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Sidney Epstein, DDS
San Francisco

Joseph H. Davis, MD
Palo Alto, Calif

JAMA. 1970;213(2):301.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor:—

The device renews, at the adult level, the controversy over the relative merits and harm from the use of the pacifier vs the thumb as a source of oral gratification. Ours is not particularly a pacifier-oriented culture, as is the case in many European countries. Here we seem to accept the normal mechanism of thumb sucking for oral gratification in infancy. If this is to be carried over into "manhood," why not keep the same image; Dr. Friederici's device reminded us of a similar device made by the late Dr. Richard Cutter (Figure) extolling the thumb as the ultimate sucking device. This was made up in response to a comment in an article on psychodynamics in dentistry:

I am often intrigued watching how pipe-smokers use the stem of their pipes; or more particularly, the choice of the shape of the pipe stem for one that resembles a . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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