Dentistry on the Poca River

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The Poca River Postal Authority is pleased to issue a stamp honoring the history of dentistry on the Poca River.

The first practice of dentistry along the Poca River occurred in the fall of 1843. Mr. Carmichael Cadle was a blacksmith working in Pliny-on-the-Poca. A friend of his came down with a terrible toothache, and Mr. Cadle obliged his friend by removing the tooth. It seems Cadle did a pretty fair job since records indicate that within a year Mr. Cadle had pulled more teeth than he had shod horses. By 1885, Carmichael Cadle had rented a small office, and hung out a sign that read: “Dr. C. Cadle, Dentist.” And thus began the history of dentistry on the Poca River.

Since Cadle’s work was in such demand, there came to be large number of “snaggled toothed” people along the Poca River.

Dr. Cadle, thinking this could be a new opportunity for his business, began to offer false teeth to his patients.

However, Cadle's blacksmith skills were far too clumsy for this practice, and his false teeth were much too large, and they tended to rust badly. As a result, Cadle’s prosthetic teeth never caught on.

Dr. Cadle did save all of the teeth that he extracted, and his family has recently donated this collection to The Poca River Tourists Association in Bancroft-on-the-Poca, where it can still be seen.

The stamp was issued in a plate of 16 stamps in the denomination of 36pu. The date of issue was 24 November, 2001.


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