Chicago College of Dental Surgery - Dentos Yearbook (Chicago, IL)

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HISTORY knowledge of the underlying principles of medicine is indispensable to the dentist, he must always study to appropriate these principles to his use as a dentist. A change came. The board of directors experienced what might be termed a Mremolectilization of ideas. ln its beginning it was medicine tirst and practical dentistry afterward. Now, as the politicians would say, it is practical dentistry, first, last and all the time, accompanied by the teaching of anatomy, chemistry and physiology and the principles of medicine and surgery, thereby presenting to the student's mind those branches of knowledge which we regard essential to a well-informed practitioner of dental and oral surgery. In addition to this radical change in the plan of instruction, the curriculum was extended so as to include, besides the departments named. general pathology, tnateria medica and therapeutics. Practical anatomy received the same attention given this subject in the best regulated medical colleges, and a cotnplete course in the chemical laboratory was a requirement for admission to the examinations for the dental degree. Physiology and histology were brought to a high grade of practical value in the hist- ological laboratory, and microscopical work was made obligatory. The Chicago College of Dental Surgery was the first institution of its kind in this country to introduce and use for the benefit of its students a complete apparatus for the cultivation of microbes, thus demonstrating the agents active in establishing caries of the teeth and effecting their destruction. This institution was also the tirst to organize its junior students in the prosthetic department into classes for practical work in dental technics. both operative and prosthetic. ln addition to these innova- tions in teaching, semi-daily clinics were organized in the college intirmary, being conducted for the benefit of the senior students by most skillful and successful practi- tioners. This clinical instruction is still carried on systematically and to an extent unequaled in former years. While upon the subject of innovations in dental education which have originated with the Chicago College of llental Surgery. mention tnust be made of the pioneer class of dental practitioners, which, in April, 1889, assembled for a special course of instruction to be given by the faculty of that institution. This so-called practitioners course was decided upon at a meeting called by Iloctor Brophy. president and dean of the faculty, during the preceding january. The course extended over a period of four weeks, and at its conclusion those who had taken it. thirty-two practitioners from Illinois, Ohio, Missouri, Mississippi, Georgia, XYisconsin, Indiana, lowa, Ne- braska, Uregon. and Germany, passed most enthusiastic resolutions commending the action of the college in providing such a course and the able manner in which it had been conducted. lYith the reorganization of the institution as the Chicago College of Dental Surgery, the faculty was increased from nine to seventeen members, and the college, during the session of 188-1-S5 showed in its attendance a gratifying effect of this ex- pansion of plan and machinery. As against twenty-tive matriculates and two gradu- ates for the session of 1883-S-1, the succeeding collegiate year-that of 1884-85- graduated twenty-two out of lifty matriculates. Thus, at the present time, the Chicago College of llental Surgery, which since 1889 has been a department of Lake Forest Cniversity. is one of the largest institu- tions of its kind in the world. During 1893 it erected and now occupies a magnificent building on the corner of XYood and Harrison streets. which is prominent even among a group of the fourteen other fine structures, comprising tnedical colleges. hospitals and schools. lt is a tive story and basement building, the basement and tirst story being of rock-faced Bedford stone and the superstructure of pressed brick and terra- cotta, the entire edifice having an imposing frontage of eighty-tive feet and a depth of one hundred and twenty feet. The original building was erected at a cost of 375.1100 and was one of the most complete structures of the kind in existence. but the remarkable growth of the institu- tion made such an extension necessary as would nearly double its capacity and accom- l17l

