Department of Dentistry. J. L. ASAY, M. D., Editor in Chief. Professor of Dental Pathology and Therapeutics in the Dental Department of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of San Francisco. CHARLES BOXTON, D.D.S. THOMAS MORFFEW, D.D.S. FRANK C. PAGUE, D.D.S. CORYDON B. ROOT, M.D., D.D.S. COLLABORATORS. WALTER F. LEWIS, D.D.S. J. C. HENNESSY, D.D.S. The Editor of this Department is not responsible for the views of contributors. All communications relating to the Editorial Department of Dentistry should be addressed to J. L. ASAY, M. D., College Building, 14th Street, between Valencia and Mission. RETRIBUTIVE JUSTICE. The dental and medical professions have long been aware that the concern known as the Metropolitan Medical College, and alluded to in the following article, was engaged in the nefarious business of selling both dental and medical diplomas. The purchaser could procure from this establishment any kind he desired for any particular line of practice, be it regular medicine, homoeopathy, eclecticism, hydropathy, osteopathy, or any other pathy. These make believe diplomas have been sold throughout Europe and America, and thus brought diegrace upon reputable institutions of learning in this country. It is this condition of affairs which has led European circles to distrust American colleges and to refuse their diplomas that recognition to which their thorough and honorable course of education entitles them everywhere. In Great Britain and on the continent the government has been either unable or unwilling to distingush between the true and the false, the genuine and bogus, thus debarring the holders of American diplomas from practicing their respective professions in their locality; hence it is, the good must suffer for the evil done by others. There are other fake concerns in this country of similar nature which will, no doubt, meet the same fate as the Chicago mill at an early date in the future. The National Association of Dental Faculties is now at work in the endeavor to blot them out. It is gratifying to honest men in the profession that the purifying movement has begun. DIPLOMA MILL MEN IN JAIL. After four years of defiance of the State Board of Health of Illinois, the proprietors of the Metropolitan Medical College were arrested yesterday by United States Marshals on the charge of using the mails to defraud. The institution has been graduating 1,000 "physicians " a year without serious molestation because of the inadequacy of the State health laws, but the capture of the owners of the college by federal officials puts the prisoners in what they regard as a serious box. The men arrested are: James Armstrong, President of the College; J. H. Randall, Vice-President; Thomas Armstrong, Secretary; Charles M. Hovey, Attorney. The specific charge against the College was that it sold diplomas to any one "having a superior knowledge of medicine," and that the diplomas were sold through the mail without examination of the applicant, and were worthless. The College was actively at work in its twenty rooms over the People's Institute, 866 West Van Buren Street, when Chief Deputy Marshal Rowe and Deputies Middleton and Fraley, with Postoffice Inspector Gould, entered the place and demanded that the owners of the institution surrender. The students, some of whom had been studying medicine for as much as two weeks, were preparing for their "grand graduating exercises," scheduled for June 26. The students were kept in ignorance of the arrest of the executives of the College, and the prisoners were taken down town in an elevated train. Assistant District Attorney Davis entered the complaint of the Postoffice Department before Commissioner Humphrey's court, charging that the institution was using the mails to advertise & "diploma mill," by which it graduated incompetent physicians and sold worthless diplomas. Commissioner Humphrey fixed the bond of President Armstrong at $2,000, and the bond of each of the other prisoners at $1,000, in default of which they were locked up in the county jail. The trial was set for June 14, at 10 A. M. The arrest of the men is the result of a final effort of the State Board of Health to abolish the "medical" college. The institution was organized in 1895, under the name of the Illinois Health University. The charter for this name was revoked by the Board two years later. Immediately the College was reorganized by the same owners under the name of the Independ ent Medical College. A revocation of this charter in December last resulted in the College being started anew under the name of the Metropolitan Medical College. Finding that the promoters of the institution had seven charters remaining under which the institution could be conducted, Attorney John A. Barnes, counsel for the Board, interested the postoffice authorities in the prosecution. Evidence that the College sold diplomas to persons possessing "superior medical knowledge" was presented to Commissioner Humphrey by graduates of the institution. Dr. Joseph De Barthe asserted that while he was a resident of Baker City, Ore, he bought a diploma from the College through the mails for $25. He said the diploma had been granted on the representation that it would entitle him to a physician's license in any State. He complained that the diploma was worthless. On coming to Chicago he said he was advertised as a member of the faculty with the title of "Professor of Medical Jurisprudence." G. A. Larkey, another graduate of the College, volunteered to become a prosecuting witness. He said that on September 20th last he paid the College $100 for a diploma. He said he could not obtain a license to practice. The