The Trial of the Torture Chamber Dentist
A Seattle woman takes her dentist to court, claiming his efforts to fit a set of false teeth were physically abusive and useless.
Justice Humphrey heard a case Wednesday involving Mrs. Tibbetts, who sued dentist Jacob M. Fox for damages. Mrs. Tibbetts alleged that the teeth Fox made for her did not fit. She claimed that when she asked him to fix them, he filled her mouth with plaster for a second impression and, while she was unable to talk, told her, 'Now I have got you where I want you,' and continued to abuse and maltreat her for an hour until the plaster had hardened and had to be removed with a chisel. She sued for damages to her mouth and the return of $30. At the hearing, a dentist testified that the teeth never fit and never would. Dr. Fox denied the language and maltreatment, claiming he used wax rather than plaster. The case turned into a marathon of dental expertise, with the Judge eventually postponing the decision due to the late hour.
“While she was unable to talk, he said: 'Now I have got you where I want you,' and continued to abuse and maltreat her for an hour.”
While consumer protection laws and dental boards are much more robust today, the horror of feeling helpless in a medical chair is a universal anxiety. This dispute highlights how 'modern' medicine in the 1890s was often as terrifying as it was scientific.
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