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340 HISTORY OF DEXTAL SUKGERY

rent literature, and of selecting items of real interest to his readers. These
selected items and his advertisements made up the contents of his little
journal. Because of its inconvenient form and lieing a mere advertising
sheet, it received so little care that now but ver}' few copies of its early issues
are in existence. The subscription was fifteen cents a year. The second
volume began with June, 1880, with S. C. Slade, of Vineland, publisher. It
consisted of four numbers, so as to liring the beginning of the next volume
to the first of the year.
The third volume began with January, 1881. The subscription was
raised to twenty-five cents, and the number of pages increased to six. With
the issue of the third numlier of the third volume it became a monthly, and
was increased in size. Dr. Welch's business of manufacturing dental sup-
plies having very much increased, lie removed to Philadelphia, about August,
1881. The fourth volume was quarto in size. The first number of the fifth
volume was also this size. After its publication, the doctor decided to change
to octavo, and sent out a circular to his suljscribers asking all who were pre-
serving the journals to let him know, as he intended to republish the Janu-
ary nundier in octavo form for their benefit, which he did. This accounts
for many files of the fifth volume with this number missing. While he had
a large subscription list, a very large number were sent out each month
gratuitously.
After several changes the publishing firm became the Wilmington Dental
Manufacturing Companj'', Dr. Welch continuing as editor. In July, 189G,
this firm became financially embarrassed, and the journal became the prop-
erty of the Consolidated Dental Manufacturing Comi^any, of New York,
which continued its publication, appointing Dr. R. Ottolengui editor. The
current volume was concluded on much the same lines as it began. With
the first number of the next volume, the nineteenth, the page was enlarged,
and its general makeup made more artistic and attractive. Under Dr. Otto-
lengui it has been very much increased in size and its contents more sys-
tematically arranged. It has commanded the attention of a larger number
of experienced writers, and has reached a more influential position in the
profession as the result of his aggressive and progressive editorship.
Dr. Thomas B. Welch was a unique character. He was keenly inter-
ested in phonetic and reformed spelling, advocating it in his journal, and for
a time adopted it, much to the amusement of those who failed to appreciate
its confusing simplicity. He hated profanity, ungentlemanly language, in-