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406 HISTOllY OF DENTAL SURGERY

entirely indepenJent of the medical school and had for its purpose the special education
of persous for dentistry. As the curriculum of this school did not correspond with that
of the medical school, the American Medical Association resolved, iu Charleston, that
schools or colleges which simply taught dental science or pharmacy could not be ac-
knowledged by it as being entitled to send delegates to its meetings.
At the time of the founding of this Baltimore Dental College there were many dis-
tinguished dentists in America who declared themselves not at all satisfied with the dis-
solution of dentistr}' from medicine. Even at the present day there is also, with us in
Germany, much difi'erenee of opinion between those who again seek for a closer attach-
ment to the general practice of medicine, and those \vlu5 look upon dentistry as a separate
profession, which although iu many i)articulars closely related to medicine, is yet in many
respects so far removed from it that they would consider it useless that the education of
a dentist should be the same in every point as that of the general medical practitioner.
The tirst dental school in the world was founded in 1839, at Baltimore. The Penn-
sylvania College of Dental Surgery followed in 1S53, the Xew Orleans College of Dentis-
try, in 1861* and in 1863 the Philadelphia Dental College. From this time on there
began on an average a new school every year. They now number about sixty.
The views which are now held all over Germany in reference to the character and
aspirations of these schools are,, so far as they represent actual conditions, practically
incomplete and practically they do not represent these conditions at all. They char-
acterize conditions as they were twenty-five years ago nearly correctly, but give a most per-
verse general presentation of what now is. It is not very easy to obtain a clear picture
of the conditions e-xisting over there, because there are all possible gradations, beginning
with those schools which are a real adornment, down to mere business enterprises and
swindle institutions which issue and sell their diplonms without curriculum.
Not at all in keeping with the real conditions of things, and entirely unjust, is the
opinion which here and there becomes apparent that the American dental schools are only
business ventures. There are private schools over there which without doubt aim to ar-
rive at a considerable profit and whose existence depends upon this profit, but it is
distinctly going too far, when one maintains that even these schools, with few exceptions,
were not making an effort to elevate themselves, the interests of the students attending
them, and of the public. On the other side tliere is a large class of schools whose control
in large part, does not rest in the hands of the teachers, and whose teachers receive an
established remuneration without participation in the college fees, and to whom, so far
as it involves their income, it is absolutely immaterial whether the school is attended by
one or a thousand students.
Aside from this the conduct of these institutions rests in the hands of men of un-
assailable reputations, who are interested only in the highest ideals and good of the pro-
fession. A few of the dental schools in the United States are state institutions, as for
instance that of the universities of Michigan, Minnesota, Iowa, and perhaps one or two
more. Otherwise thirty-two of the fifty-two schools which are members of the faculties
association are departments of universities or of medical colleges.
Twenty-five years ago, when there were only a few dental schools in existence in
America, the most of them required no evidence of any previous education from their
matriculates. The prescribed time for study amounted to two years of from four to five
*This college went out of existence. The Ohio College was founded in 184.5.—Editor.