The first generation of dentists using mercury amalgams fillings were derided as quacks, because quacksilver was the German word for quicksilver (mercury). As mercury amalgams soon became the norm, dentists were no longer accused of practicing “quackery.” Instead, they became the respected majority. The term did not go out of vogue. While no longer associated with the German word quacksilver, or mercury fillings, the term “quack,” has become a common derogatory reference to health practitioners who fall outside the accepted constraints of mainstream medicine.
I think they had it right the first time. In the next entry we will look at pending legislation to ban dental mercury and environmental findings.