University of Maryland Baltimore Dental School - Mirror Yearbook (Baltimore, MD)

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THE MIRROR ment of his practice as a dentist. It has been said that Dr. John Greenwood was the first dentist in the United States to strike up gold plates to serve as a basis for artificial dentures without a knowledge of it having been done across the sea. During his professional career while in New York, he immortalized himself and his profession as well by carving from the tusk of the hippo- potamus a full set of artificial teeth for the great American, who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his coun- trymen. A block of marble might with propriety have been ce- mented into the monument reared in memory of Washington, and in it carved in glittering letters the name of Dr. John Greenwood. Thus Dr. Greenwood is best known to the profession of today through the fact of his having been the dentist of the first Presi- dent of the United States. As near as can be learned. Dr. John Greenwood died in New York City in 1816. Horace H. Hayden was born October 13, 1768, in Winsor, Conn. At the age of 14 he went to sea as a cabin boy, voyaging to the West Indies. In 1784 he abandoned sailing, and being thrown on his own resources by the poverty of his parents, he became apprentice to an architect, which business he followed until his twenty-fourth year, when, being in New York, and hav- ing occasion for the professional service of a dentist, he visited the office of Dr. Greenwood. While under treatment he deter- mined to study dentistry. He soon procured the few dental books then in existence, and not apprehending any deficiency in the mechanics he directed his undivided study to the calling. He set- tled in Baltimore in 1804 with little practical knowledge of the art and science. His proficiency in these studies soon attracted the attention of the medical profession both locally and generally, and secured him a recognition in the latter profession, having merited the honorary degree of Doctor of Medicine by both the University of Maryland and the Jefferson College of Philadelphia. He was one of the founders of the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery. Chapin A. Harris was born in 1806 in Pompey, N. Y. He com- 23

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THE MIRROR United States from England in October, 1766. He was a regu- larly educated dentist, having been instructed by Dr. Thomas Berdmore, dentist to King George III. He practiced in New York and Philadelphia, but in March, 1768, returned to England. In 1785 he again came to America, purchased a farm in New Jersey, retired, and in 1828, at the age of 87 years, died. In July, 1778, Dr. Joseph Lemaire, then a soldier, arrived with the French fleet to the United States. While the French and American armies in 1781-82 were in winter quarters side by side, near Providence, R. I., Dr. Joseph Lemaire, by permission of Count Rochambeau, the commanding general, taught the dental art to Josiah Flagg, then 18 years of age, and James Gardette, aged 25. Lemaire ' s practice was not limited to the soldiers only, but he did dental op- erations for the people in the immediate vicinity. According to Watson, in his Annals of Philadelphia, Lemaire arrived in Philadelphia in 1784, and there continued the practice of dentistry. About 1770, Dr. Isaac Greenwood emigrated from England and settled in Boston, where he practiced until his death. Clark and John Greenwood were the sons of Dr. Isaac Greenwood, and both learned their father ' s chosen profession. Little is known of Clark, It is claimed he was born in England, and, when a lad, accompanied his father to America. John Greenwood was born in Boston, and from all accounts was the first native-born dentist. Young Greenwood at the early age of 15 enlisted in the American Army and fought in the battles of Bunker Hill and Trenton, and was also engaged in the expedition to Canada under General Ar- nold. He afterward entered the naval privateer service, in which he remained until the close of the Revolutionary War, when, find- ing himself out of employment, he applied to his brother Clark, who was in New York City practicing dentistry, but here he re- ceived no encouragement. He then embarked in the business of nautical and mathematical instrument making. Soon after, hav- ing engaged in this business, Dr. Gamage, of New York, re- quested young Greenwood to extract a tooth for one of his pa- tients, which he did very successfully. This was the commence- 22

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THE MIRROR menced his medical studies early in life and began to practice in Ohio. His attention was called to dentistry by his brother, John Harris. Until after 1827, however, he gave but little attention to dental practice, except to extract and clean teeth and insert a few fillings, when, after studying Hunter, Fox and Delabarre, he en- tered upon the exclusive practice of dental surgery. From 1827 to 1833 he traveled South and West, elevating the profession of dentistry and establishing his reputation. In 1833 he opened an office in Baltimore and wrote largely on dental subjects. It was not until 1839 that any movement in the way of organization was made on the part of American dentists to elevate their profession to a strictly educational basis. In view of uniting the widely-sep- arated members of the profession, a medium was established in the form of the American Journal and Library of Dental Science. The journal was published in Baltimore and ably edited by Chapin A. Harris and Eleazer Parmly. In connection with this movement, it was the ambition of Dr. Harris to organize a dental school as an adjunct to the medical department of the University of Maryland. The practice of den- tistry at this time, however, being with few exceptions at a very low ebb, the faculty of the university rejected the proposition of Dr. Harris, they giving as an excuse, that the subject of dentistry was of little consequence, and thus justified their unfavorable ac- tion. The rejection seemed to give Dr. Harris new energy and stimulated in him a new desire, and as a result the Baltimore Col- lege of Dental Surgery was established. The subject has been, from the first word to the last, one of abounding interest to me, and I confidently hope that those who have earnestly read these lines on the evolution of dental science will have enjoyed it, and I trust that it shall have awakened in us the latent admiration for the profession and its masters. I have special reference to our own faculty, composed of men not only esteemed and honored by the dental profession of this country, but who are known the world over. A school cannot be better than its teachers and it was the faculty who made our col- 24