Call Number:

Ms. Coll. 1442

Repository:

University of Pennsylvania: Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts

Extent:

0.2 linear_foot (1 box)

Language:

English

Preferred Citation:

Elijah M. Neall collection of Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company material, 1868-1880, Ms. Coll. 1442, Kislak Center for Special Collections, Rare Books and Manuscripts, University of Pennsylvania

Date:

1868-1880 (inclusive)

Creator:

Neall, Elijah H. (Elijah Henry) and Neall, Elijah M.

Form:

Correspondence and Agreements

Abstract:

Elijah M. (1806-1873) and Elijah Henry (1836-1900) Neall were dentists in Philadelphia, who were known for their talents in making artificial teeth and who used the patented vulcanized rubber to make the base of dentures. This collection contains a small amount of material regarding Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company's patents and control over the use of vulcanized rubber in the making of dentures.

Elijah M. and Elijah Henry Neall were two dentists in a long line of prominent Neall dentists serving the people of Philadelphia. Elijah M. Neall was born in 1806 and studied dentistry with his uncle, Daniel Neall. He began practicing dentistry in 1840 at an office at 212 North 12th Street in Philadelphia. According to Dental Cosmos, he was "widely and favorably know in connection with the manufacture and insertion of artificial teeth," (page 258) and was "especially noted for his beautiful porcelain block carving," (Koch, page 164). His son, Elijah Henry Neall (born in 1836) eventually joined his practice which became Elijah M. Neall and Son. Elijah M. Neall died on February 2, 1873.

Elijah Henry Neall continued the practice at 212 North 12th Street. He had earned his degree from the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery in 1868 and "his specialty was the carving and baking of block teeth, and he was recognized as an expert along that line." (Dental Office Laboratory, page 157). In addition to his practice, he was actively involved in the dental profession, as a member of the Odonatological Society and the Pennsylvania State Dental Society. He also was on the clinical staff of both the University of Pennsylvania and the Medico-Chirurgical College. He died in 1900.

The Elijah M. Neall and Son dental practice paid the annual license to use vulcanite rubber for dental prosthesis, the patent for which was held by the Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company of Boston. The invention of vulcanite rubber for the base of dentures was revolutionary: it "could be molded to the patients' gums making the denture better fitting and more comfortable … [and] it made it possible for dentists to make dentures relatively inexpensively," (Ohio Dental Association, 2016). Josiah Bacon, treasurer of the Goodyear Vulcanite Company, aggressively enforced the patent and required dentists to pay a yearly license, in addition to a royalty on each denture they produced. Dentists across the country fought against this strict and expensive enforcement, and in 1879, Bacon was murdered by a disgruntled dentist, Samuel Chalfant, whose businesses had been closed by Bacon on two separate occasions. After the death of Bacon, the patent lapsed.

Works consulted:

Dental Cosmos. Obituary. Volume XV, 1873

Dental Office Laboratory. Obituary. Volume XIV, No. 5, 1900 September.

Koch, Charles E. History of Dental Surgery, Volume III. Fort Wayne, Indiana: National Art Publishing Company, 1910.

Ohio Dental Association. "150 years ago the dental profession fought against dental patents," 2016 February 2 (accessed 2020 December 1).

This collection contains a small amount of material regarding Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company's patents and control over the use of vulcanized rubber in the making of dentures. Researchers will find correspondence in which dentist, Dr. Elijah Neall tried to understand the reason for the continued requirement of the License and Agreement, despite other patents; and copies of the License and Agreement that Neall paid, each year from 1868 to 1880.

Although a small group of material, this collection provides documentation behind the much larger story of the Goodyear Dental Vulcanite Company and its control over dentists across the country.