The truth was anything but.
A necklace of extracted teeth that Painless Parker wore when he went to work.
Painless Parker was born Edgar Randolph Parker in Tynemouth Creek, New Brunswick in 1872.
Edger showed evidence of being a natural born salesman from a very young age.
At the age of 7, he sold the school playground to a fellow classmate for 20 cents.
Edgar was rebellious and mischievous.
He often feigned illness so that he could skip school.
Once he acquired a wagon and a horse and became a street peddler selling trinkets.
His father did not approve of Edgars peddling and sold off his wagon.
In protest, Edgar left home and signed on to one if his uncles ships heading to Barbados.
While at sea, Edgar sustained an injury and ended up in hospital in Buenos Aires.
Edgar Randolph Parker
In 1889, Parker enrolled in the New York College of Dentistry.
This was a violation of college policy, and Parker was expelled from the college.
Parker was a poor student, and he only graduated because he pleaded with his dean to pass him.
After the dean did, Parker moved home to Canada to start work as a dentist.
At that time, it was considered unethical in the profession to solicit patients.
Full page newspaper ad for the West Coast dental practice.
Parker set up shop at a street corner, and talked about horrors of tooth decay to attract customers.
Parker promised extraction would be completely painless, and offered $5 if the patient wasn’t satisfied.
He concocted a solution of cocaine and water, that he called hydrocaine to numb the pain.
So Parker legally changed his name from Edgar to Painless.
His colleagues detested him toothe American Dental Association even called him a menace to the dignity of the profession.
Notwithstanding, Parkers business thrived.
He also hired assistants and established a chain dentistry business.
Despite being a huckster, Parkers contribution to the dental world is undeniable.
He believed in inexpensive healthcare and wouldnt charge for preliminary assessments.
Today, a section of the exhibits at the Temple Universitys museum is dedicated to Painless Parker.
A bucket full of extracted teeth at Temple Universitys museum.
References:# Painless Parker most eccentric dentist,New Brunswick Museum# Was He Really Painless?
