Dental handpiece with a “Johnston Bro., N.Y., PAT. OCT. 19, 1876, APRIL 23, 1873, reissue May 8, 1877” inscription. The Johnston Bros. firm merged with that of Samuel S. White in 1881, becoming part of the S. S. White Dental Manufacturing Co.
An inscription on the connector of this dental handpiece reads “The S. S. White Dental Mfg Co. / Pat’d Sept. 29, 85.” That on the handpiece reads “The S. S. White Dental Mfg Co., Pat’d Mar. 15, ’75, Oct. 30, ’83, Jan. 8, ’84.”
Ref: Arthur W. Browne, “Dental-Engine Hand-Piece Coupling,” U.S. Patent 326,942 (Sept. 29, 1885), assigned to the S. S. White Dental Mfg. Co.