Dire Dentistry: Dentistry in Death, Disaster, & War
Dentistry in Death
The University of Michigan School
of Dentistry has a long history of assisting the long arm of the
law'! "Dental Jurisprudence" was written by Dr. Jonathan
Taft, the founder of UM's School of Dentistry. This article discusses Dr.
Taft's testimony in the Robinson / Lunsford murder case and shows the
first use of bitemark evidence in the American judicial system. Unfortunately,
Dr. Taft's testimony was not persuasive to the jury, and the murderer was
set free. Adjacent to Dr. Taft's innovative testimony, you see an article
from a 2003 issue of the DentalUM about another application of innovation and
new technologies to resolving a murder case, only this time the testimony was
successful in its intent. More copies of this issue are available in the
Library's collection. A similar use of new technology is also used in
dental anthropology (Ancient DNA Typing). "Snowflakes in the
Sahara" is a unique murder mystery written by a dentist and highlighting
the role of dental forensics in solving the case.
- Items displayed:
- Taft, J. Editorial: Dental Jurisprudence. Dental Register XXIV 1870:457-459.
- Mastey, J. "New Scientific Tool in the Courts?: How the School of Dentistry Helped in a Murder Case." DentalUM.
- Hummel, Susanne. Ancient DNA Typing: methods, strategies, and applications. Berlin: Springer, 2003.
- Keiser-Nielsen, Soren. Teeth that told : a selection of cases in which teeth played a part. Odense University Press, 1992. CALL NUMBER: RA 1062 .K453 1992.
- Winter, Alan A. Snowflakes in the Sahara. NY: Writer's Showcase / Reader's Digest, 2000. CALL NUMBER: PS 3573 .I77 S66 2000
Dentistry in Disaster
Around
the time of this disaster (the Great Chicago Fire), the profession of dentistry
had not yet begun to be involved in the role of an advocate or helper. You see here
dentists who suffered from the disaster, losing businesses and homes. A
professional role beyond that of treating injuries began to take shape during
World War II, and has grown to the point we see today, with almost all major
disasters and many minor ones requiring the assistance of dental professionals
specially trained in forensic odontology. In this case, you will see items from
the International Organization for Forensic Odonto-Stomatology (IOFOS) and the
American Society of Forensic Odontology (ASFO). In addition, there are many
state, regional, and national organizations related to the activities of
forensics, forensic odontology, and the coordination of disaster response
teams. Please see the accompanying guide or web site for more information.
- Items displayed:
- "Chicago Fire." Dental Cosmos XIII (1871):590.
- "MDA Forensic Team: Reflections on a Tragedy." Journal of the Michigan Dental Association 84(9) September 2002, cover.
- Asen, Dennis P., DDS. "The Disaster Site Is No Place for the Untrained & Inexperienced." ASFO News, Summer 2002.
- Forensic Odontology, proceedings. European IOFOS Millennium Meeting (2000 : Leuven, Belgium). CALL NUMBER: RA 1062 .E941 2000.
Dentistry in War
In the front of the exhibit case,
you will see materials from many different time periods and places about the
importance of dentistry to supporting war efforts. The earliest item in the
case is "The Teeth of Tommy Atkins."
'Tommy Atkins' was not a particular person, but was a name used in
England at that time much as G.I. Joe was used during the Vietnam War to
represent any member of the Armed Forces. In this article, you will see the
shift towards the acceptance of the importance of dentistry, with this letter
from a recruit requesting free dental care for soldiers. In earlier wars, such
as the American Civil War, the dental requirements for enlistees was largely
limited to their having strong enough molars to bite the caps from the bullets
for the rifles. You may wish to compare that with the dental requirements of
1899 in the Dominion Dental Journal.
In World War I, was had the last
war in which rifles played a major role in the combat and the first in which
dentistry and medical science had advanced sufficiently to save soldiers who
lost the mandible to gunfire. Dr. Kazanjian, a true pioneer in this field, had
been disappointed by the American reluctance to enter the war, and volunteered
for the British some years before American involvement, giving him an advance
opportunity to develop these skills and bring them back to the USA. World War I
gave the entire profession of dentistry increased prominence in the eyes of the
US government when they realized that they were losing so many potential
recruits to dental concerns that it was imperative to the war effort to improve
the dental health of American children.
