CONSTITUTION, 
BiJ-Law? and Code of Ethic? 
OF THE 
CONN. VALLEY DENTAL SOCIETY. 
G. V. WHEELOCK, PRINTER. 
CHICOPEE: 
1881. CONSTITUTION, 
BiJ-Latog and Code of Efhicg 
OF THE 
CONN. VALLEY DENTAL SOCIETY. 
CHICOPEE: 
G. V. WHEELOCK, PRINTER. 
1 881. OFFICERS AND COMMITTEES, 
1881. 
President, C. FONES, Bridgeport, Conn. 
Vice Presidents, 
N. MORGAN, Springfield, Mass. 
O. F. HARRIS, Worcester, Mass. 
Secretary, A. M. ROSS, Chicopee, Mass. 
Ass’t Secretary, S. E. DAVENPORT, New York, N. Y. 
Executive Committee. 
C. T. STOCKWELL, Springfield, Mass. 
J. J. VINCENT, Amherst, Mass. 
C. W. STRANG-, Bridgeport, Conn. 
Section Committees chosen. 
1, DR. S. E. DAVENPORT, New York, N. Y. 
2, DR. ,TAS. McMANUS, Hartford, Conn. 
3, DR. E. S. NILES, Boston, Mass. 
4, DR. GEO. L. PARMELE, Hartford, Conn. 
5, DR. C. \V. STRANG, Bridgeport, Conn. CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE I. 
Sec. 1. This organization shall be known as 
The Connecticut Valley Dental Society. 
Sec. 2. The objects of this Society are to cul- 
tivate the science and art of Dentistry, and all its 
collateral branches; to elevate and sustain the 
professional character of dentists, to promote 
among them mutual improvement, social inter- 
course and good feeling, and to collectively repre- 
sent and have cognizance of the common interests 
of the dental profession of the Connecticut valley. 
Name and Objects. 
ARTICLE II. 
Sec. 1. The officers of this Society shall be a 
President, two Vice Presidents, Secretary, an 
Assistant Secretary, Treasurer, and an Executive 
Committee, composed of three members, all of 
whom shall be elected by separate ballot, at each 
annual meeting, excepting the Executive Com- 
mittee, who shall be appointed by the President 
elect. 
Officers. 4 
CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE III. 
Election of Officers. 
Sec. 1. The election of officers shall occur at 
each annual meeting, and be the regular order of 
business for the afternoon of the first day. The 
new officers shall not, however, assume their du- 
ties until during the last session of the meeting. 
ARTICLE IY. 
Members. 
Sec. 1. There shall be two classes of members: 
Active and Honorary. The first class shall con- 
sist of those who sign the Constitution and By- 
Laws of the Society, and who shall have paid 
into the treasury an initiation fee of one dollar. 
Sec. 2. Any elected active member who may 
find it inconvenient to sign the Constitution and 
By-laws in person may authorize the Secretary to 
sign them for him. 
ARTICLE Y. 
Sec. 1. Candidates for admission shall be pro- 
posed by two members, at a regular meeting, and 
balloted for, unless objections are made, in which 
case such candidates shall he balloted for at the 
next regular meeting. 
A vote of three-fourths of the members voting 
shall be necessary to an election. 
Election of Members. CONSTITUTION. 
5 
Qualification of Members. 
ARTICLE VI. 
Sec. 1. Candidates for active membership 
shall, upon the requisition of any three members, 
be subjected to an examination by the Board of 
Censors. If the report of the Board he favorable 
they may he elected in the manner prescribed by 
Article V. of the Constitution; should an adverse 
report he made, no further action shall be taken 
in the case. 
ARTICLE VII. 
Expulsion. 
Sec. 1. Any member may be suspended or 
expelled for unprofessional conduct, malpractice, 
or gross immorality, on being duly convicted 
thereof, three-fourths of the members present at a 
regular meeting voting for the suspension or ex- 
pulsion. 
Sec. 2. Articles of Impeachment must be 
signed by, at least, two members, who shall place 
the same in the hands of the Executive Commit- 
tee. The member so impeached shall have fur- 
nished him a copy of the impeachment, with 
notice of the time and place of hearing, before the 
committee. If the said committee find the 
impeachment sustained they shall report the 
same to the Society for action. 6 
CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE VIII. 
Sections. 
Sec. 1. For the purpose of securing a more 
thorough and systematic research and investiga- 
tion, the membership shall he divided at each 
annual meeting into sections, classified as follows : 
1. —Anatomy, Physiology, Histology and Micro- 
scopy. 
2. —Pathology, Therapeutics, Etiology and 
Diagnosis. 
3. Chemistry, Materia Medica and Anesthetics. 
4. —Surgical and Operative Dentistry, Educa- 
tion and Literature. 
5. Mechanical Dentistry and Metallurgy. 
Sec. 2. Members may belong to one or more 
sections. 
