John Lawrence Bell
1906 – 1939
By: Hilary Owens
In 1939, the world was not sitting still.
Talks of war in Europe were spreading quickly across the globe. John Lawrence Bell picked up a paper on his way to Dr. C. W. Clifford’s office in the First National Bank[1] and sighed at the looming idea of another war. He rubbed his jaw trying to ease the persistent pain he’d felt since his last visit to the dentist.
During his recent consultation with Dr. Frank E. Brown[2], he’d been told the tooth extraction had caused a severe throat infection[3]. He’d been miserably coughing up mucus and blood for over two weeks. He didn’t have the money for a dentist, but he agreed to do some free labor in exchange for a tooth extraction. At least his workmanship showed quality. His dentist wasn’t the one coughing up infection.
John had avoided dental work his whole life, since the day his older brother “helped” him pull a sore tooth. Luckily for John, his parents could never afford to send him to a dentist, so he never had to endure another person sticking their fingers in his mouth. He groaned at the thought of what today held in store for him. He didn’t want to waste a whole day of work at the dentist when he could be working. They needed the money bad. Rent was due in only a few days.
He was greeted at the door with a “hello” and was gestured to the empty yellow chair. The office was plain but clean and the sounds of busy people on the floor above him could be heard with quick and heavy footsteps.
John was tense but tried to relax. He gripped the chair, closed his eyes and let the anesthetic take him.
Thoughts of dying in a dentist chair may seem over dramatic in response to a fearful dentist visit. The truth is, people die every year due to dental malpractice.
People have loathed the dentist as early as 7000 B.C.[4] where evidence of dentistry was found in Egypt. And unfortunately many of these people have dental malpractice listed as their cause of death.
Throughout history, dental treatments were as brutal as the toothache itself. It was common practice to have dental work done by barbers or barber-surgeons, and the marketplace charlatan. By the 1700’s[5], the term ‘dentist’ was borrowed from the French, and became the new name for “tooth operators.”
The main treatments available to the working class were dubious toothache remedies and extraction[6], given most commonly by the village blacksmith and barber. Instead of leaving with a new toothbrush and sugar free gum, they usually left bloody and - unknown to them - full of infection. The wealthy sought after skilled dentists who could provide them with artificial teeth–made from walrus, elephant or hippopotamus ivory[7]. Uncomfortable and ill fitting, these were later replaced with porcelain dentures which had a tendency to crack.
By the 19th century, dentistry started to grow. Toothpaste, which was originally made and sold by individual dentists in bottles, porcelain pots or paper boxes, was now being mass-produced in factories and sold nationwide. The nylon toothbrush, the first made with synthetic bristles[8] came later in 1938.
Possibly one of the most dramatic discoveries in dentistry occurred late in the 19th century and early 20th century with the introduction of anesthesia. Cocaine and then Novocain[9] were used as local anesthetics. Then, ether and chloroform and nitrous oxide[10] became the most preferred option for dental surgeries. Ether Chlorid was not considered as a “safe” anesthetic because of its tendency to produce breath holding, and its disastrous effects upon the heart[11] It was during these early years of anesthetics that the innovations of new dentistry became a gamble for many people’s lives.
John Lawrence Bell was one of those people.
Born in 1906[12] to William and Harriet Bell, John grew up helping his father blacksmith[13]. His father William A. Bell moved to Rexburg in 1883 from Utah as one of the “veritable pioneer class.[14]” And was “the blacksmith[15] in Rexburg for many, many years.” He started his shop in 1889 and “did primarily all the blacksmithing” as well as writing and wagon work. Although William refused to be involved with any political or religious sect or organization, he was generously involved in the community and had a “large circle of sterling friends.[16]” Being well acquainted with trade work from his own father, he passed his knowledge on to his own sons. It was not uncommon in those days
for sons to learn the trade of their father and continue the family business. Unfortunately, in the 1930s the world knew one of history’s darkest times and a family business did not always guarantee work.
The Great Depression was everywhere. The economic collapse was unforgettable, causing unemployment to increase from less than 3 million in 1929 to 4 million in 1930, 8 million in 1931 and 12.5 million in 1932[17].
It was in 1932 that a quarter of the nation’s families did not have an income. Those that were fortunate enough to be employed suffered greatly with pay cuts and part-time schedules. Families struggled with no homes, no food and a lack of security. As the United Sates economy plummeted, husbands deserted their wives and children, and for the first time in American history the birthrate was below the replacement level[18].
President of the United States, Herbert Hoover, declared, “Nobody is actually starving. The hoboes are better fed than they have ever been.”
Despite his statement, and with yearly incomes cut almost in half in only a few years, families lost homes, investments and neglected healthcare to save money.
John waited for the dentist, relaxing with the help of the ether chlorid he had been given. He thought of Carma. Her beautiful smile was the first thing he saw this morning as he woke up. He cherished those few quiet moments they had alone before the world came alive. Her smile was fading slowly as the anesthetic took him deeper.
John Bell married his sweetheart Carma[19] Denise McKenna on Sept. 8, 1931[20] in Idaho Falls, Idaho and they welcomed a son, Steve J. Bell, on March 13, 1932[21] in Rexburg.