especial disclosures, however, which led to the arrest of the four owners of the College came through an attempt to prosecute D. W. Mott, a graduate of the College, who as a physician opened an office at 268 South Leavitt Street. Attorney Barnes threatened to prosecute Mott for practicing without a physician's license. On finding that his diploma was worthless Mott agreed to help prosecute the owners of the College. "The diplomas sold through the mails by the College are worthless in every State in the country," said Attorney Barnes. "None of the graduates is a competent physician. Most of the business of the institution was done by mail. Some of the students, however, were induced to come to Chicago. These students were usually graduated after a ten days' course.” In its last circular, the College names the following physicians as its faculty: J. M. McDonald, Robert Johnson, H. P. Packard, A. B. Opicks, Elic Le Montais, James Jack, J. Armstrong, M. L. Reed, J. E. Rullison, William H. Brown, M. E. Conger, T. A. Bland. Nellie Austin and Olga Jorgensen, as clerks in the College, admitted that they were employed to sign diplomas which were sent by mail to purchasers. Attorney James J. Allen has been employed as counsel for the officials of the College. The books of the College show, among other things, that the price graduates paid for diplomas varied. Here are some of the "purchasers " and the price paid by each: Adelfo de Clairmont, Toledo, $75; W. S. Worley, Cleveland, Tex., $25; J. C. Riesdon, San Francisco, $40; S. H. Matthews, New York, $5; J. B. DuBoise, Sandy Point, Tex., $10; H. O. Hofstad, New York, $10; R. C. McCreery, East Prairie, Mo, $25; A. J. Rimbers, Elbow Lake, Minn., $20; Leo Berson, Mexico, $20; F. W. Derrick, San Francisco, $38; R. J. Balch, Seneca, Mo., $10; J. P. S Canno, Texas, $100; Joseph S. Van Nort, Baltimore, $50; J. 1. Carroll, Pryorcreek, I. T., $30; H. G. Roth, San Antonio, Tex., $25. The struggle of local authorities to end this diploma fraud has been as persistent as it has been ineffectual. Meanwhile the fair fame of the city has been injured abroad, especially in England, where the "fake" colleges have been heralded. The evil has even been the subject of discussion in Parliament. -Chicago Tribune. ROOT FILLING vs. PULP MUMMIFICATION. By S. H. GUILFORD, D. D. S., PH. D. Interest in the subject of pulp mummification continued to be kept alive through the articles of Dr. W. E. Christensen (Cosmos, May, 1893), Dr. W. D. Miller (Cosmos, September, 1893), and others, and renewed attention was directed to the practice through the article of Dr. Theo. Söderberg, in the Cosmos for November, 1895. The principle and practice involved in Dr. Söderberg's method did not materially differ from those of Witzel and Herbst, except in the character of drugs used. Acting upon the suggestion of Miller, he adopted the use of thymol as the best antiseptic to be used, and combined with it alum as the mummifying agent, and glycerol as the menstruum. Zine oxid was added to give the required consistency and improve the color of the mass. The Söderberg method carried with it a greater degree of reasonableness than the previous ones had done, both on account of the non-toxic character of the ingredients employed, and the scientific accuracy with which each had been selected to accomplish the specific action desired. It is evidently the best method yet suggested for its purpose, and is now on trial at the hands of many practitioners, both in this country and abroad. The subject elicits our attention and interest because it places on trial a radically new method of pulp treatment against one that has stood the test of years. The result will be looked forward to with interest, although s considerable time must necessarily elapse before a decision is reached. It is not for us to prejudge the matter, but we may at least be permitted to examine into the relative claims of both methods and apply the scientific test to each. The mummification method gives as its "reason for being" the fact that in the case of minute, tortuous or inaccessible canals it is virtually impossible to remove all of the pulp tissue after devitalization, and that any remaining portions, however small, are more than likely by their decomposition to incite pericemental irritation. To avoid this it is necessary to introduce into the canal some effective antiseptic or germicide. As even this procedure is never absolutely certain in its results, why not so treat the pulp remnant as to convert it into a substance that will not serve as a pabulum for bacteria, and thus be sure of freedom from putrefaction, decomposition and its attendant evils? Furthermore, if a remnant can be thus rendered sterile, why remove any portion of the pulp from the canals? Aside from the good results claimed for this method of treatment, the incidental advantages mentioned are that it saves much pain to the patient and time to the operator. The method seems to be open to several objections: The alum employed for the purpose of mummification will, if it acts as intended, cause a drying and shriveling of the pulp tissue. This will produce a perceptible space between the tissue and canal walls and leave the foramen open for the free ingress of fluids from without. To keep these from undergoing decomposition the thymol is employed. Now thymol, while an excellent antiseptic and reliable for a time, cannot operate indefinitely, for its efficiency will eventually be dissipated, and when that time comes, "What will the harvest be?" Besides, it would seem from the published reports of differ ent experimenters, that the results of this treatment are not |