Each member shall have the choice of sections 
to which he may he assigned, provided he indi- 
cate the same at the annual meeting, otherwise 
he shall be assigned by the Secretary to one of the 
sections and notified accordingly. 
ARTICLE IX. 
Section Committees. 
Sec. 1. The section committees shall consist of 
one member each, and correspond in number with 
the sections. These committees shall be appointed 
by the President elect at each annual meeting. CONSTITUTION. 
ARTICLE X. 
7 
Meetings. 
The regular meetings of this Society shall be 
held at such times and places as the Society shall 
decide on from meeting to meeting. 
ARTICLE XI. 
Quorum. 
Seven active members shall constitute a quorum 
at any meeting of this Society. 
ARTICLE XII. 
Each member shall pay an annual fee of one 
dollar ($1.00) whether present or not at the 
meetings of the Society. 
Fees. 
ARTICLE XIII. 
Any alteration or amendment of, or addition to 
this Constitution, shall he proposed at a regular 
meeting only, and shall not be acted upon until 
the next regular meeting, and shall be adopted only 
by a vote of three-fourths of the members voting. 
Amendments. BY-LAWS. 
ARTICLE I. 
Sec. 1. The President shall preside at all meet- 
ings of this society according to parliamentary 
usage and the rules of order adopted by the 
Society, exercise a general supervision of the same, 
and deliver an address before the Society at its 
annual meeting. He shall also appoint, as soon 
as possible after his induction, the Executive and 
Section Committees, and be an ex-officio member 
of the Executive Committee. 
Sec. 2. Vice Presidents.—In the absence of the 
President, one of the Vice Presidents shall per- 
form his duties. 
Sec. 3. Secretary.—It shall be the duty of the 
Secretary to hold in his possession the books, 
papers, reports and records pertaining to the 
office, conduct the correspondence of the Society, 
make a careful record of all the proceedings of 
the same, and such other duties as the Society 
may require. 
Sec. 4. Assistant Secretary.—The Assistant Sec- 
retary shall assist the Secretary in making a record 
Duties. of the Society’s proceedings and discussions, and 
in the absence of the Secretary perform all his 
duties. 
BY-LAWS. 
9 
Sec. 5. Treasurer.—It shall be the duty of the 
Treasurer to receive and hold all the moneys of 
the Society, paying them out only as ordered by 
the President countersigned by the Secretary. 
He shall collect the annual dues and initiation 
fees from the members, and keep a correct record 
of the same. He shall hold in his possession the 
books of membership, and shall notify members 
who may be in arrears, and carry out the stand- 
ing rule of the Society in reference to the same. 
It shall be his duty to place any surplus funds 
belonging to the Society in such savings bank or 
other institution for deposit as the Executive 
Committee may direct, and report at each annual 
meeting the receipts, expenditures and the finan- 
cial standing of the Society, and also at the 
expiration of his term of office, he shall deliver 
to his successor all funds, papers and books relat- 
ing thereto. 
Sec. 6. Executive Committee.—It shall be the 
duty of the Executive Committee to provide 
places and all necessary conveniences for meet- 
ings, arrange and issue through the Secretary the 
programmes and notices—which shall be mailed 
to each active and honorary member, at least two 10 
BY-LAWS. 
weeks previous to each meeting,—audit the Treas- 
urer’s accounts, and constitute a Board of Censors. 
They shall have power to act at any time between 
the regular meetings of the Society upon articles 
of impeachment against any member, that may 
be regularly submitted to them, and shall so act in 
cases where the parties submitting such articles 
of impeachment so require. If they consider the 
charges in the impeachment well grounded, they 
shall report the evidence and their judgment to 
the Society at its next regular meeting. 
Duties of Section Committees. 
ARTICLE II. 
Sec. 1. The Section Committees shall acquaint 
themselves with the work and progress of the 
members of their respective sections, make such 
suggestions as may seem to them advisable, or 
assign special lines of investigation to individual 
members; and each Section Committee shall also 
receive from the members of their several sections 
such statements of facts, observations, suggestions, 
reports of cases in practice, and results of exper- 
imentation, or investigation as have reference to 
the special line of work embraced in their section. 
These may take the form of a paper, or may be 
presented simply as a statement, or report of 
such fact, observation, investigation, &c. From 
such papers, statements or reports the Section Committees shall severally prepare a report for the 
meetings of the Society. This report may embrace 
abstracts from the various individual reports or 
papers, or they may he given in full at the discre- 
tion of the Section Committee. 
BY-LAWS. 
11 
It shall also be the duty of the Section Com- 
mittees to notify the chairman of the Executive 
Committee at least one month previous to each 
meeting, of their intention to report at a stated 
meeting, and, as far as possible, the nature and 
length of said report. 
ARTICLE III 
Sec. 1. Active Members shall be entitled to debate 
and vote on all questions discussed in the Society, 
and be eligible to any office in its gift, but no mem- 
ber shall be permitted to speak more than twice, 
or longer than ten minutes in all upon the same 
question, unless by consent of the Society. 
