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TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Bureau of The Public Health Service
Washington
September 19,1925.
MEMORANDUM FOR DR. THOMPSON:
With reference to your letter of September 18th, just received
requesting information regarding necrosis of the jaw. I am sorry to state that it is
impossible for me to take the time to go into this thoroughly. There is so much written
about it, and it has so many angles that one could almost write a volume about it alone.
I am leaving in an hour for an inspection trip through the West, and the best I am able
to do is to send you some of the best books we have, with a notation on the outside cover
as to where the information may be found.
With reference to the question as to which race is most fre-
quently affected, I am sorry to say it is impossible for me to give this information.
However, I believe that in the near future this section will be able to compile some data
along this line, as within the next month we will have a dental officer placed at Ellis
Island, and it is hoped that while performing his other duties there he may be able to
compile considerable information regarding certain diseases of the various races, which
I am sure has never been written up before.
Necrosis of the bone is death of the bone en masse, and occurs
under widely different conditions, and of course in any part of the body where there is
bony tissue. Inflammation first involves the periosteum, and then extends to the bony
tissue itself. This, of course, establishes an osteitis. It is possible that the inflam-
mation can begin within the bone, as in the case of an osteomyelitis in a long bone,
or as an abscess in the alveolar bony structure or maxillary bones. When inflammation
such as this starts, it spreads to the periosteum at a later date. At the time of the
inflammation, an exudate is thrown out which becomes coagulated and renders the central
portion of the swelling harder than the surrounding tissues, which are also swollen. In
the hard central portion of this area, there is a stoppage of the circulation. Whenever
this stoppage of the circulation is widespread and long continued, and especially where
it involves the bone, there is nearly always death of that part of the bone which is in-
vorved. This cannot be thrown off immediately, but remains attached to the living bone
for a time until the activity of the healthy bone makes a permanent line of demarkation.
This is followed by a contraction of the healthy bone close around the dead portion, by
which it is finally loosened. This dead portion which is thus exfoliated is called a
sequestrum. Then the dead portion may be removed, sometimes in pieces, and sometimes
in one single piece. Usually there are no after-results, and healing takes place
readily after this sequestrum is removed. In cases where teeth are lost with the
alveolar process, the latter is never reformed, and often this makes quite a deformity
in the mouth where large pieces of bone and teeth are lost from necrosis.
Etiology.
Necrosis of the jaw bone, I believe, is most frequently
caused by death of the pulp and the formation of an alveolar abscess. It may result
as an injury such as a blow or a kick - anything that could cause a fracture. It could
be caused from arsenical poisoning, in giving treatments with arsenic, and last but not
least by any means, syphillis should be mentioned as a cause of necrosis.
I wish I could 20 into this further for you, but I hope that
with what I have written above and what you can find in the books which I am sending over
you will be able to help Dr. Bean in this matter.
C.T. Messner
Dental Surgeon (R)
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"ocrText": "COPY\nTREASURY DEPARTMENT\nBureau of The Public Health Service\nWashington\nSeptember 19,1925.\nMEMORANDUM FOR DR. THOMPSON:\nWith reference to your letter of September 18th, just received\nrequesting information regarding necrosis of the jaw. I am sorry to state that it is\nimpossible for me to take the time to go into this thoroughly. There is so much written\nabout it, and it has so many angles that one could almost write a volume about it alone.\nI am leaving in an hour for an inspection trip through the West, and the best I am able\nto do is to send you some of the best books we have, with a notation on the outside cover\nas to where the information may be found.\nWith reference to the question as to which race is most fre-\nquently affected, I am sorry to say it is impossible for me to give this information.\nHowever, I believe that in the near future this section will be able to compile some data\nalong this line, as within the next month we will have a dental officer placed at Ellis\nIsland, and it is hoped that while performing his other duties there he may be able to\ncompile considerable information regarding certain diseases of the various races, which\nI am sure has never been written up before.\nNecrosis of the bone is death of the bone en masse, and occurs\nunder widely different conditions, and of course in any part of the body where there is\nbony tissue. Inflammation first involves the periosteum, and then extends to the bony\ntissue itself. This, of course, establishes an osteitis. It is possible that the inflam-\nmation can begin within the bone, as in the case of an osteomyelitis in a long bone,\nor as an abscess in the alveolar bony structure or maxillary bones. When inflammation\nsuch as this starts, it spreads to the periosteum at a later date. At the time of the\ninflammation, an exudate is thrown out which becomes coagulated and renders the central\nportion of the swelling harder than the surrounding tissues, which are also swollen. In\nthe hard central portion of this area, there is a stoppage of the circulation. Whenever\nthis stoppage of the circulation is widespread and long continued, and especially where\nit involves the bone, there is nearly always death of that part of the bone which is in-\nvorved. This cannot be thrown off immediately, but remains attached to the living bone\nfor a time until the activity of the healthy bone makes a permanent line of demarkation.\nThis is followed by a contraction of the healthy bone close around the dead portion, by\nwhich it is finally loosened. This dead portion which is thus exfoliated is called a\nsequestrum. Then the dead portion may be removed, sometimes in pieces, and sometimes\nin one single piece. Usually there are no after-results, and healing takes place\nreadily after this sequestrum is removed. In cases where teeth are lost with the\nalveolar process, the latter is never reformed, and often this makes quite a deformity\nin the mouth where large pieces of bone and teeth are lost from necrosis.\nEtiology.\nNecrosis of the jaw bone, I believe, is most frequently\ncaused by death of the pulp and the formation of an alveolar abscess. It may result\nas an injury such as a blow or a kick - anything that could cause a fracture. It could\nbe caused from arsenical poisoning, in giving treatments with arsenic, and last but not\nleast by any means, syphillis should be mentioned as a cause of necrosis.\nI wish I could 20 into this further for you, but I hope that\nwith what I have written above and what you can find in the books which I am sending over\nyou will be able to help Dr. Bean in this matter.\nC.T. Messner\nDental Surgeon (R)"
}