Painless Parker

Painless Parker
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]

Full page newspaper ad for the West Coast dental practice.

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

References

  1. 1 2 "The quack street dentists of New York City". Ephemeral New York. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  2. ↑ Avery, Ron. ""Painless Parker's" Bucket of Teeth". ushistory.org.
  3. 1 2 3 Thuras, Dylan. "Painless Parker’s Dental Circus". britannica.com. Retrieved 12 December 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Austin, Donna. "Was He Really Painless? Painless Parker". Cupertino News. Archived from the original on March 4, 2014.
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