THE NOME NUGGET
Published Monday, Wednesday and Friday by the
NOME PUBLISHING CO.
NOME, ALASKA
Telephone Main 125 $1.50 PER MONTH
P.O. Box 610 $16.00 A YEAR
E. P. BOUCHER . Managing Editor
CLINTON GRAY . Production Manager
Entered as second class matter October 14. 1943, at the
post office at Nome. Alaska, under Act of March 3, 1879.
Subscribers not receiving their paper by 5:30 p.m. call
Main 125 for special delivery. After 5:30 call Black 102.
IN THE LAP OF THE GODS
yf\ A
/ \ KenneOY-NIXON
§ comt£5t
Alaska Denial Board on The Carpet
TN A LETTER TO THE EDITOR today we have an
interesting account by an Anchorage boy who
puts the Alaska Dental Board on the carpet, and brings
to light some interesting facts.
Nome has been seeking a full time dentist and it
is not the only community in Alaska which needs one.
Nome has made its need known throughout the states.
Only nine out of 16 of the applicants to the Dental
Board, some of whom came a long way to take the
exam, were passed by the board, yet they graduated
from some of the best dental schools in America with
good records.
With the need so great in the state it seems very
strange that these applicants, especially those who are
native born Alaskans, must wait a whole year before
another examination can be taken and do not have
a right of appeal for re-examination.
How can dentists interested in practicing in
Alaska be encouraged to come to the state if the per
centage of those being accepted for practice is so low?
Every time the board fails a good dentist, it fails the
people of Alaska.
In an interview with Dr. Lee McKinley, who is
serving the community on a part-time basis because
of the need here, he explained how he got into politics
and was elected to the legislature because he felt
dental legislation was necessary for the dental health
of Alaska. Only those dentists who have been in the
isolated part of the state realize the great need for
dental care which exists today.
It could be that the present dental board is over
zealous in its efforts to protect the people whom they
are supposed to be serving.
VERN MILLER
Northwestern Alaska Distributor for
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LETTER TO EDITOR
Please allow me to relate some
personal history before launch
ing into the theme of my letter,
i 1 was born in Anchorage in
1935, attended local schools, as did
my father, then studied dentistry
in the State of Washington. Upon
graduation and successful com
pletion of the Washington State
Dental examination, I returned
to my home, Anchorage, to help
my lather with his Orthodontics
practice and await the convening
of the Alaska State Dental Ex
amination.
This examination began July
19 and ended July 22. Actually,
it was originally scheduled to be
a three - day exam, but because
of the number of applicants and
the lack of facilities, the exam
was divided into two sections,
each group having two days to
complete three dental restora
tions.
As it happened, I was in the
second group and we started July
21 and finished Friday, July 22.
Now then, the reason for this
letter is that I firmly believe that
I was given an unfair examina
tion. There are many grievances
that I could enumerate in fact the
difference between the way the
Alaska exam was given and the
way the Washington one was
given was roughly like the dif
ference between night and day.
But anyway, the portion of the
exam that struck me as grossly
unfair was the treatment my pa
tient and I received while I was
attempting to place a gold foil
type restoration.
In the way of explanation, pa
tients for the applicants are pro
vided by the military and selected
by the board members. I was
reay to go to work at 8 a.m. the
morning of the 22nd, but the
board members didn’t arrive until
around 8:45. Then between that
time and roughly 10:45 there were
several conferences and academic
discussions as to just what pa
tient and what tooth in particular
I was to operate. Of course the
rest of the applicants were all
working while I paced around and
smoked cigarettes. Well, a new
patient was finally selected.
After I examined what I was to
do (we did an inordinate amount
of this particular type of restora
tions at Washington), there was
another “conference,” as it was
at best a poor indication for this
type of foil I was to do. In fact,
I was required to place a syn
thetic porcelain filling in the ad
jacent tooth before I could begin
the actual foil operation. This, of
course, put me yet further be
hind.
I would like to say now that I
volunteered to select my own pa
tients for this exam. This request
was denied me by the Board.
