History: Dr Dutcher, Veterinary Dentist Visits Matawan (1888)

A veterinary dentist named Dr Dutcher visited Matawan twice in 1888 to treat the area's horses and sell his liniment.

The pullers, luggers, lollers, droolers, et al mentioned in the first ad are categories of horse behaviors that resulted from the horses' responses to improper bitting. Those issues could have been caused by or leading to dental disease. But the other ailments and conditions were muscular or skeletal in nature, likely outside the bounds of the typical veterinary dentist's area of expertise. Likely he was hawking a cure all liniment as part of his practice. Ads for mostly ineffective curative liniments for people filled the Matawan Journal in those days, and only ended with federal intervention.

I've not been able to find any additional information online about this Dr Dutcher and would be pleased to hear from my readers about him. (Given the era, I'm assuming the doctor was a male, but I've been wrong before.)

The 4 Aug 1888 and 11 Aug 1888 editions of The Matawan Journal carried the above Dr Dutcher ad, transcribed below:

DR DUTCHER,

Veterinary Dentist,

will treat ailments of the horse's mouth

and cure all such

SIDERIAN PULLERS, LUGGERS,

TONGUE LOLLERS, DROOLERS, 

CRIBBERS, AND OLD HORSES 

that cannot masticate their food.

All work warranted. Orders by mail 

promptly attended to. Examination free. 

Also, Dr Dutcher's Celebrated Liniment 

and Ointment, for contracted cords, spavin, 

ringbone, swollen joints, corns and quarter 

cracks. The Doctor will be at the 

Matawan House for 10 Days.

 

The 20 Oct 1888 and 27 Oct 1888 editions of The Matawan Journal carried the above Dr Dutcher ad, which read:

DR DUTCHER,

  VETERINARY DENTIST.

    TREATS ALL DISEASES OF HORSES.

  Also, Dr Dutcher's Celebrated Liniment

and Ointment, for ringbone, spavin, etc.

          Refers to Dunn, Dunlop & Co,

    May be found at the Matawan House.