Dr. Ralph and Mrs. Olga Crawford Canadian Dental Collection
Category
Diagnostic & Treatment Artifacts
Classification
Dental
Accession Number
010020048 a-e
Description
Metal foot-powered dental drill, enamelled in black; triangular base with foot pedal attached (a); pedal has diamond pattern etching on heel, manufacturer's logo embossed in silver in middle; metal pole attaches foot pedal to wheel, which spins when foot pedal is pushed down; wheel has four curved …
Metal foot-powered dental drill, enamelled in black; triangular base with foot pedal attached (a); pedal has diamond pattern etching on heel, manufacturer's logo embossed in silver in middle; metal pole attaches foot pedal to wheel, which spins when foot pedal is pushed down; wheel has four curved spokes and is attached to upright support; dental drill (b) made up of adjustable silver metal handpiece attached to metal poles with pulley system; four sets of parallel wheels at joints allow full range of motion; silver metal pole (c) with two knobs near bottom goes into base; smaller silver metal pole (d) attaches drill to larger pole; green fabric belt (e) to be attached to pulley system and wheel
Number Of Parts
5
Part Names
a - base - Size: Length 61.8 cm x Width 46.5 cm x Depth 30.0 cm
b - drill - Size: Length 1.52 m x Width 14.0 cm x Depth 5.0 cm
c - pole - Size: Length 55.0 cm x Width 5.6 cm x Depth 1.7 cm
d - pole - Size: Length 29.3 cm x Diam. 1.0 cm
e - belt - Size: Length 2.56 m x Diam. 0.2 cm
Provenance
Transfer from the Dental Canada Fund; previously housed in the Dentistry Canada Museum (Ottawa)
(b) Engraved on handpiece: "Dura Chrome // MADE IN U.S.A. BY // MIDWEST DENTAL MFG. CO. // PATENTED"; engraved near handpiece: "U.S.A. PAT. // DEC. 7, 1920", "MADE IN U.S. OF A."; engraved on handpiece hinge: "OIL"; (c) painted with green ink: "B3008"
Permanent Location
Storage Room W2
W2-536-2-1
Condition Remarks
Enamel nearly gone on pole between pedal and wheel; enamel chipping on wheel, base, wheel joint; adhesive marks on (c); donor lists this item as incomplete
Copy Type
Original
Reference Types
Book
JPG
Reference Comments
“S.S. White Dental Catalog, Catalog-B”, S.S. White Dental Mfg. Co., 1917, p. 4-5 (newer model of S.S. White Belt Engine); "James Beall Morrison: The Visionary who Revolutionized the Practice of Dentistry", Malvin E. Ring and Neal Hurley, Journal of the ADA, 2000:131, p. 1165-66
CD #9
Research Facts
Dr Ralph and Mrs Olga Crawford donated their extensive Canadian dental collection to the DCF to create the museum in 1997; further donations were received while Dr Crawford was Curator Emeritus at the Dental Canada Museum until its closure in 2008; this item was donated by Dr. Brian Barrett from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island; the foot-powered dental drill was patented in 1871 by American inventor James Beall Morrison; the S.S. White Dental Catalogue from 1917 states that their drills are the most simple, the most direct and the most effective of any on the market