The first dental silver amalgam was introduced by Bell of England in 1819 and later used by Taveau in Paris in 1826. Dr. D.M.Cattell stated that the first dental amalgam introduced into the United States was by the two Crawcour brothers under the name of "Royal Mineral Succedaneum", the last word meaning a substitute or replacer, in 1833.

Through advertisements these two Frenchmen induced a large number of prosperous people to submit to their operations with this material and incensed many of the better dentists. This was the beginning of the amalgam wars, waged on at least two bases: first, the material was introduced by two Frenchmen who were little better than charlatans; second, the use of amalgam was opposed by some physicians as it was a source of mercury poisoning. .... Dr. Chapin A. Harris in his opening address to the first class of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, founded in 1839 as the first dental college, said about amalgam that it is one of the most abomidable articles for filling teeth that could be employed. Many cases were reported of systemic effects and even death resulting from the presence of mercury in amalgam. Patients were sent to dentists by physicians with instructions to remove all amalgam fillings and the Onondaga Medical Society of New York adopted resolutions to the effect that amalgam produced depression, nervousness, indigestion, ptyalism, paralysis, and death.
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