In this same year, major political changes took place and the economic distress in the United States led to the election of the Democrat Franklin D. Roosevelt. Roosevelt led a number of changes in the economy. He increased government regulation and massive public-works projects to promote a recovery[22]. Despite his efforts, the economic stagnation persisted and mass unemployment continued.
People started gambling what little they had as they sought any means to add to their income. The game Monopoly was introduced by the Warner Brothers in 1935 and 20 thousand sets were sold in one week[23]. Fashion, traveling, and luxury were left for the very rich. Many states suffered worse than others. One of them was Idaho.
Idaho was hit hard with debt and needed government relief badly. John and Carma, along with many others, packed their things and moved across the country in search of employment. Their move took them to Salem, Oregon, around 1936, where an economic revival was showing[24], and John was successfully employed as a tile setter[25].
Life wasn’t easy for John during these times of economic failure. With 3 mouths to feed, the seriousness of the times weighed heavy on his shoulders. This wasn’t the kind of life he imagined for his new family.
Dr. Clifford entered the room and sat down. The anesthetic had kicked in and John looked asleep. It was time to get to work. He turned on an extra lamp, giving the room a new glow and aimed it towards John.
As he propped open John’s mouth, he noticed a slight twitch. Then almost all at once, John’s body was shaking out of control.
He called for help and tried to calm John’s writhing body. The Salem first aid car was called, and Dr. H. H. Barlow arrived at the scene and found John had no pulse. He tried to revive John’s heart[26].
It was too late. His eyes already closed, the doctors stepped away from John and sighed.
John Lawrence Bell, 33 years old, of 930 Broadway died Aug. 4, 1939 in a dental chair at the office of Dr. C.W. Clifford in the First National bank where he had come for treatment of a throat infection resulting from a tooth extraction made by another dentist[27].
His life cut short, he was survived by his widow Carma and a son, Steve, aged 7.
Bibliography
The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5
Samuel Cartin, "Anesthesia and Analgesia, Scope and Utility of Vinethene Anesthesia in Dentistry and Oral Surgery.," November and December 1939, http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/content/18/1-6/324.full.pdf .
Find A Grave, www.findagrave.com.
Family History Library, "United States Census," Ancestry.com, Roll: 300 and Page 3B Image 1042.0 Film: 2340135, 1930, www.ancestry.com.
A.W. Bowen & Co., "Progressive men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremonth and Oneida counies," 1904, www.books.google.com.
George Alton Anderson, interview by Harold Forbush, , Voices from the Past "Transportation of Good
to Market Lake", (March 12, 1983): Tape #69.
A.W. Bowen & Co., "Progressive men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremonth and Oneida counties," 1904, www.books.google.com.
Digital History, explorations, children and the great depression, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history.
Idaho Falls, Bonneville Co. marriage book, Vol. 4 (County Courthouse), 375.
Ancestry.com, A record of the ancestry and descendants of Henry & Sarah (Thompson) Hendricks of Monmouth Co., New Jersey: Henry Hendricks, www.ancestry.com.
Lonestar College - Kingwood, American Cultural History, 1930-1939, www.kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html.
Modern American Poetry, www.english.illinois.edu.
The Post-Register, "Services Held for Madison Man At Rexburg" (August 10, 1939), 2.
[1] The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5.
[2] The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5.
[3] The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5.
[4] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[5] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[6] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[7] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[8] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[9] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[10] Namibian Dental Association, The History of Dentistry, www.namibiadent.com/History.
[11] Samuel Cartin, "Anesthesia and Analgesia, Scope and Utility of Vinethene Anesthesia in Dentistry and Oral Surgery.," November and December 1939, http://www.anesthesia-analgesia.org/content/18/1-6/324.full.pdf .
[13] Family History Library, "United States Census," Ancestry.com, Roll: 300 and Page 3B Image 1042.0 Film: 2340135, 1930, www.ancestry.com.
[14] A.W. Bowen & Co., "Progressive men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremonth and Oneida counies," 1904, www.books.google.com.
[15] George Alton Anderson, interview by Harold Forbush, , Voices from the Past "Transportation of Good to Market Lake", (March 12, 1983): Tape #69.
[16] A.W. Bowen & Co., "Progressive men of Bannock, Bear Lake, Bingham, Fremonth and Oneida counties," 1904, www.books.google.com.
[17] Digital History, explorations, children and the great depression, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history.
[18] Digital History, explorations, children and the great depression, www.digitalhistory.uh.edu/learning_history.
[21]Ancestry.com, A record of the ancestry and descendants of Henry & Sarah (Thompson) Hendricks of Monmouth Co., New Jersey: Henry Hendricks, www.ancestry.com.
[22]www.english.illinois.edu/maps/depression.
[23]Lonestar College - Kingwood, American Cultural History, 1930-1939, www.kclibrary.lonestar.edu/decade30.html.
[24]Modern American Poetry, www.english.illinois.edu.
[26] The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5.
[27] The Oregon Statesman, August 1939: 5.
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