USA > Massachusetts > Hampden County > Our county and its people : A history of Hampden County, Massachusetts. Volume 1 > Part 33
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After leaving the Merriams he printed a paper for a short time in New Haven, Ct. In his earlier years the doctor was a great lover of horses and during the time of his circuit practice he had the reputation of owning the fastest horses on the road. For many years he was a firm believer and worker for total ab- stinence principles. He was a great advocate and user of chloro- form as an anaesthetic.
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Dr. Flavius Searle came to Springfield in 1839. He was born in Southampton, Mass., April 4th, 1814. His early studies were with reference to his entering the ministry. He taught school at intervals and finally entered Amherst college, but, owing to poor health did not graduate. Subsequently he en- tered Marietta college, but his health did not permit him to con- tinue. Later he took up the study of medicine and made a specialty of dentistry under the tutorship of Dr. Walker of Northampton, who was both physician and dentist. Graduat- ing at the office of Dr. Walker he opened an office at Springfield in 1839, but made excursions into adjoining towns for a time, as an itinerate. An advertisement in the Springfield directory of 1851 announces him as a physician and dentist. No man who has practiced dentistry in this part of the state was more be- loved, respected and honored than Dr. Searle. He was an honor to the growing profession and did much to advance it in the esti- mation of the community. He came to be known as the "father" of dentistry in this region, not only because of his conservatively progressive influence, but because he was the first to open his office and laboratory as well as his well stored mind and heart to his fellow practitioners. These and his friendly aid and assist- ance were always open to the call of all competitors. All of this was fully illustrated by a remarkable tribute paid to him in October, 1887, by the Connecticut Valley Dental society, of which he was the principal founder and its first president, in the celebration of the 50th anniversary of his professional life. This was the "judgment day" for Dr. Searle, and his professional associates, from all over the land, constituted the court of justice, either by personal presence or personal letters. And this is not all ; the mayor of the city, representatives of medical, legal, cler- ical and other professions, came to do him honor. In fact, he was overwhelmed with expressions of esteem, love and congratu- lation. On the 10th of February, 1889-seventeen months from this happy event-Dr. Searle died. On the occasion of his funeral a special meeting of the Connecticut Valley Dental so- ciety was called, and in a body the members followed his remains to the grave. On this occasion a notable memorial address was
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OUR COUNTY AND ITS PEOPLE
given by George S. Merriam, a neighbor and one of the foremost men of the city.
Dr. Searle was the inventor of various methods and appli- ances, but gave everything he devised as contributions to the ad- vancement of his profession. For several years he made all his own instruments, and in 1858, being in need of an operating chair, he made one for himself. Of this chair he said : "I used to go to church and try to be good, but that chair would go with me, and be working its parts together before the whole con- gregation." Dr. Searle was a constant student in everything that related to his profession, but more than this, he was alive to all matters of intellectual and scientific concern, a man of deep insight and accurate judgment, always in search of the newest and most advanced aspects of truth in whatever realm. It appears that one Van Horn, a cabinet-maker of West Spring- field, made several of the Searle dental chairs and put them on the market for sale. About 1879, Dr. Elroy F. Cross started practice with one of these chairs, and after being discarded by him Dr. J. Wesley Shaw obtained it, and in turn sold it to Wm. M. Williams of dental depot fame. In May, 1888, the writer obtained this chair, used it for more than a year and finally sold it to a dental house of Philadelphia, Pa. It was even at this
late day a serviceable and convenient chair. Dr. Searle from 1869 to the time of his death was located in Bill's block, 342 Main street. He had granted to him the honorary degree of D. D. S. Dr. C. S. Hurlbut came to Springfield in 1852. He studied
with Dr. George H. White and was for a time in Cleveland, Ohio. He started to go to Chicago, but was told at Cleveland that Chi- cago was not large enough to support a dentist and so remained in Cleveland for a while, after which he returned to this city. In 1858 he attended the Baltimore Dental school, being the first graduate of a dental institution from this part of the state. Dr. Hurlbut early joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society and was associated for many years in an active capacity on various committees. In 1853-4 he served on the executive committee ; in 1865-6 was treasurer; in 1877-8 was 2d vice-president; in 1878-80 was 1st vice-president and in 1880-81 was president.
