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280 HISTOKY OF DENTAL SUEGERY

quent experiments led to the discovery of hard rubber and in 1851 Nelson
Goodyear invented a process for making vulcanite, and in 1855 the first
patent was obtained by Charles Goodyear, Jr., for making a dental plate of this
nmterial. Then the Goodyear Company bore down upon the dentists like the
"vulture on the lamb,'' and grabbed their hard-earned shekels and carried
them away to their vaults.
About 1853 Mr. Bevan, Dr. Putnam, and Dr. Mallett experimented with
rubber. Dr. Putnam's vulcanizer weighed 1,200 pounds, and that, with lack of
knowledge of the material, caused slow progress; still, in 1858, about 300, and,
in 1863, about 3,000 dentists employed it in their practice, and after the pat-
ents expired it was, and now is, universally used as it has so many good qualities
for a base plate. It is made in a variety of colors, but the white, gray and
pink have so large a proportion of foreign matter that they are easily
abraded. The cast was coated with soluble glass originally for the purpose of
liardening the surface to prevent injury from subsequent manipulations.
Continuous-gvmi, single, plain or gum, block or plate teeth may be used with
vulcanite. Ten thousand varieties of teeth in color, form, and size are now
produced to meet the demands of the esthetic dentist, and the dento-ceramic
art has reached a high state of development.
We now have about twenty different kinds of vulcanizers.
In 1868 Dr. Sttick jiatented the process of vulcanizing rubber between two
polished tinfoil plates, the articulating plate lieing formed upon a block-
tin cast made from the impression, rintes made in this way are more elastic
than when made on plaster.
Dr. E. M. Chase invented "a metallic roof plate" which comprises a plate
of metal to cover the roof of the mouth and a vulcanized extension attached
to the edges of the plate and extending over the alveolar ridge.
Vulcanite dentures can be covered with a gold lining on the palatal surface
to prevent tiie contact of the rubber with the mucous membrane. Dr. John A.
Dalv devised a lining for the above purpose. About fifteen years ago a
writer said be ''believed that vidcanite would l)e totally abandoned as a
base for artificial teeth by intelligent and conscientious practitioners everj'-
where, in the not distant future." The fact is that vulcanite has been and
i? now universally used where civilized dentistry is practiced, and will con-
tinue to be until there is some other equally good and inexpensive material
and method discovered. It is unnecessary for the writer to say aught about
methods, instruments and appliances for its manipulation, because the dental
text-books and journals of all civilized countries are teeming with instruc-
tions, etc. There have been numerous patents on ingenious and scientific