- Items displayed:
- "Dental Requirements for the Army & Navy." Dominion Dental Journal XI (1899):428-429.
- "The Teeth of Tommy Atkins." British Journal of Dental Science XLII (1899):113-14.
- Kazanjian, Maj. (Hon.) V. H., DMD. "Immediate Treatment of Gunshot Fractures of the Jaws." Journal of the Allied Dental Societies XII (1917):29-48.
By World War II, they had learned this lesson very well indeed, and thus we see
coinciding with the entry into the war, a new association and journal devoted
to publicizing the importance of dental health and the direct impact on the war
effort.
While those show the beginnings,
dentistry has continued to have a pivotal role in the Armed Forces and military
efforts. You may find intriguing the brief article about contemporary roles by
Commander Jenkins, the Chairman of the Military Dentistry Department of the
Naval Dental School.
- Items displayed:
- "Ghost Legion: already 188,000 Dental Rejects." Dental Health, Bulletin of the National Dental Hygiene Association 1(1) February 1942, cover.
- Jenkins, James T., Commander, DC, USN. "Naval Dental Corps in Combat Operations." Clinical Update 10(2) February 1988:3-4.
To Find More Information on these Topics
Search for Books and Journals in MIRLYN (Library Online Catalog) with These Subject Headings:
- Anthropology, physical
- Crime laboratories
- Criminal investigation
- Dead -- identification
- Dental jurisprudence
- Disaster planning
- Disasters
- Evidence, criminal
- Forensic anthropology
- Forensic dentistry
- Forensic identification
- Forensic medicine
- Forensic odontology
- Forensic osteology
- Forensic pathology
- Forensic radiography
- Forensic science
- Forensic sciences
- Forensic scientists
- Great Britain. Army. Royal Army Dental Corps.
- Identification
- Jurisprudence, dental
- Military dentistry
- Teeth -- identification
- United States. Air Force. Dental Corps
- United States. Air Force. Dental Service
- United States. Air Force--Dental care
- United States. Army. Dental Corps.
- United States. Navy. Dental Corps.
- World War, 1939-1945--Medical care
Search for Journal Articles in MEDLINE with These Subject Headings:
- DNA fingerprinting
- Forensic anthropology
- Forensic dentistry
- Forensic medicine
- Jurisprudence
- Military dentistry
- Military medicine
- Naval medicine
- War
Additional Resources
Forensic Dentistry in Law and Disaster
International Organization for Forensic Odonto-Stomatology:
http://www.odont.lu.se/depts/uciv/iofos/iofos.htm
American Society of Forensic Odontology:
http://www.asfo.org/
National Disaster Medical System (NDMS): Catastrophic Care for the Nation, Office of Emergency Preparedness :
http://ndms.dhhs.gov/NDMS/ndms.html
Disaster Mortuary Operational Recovery Team (DMORT):
http://www.dmort.org/
Michigan Disaster Medical Assistance Team:
http://www.michigandmat.org/
Health Emergency Medical Services Inc. (Wayne County Medical Control Authority):
http://www.hems.org/
Toledo Area Disaster Medical Assistance Team (TADMAT):
http://mediccom.org/public/TADMAT/tadmat.html
Military Dentistry
U.S. Army Dental Corps
http://history.amedd.army.mil/ameddcorp/dentaldefault.htm
A Century of Service: Military Dentistry, by the Canadian Dental Association / L'Association dentaire canadienne (2002).
http://www.cda-adc.ca/100years/english/HSPart5.pdf
Ben Salomon and the Medal of Honor, by William T. Bowers (2002):
http://history.amedd.army.mil/moh/Salomon.html
United States Army Dental Service in World War II, by George F. Jeffcott (1955):
http://history.amedd.army.mil/booksdocs/wwii/dental/
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