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206 world's history and


and practiced in a primitive way for about twenty years in Ja-
maica. He was well trained, and did some good work, some of
which remains to this day; notably, a fair sized gold filling, which
I examined about a year ago, and which, although a little rough
on the surface, shows signs of being thoroughly packed and is
quite good after over forty years of use. In all fairness, however,
I must state that the teeth of the patient which contained the fill-
ing are exceptionally good. Pompy, in his time, seems to have
introduced extraction in a less primitive style than existed before
in Jamaica, and many useful men, following his example, have
done a great deal of extracting all over the island among the
poor black population of Jamaica; the key as well as forceps
were used then.
" The men I have already named, and perhaps one or two
others, seem to have been the only steady practitioners (if they
can be so termed) in Jamaica during a period of about thirty-four
years, and very little notice seems to have been taken of them or
their profession.
" The ensuing thirty-three years up to date show a different
state of things. More have come. Perhaps in this latter period
as many dentists have died here as there are years in the period,
thirty-three, but few have done much to elevate the standing of
dentistry, which is still in the background of the many profes-
sions.
" Next to Pompy, and during his time, about i860, three gen-
tlemen of better standing and well qualified started practicing in
Jamaica. They seem to have done very fair work, and, although
there were others here, did most of the practice at Kingston; but
we find that it was not until about twenty years ago that Jamaica
could boast of a really well qualified dentist, " American dentist."
He. however, did not practice here very long. Gradually others
began to practice in, the island, until we find that, for the last ten
or twelve years, there have been from ten to nineteen practition-
ers here—some qualified, some not qualified — graduates from New
York, Philadelphia and Baltimore.
" The island has no dental laws whatever, the laws of the land
not protecting the dental practitioner in the use of anaesthetics,
and I doubt if he can collect his fees in a court of law.
" Jamaica has to-day many men practicing dentistry who are
not graduates of any college (about six is the number now in
Kingston).
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