Oral pathology and practice : a text-book for the use of students in dental colleges and a hand-book for dental practitioners / by W.C. Barrett.

  • Barrett, W. C. (William Cary), 1834-1903.
Date:
1901
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Oral pathology and practice : a text-book for the use of students in dental colleges and a hand-book for dental practitioners / by W.C. Barrett. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University Libraries/Information Services, through the Medical Heritage Library. The original may be consulted at the the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library at Columbia University and Columbia University.

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    tistry was imparted by a preceptor in a few easy lessons. One man might then be universally recognized as the highest authority in the whole field. Now, a complete knowledge of any one of the distinct branches of medicine demands a post-graduate course after four years of general study, while three years in a dental college are scarce sufficient to enable the student to master the basal principles of our greatly extended oral practice. Not alone medi- cine, but dentistry is divided into specialties, and already there are among us those who give their exclusive attention to Operative or to Prosthetic work, to Oral Surgery, to Odontothorsis or to Odontotherapy. The tendency seems to be toward the teaching of each branch in separate classes, with distinct text-books for the several departments. The present work grew out of that seeming drift, and the germ of its existence lay in the notes of lectures upon the subjects considered. The book could easily have been expanded into greater dimen- sions, but that would have limited its usefulness among those for whom it was specially prepared. Extended abstracts of the writ- ings of others might have been included with profit, but that would have swollen the volume beyond the limits set for it, and have added to its cost. Besides, a book should have a distinctive indi- viduality, a personality as pronounced as that of the successful teacher, and without this it is usually as insipid as is the man or woman who possesses no distinguishing peculiarities. So it is perhaps better that it should be marred by some of the many faults of its author rather than be without any special traits at all. W. C. B.