Page 182 - My FlipBook

153 HISTOKY OF DENTAL SURGERY

A similar bill asking for three majors, six captains and twenty-one first
lieutenants mounted, was prepared by the members of the dental eorps and for-
warded to the war department in 1903 through military channels, and re-
ceived the endorsement of the surgeon-general. This bill met a like fate at the
hands of the general staff.
On December 20, 1905, the bill was presented to the Senate by the Honor-
able Senator, Mr. Pettus. It was read twice and referred to the committee
on military affairs.
This bill was prepared by the committee on army and navy dental legisla-
tion of the National Dental Association, after conference with Surgeon-Gen-
eral Robert M. O'Reilly.
On February 1, 1906, the bill was reported by Senator Pettus, chairman
of the committee on military affairs, without amendment.
This bill was passed by the senate on April 23, 190G, with a slight amend-
ment changing the personnel of the examining board to "one army surgeon
and two army dental surgeons," and sent to the house of representatives. It
was referred to the military committee April 2oth. It was amended in sev-
eral particulars and reported to the house with the recommendation that it
pass. The bill provided :

That a corps of ilental surgeons, not exoeefling forty-five, should be attached to the
medical department of the army, all original appointments to be made to the rank of
first lieutenant.
Appointees must be citizens of the United States, between twenty-two and thirty
years of age, graduates of standard American dental colleges, of good moral character
and of unquestionable professional repute, and shall be required to pass the usual phys-
ical examination and a professional examination ; dental surgeons attached to the medical
department of the army at the time of passage of the act, who were within the age limit
at the time of their original contract, being eligible to appointment, three of them to
the rank of captain and the others to the rank of first lieutenant.
The pay, allowances and promotions should be fixed by the regulations governing
the medical corps; the right to command being limited to the members of the dental
corps and such enlisted men as should be assigned to that service; the right to promo-
tion being limited to the rank of captain after five years' service, and to the rank of
major after ten years' service, provided the number of majors should at no time exceed
one-eighth, and the captains one-third, the whole number in the dental corps.
No one should be appointed to the corps until he had served one year as contract
dental surgeon to the satisfaction of the surgeon-general of the army.
The surgeon-general was authorized to organize a board to conduct the
examinations, composed of two civilian dentists certified by the executive