Around 12:30 I had completed
the preparation of the cavity.
Since neither my patient nor I
had eaten since early morning, I
asked the board members if I
could place a temporary and take
my patient to lunch, as we were
both hungry. However, they told
me I was behind in time, which
I couldn’t very well deny as I
wasn’t permitted to start until
so late in the morning. They sug
gested that I should continue and
get the restoration in and fin
ished. I attempted to do this, but
the synthetic porcelain filling I
had placed in the adjacent tooth
was troublesome in that it must
be lubricated to prevent drying.
In a gold foil restoration each
piece of foil must cohere to the
previously placed piece. I had dif
ficulty in accomplishing this and
I suppose it was due to the fact
that a minute portion of the
greasy lubricant on the silicate
would contaminate the pellets of
foil as I tried to pass them by it.
Any dentist will tell you that
grease is not particularly condu
PICTURE OF NOME BLANKET
TOSS APPEARS IN BRITISH
PICTORIAL MAG "TODAY"
A local subscriber to a Lon
j don publication called “Today,”
j was surprised upon opening the
! pages to find a Nome blanket toss
! filling the page with the Polar
i Bar in the background.
The magazine, which is a glossy
pictorial, indicated the picture
was taken during the Midnight
Sun Festival in June.
cive to coherence of gold foil.
However, after several re-ad
ditions, I finally achieved what I
thought was a good result.
Then the patient was taken
from my care and examined by
the board members, behind closed
doors and not in my presence.
There was no comment from the
board members, but when my
patient returned and I was re
moving the rubber dam I noticed
a piece of my restoration was
missing both labially and lingual
ly <i.e., in front and in back—it
was a front tooth). When I asked
if I could repair this they said
no and informed me verbally that
I had failed the examination. I
was later informed by the board
in writing of my failure.
I appealed to the board for a
re-examination, stating the rea
sons why I thought I deserved
one. This appeal was turned
down. I actually won’t need a
license to practice dentistry in
Alaska until I finish a two-year
tour of duty as a dental officer
at Elmendorf. However, I want
to help my father on off hours
and I feel my diploma and li- I
censes should hang in his office
if I do this.
It is with some reluctance that
I write this letter, as it probably |
won’t make me exactly popular;
in dental circles in Alaska. And
too, it may hinder my father’s 1
orthodentics practice as he re
lies in part on referrals from
other dentists. Most dentists I've
talked with recommend that I re- ,
lax, pay another $25, and try it i
again next year. Even my dad
recommended this until the Board
denied him the right to bring a
young orthodontist up to An
chorage to care for his patients
while he takes what I feel is a
well-erned vacation for a couple
i---——--- — '
New Manager of Alaska
Railroad Is Named
WASHINGTON, OP —Donald J.
Smith, southern division superin
tendent of the Chicago, Rock Is
land and Pacific Railroad, has
been appointed general manager
of the government’s Alaska Rail
road.
Secretary of the Interior Fred
Seaton, in making the announce
ment today said Smith will as
sume his new duties Sept. 1. He
succeeds Robert H. Anderson,
who resigned to return to a
Chicago job with the Rock Is
land.
The general manager of the
Alaska Railroad is paid S22.000
a year.
of months. I thought this rather
nice treatment to a man who has
devoted 35 years to dentistry in
Alaska. Getting back to the idea
of simply waiting until next year.
What assurance do I have it won’t
be a repeat performance next
year?
It has been pointed out that I
have nothing a gain personally
by “stirring up a hornet's nest,’’
but I think if nothing else occurs,
there will be a better examination
given next year.
Two good Alaskans and good
friends of mine are studying den
tistry an will be taking the Al
aska Board soon and I don't wish
them to receive the same treat
ment I did. These boys are Ned
Imlach and Lee McKinley, Jr.
As a parting comment I’d like
to say that for a country that
needs dentists, passing nine out
of 16 applicants is a bit conser
vative.
L. J. (Bud) Seeley, Jr. D.D.S.
BRING Y0UR
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