Just before the turn of the 20th century, Johnston residents suffering from cavities, tooth pain or other ailments of the mouth would make a visit to Dr. Twitchell.

 Frederick Arthur Twitchell maintained a dental office in Olneyville Square which was only open in the evenings. There, he promised "teeth extracted without pain by the use of Boston Vegetable Vapor, gas, etc."

Vegetable vapor was an anesthetic invented by two Massachusetts  dentists in 1884, which was hailed as the best advancement in dentistry to come along in decades. With Americans having experienced dental care which included cavities being removed with hand-turned drills, dentures fitted with human teeth from cadavers and molars being painfully yanked from the gums with a pair of pliers, the population at large was grateful for any sort of advancements in the world of dentistry. Before the invention of vegetable vapor, dental patients were put to sleep in preparation for their procedures through the use of anesthetics known to be potentially harmful sulphuric ether and chloroform. Sometimes nitrous oxide, also known as laughing gas, would be utilized to dull the pain. Vegetable vapor, manufactured from herbs and meant to be inhaled by the patient, was touted as "a safe and pleasant substitute for ether, chloroform and nitrous oxide, all dangerous substances used to destroy pain in dentistry."

One Boston dentist claimed that, with the use of vegetable vapor, "Patients didn't choke or change color while inhaling." Eventually, however, it was discovered that some forms of vegetable vapor contained alcohol or opium and were not quite as safe as advertisements suggested. Up until the mid-19th century, virtually anyone with a set of tools could proclaim themselves a dentist, and those with dental problems had little choice about having their teeth yanked out by a butcher, shoe salesman or other entrepreneurial neighbor. It wasn't until 1840 when the first school of dentistry was established in America that dentists had actual training. Dulling the pain probably meant a shot of whiskey was in order before nitrous oxide was offered in 1844, followed by ether in 1846. Once dental anesthesia became available, dentists learned that the apparatus was elaborate and expensive, consisting of a cylinder, gasometer, rubber tubing, inhaling bottle and rubber face mask. Not only were they costly but the large tank with long tubes snaking into bottles were difficult to transport and time-consuming to put together.

In 1890, Dr. Twitchell invented and patented a new device to be used in dental anesthesia, the "new and improved dental stove and blowpipe." His patent explained that, previously, oxygen and hydrogen gases had to be stored separately in large, heavy tanks that needed to be transported from their place of manufacture to dental offices. Because the transport was expensive, only highly successful dentists could afford them. His invention used gasoline vapor instead of hydrogen and necessitated only a single attachment to a gasoline-powered stove or heater. He also replaced the oxygen tanks in the apparatus with nitrous oxide. He claimed that the invention made anesthesia more cost-efficient for dentists. Twitchell, who sported thick sideburns and a handlebar moustache, was born in Plymouth, Maine in 1858. He graduated from Bates College in 1881 and from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery in 1884. Later that year, he settled in Johnston and quickly became a highly respected citizen. I

n 1893, he was unanimously elected chairman of the Republican Town Committee of Johnston for the third time. He also served as president of the Olneyville Business Men's Association, as treasurer of the Olneyville Free Library Association, and headed the committee established by the Johnston School Committee which oversaw the building of Johnston High School and Kelley Street School. On the evening of Feb. 12, 1896, he was among approximately 100 Johnston residents who gathered to discuss the implementation of a Johnston Improvement Society, in an effort to beautify the town.

Before he was even able to locate a chair to sit in, he had been nominated and elected to the position of society president. Twitchell accepted the position but admitted that he had "not the slightest idea of the business to be considered" and asked that the detailed purpose of the society be explained to him. Whether sitting in Twitchell’s office late at night with a rubber mask over the face while inhaling questionable vapors, working alongside him to build a school, or helping him to clean trash from the roadsides, the people of Johnston greatly admired the dentist for his enthusiasm, optimism and determination.

Kelly Sullivan is a Rhode Island columnist, lecturer and author.