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DR. EGON KEUSTADT AND DR. JOSEPH D. EBY,NEW YORK CI~ hII communications concerning further information about abstraoted material and thi? awept- ante of articles or books for consideration in this department rkeuld be add%wmd to I%-. Egou

Neustadt, 133 East Fifty-Eighth Street, New York City.

A BOW Book by Dr. S~IUOIL Review of ‘ ‘ System Einer Biologisch-Meoha~schen Therapie der Bebissanomalien” by Dr. Paul W. Simon, 1933, Berlin, Her- mann Meusser.

This book is t,o fulfill Dr. Simon’s promise made by him ten years ago in his first work on gnathostatic diacqosis, that he would supplement his diagnostic treatise by a publication dealing with orthodontic treat.ment.

GENERAL ORTHODONTIC TECHNIC

The first part of the book deals with general orthodontic technic : t,he making of bands afad the coust,ruction of labial, high labial, and lingual appliances.

FIN. 1.

Fig. 2.

Fig. 3. Fig. 4. Fig. l.-Labial molur attachment: A, fem:ile part : R, male part ; cf. as.scmblage. ??i’ig. ?A---Lingurtl mol:tr attachment : A, male part ; R, asaembluge. Fig. 3.-Attachments to incisor tooth. Fig. L--Labial expansion arch with lingual extension constructed by the wire-benntllnk:

method.

Stainless steel mat.erial is being used t.hroughout, which fact necessitates c&& changes from the commonly accepted a.pplianee designs. Soldered attachments are restricted as much as possible and replaced by attachments obt.ained thro~gb wire bending. This method is carried out for labial mblar att.aehments (Fig. 1) as well as for lingual molar attachments (Fig. 2) and for attaohmenta to in- dividual teeth (Fig. 3). Various forms of auxiliary springs aI% described and also the methods which are used to join them 1,o the main wires7 among them the spot welding process. (Fig. 4.)

197

GNATHOSTATIC DIAGNOSIS

The second part deals with the treat,ment of t,he different types of malocclu- sions. In an introductory manner, the principles of gnathostatics are taken up, and some improvements in the technic are demonstrated. The base of the gnathostatic model, for instance, is now made aut.omatica.lly (very much in the manner of t,he Porter Model Former) ; sgmmetrograph and diameter are sup- planted by the new gnat.hograph.*

The orthodontic diagnosis which takes only occlusal landmarks in con- sideration is called “diagnosis incompleta” and is differentiated from the “diagnosis compleba” which recognizes not only occlusal relationships, but also t.he relat,ion of the dentition to face and head. New norms for the sagittal, the transverse, and the occlusal curves are laid down. It is st,ressed t.hat all measurements undertaken to check t,he value of the orbit.al canine law must be conducted biometrically (on the living person) and not craniometrically (on the skull), and should comprise people of the same race, sex, and age. Despite this demand, however, Dr. Simon expresses disbelief in t.he findings of other authors that the relationship of the orbit.al plane changes wit.h vary- ing age. On the basis of Linder’s examination records Dr. Korkhans has ex- pressed the opinion that, with advancing years, the orbital plane lies farther and farther distal as related to the dentition. This is due to t.he fact that the lower part of the face grows forward more rapidly than the upper part, leaving the orbital plane behind (a condit.ion to which also Dr. Ralph Waldron recently called att.ention). To disprove this theory, Dr. Simon reproduces photographs of two skulls, which show no change in the relationship of the orbital line though one represents the age of five years, and the ot,her the age of eighteen years.

TREATMENT OF MALOCCLUSIONS

After a brief discussion of biomechanics, the t.reat.ment of different types of malocclusions by means of stainless steel appliances is described. First, the malpositions of individual teeth are taken up, then malocclusions of groups of teeth. The malocclusions are divided into deviations from the (1) raphe-median plane (cont.raotion-distraction) ; (2) orbital plane (protraction-retraction) ; (3) ear-eye plane (attraction-abstraction).

These groups are further classified into three subdivisions. A contraction, for instance, may be dental (inclination of only t.he t.ooth crown lingually)? alveolar (constriction of the alveolar process), or maxillary (constrict.ion of the body of the maxilla). The alveolar protraction may be treated either ortho- dontically or surgico-orthodontically, with the ext.raction of the first premolars on one or on bot.h sides.

Those readers who expected to find an amplification of Simon’s diagnostic system in this book will be disappointed, for it is mainly technical in its char- acter. However, the book itself should not be blamed for this disappointment. According t,o its tit.le, it is to deal with the biologic-mechanical treatment, of

*The ilIIProvc=d aPpa.t’atus is manufactured by W. Neuman, Schmnhaurrer Allee 82. Berlin.

malocclusions, and this it does, placing special emphasis on the use of stainlew steel material. The author’s ingenuity, well known from past instances, can again be discerned in the creation of appliance designs adapted to the new material.

Stainless &eel is putting forth a strong demand for a place in our ortho- dontic laboratories. Even in the time since the book appeared, some important improvements have been perfected in its use. However, t,here is still a great handicap attached to it, namely the lack of easy soldering manipulations. In genious as Dr. Simon’s new designs may be, the consWuetion of appliances bj t.he bending t.echnic rather than the soldering technic, is more time consuming. The saving in expense of t.he mat.erial is outweighed by the loss of va1uabl.e t.ime. It must, also be remembered that gold platinum mat,erial can be returned for credit after being used. &eel has yet a great, disadvantage t,o br ~.~v~~twxn~. and as long as it cannot be soldered wit.h the same ease as gold, it will bavr 11, be satisfied with keeping second place.

The volume contains 287 pages with 401 illustrations. The diagrams for the appliance designs are clearly drawn and well reproduced. Binding, paper, print, and set-up are very at.tractive. a comprehensive Table of contents reveals the thoroughly logical arrangement of the text.

E. 3.

Dental PUlogg and T&rap&&a. By Dr. J. R. Blayney, 1934, St. Louis! The C. V. Xosby Company.

The author presents in this volume the principles of pharmacology and the essential fact,s about drugs. In a concise manner the composition of the druqs is taken up, their local and remote a&ion, and their method of administration. Prescription writing is also discussed.

In order to facilitate t.he gathering of information, the drugs arc colt- veniently arranged int.o groups according to their chief dental use. Among these groups we find t.he following main topics to which sepa.rate chapters are devoted :

Antiseptics, Germicides, and Disinfectants ,4stringents Escharotics or Caustics Hemostat.ics Snesthetics Anodynes-Analgesics Cathartics Antipyretics

Within each one of these chapters, t.he different, remedies belonging thare are listed, and discussed separately. First t.heir source a.nd their ohemieal ahar- a.cteristies are described, and their incompatibility with other drngs is not&l. Then their pharmacologic action is discussed, and t.he individual dif!?erence af each drug is pointed out as related to the general pharmacologic aotion of its