Philadelphia Dental College - Class Book Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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To-day there are in the United States about fifty institutions in which dentistry is regularly taught, with a total yearly attend- ance of between four and five thousand students. In the thirty-five years of its existence, the Philadelphia Dental College hasigraduated no less than 1,821 students. Along with other schools it has advanced from a two years' course of four months each to a three years' course of six months, with supplemental spring and fall courses covering four months more. From an annual curriculum that required but thirty-four lectures from each professor, it has developed into one in which more than one hundred didactic lectures are given annually by the incumbent of each chair. In addition to this the clinical facilities have been greatly enlarged year by year, giving to the student opportunities for the attainment of a degree of manual dexterity undreamed of years ago. One of the most prominent advances of recent years has been the establishment of technic courses in the Freshmen and Junior years, cultivating not only the hand, but the eye and brain, as well as adding immensely to the sym- metrical development of the pupil. The Philadelphia Dental College was the first institution to include in its curriculum a course in Gral Surgery, and the first also to establish a hospital for the treatment of diseases of the oral cavity. The late Prof. Garretson was the first to make a special study of such diseases and to constitute their considera- tion apart ofthe dental curriculum. With him the trained hand of the dentist, in conjunction with the medically educated mind, made possible operations never before attempted. The Philadelphia Dental College in its many years of ex- istence has lost but three of its professors through death, but of those who have thus been removed, two were conspicuous lights, with reputations that were world-wide. Both were men of in- domitable energy, wise judgment, greatness of heart and noble- ness of character. Each was a master in the art of teaching, and each at the time of his death was not only the Dean of the school but the most distinguished member of the faculty. Dr. Mc- Quillen was the founder of the school. He labored unceasingly for its proper establishment and then through all the remaining I6

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In 1889 Prof. Dorr's chair was changed to that of Practical Dentistry, Anaesthesia and Anaesthetics. F rom then until the death of Prof. Garretson in October, 1895 fa period of fourteen yearsj no changes occurred, but after his death Dr. I-I. C. Boenning was elected to the chair of Anat- omy and Surgery, and Dr. M. H. Cryer, for many years the assistant of Prof. Garretson, was chosen Adjunct Professor of Oral Surgery. In January, 1896, Prof. S. H. Guilford was elected Dean of the Faculty. ' In the Spring of the same year Profs. Flagg and Dorr re- signed, owing to ill-health. Dr. L. Greenbaum was thereupon chosen to succeed Prof. Dorr and the chair changed to include Materia Medica, Anaesthesia and Oclontotechny. Dr. I-I. I-I. Burchard was also chosen to fill the place of Prof. Flagg and made Special Lecturer on Dental Pathology and Therapeutics. In October, 1896, Prof. Cryer resigned to accept a position in the Dental Department of the University of Pennsylvania. Few changes have occurred in the Deanship of the institu- tion. Prof. McQuillen held the position from the establishment of the school in 1863 until his death in 1879. I-Ie was succeeded by Prof. Smith who held the oliice for two years. Prof. Garret- son assumed the office in 1881 and retained it until his death in 1895, after which Prof. Guilford, the present incumbent, was elected to the position. The college has also witnessed but few changes in the Presi- dency of the Board of Trustees. The first incumbent was Rev. Richard Newton, D.D. At his death he was succeeded by the Hon. james Pollock, LL.D., ex-Governor of Pennsylvania, who retained the office during the remainder of his life, after which Gen. James A. Beaver, LL.D., ex-Governor of Pennsylvania, was elected to the Presidency, which position he still so wor- thily fills. ' At the time of the incorporation of the Philadelphia Dental College there were but three other dental schools in this country: one in Cincinnati, one in Baltimore, and one in Philadelphia, with a combined attendance of less than one hundred pupils. 15

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years of his life faithfully devoted himself to its development. Practice, comfort, health and finally life were sacrificed in order that the school which he loved might become a temple of knowl- edge worthy of the respect of all men. Dr. Garretson was as ambitious as his predecessor for the advancement of the institution with which he was connected and for the true elevation of thelprofession which he loved. He was a man among men, capable of inspiring in others the confidence he felt in himself, and by his counsel and acts and teachings stimulating those under his care to the attainment of all that is noblest and best in life. This brief record would be incomplete without some reference to the third one of the professors of our school, called hence by death. Prof. C. A. Kingsbury ably seconded the efforts of Prof. McQuillen in the establishment of the Philadelphia Dental Col- lege, and was a member of its first faculty. He served the insti- tution actively for six years and then continued in the honorary position of emeritus until his death, in September, 1891. He proved himself a competent and faithful teacher, and his love for the institution and devotion to its interests were manifested in a multitude of ways. During its existence two changes of location have been made necessary by the growth of the college. Upon its establishment it was located in a building at the northwest corner of Tenth and Arch Streets. There it remained until 1887, when it removed to a new and larger building on Cherry Street, below Eighteenth. Outgrowing these quarters in the course of eight years it was decided to purchase ground in a new locality and erect a large and commodious building adap- ted solely to its own educational purposes. In 1896 a suitable location was found at Eighteenth, Buttonwood and Hamilton Streets, and after the preparation 'of satisfactory plans, ground was broken and the erection of the building begun. The corner-stone was laid with Masonic ceremonies january I3tl'I, 1897, and the structure completed in August, 1897. The building was opened for the Fall term on September 1st, and formally dedicated on October 4th. T7 x