The Dental Practitioner: A Monthly Journal of Dental Science. Vol. II, No. 4. April, 1884.

Printed wraps, 8vo, (73)-96pp + [16] unnumbered pages ads. About VG with light soil to wraps, faint vertical crease, tidemark visible at the bottom edge of the outer 6 leaves.

Obscure dental/medical publication, not in OCLC. Published by Gideon Sibley, distributor and manufacturer of dental goods (best known for porcelain teeth), with handsome engraved vignette of his "Dental Depot" on the rear wrap. The first item, "A Day's Practice" by I.S. Fogg, D.D.S., bemoans the under-appreciated profession and the perception of dentists as swindlers, and argues that dentists have a shorter overall lifespan, and reduced working period due to shaky hands. Other articles are "Treating and Filling Pulpless Teeth," by Jos. R. C. Ward, D.D.S.; "The Partial Lower Plate," by Frank R. Faber, D.D.S.; and, "Are or Are Not Dreams the Result of Residual Impressions?" by L. Ashley Faught, D.D.S. Plus reviews, notices, and mostly ads for things available from Gideon Sibley. Also includes ad for the Phila Dental College, Faber's Mechanical Laboratory, Lukens & Whittington Dental Instrument Manufacturers, "Von Borhorst's Anaesthetic: from Spencer & Crockett in Cincinnati, and L. D. Caulk's filling supplies.

One of several dental trade journals being published in Philadelphia, a a major hub for dentistry in the late nineteenth century. By 1885, it was home to 3 dental schools: Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery (est 1856), Philadelphia Dental College (est. 1863), and the University of Pennsylvania Department of Dentistry (1878). Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory lists 17 “Dental Materials and Instruments" businesses,including Welch and Sibley, and over 350 dentists in the 1887 issue, the closest year available for reference.

Ref.: Penn School of Dental Medicine. "Dental School Library Historical Collection" finding aid; Gopsill's Philadelphia City Directory, 1887, 178-180.