Page 30 - My FlipBook

XXIV A TALK WITH THE STUDENT —

physical inspection of the heart and lungs, as well as an exam-
ination of the salivary and other secretions of the body; he

should understand the administration of general and local
anesthetics, his sense of the esthetic and artistic must be
highly developed ; and he must be prepared to do many other
things of which you will learn later in your course. Do not
imagine, then, that your chief functions are to be those of the
artisan or mechanic. He who holds this narrow view of the
profession and imagines that dentistry consists largely in the

packing of a little gold or amalgam into a cavity in a tooth
is wanting in knowledge.
In addition to perfecting yourself in a knowledge of
dentistry I would advise that you devote a portion of your

time to the acquirement of general information. There is
nothing which has a more broadening influence than the read-
ing of good literature. The man who knows nothing outside
of his own calling soon degenerates and becomes small and
narrow. The public expects the professional man to know
something about everything, and will frequently place a low

estimate on your ability, if you do not measure up to its
expectations in this direction.
You should not only continue the pursuit of general and
professional knowledge, but should also sedulously cultivate

the habit of close observation and investigation. Learn how
to exercise the faculty of thought and thus develop ideas of
your own. ''Read not to contradict and confute, nor to be-
lieve and take for granted, nor to find talk and discourse, but
to weigh and consider. Some books are to be tasted, others
to be swallowed and some few to be chewed and digested."

Lord Bacon.
Close attention to minutiae and detail are possibly of more
importance in dentistry than in any other vocation. When
one remembers the small size of the oral cavity and the many