Painless Parker
| Painless Parker | |
|---|---|
| File:Painless Parker 1915 photo.png | |
| Born | Edgar R.R. Parker 1872 |
| Died | 1952 |
| Occupation | Dentist |
Edgar R.R. "Painless" Parker (1872–1952) was a flamboyant street dentist[1] described as "a menace to the dignity of the profession" by the American Dental Association[2] and yet “much of what he championed – patient advocacy, increased access to dental care and advertising – has come to pass in the US.”[3] He attended Philadelphia Dental College[4] which would become Temple University dental school. After 6 weeks without a single patient, Parker decided to advertise. He hired one of P.T. Barnum’s ex-managers to help him take his practice on the road. He created the Parker Dental Circus, a traveling medicine show with his dental chair on a horse-drawn wagon while a band played. The band attracted large crowds and hid the moans and cries of patients who were given whiskey or a cocaine solution that he called “hydrocaine” to numb the pain.[4] He charged 50 cents for each extraction and promised that if it hurt, he’d pay the patient $5.[3]
At one point he claimed to have pulled 357 teeth in one day, which he strung on a necklace.[4]
He legally changed his first name to "Painless", when he was accused of breaking a false advertisement law by claiming that his dentistry was truly painless.[1][4]
When business thrived, he hired assistants and established a chain dentistry business.[4] In the end, Parker ran 28 West Coast dental offices, employing over 70 dentists, and grossing $3 million per year.
Media
Parker is mentioned in the song 'Orange Claw Hammer', by musician and poet Don Van Vliet.
The Historical Dental Museum at the Temple University School of Dentistry has a display on “PAINLESS PARKER” with his necklace of 357 teeth and a large wooden bucket filled to the brim with teeth that Parker had personally pulled. The bucket of teeth sat by his feet as he lectured to the crowds on the importance of dental hygiene.[3]
Further reading
- "Early Adventures of Painless Parker" by Peter M. Pronych and Arden G. Christen, Miramichi Books, Canada.
- "The Adventures of Painless Parker", a web comic, by Zoe Piel
- "The Saga of Painless Parker", the Dentistry iQ Network
- "Painless Parker: Part dentist, part showman, all American", BBC Magazine 11 May 2015
References
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