Today we have some tooth extractors – or, more precisely, English pattern dental extracting forceps #24. Made of steel, and measuring 5.75″ long, they were made by the S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company of Philadelphia, and used by Dr. Steven O. Beebe of Montgomery General Hospital in the mid 20th century.
These forceps are only one of a larger set of dental instruments donated by Dr. Beebe’s family, including seven forceps of different styles and uses:
If, like me, you tend to have your eyes squeezed shut when enduring dental work, you might think that the dentist has only one unpleasantly-pliers-like tool. Indeed, no! There are so many options! To illustrate, this sales website includes 118 varieties in the English pattern, and another 71 in the American pattern (differentiated by the type of hinge, as noted on the American page linked above). Note: Please do not click the links if you are susceptible to phantom tooth pain. (If you’re really terrified of the dentist, I assume you’ve stopped reading this post altogether.) The angle, size, and shape of the pincers informs the intended use; the #24 forceps are designed to easily extract lower molars.
I do approve of an artifact that’s clearly labeled. This one is stamped with the initials/logo SSW USA, and “Pat. Jan. 16 ‘94.” (The “24” mark is on the end of one of the handles.) U.S. patent # 513,015 was granted on that date to one Woodbury Storer How, assignor to the S.S. White Dental Manufacturing Company, for “a certain new and useful Improvement in Forceps, Pliers, &c.”, specifically a new handle design “to enable the implements to be used with greater efficiency and less discomfort to the user.” The manufacturer, named on both the patent and the instrument itself, was founded in Philadelphia in 1844 by dentist Samuel Stockton White, and is still in business today.
The handle is also conveniently engraved (by hand) with the name “Dr. Beebe.” Dr. Steven O. Beebe (1902-1983) moved to the historic 1886 Mary G. Tyson house, in Sandy Spring, in 1935, and around the same time was hired as the staff dentist at Montgomery General Hospital in Olney. Here he is in the program for the hospital’s Annual Supper, 1938 (below). One source says he worked there until his 1982 retirement, though I’ve not found him on any official staff lists past 1960; do any readers remember Dr. Beebe and his work?
A Fine Collection 
October 23, 2013 at 5:49 pm
I’m very excited that there is a woman listed as the resident physician!
October 24, 2013 at 9:43 am
Yes, that was nice to see!
March 7, 2019 at 9:38 am
I am searching for information on my grandfather’s dental equipment. He traveled horseback through the hills and mountains of NC caring for the sick and also caring for their teeth. You have listed a picture of his English Pattern forceps used by Dr. Steven Beebe. The other instruments are made in the same pattern, same hinge, all forceps except one with a wood handle which must be some type of prober. Where can I find additional information on these instruments?