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HISTORY OF DENTAL SUKGERY 129

yet been completed and is not finished, it is a great gratification to the
student of dental progress to observe that much advance has been made
in the unification of language peculiarly belonging to this science and art.

OBGANIZATION FOE MUTUAL DEFENSE.
DEXTAL I'UOTECTIVK ASSOCIATION.
In 1889 the Dental Protective Association of the United States was formed
and incorporated, with the object, as then announced, "to unite the strength of
the profession, to contest the patents of the International Tooth Crown Com-
pany, tlie validity of which has not been established.''
In the exactions of tlie Dental Vulcanite Company, under the Cummings
patent, for the use of vulcanite in dental plates, and the extensive litigation to
which the dental profession in the United States was subjected—which is
referred to in tliis work in the chapter on Prosthetic Dentistry, written by
Dr. Ambler—must be sought the origin and cause for the organization of the
Dental Protective Association.
Dr. J. N. Crouse, of Chicago, was a sufferer under the exactions of that
companv to the amount of several hundred dollars. When the International
Tooth Crov.-n Company began its operations for extracting tribute from the
dental profession, its representative invited him to become interested in that
companv and offered him a "big thing" for his co-operation. Upon the advice
of the Honorable Charles K. Oflield, he declined to meet this representative in
conference and instead liegan making liis preparations to fight this corporation,
retainiiiu- ilr. Offield as the attorney for an association then in contemplation,
but not yet organized, and paying him a retaining fee of $1,000. A pros-
pectus was sent out to every dentist, which contained the following:

First: Dentists are writliiiig tlironghout the country nnder liaving to submit to a
gr!is]>ing monopoly because single handed and alone they cannot afford the expense of
contesting its unjust claims. >?umbers are being annoyed and prosecuted for the
infringement of patents whose validity has never been legally established, and there
is every reason to believe never can be established if dentists are organized for defense.
Second: Practitioners have not forgotten the treatment they received at the
hands of the Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company, and from the fact that the Inter-
national Tooth Crown Company is largely managed by the same individuals they can
infer the treatment they may expect if they are unfortunate enough to be left in its
power.
Third : If they do not defend themselves, but allow this company to prosecute
its claims, they will have to pay a royalty on all or any banded or gold crown they
have ever made or may make in the future.