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Answer: The pelican is so named because of the resemblance of the claw to the beak of the bird of the same name. It has also appeared in different shapes and with changeable features. Guy de Chauliac probably made the first reference to a pelican in the 14th century. These two pelicans are excellent examples of the Heister-type-pelican. This particular type of pelican was first illustrated by Walter Ryff in 1545. The claw is attached to the handle by a hinge that is attached with a nut on the shaft. It can be adjusted by simply turning the handle. The German surgeon, Laurence Heister made an improvement, first published in 1719. The bolster is hollow and fits over the outer surface of the tooth. The claw works on an endless screw attached to the handle. These two pelicans are modifications of the Heister-type. They were manufactured circa 1800. One has ivory applications, the other has a horn handle fixed by a brass ribbon to the nicely turned and ornate handle.

The photographs are of pelicans from the private collection of dental artifacts of: Dr. Wolfgang and Dr. Sieglinde Busch E-mail: WoB@zene-artzney.de Internet: www.zene-artzney.de

A Vignette from Dental History: A ridiculous mistake in diagnosis

We placed an upper set of artificial teeth for a lady patient about one year since, but on account of shrinking of the gums it became necessary to refit the plate about four weeks go. We expected to retain the plate in our hands for about two days. The teeth were left with us in the morning about eight oíclock to be finished the next day by five, but to our surprise, at ten the next day, a lady called to ascertain if the teeth could be finished before five, as the patient had been taken very ill indeed early that morning, with paralysis of the lower jaw and tongue, and it gave the face such a ghastly look that they wanted the teeth as soon as possible to place in the mouth before she would die, and they did not think she would live till night. The teeth were finished by one oíclock, and dispatched at once by the hands of an assistant, but the patient was so very ill that the assistant could not be permitted to see her, so he returned with the teeth. But the next morning a little girl called for the teeth, with the cheerful intelligence that the patient had entirely recovered; that instead of having paralysis, that it was dislocation of the lower jaw from incautiously yawning, but the mistake was not discovered until a second doctor was called in, and the patient had already taken the usual remedies for paralysis, together with having the nape of the neck well scarified and six cups applied. In Periscope, J.D. White, Dental Cosmos 2:194, 1861.

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Credits for this Dental History site Norman O. Harris, DDS Herr Wolfgang O. Funk, Werbeagentur, Bergisch Gladback, Germany Date of last update: August 15, 2006 For suggestions, comments, and concerns about this page, e-mail us at: dentalweb@uthscsa.edu Copyright © 2000 UTHSCSA Dental School. Terms of Use.