Talk:Mahlon Loomis
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Sufficient resources are easy to consult, so nursing this entry from stub to article should be relatively painless! A good start: http://earlyradiohistory.us/sec021.htm Sharidan 16:16, 6 January 2006 (UTC)
Doesn't the above link clearly points out that the Loomis discovery was likely a well-intended but fake experiment? The page at http://earlyradiohistory.us/sec021.htm is entitled "Fakes, Frauds, and Cranks (1866-1922)."
It says "The development of the telegraph, telephone, and radio were major advances in communications. However, some would claim even more remarkable achievements, although without any real evidence that their supposed accomplishments were valid. These hoaxes and deceptions, combined with the shady financial activities of many of the early U.S. radio companies, helped to create doubt and skepticism about legitimate advances during the early days of radio development. ... Perhaps the best known and most expansive of these individuals was Mahlon Loomis, a Washington, D.C. dentist. ..."
Shouldn't this fact or opinion be pointed out in the Wikipedia article on Mahlon Loomis? There are so many calendar/holiday Web sites that celebrate the "Loomis Day" or the "Loomis (Telegraphy) Day" without further critical thoughts. See http://www.google.com/search?q="Loomis+(Telegraphy)+Day" and http://www.google.com/search?q="Loomis+Day"
Many readers will come to Wikipedia for confirmation. It is a scary situation (in terms of academic integrity) if the earlyradiohistory.us article is true.
J Xie 2003 Mar 29
[edit] Loomis's Dental plates
On a more mundane note, Loomis did make some real progess in Dental technology, being one of the first (if not the first) to demonstrate that a properly fitted dental upper plate could be retained in the mouth by moisture and suction alone instead of the large springs and other devices used at the time. The Smithsonian has a Loomis plate in its collection, closely resembling a modern plate - except the teeth are set into solid gold. --Saxophobia 04:55, 27 June 2006 (UTC)--
