THE NEW DENTAL SCHOOL.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 13940, 27 June 1907, Page 2

THE NEW DENTAL SCHOOL.

T.ho new Dciita! f-chool, which has bo&n erected on tho University grounds at tho corner of Union and Castlo streets, has been completed, and it. is announocd that it will ready lov tlio reception of students on Monday next, July 1. He external appearance is bright and attractive, tlio walls boin<r of Lwl.li bluestone ashlar, cement pointed, with (Umaru stone facings. Its dimensions are 50ft by 40ft inside, and its height. 35ft. Being designed for a special purpose, in which light is a. prime consideration, there is abundance of windows, and all through at every turn tho latest devices in the building art are observable. 'Tlio only entrance is from Union street. On entering, the visitor finds himself in a handsome, if somewhat restricted, hall, and lie will observe, first, that tlio dado is of stamped stool. Tliis variety of lining has been largelv used throughout the building. All the ceilings aro covered ,vith it. and the lavatories are lined with it throughout. To the right of the ontranoo hall is the superintendent's room, 15ft square, and on the opposite side a- waiting-room of the fame dimensions. At tlio rear of the waitingroom, the scene, it may be anticipated, of many an a| orehensivo momr-nl, is the amesthetic room, lifted with all necessary appliances, and supplemented by an anteroom. Tlio chair with which this room is fitted is a glorified barber's chair. It and all the others, which an* numerous in tho building, aro pnoumatic in their mrch.ini.sm. Tho operator, by means of a treadle, which operates after the fashion of the handle of a blacksmith's bellow?, raises the chair (and tlio patient) to the required height. Pressure upon another valve releases the air, and the chair falls to its original position. This mechanism could l» easily implied to office chairs and music stools-, and so save the mechanical turning at present necessary. The chair:: are in fixed positions, and to each is laid on water and waslo pipes. Ou this floor there is also an "extraction" room, n term sufficiently significant to all who have undergone the ex|>erio.nce. Tlio space upstairs is to bo devoted to the practical work for which the school is intended. There is a large lecture room facing Union street, and an operating room shaped like the capital letter L. This is also fitted with a. supply of the chairs to which reference has already been made, In this room thero is filled a working table, or bench, with pedestals containing numerous drawers. Herptho students will mako themselves acquainted with the art of making sets of artificial teeth. In a word, the Dental School will bo practically a dental business, equipped with the best anplianees, nid guided bv a principal who will demonstrate t.ho combination of theory and prno'ien. Tho celerity with which tho Dental School has lieen established and the up-to-date nature of the aopointments to bo employed are. in marked contrast with that other adjunct of the University—tho School rf Mines, which has always strutted -igainst, adverso conditions, and in ft Kuildin? uiiich is. lo say tho least, incongruous with its scholastic surroundings. Tho fVntal School was fortified with the heir of tlio medical faeullv and tho support ' tho associated dentists of tho colonv l 'o MibscrilH'd £1000. This sum was sub,,:scd bv the riovernment to the Mfont .11500. The University Council has set : d" £500 per annum for the salary of the iiperintondont. Tho contract price for tho 'wilding was £2019, and the balance of the money in band goes towards providing tha equipment of the school, which, it is hoped, will bo self-supporting. The princip.'d (Dr Piekorell) arrives alxiut the end of Soptemljer, but meanwhile the school will 1-e opened quite informally on Monday next. Mr Davis being in charge for the present. The importance of the establishment of this school is vorv grout. It is the only ono in tlio colony, and is an adjunct to thi* Medical School. Dentistry has risen to the statu* of a profession. Tho modern dentist must study the anatomy of the mouth and fnco. and must, in addition, become a skilled mechanician. The school now to be opened ifl the visible embodiment of the dental art in New Zealand, and if it meets with a degree of success commensurate with tho enthusiasm to which it owes its inception its opening will bo a memorable event. It now only remains to say that the buildine was erected and the equipments installed bv Messrs Hamilton and M'Kinnon, and that they have done their work in a highly (satisfactory manner.