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HISTORY OFFICERS OF THE INFIRMARY james A. Swasey, President: A. VV. Harlan, D.D.S., Yiceepresident: Eugene S. Talbot, M.D., D.D.S., Recording Secretaryg Truman VV. Brophy, M.D., D.D.S., Corresponding Secretary: Edgar D. Swain, D.D.S., Treasurer. FACULTY XV. VV. Allport, M.D., D.D.S., Professor of Dental Pathology and Therapeutics. George H. Cushing, D.D.S., Professor of Principles and Practice of Dental Surgery. L. P. Haskell, Professor of Prosthetic Dentistry and Oral Deformities. At its origin the college was a post graduate school, known as the Collegiate De- partment of the Chicago Dental Infirmary. Its students were first required to ob- tain the degree of Doctor of Medicine, or its equivalent. from some college recognized by the Illinois State Board of Health. and to take two courses of lectures with the iniirmary before receiving the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. Such a system of education for dentists was urged, because. as has already been stated. the prime movers in the establishment of the institution. holding that dentistry was but a department of medicine. believed that dentists should be educated in medicine before beginning the study of this specialty. The organization was effected under the most favorable auspices. There were at that time seven medical colleges in Chicago. six of which were represented on the board of directors. and the opening lecture was delivered by that scholar. celebrated speaker and distinguished physician, Dr. N. S. Davis. During the first session there were three professors and eight ,lecturers in the institution. The professors taught the principles and practice of Dental surgery. operative dentistry and prosthetic dentistry. and the lecturers devoted themselves to dental anatomy. dental pathology and other special branches not followed minutely in medical colleges: liighteen students were enrolled for the first course. and at its close there were no candidates for the degree. Two. however. entered the examina- tions for a special certificate. both of whom failed. During the following course eleven names were entered in the matriculation book. two candidates entered the final examinations. and after successfully passing them. received the degree of Doctor of Dental Surgery. The first graduates of the college. were C. W. Carson and A. li. Haldwin. both of whom are now engaged in practice in the city of Chicago. The honorary degree of D.D.S, was conferred upon Edmund Noyes. lt was the middle of the second course that a new charter was obtained for the organization of the Chicago College of Dental Surgery. which from that time thlune 30. 1884. as statedj supplanted the Collegiate Department of the Chicago Dental Infirmary. In explanation of the change, l will quote a portion of my address de- livered at the sixth annual commencement exercises of the college. in March. 1888: The institution, as organized, did not receive the large support which was expected from the medical professiong second, the dentists of Chicago and the northwest could not, or would not, encourage and support a college which required a course of study twice as long as did the older and honored dental colleges of the east. Their students, therefore, came to us, investigated, said they wished to become dentists, not physicians, and moved on to some regular dental college. The medical graduates who came were in many instances, imbued with the opinion that the knowledge to be acquired, in addition to what they already possessed, was purely mechanical and exceedingly simple. Moreover, we discovered that those who had not engaged in dental study prior to, or along with, their medical training attached too little importance to dental science and art. Thus vanished our fondly cherished hopes of practically teaching dental and oral surgery, and making it a specialty in medicine by conferring the dental degree only upon those who had lirst received the degree in medicine. Attractive though the theory was, it was found impracticable, and the educating of physicians to become dentists proved in this instance, at least, far short of a success. To say that it is not possible by careful training in a dental college to make a skillful IIC- complished dentist ot' a gentleman who has been previously educated in medicine and practices that profession would be preposterous. Still, one thus educated would be the better dentist had he begun the study of dentistry tirst, and had dentistry, his life work, constantly before him. instead of carrying in his mind the expectation of engaging in general medical practice. XVhile a no

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HISTORY modations. The addition, which was completed in the fall of 1896. especially pro- vided for an extension of laboratory and iniirmary work. and better lecture, reading and library rooms. and furnished the students with a complete gymnasium. Naturally. however. before attaining its present standing the Chicago College of Dental Surgery has had its home in various localities and in a variety of structures, During the iirst three years of its existence as iniirmary and college. its headquarters were at 22-26 Adams street and 5-6 lVashington street. The rooms in which the lectures and clinics were held were well lighted. fitted with chairs. engines. brackets. etc., both in the operating room and laboratory. The appliances also included a C011- tinuous gum furnace. nitrous oxide apparatus. drawers for the safe-keeping of the students' instruments. forceps and medicine cases and microscopes. In 1886. owing to the rapid growth of the college. a lease was secured on the building at the northeast corner of Madison and lVabash avenue. having a frontage of Sixty feet on the latter thoroughfare and one hundred and sixty-tive feet on the former. As the rear of the structure rested in Dearborn place excellent light was ob- tained from three directions. The college rooms consisted of lecture and faculty rooms, museum. convenient quarters for the iniirmary. with a capacity for sixty chairs. chemical. mechanical and physiological laboratories. dissecting room. administration oflice and conveniences for patients. students and visitors. After remaining at this location for live years. a removal to more commodious quarters became necessary. the management securing the three upper floors of the building situated at the northeast corner of Michigan avenue and Randolph street. The frontage was fifty feet on Michigan avenue and one hundred and fifty feet on Randolph street. with the rear resting on Central avenue. The next change made by the college was to its present location in 1893. where it is appropriately established in the midst of the great medical district of Chicago. housed in a structure which is both massive and ornamental. as beiits one of the most important institutions of Chicago. the west and the l'nited States. The founders of the Chicago College of Dental Surgery being desirous of making a university atiiliation. which would insure its permanence for the future. in July 1906. entered into an aliiliation with the Yalparaiso University of which it is now the dental department. ff? bc' 2 Vi , ' G fggr?.snfsQgMi!ie2f f vw! s 'I 'war :B I F 5 .axes ' -fi. 4 - r CSPEQWM 'W ' !4,fg!09 1 ,vii qPs,5- I In I N Fgfgg, Fey I ' :il ,' s - 9 I .4 . V 1 A el 1 ' t' ' Imax- 4Ge6S'uvi f 1 ' . .stfqqixngssgv -irmffgqfb 5- . 'Ev SAA'J0'!v 41 awe 1181