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The doctor served as preceptor for many practitioners and a number of our local dentists were students under his guidance. He died Jan. 6, 1901. At the time of his death he was a mem- ber of the Valley District and Massachusetts Dental societies. The members of the first mentioned society attended his funeral in a body and passed resolutions relative to his worth and loss to the profession.
Dr. Lester Noble, now of Longmeadow, but formerly in active practice in Washington, D. C., and afterward of Spring- field, is the oldest dental graduate in this vicinity. He studied with Dr. Keep of Boston, and was at one time a tutor at the Bal- timore Dental college, from which he obtained his degree. Dr. Keep commenced practice in Longmeadow as early and perhaps earlier than 1840. He was employed in a spectacle factory and his first "victims" in the new art were his shopmates and their families. However, he soon went to Boston and became one of the most successful dentists in the country. It was in his office that the artificial dental plate was made for Dr. Parkman, who was murdered by Prof. Webster of Harvard college. By the testimony of Drs. Keep and Noble-then a student with Dr. Keep-Prof. Webster was convicted of the murder. This was the most noted murder trial of the time and in fact one of the most noted of all history. Dr. Noble, who made the plate, was summoned from the Baltimore Dental college-he then being a student there-and was able to produce the metal cast upon which the plate found among the remains of Dr. Parkman was made. The excitement that accompanied and followed the bringing into juxtaposition the plate and cast in the court, and the demonstration that each was the counter-part of the other, thus identifying the human fragments taken from the furnace of Prof. Webster's, was dramatic in the extreme. Dr. Noble was demonstrator of mechanical dentistry at the Baltimore col- lege during 1851-2 and in September, 1852, arranged an associa- tion with Dr. Maynard of Washington, which continued until 1859, when on account of poor health he was forced to give up practice for ten years. In 1869 he opened an office in this city, and for many years was one of our leading practitioners. He
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gave up active practice in 1898, and in that year the Valley Dis- trict Dental society presented him with a memorial autograph album and listened to a very interesting paper of his reminiscences during the early days of the administra- tion of ether, for his studentship started only one month after the first surgical operation under the influence of ether at the Massachusetts General hospital. Thus his stu- dentship saw the advent of air chambers, the use of anaesthesia in surgery and the use of amalgam as a filling material. He pre- pared a paper on "Personal Recollections of the early use of sul- phuric ether as an anaesthetic," which played no small part in clearing the misty atmosphere of those early days in reference to the real discoverer of anaesthesia. Dr. Noble is now an honor- ary member of the Massachusetts and Valley District Dental societies.
Every few years we have had some aspirant spring up with a "painless system of dentistry." The last decade has pro- duced its crop in this respect, and it is most interesting to here state that the so-called "painless dentist" is rather an ancient thing hereabouts, for about 1849 a Mr. Davis, who kept a daguer- reotype shop on Armory hill, branched out with a painless sys- tem. If the daguerreotype business did not produce an income the "painless method" certainly did for a few years. His "method" proved to be the placing of arsenic in a carious and aching tooth until the ache had subsided and then filling over the decay with a substance composed of mercury and silver coin filings. It certainly was painless for the time being, but the future developed quite another result-at least his patients in time thought so. Similar methods have since been foisted on the public and the results have been quite on par with those of earlier days. A few years ago we had the so-called "Hale Method" and history was again repeated. Its local sponsor soon lost his prestige and departed for other fields. The intelligent public are coming to understand that it is best to discriminate between the unethical and ethical practitioners, and that the use of large signs and the public prints to call attention to certain questionable methods of practice are a delusion and a snare.
