Story 1225
April 1, 1942 Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan
Labor Secretary Frances Perkins winced. The dentist was trying to fill the cavity in the mouth of a fourteen year boy whose hands were clenched tightly on the green chair. The drill had gone too deep and struck a nerve in the boy’s molar. He kept his head still as the rest of his body spasmed to the sudden pain. He was one of the first children to use the new federal tooth and eye exam benefit. There had been talk about pushing back the benefit that had been agreed to in the summer of 1940 as a mobilization preparation measure now that mobilization had kicked off but the actual demand for services was projected to be low and no one knew how long the war would last, so teenagers with good teeth and good eyes could be vital in 1947. The federal government would pay for the first eight dollars of work and then half of the next fifteen dollars.
Half an hour later, the dentist was bent over examining the mouth of the boy’s younger sister. The labor secretary heard a curious word that all patients would learn to fear ---” Hmm, that’s interesting” as the dentist reached for another pick to probe.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/keynes-cruisers.388788/page-54#post-1413436
Labor Secretary Frances Perkins winced. The dentist was trying to fill the cavity in the mouth of a fourteen year boy whose hands were clenched tightly on the green chair. The drill had gone too deep and struck a nerve in the boy’s molar. He kept his head still as the rest of his body spasmed to the sudden pain. He was one of the first children to use the new federal tooth and eye exam benefit. There had been talk about pushing back the benefit that had been agreed to in the summer of 1940 as a mobilization preparation measure now that mobilization had kicked off but the actual demand for services was projected to be low and no one knew how long the war would last, so teenagers with good teeth and good eyes could be vital in 1947. The federal government would pay for the first eight dollars of work and then half of the next fifteen dollars.
Half an hour later, the dentist was bent over examining the mouth of the boy’s younger sister. The labor secretary heard a curious word that all patients would learn to fear ---” Hmm, that’s interesting” as the dentist reached for another pick to probe.
https://www.alternatehistory.com/forum/threads/keynes-cruisers.388788/page-54#post-1413436