The Sub-Professional Phase

The migrant ships which brought our forbears to Nelson sometimes carried with them surgeons and clergymen, upon whom often fell the task of relieving pain in its many forms, not the least of which was dental pain. Ships which had fewer than 40 passengers aboard were not required by law to carry a surgeon and, in these cases, the ship's master or his first mate was responsible for such rough dentistry as could be rendered.

Dentistry before the 1880s in Nelson was still at a primitive level of development. In fact dentists were scarcely distinguishable from other artisans and training was by apprenticeship only, as in any other trade. Essentially, dentists extracted teeth, a service also provided by chemists, doctors, blacksmiths and anyone else with strong wrists. No local anaesthetics were available and the only drill in use was operated by hand. Toothache was often treated at home with laudanum or alcohol, and halitosis was a major problem. A little repair work was carried out by the early dentists, but they were mostly tooth-pullers, who also made expensive sets of false teeth from ivory, gold, extracted human teeth or porcelain.

One interesting feature of the early dentists was that they tended to be occupationally versatile. A significant number were also chemists who distributed drugs and pills between extractions. This practice became more difficult following the introduction of registration for both dentists and chemists in 1880. One of the most interesting of this group was JW Tatton.