were trying to change what people thought about the profession back then, she said. Dentistry was considered a trade, so dentists worked hard to establish its credibility with a skeptical public and establish a sense of respect for what they could do. Electricity, the Big Breakthrough One of the largest displays in the Museum recreates operatories from the late 19th century complete with dental chairs, a foot-powered engine and lathe, homemade instruments, and a spittoon that was used before running water. The big breakthrough came when dentists began using electricity, O Dell said. It had a huge impact on the profession and also changed society. Although Thomas Edison used a direct current generator that provided electricity to illuminate his laboratory and, later, streets in New York City in the 1880s, dentists were among Shannon O Dell, Sindecuse Museum Curator Per Kjeldsen the first to see the potential benefits of this new technology, according to O Dell. For example, in 1896, six years after the School s graduate dentistry program began, U-M Regents approved spending $60 to install electric lights in the dental clinic. Until then, dentists had to do most of their work during daylight hours. Once dentists began using electricity to illuminate their offices, they were able to treat a greater number of patients and accommodate those who needed care, especially those who couldn t make it to an office until later in the 16 DentalUM Fall 2006

5 Pioneering Role of Dentists then an emerging technology. day because of their work schedules, she said. O Dell said many dentists also experimented with electricity to power their instruments, citing the foot-operated engine as an example. Some dentists attached a small motor to the device so they could use electricity as a power source instead of pumping with their legs, she said. This made it easier for them to have a steadier hand when they were using one of their instruments in a patient s mouth and illumination of the mouth also made it easier to see cavities and other problems. The decision of dentists to use electricity in their offices helped to change the profession and society in other ways, O Dell said. Dentists now hired assistants, usually women, and trained them to help in the office, she said. Over time, they became known as dental assistants while other women began thinking about becoming dentists themselves. O Dell said dentists in general, and those who earned dental degrees from U-M, should be proud of their professional heritage. They were the pioneers of yesterday just as computer hardware and software developers are pioneers today, she said. S The Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry Location: 1011 N. University Avenue Enter: Lower level doors near courtyard, then follow Museum signs. Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Monday Friday) Phone: (734) Photos and Information Needed The Sindecuse Museum maintains an archive of photographs of graduating classes of the School of Dentistry from 1875 to present. Although class pictures for most years have been archived, some class pictures are missing according to Museum Curator Shannon O Dell. Needed for the archives are pictures of the graduating classes of 1904, 1943, 1947, 1954, 1979, 1982, and O Dell is also interested in acquiring dental equipment m a n u a l s, s u p p l y c a t a l o g s (1920s to 1980s), photographs depicting dental professionals at work, advertising materials for dental products and dental offices, dental and dental hygiene products in original packaging (up to the 1970s), any dental-related games or toys, and occupational coats and caps worn by dental professionals. Please contact O Dell by telephone (734) or by , dentalmuseum@umich. edu, if you can help with the collection or if you have questions about the Sindecuse Museum of Dentistry. DentalUM Fall

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