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Dr. Jesse Porter of Chicopee, Mass., was born May 13, 1834, in Detroit, Michigan. In 1852, he commenced a studentship of two years with Dr. Joseph Beals of Greenfield, Mass. Dr. Beals in the early years of the profession made a specialty of teaching dentistry and many of the older men were taught by this con- scientious and learned practical dentist. In 1855 he worked for his uncle, William Lester, M. D., of South Hadley, who, although a physician, graduate of the Berkshire Medical college, practiced dentistry as well. Dr. Lester learned practical dentistry from Drs. White of Northampton and Beals of Greenfield. While with Dr. Lester, he for part of the time had an office at North Hadley. In May, 1856, Dr. Porter came to Chicopee and has been located there ever since. From 1856 to 1859 he made occa- sional trips for a few days to South Hadley, Hadley and North Hadley, often arising at 4 a. m. In 1855, Dr. N. E. Ames of Springfield persuaded him to try two weeks with him as mechan- ical dentist, with a view to future partnership. Dr. Ames at this time had a circuit taking in the Brookfields, Braintree, War- ren, Ware and Spencer. Not being in accord with Dr. Ames in minor points, Dr. Porter decided not to form the partnership. As showing the difference between the old and the new methods of practice, we give an inventory of Dr. Porter's office in 1857. A suite of two ordinary rooms at a rent of $50 per year, one room serving for operating and waiting room and the other for labor- atory work. In the first room were an Archer dental chair, four common wooden chairs, a cabinet made from an old instrument case set on a stand, two pairs of yellow cotton curtains, and on the floor a Bockin carpet (a carpet not now in use and made of cotton with a printed figure). The cabinet contained nine pairs of Chevalier forceps, six ivory handled pluggers, two dozen exca- vators, and these last included the so-called burs. The labora- tory contained a Chevalier lathe ; an old table with a filing block and two drawers attached for gold and silver work; alcohol for heating up cases and soldering; two blow pipes-one compound and one mouth blow pipe, a barrel of plaster, and a few impres- sion cups. While this may seem a meagre outfit from present point of understanding, yet in those days it was considered quite
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extravagant, especially the Archer chair, for many used nothing but an ordinary wooden rocker. When he came to Chicopee, sev- eral practitioners were there. Drs. Lovejoy, Buckminster, Mor- gan, Lawrence and Robinson, and at Chicopee Falls a Dr. Henry. Dr. Lovejoy had two sons who were students in his office. There was no professional exchange of ideas or courtesies, each looking on the other as an instruder. It is interesting to record that in August, 1859, the panic year, Dr. Porter had in fees just $16.00. In 1859 and a little later there came to Chicopee, Dr. Pease who had studied with Dr. Flavius Searle of Springfield; Dr. Rice from Great Barrington ; Dr. Waite and Dr. Sweet. Dr. Waite in a few years sold his practice to Dr. A. M. Ross. There fol- lowed Dr. Henry at the Falls, Dr. C. T. Stockwell and Dr. M. W. Miles.
Between 1855 and 1860 there was a Dr. Nettleton, who lived in West Springfield next to where the old Belden tavern stood. He seems to have been an itinerant, fond of horses and horse trading. He went from house to house soliciting patronage. Traces of him have been found in Westfield, Southwick, Hunt- ington and Chester. Along about 1860 he went to Worcester and was permanently located there for many years. He died there a few years ago. Westfield's first practitioner was Dr. Isaac Woolworth, born May 1, 1810, in Pinckney, N. Y .; grad- uated from Fairfield college, Herkimer county, New York, in 1834. While at this college special attention was paid to medi- cine and dentistry and during vacation time he prescribed for persons needing medical attention and relieved the woes of those needing dentistry by extraction and the filling of teeth. After graduation he first practiced medicine. Late in 1834 he was in Montreal, Canada, and paid some little attention to dentistry. It was at this time that Montreal had its famous epidemic of cholera and the doctor rendered valuable aid in the capacity of physician, many times having to assist in the burying of the dead. In 1836 he returned to the states and located in Westfield, at which time it was necessary to take his instruments and travel about the country, doing work in the homes of his patients. After a time he had established a patronage large enough to war-
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rant his giving up journeying and remain at his home in West- field. In 1839 he removed to Hartford, but was soon persuaded to remove to Southbridge, Mass., where he remained until 1842, when he returned to Westfield and practiced until 1857. He then removed to Meriden, Conn., and afterward to New Haven ; he died Feb. 14, 1879. Dr. Woolworth was a worthy represen- tative of his profession and had many students, among whom may be mentioned Martin Tinker, who settled in St. Louis, Mo .; William Bush of Westfield, who first settled in Alabama and afterward in Brooklyn, N. Y., where his sons practice dentistry at the present time; Dr. Alfred Woolworth, a brother, who prac- ticed a number of years at North Brookfield; Anson Munger and Henry M. Miller of Westfield, both well and favorably known. Dr. Woolworth was a member and a contributor by essays and clinics to the advancement of the Connecticut Dental society ; a man of learning, of broad views and progressive ideas, enthusias- tic in his calling, always anxious to elevate the scientific aspects of his profession and ever ready to give others the benefit of his years of study in medicine and dental surgery. His students always left him to enter practice, filled with high fundamentals and ideals from his master mind. Up to the time he practiced at Southbridge he had done no work in artificial dentistry and see- ing a set of teeth which had been made by a Dr. Morrell of Wor- cester, Mass., he called on him and desired instruction in the art. As showing the spirit of the times, it is only necessary to state that he was unsuccessful and had to return home and work out the problem unaided. He invented many useful appliances for his own use. always fashioning his instruments to suit the re- quirements of each case. In 1870 he edited a book on dentistry for the use and instruction of his patrons. It is a work worthy of a place on the shelves of every dental library. Dr. Woolworth descended from an old and honorable Massachusetts family from whom he inherited a fondness for study and investigation, and although living in a new and unsettled country, where educa- tional advantages were almost unattainable-three brothers in the family acquired a profession.
