GUM-DIGGING.

NZ Truth, Issue 179, 21 November 1908, Page 5

GUM- DIGGING.

CLAIM AGAINST A DENTIST.

More Will be Heard of It.

Was There Gross Negligence? '

"Truth" recesvtty published particulars of a Ohnstchurch case where a portion of a patient's jaw was torn away by a local dentist, two teeth being embedded m the extracted bone. The victim was Farquhar Young, of the Post and Telegraph Department, who. recently sued J. H. Fountain, gumdigger, for the sum of £100, damages for the injury done. It appears that Young went to Fountain's to have a # tooth drawn and Fountain proceeded to operate, but after tugging at it for a time gave it up and handed the patient over to an assistant named Ijrriwn, whose strong arm not only brougjht away the decayed tooth, but also a sound tooth and a portion of the jaw. "Truth" has seen the block of jawbone and the teeth, ' and immediately, called for refreshment to recover from the. hideous sight. Young put m a month or so m bed from shock and loss of blood, due to a severed artery, and although formerly A BIG, HALE AND HEARTY MAN is now naturally on the sickly side.; because there is still a discharge from the brutal wound inflicted. Blood flowed intermittently from his mouth for a fortnight and the wound had to be plugged. Lawyer GressoD threw the onus of proving lack of culpability upon Ishe ivoryhaimler and called no witness, expert or otherwise. He probably lost his case thereby,:. but this paper understands that the mutilation of Young may yet form tlie subject^ of- Supreme Court proceedings. He had* the full power of the Dontists' Association arrayed against him'; medical evidence was called, and the case was considered to be so serious for the inouth-maulittg profession that a lady shorttaamd writer was employed to take a verba-tim report -of, the proceedings. Solicitor Russell, for Fountain, called medical testimony to show that Young's mouth formation is abnormal. The roots of the teeth had expanded and wouldn't pass, with safety, through the antrum, or oavrty, the walls of ; which were unusually thin. The antrum w.as exceedingly large, and m. consequence the lower and upper walls were abnormally thin ; there had been an abcess, bdlow the tooth and conseojuently the roots of the molar had become cemented m the bone ; so that ■when pressure was applied a portion of the bone came away. Drs. Orchard, Fenwick, Stevenson, Brittan, and Irving gave evidence corroborative o| the above. It might be mentioned that Fountain had supplied • Young with v doctors and stated that he was wiling to pay their exes, but absolutely ' / REFUSED TO MEET ANY FURTHISK CLAiIM. Fountain himself stated that he had been m the dentistry business for ■; 20 years. He applied the forceps^, but as soon as he saw the bone was giving he stopped and called m his assistant, Brown, remarking at the same time,; "It's another of those antrum cases." Then Brown took hold of the implement and wrenched away the jaw, as stated. The reason why Fountain should hand over a delicate • and unusjual case Bike this to an assistant after he 1 had partially fractured the jaw wasn't explained by the dentist, who Said afterwards that one of tire reasons why he left his patient at the moment was that. Young had a , strong alcoholic breath. • Having closed his case, Young: had no opportunity of refuting this statement, which he characterises . as a gross Vibel. 'He states that he had no stimulant prior to the operation unless . the ■ application., by a relative, o& a strong dose of painkiller, when he was suffering, great torture, could be resaitled as suoh. The only licyior swallowed by him was some whisky and water, administered to him after the operation by Irvine, . another of Fountain's assistants, when YoJuhg was ma state -of collapse. Fountain keeps oh the premises stuff that; is apt to create a "strong alcoholic breath." The dentist acknowledged m cross-examination that if Young made any trouble he would have to fight the Dentists' Association, a singular ;>. Emission when it is under- • stood that , ;uor devil of a civil servant wai .... . i ' 'HAVE TO PIT HIS POVERTY . against the wealth of a selfish union ot mouth operators, whose members are fearful lest they, too, inighfc be let m for damages by an injured victim at some time or other. Magistrate Bishop dismissed the claim without costts, apparently upon the medical testimony, although Fountain's" action m handing Young Gver to ap assistant for . butchery when {he alleges) he knew something would happen, calls loudfty for review. We often find doctors standing shoulder to' shoulder when one of theit number has made a mistake and killed somebody, and apparently the same principle holds good with dentists, ,- whose :powerful Association is set m motion as soon as a member gets into trouttte. In the interests of the suffering public it is desirable that Young's case shouldn't rest vfhere it is; and m fact this .' paper understands that the public servant is merely waiting to see what his horrible injury will deve-^ lop into. As already, stated, there is still a discharge from the wound, and as there is a danger that teeth aajoTitng tbe brutal gap m Ms jaw wißl decay and lali out, . it may form . the subject [of a Supreme Court case, when "Trjath" will publish further particulars. "' '> '