Privileges of Members. 
Sec. 2. Honorary Members shall he entitled to 
a seat in the meetings of the Society, and have 
the privilege of debating all questions not involv- 
ing pecuniary expenditures, but shall not be 
eligible to office. 
Sec. 3. Essays shall be limited to forty min- 
utes in delivery unless otherwise voted by the 
Society. 12 
BY-LAWS. 
ARTICLE IV. 
Amendments. 
These By-Laws may be suspended or amended 
at any regular meeting of the Society by a unani- 
mous vote of the members present They may 
be amended by a majority vote of the members 
present at any regular meeting, providing a notice 
of such proposed amendment be given at a pre- 
vious meeting. 
“Resolved, That the names of all members who 
are three or more years in arrears in payment of 
dues, be dropped from the list of membership, 
unless paid within one month from date of notice 
to that effect.-’ 
STANDING RULE. CODE OF ETHICS 
ADOPTED OCT. 20, 1869. 
ARTICLE 1. 
Sec 1. The dentist should be ever ready to 
respond to the wants of his patrons, and should 
fully recognize the obligations involved in the 
discharge of his duties toward them. As they 
are, in most cases, unable to correctly estimate the 
character of his operations, his own sense of right 
must guarantee faithfulness in their performance. 
His manner should be firm, yet kind and sympa- 
thizing, so as to gain the respect and confidence 
of his patients, and even the simplest case com- 
mitted to his care should receive that attention 
which is due to operations performed on living 
sensitive tissue. 
Sec. 2. It is not expected that the patient will 
possess a very extended or a very accurate knowl- 
edge of professional matters. The dentist should 
make due allowance for this, patiently explaining 
many things which may seem quite clear to him- 
self, thus endeavoring to educate the public mind 
The Duties of the Profession to their Patients. so that it will properly appreciate the beneficent 
efforts of our profession. He should encourage 
no false hopes by promising success, when, in the 
nature of the case, there is uncertainty. 
Sec. 3. The dentist should be temperate in all 
things, keeping both mind and body in the best 
possible health, that his patients may have the 
benefit of that clearness of judgment and skill 
which is their right. 
14 
CODE OF ETHICS. 
ARTICLE II. 
Sec. 1. A member of the dental profession is 
bound to maintain its honor, and to labor earnestly 
to extend its sphere of usefulness. He should 
avoid everything in language and conduct cal- 
culated to dishonor his profession, and should 
ever manifest a due respect for his brethren. The 
young should show special respect to their seniors; 
the aged, special encouragement to their juniors. 
Sec. 2. The person and office arrangements of 
the dentist should indicate that he is a gentle- 
man ; and he should sustain a high-toned moral 
character. 
Sec. 3. It is unprofessional to resort to public 
advertisements, cards, handbills, posters, or signs, 
calling attention to peculiar styles of work, low- 
ness of prices, special modes of operating; or to 
Maintaining Professional Character. CODE OF ETHICS. 
15 
claim superiority over neighboring practitioners; 
to publish reports of cases or certificates in the 
public prints; to go from house to house to solicit 
or perform operations; to circulate or recommend 
nostrums; or to perform any other similar acts. 
Sec. 4. When consulted by the patient of 
another practitioner, the dentist should guard 
against inquiries or hints disparaging to the 
family dentist, or calculated to weaken the 
patient’s confidence in him ; and if the interests 
of the patient will not be endangered thereby, 
the case should be temporarily treated, and refer- 
red back to the family dentist. 
Sec. 5. When general rules shall have been 
adopted by members of the profession practicing 
in the same localities in relation to fees, it is 
unprofessional and dishonorable to depart from 
those rules, except when variation of circum- 
stances requires it. And it is ever to be regarded 
as unprofessional to warrant operations or work, 
as an inducement to patronage. 
ARTICLE III. 
Dental Surgery is a specialty in medical science. 
Physicians and dentists should both bear this in 
mind. The dentist is professionally limited to 
diseases of the dental organs and the mouth. 
The Relative Duties of Dentists and Physicians. 16 
CODE OF ETHICS. 
With these he should be more familiar than the 
general practitioner is expected to be; and while 
he recognizes the superiority of the physician in 
regard to diseases of the general system, the latter 
is under equal obligations to respect his higher 
attainments in his specialty. When this principle 
governs, there can be no conflict or even diversity 
of professional interests. 
The Mutual Duties of the Profession and the Public. 
ARTICLE IV. 
Dentists are frequent witnesses, and, at the 
same time, the best judges of the impositions 
perpetrated by quacks; and it is their duty to 
enlighten and warn the public in regard to them. 
For this and the many other benefits conferred 
by the competent and honorable dentist, the pro- 
fession is entitled to the confidence and respect 
of the public, who should always discriminate in 
favor of the true man of science and integrity! 
against the empiric and imposter. The public 
has no right to tax the time and talents of the 
profession in examinations, prescriptions, or in 
any way without proper remuneration.