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Dr. H. M. Miller, now living in Westfield, but not in active practice, was born in West Springfield, June 10, 1826.1 He taught school in that neighborhood for seven winters and began the study of dentistry with Dr. Woolworth in 1849. On Sep- tember 2, 1851, he commenced practice at Plymouth, but re- turned to Westfield in October, 1856, and has remained there ever since, except during the year 1866. The art of carving teeth was learned from Dr. George H. White of Springfield. He has ever been an ethical, conscientious and unselfish practitioner, an active working member of the old Connecticut Valley society, serving in many subordinate offices and its president in 1873-4. At present he is an honorary member of the Massachusetts and Valley District Dental societies.
Dr. E. Lincoln Clark studied dentistry in Northampton with Dr. Woolworth of Westfield and located about 1855 in Westfield and remained until 1860, when he left for Dubuque, Iowa, where he is still in practice. Dr. H. W. Clapp studied with Dr. A. S. Flagg of Whitinsville, Mass., and practiced there for a short time. Leaving dentistry he entered the U. S. armory where he was employed for a brief period. About 1865 he entered Dr. H. M. Miller's office, and in a few months bought this practice. He is still in practice in Westfield.
Dr. E. M. Goodrich, who now has a summer practice at Cot- tage City and a winter one in Florida, bought the practice of Dr. E. Lincoln Clark in 1860, but later sold it to Dr. G. A. Walkley, a graduate of the New York College of Dentistry. Dr. Walkley is still in practice there.
A student of Dr. E. Lincoln Clark's named Greenwood had an office for a short time at Chester, Mass. This was in the early sixties.
Dr. E. D. Hutchinson, now a physician and surgeon of West- field, also practiced dentistry in Chester in the late sixties.
The first resident dentist in Palmer was probably Dr. Joseph Gould. He is known to have been in practice there in the early
1Dr. H. M. Miller died in Westfield, April 9, 1902. His funeral was attend- ed by members of many dental societies. The profession lost a true member and the people a noble representative of humanity.
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sixties. He had a relative, Dr. J. M. Gould of East Douglass, Mass., with whom he studied for a few years. After leaving Palmer he had an office for a time in the Massasoit block in Springfield.
Dr. A. B. Cowan of Springfield, who studied with Dr. Fla- vius Searle, was the next resident practitioner in Palmer and remained there for many years. Before taking up dentistry he was an expert machinist. He died some three years ago. He was a member of the Connecticut Valley Dental society for sev- eral years. About 1880 he had an office for a year in Spring- field.
Dr. Cyrus W. Cross, a veteran of the civil war, was born in Monson, July 15, 1807, and died in Palmer a few years ago. He took up the study of dentistry (after returning from the war) with Dr. Joseph Gould and later with Dr. J. M. Gould of East Douglass. After completing his course he had an office for two years in Wilbraham. He then returned to Palmer and was in active practice up to the time of his death. He joined the Con- necticut Valley Dental society Oct. 21, 1875, and retained a mem- bership for several years.
The first resident practitioner in Holyoke was Dr. George Bowers, who located there in the fifties. At one time Dr. Bowers had a son in practice with him. He left Holyoke for Springfield, Vermont, where he resided for many years, afterwards going to Nashua, N. H.
Dr. Henry Wheeler was the next practitioner in Holyoke and was in active practice in the late fifties and early sixties. He died in Maine several years ago. He was a firm believer in magic and hypnotism and practiced the latter to a certain extent.
