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Dental Verses - Number 1
West of Scotland Branch Minutes(1), St Enoch's Hotel 1968
By Bob McKechnie*

The last meeting was held, in the St Enoch's Hotel
On Wednesday the 11th of December,
There were 63 there, with Jim Ireland(2) in the Chair,
and it was a night to remember.

The minutes were read
And approved Prof Jim said,
And he then introduced the night's guest(3),
He was sure furthermore,
That our guest knew the score,
And he asked him to give his address.

He spoke about teeth and the bone underneath,
And of children whose jaws were infected
If we all went post haste and used mummifying paste,
Then no doubt it would all be corrected.

We were happy for sure, when he told us the cure,
For multitudinous painful conditions,
For abscesses acute and how to reconstitute,
A child's deciduous dentition.

He had slides by the score but not very much gore
As he showed us his methods unique, the pulp in these molars
Looked like ripe Gorgonzola
But we all stood amazed at the technique.

The discussion ensuing,
Showed that all had been viewing, and a number of members took part,
Some chaps called McPhee,(4) Brown(5), Devine(6) and Chrystie,(7)
When the President gave them a start.

Next E. Rankine Crerar,(8) made the whole thing much clearer,
And thanked Prof Winter for all that he'd said,
It was after 9.30 and the Plebs got quite shirty,
So we adjourned for refreshments instead.

The Forum that night, started off like a fight,
Between Charlie(9) and Andy Carmichael(10).
Now don't get me wrong, although 'twas a bit long
Of rancour there was not a trifle.

We were all a bit glazed, when the President raised,
A proposal to supervise training.
Which had come, I recall, from John Thomson(11) and all,
We're pleased to accept and get scaling.
The meeting thus ended, as had been intended,
late, but full of knowledge quite rare,
So we all wachled out, with the time honoured shout,
a sincere vote of thanks to the Chair. *

(1). Attendances at Branch meetings had been declining and the Secretary was asked to introduce a lighter note to the proceedings. This verse, and another example to be published later, was the result.
*Bob McKechnie, Consultant in Dental Public Health (Retired), Paisley - then Secretary West of Scotland Branch BDA
(2). Professor James Ireland, Glasgow Dental Hospital and School
(3). Professor Gerry Winter of the Eastman Dental Clinic, London
(4). George McPhee, GDP Queen's Park
(5). lan Brown, GDP Lanark
(6). Pat Devine, GDP Glasgow
(7). Don Chrystie, GDP Paisley
(8). Rankine Crerar, GDP Paisley, and Scottish Secretary BDA
(9). Charles Downie, GDP Coatbridge, and later CADO, Lanarkshire
(10). Andrew Carmichael, Senior Lecturer GDH&S
(11). John Thomson, Senior Lecturer GDH&S

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