Dr. D. Murlless started in the early sixties and is still in active practice in Holyoke. He joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society June 10, 1869, and is still a member of its succes- sor body, the Northeastern Dental association.
Dr. H. O. Hastings began practice in Holyoke in the late sixties. He was a student with Dr. Wheeler. He joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society June 17, 1873, and was a member at time of its consoldiation. He is at present a member
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of the Massachusetts and Valley District societies and is still in practice.
Dr. Levi C. Taylor studied with Dr. Bowers at Springfield, Vermont, came to Holyoke, Jan. 1, 1868, and formed a partner- ship with Dr. Hastings. They jointly purchased Dr. Wheeler's practice. This partnership lasted for several months. Dr. Taylor bought out Dr. Hastings and continued there until 1875, when he went to Hartford. Dr. Taylor joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society Oct. 23, 1868, and ever remained a true, conscientious, progressive member. He served in many subordi- nate offices and was its president in 1877-8.
Drs. D. H. and E. C. Smith, brothers, commenced practice in the early seventies. On June 13, 1872, Dr. D. H. Smith was elected to membership in the Connecticut Valley Dental society and Dr. E. C. Smith on Oct. 3, 1874. They retained membership but a short time. Dr. E. C. Smith is now in practice in West- field. His brother is still in Holyoke. Dr. D. G. Haskins, brother of Rev. P. J. Haskins, graduated from the Philadelphia Dental college and commenced practice in the early seventies. He joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society Oct. 24, 1872, but held his membership only a few years. He died recently.
Dr. C. A. Brackett, now one of the best and most progressive dentists of Newport, R. I., was in Holyoke in the early seventies serving studentship in the office of Dr. Levi C. Taylor. He joined the Connecticut Valley Dental society June 17, 1873.
Dr. G. S. H. Comins was in Holyoke from 1876 to 1879.
Dr. George A. Maxfield, a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, came to Holyoke about 1881 and is still in active practice. Dr. Maxfield has labored industriously to elevate the standard of professional life by active work in the various dental societies. For many years he was secretary of the Connecticut Valley society and it may be said that no one man has done greater good for dentistry in an official capacity. Since the con- solidation into the Northeastern he has refused its presidency. He has read essays and given clinics before many societies. He is an honorary member of the Vermont, New Hampshire, Delaware and Connecticut State associations, and ex-president of the Mas-
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sachusetts and a censor of the Valley District societies. He has been honored with membership of the board of registration in dentistry, and at present is serving his second term as one of the membership of five.
Dr. Pardon Hildreth Derby was born in Lowell, Mass., Dec. 5, 1827, and studied dentistry with Dr. C. S. Hurlbut, sr. In 1860 he opened an office at the corner of Main and Pynchon streets, where he remained until burned out by the "great fire." Soon afterward he formed a partnership with Dr. Flavius Searle. Dr. Derby was probably the first dentist to administer gas in Springfield for the painless extraction of teeth. About 1860 Dr. Colton gave a free exhibition in our city hall of the effects of nitrous oxide gas upon individuals. Dr. Derby remembers that the late Tilly Haynes and George R. Townsley inhaled the gas, the result being that Mr. Haynes chased Mr. Townsley around the platform to the amusement of the audience. Dr. Colton on the same evening extracted a tooth for a person under its deeper influence. This exhibition was a perfect success. Many practi- tioners of the later years have been students in his office. He was one of the charter members of the Connecticut Valley society and remained an active and official member to the time of its consolidation, when he joined its successor-the Northeastern. In commenting on his career in dentistry Dr. Derby has said : "Forty years is a long time to practice a profession, and great improvements have been made along many lines, which enables the practitioner to work more easily for himself and his patients."
Dr. M. B. Renslow served a studentship with Dr. Flavius Searle and opened an office about 1866 on Main street. Being an expert barber and mechanic he naturally was of an inventive turn of mind and early in his career invented a gas pressure reg- ulator for use in the manufacture of nitrous oxide gas. In partnership with Dr. Searle it was put on the market, but the manufacturers soon offered the same article in metal cylin- ders, so the usefulness of the regulator was soon at an end. After remaining here about three years Dr. Renslow bought a practice in Hartford where he died in the course of a few years.
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