George Neil Jenkins
Encyclopedia
University of Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle University is a major research-intensive university located in Newcastle upon Tyne in the north-east of England. It was established as a School of Medicine and Surgery in 1834 and became the University of Newcastle upon Tyne by an Act of Parliament in August 1963. Newcastle University is...
for most of his distinguished career. He concentrated his research on the prevention of tooth decay, becoming a world expert in oral hygiene
Oral hygiene
Teeth cleaning is part of oral hygiene and involves the removal of dental plaque from teeth with the intention of preventing cavities , gingivitis, and periodontal disease. People routinely clean their own teeth by brushing and interdental cleaning, and dental hygienists can remove hardened...
. He was a lifelong Humanist
Humanism
Humanism is an approach in study, philosophy, world view or practice that focuses on human values and concerns. In philosophy and social science, humanism is a perspective which affirms some notion of human nature, and is contrasted with anti-humanism....
, and President of the North East Humanists
North East Humanists
The Tyneside Group of the North East Humanists was founded on September 17, 1957, although organised secularism in the North East had been active from the 1860s...
group.
Career
After becoming one of the first students in the country to read for a degree in biochemistryBiochemistry
Biochemistry, sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes in living organisms, including, but not limited to, living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processes...
, Jenkins gained a PhD at Cambridge, and by the early 1940's was teaching physiology
Physiology
Physiology is the science of the function of living systems. This includes how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or...
to doctors at St. Bartholomew’s Hospital. In 1946 Jenkins came to Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
and was for ten years Nuffield Lecturer in Physiology to dental students at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, a role which he pioneered. Subsequently, Jenkins was appointed Head of the new Department of Oral Physiology. Retiring in 1980, Jenkins continued to be engaged in teaching and research. As well as ongoing work in this country, Jenkins acted as visiting Professor for varying periods of time at the universities of Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Toronto
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Minneapolis, Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
, and, on three occasions, Trinidad
Trinidad
Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...
.
One of Neil Jenkins's major study areas was work looking at the beneficial effect that eating cheese has on tooth decay. During the Second World War, he was involved in studies to determine the amount of chalk which would have to be added to the bread in Britain, in order to avoid calcium deficiency in the population.
Neil was an active researcher, but he was also keen on making known the implications of his research. He has always been an ardent supporter of water fluoridation, giving many public presentations on the topic. Regarding this subject he also appeared on the BBC's Panorama. Working with R. L. Speirs, Neil found that the surface of tooth enamel is high in fluoride, a finding which never received the recognition it deserves, as it went unpublished in any dental journal. He also looked at the effects fluoride
Fluoride
Fluoride is the anion F−, the reduced form of fluorine when as an ion and when bonded to another element. Both organofluorine compounds and inorganic fluorine containing compounds are called fluorides. Fluoride, like other halides, is a monovalent ion . Its compounds often have properties that are...
in water had on teeth, even going so far as to give himself tooth decay to show that it could be cured using fluoride. He lectured on the subject of water fluoridation
Water fluoridation
Water fluoridation is the controlled addition of fluoride to a public water supply to reduce tooth decay. Fluoridated water has fluoride at a level that is effective for preventing cavities; this can occur naturally or by adding fluoride...
across the world, becoming a key contributor to a controversial debate. During the Second World War, he served as a nutritional advisor to the government. Jenkins also acted as an associate editor of the journal Archives of Oral Biology for 15 years.
As a result of his experience of being taught by Jenkins at the University of Newcastle upon Tyne, Dr. Israel Kleinberg was stimulated to push for the creation of the first department of oral biology in the world and the first PhD program in Oral Biology, at the newly founded dental school at the University of Manitoba in 1958. This was a revolutionary change for dentistry, in that most of the faculty members teaching the basic sciences to dental students were physically located in the dental school, taught only dental students, and were encouraged to carry out research on dentally-related problems. Several other new dental schools subsequently followed this lead, and oral biology is now a well established discipline. In recognition of his contributions to dental education and research, which have had such a profound influence worldwide, Jenkins was awarded an honorary DSc by the University of Manitoba in 1983.
Outside of his research and teaching work, Neil was involved in such organizations as the United Nations Association
United Nations Association
The United Nations Associations are non-governmental organizations that exist in various countries to enhance the relationship between the people of a member state and the United Nations, raise public awareness of the UN and its work, promote the general goals of the UN and act as an advisory body...
and the World Health Organization
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
. He was a keen student of environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
and became concerned at the damage the human race is doing to our environment. In 1972 he raised fears about the environmental impact that Concorde
Concorde
Aérospatiale-BAC Concorde was a turbojet-powered supersonic passenger airliner, a supersonic transport . It was a product of an Anglo-French government treaty, combining the manufacturing efforts of Aérospatiale and the British Aircraft Corporation...
would have, and was one of the first to question the environmental impact of flying.
Humanism
In the 1950s, Jenkins joined the Tyneside Humanists Group, later to become North East HumanistsNorth East Humanists
The Tyneside Group of the North East Humanists was founded on September 17, 1957, although organised secularism in the North East had been active from the 1860s...
, becoming President at an early stage of his membership. Neil was an active member of the association, making regular contributions to their monthly meetings. In addition to his scientific publications, Neil was joint author, with Alfred Hobson, of the book "Modern Humanism". Neil also gave funeral orations for those who requested non-religious ceremonies, and was an active member of the Friends of Jesmond Dene and the Society for Psychical Research.
Neil died on Sunday October 14, 2007. His humanist funeral was held at West Road Crematorium, Newcastle upon Tyne, on Monday October 29, 2007. It was attended by family, friends, colleagues and members of North East Humanists.
Neil was predeceased by his wife Olive and survived by his children Oliver and Hilbre.
Published work
- "Physiology and Biochemistry of the Mouth" by G. Neil Jenkins
- "Prevention of Dental Caries (Inaugural Lecture Series)" by G. Neil Jenkins
- "Fluorides in Caries Prevention" (Dental Practical Handbooks)] Edited by G. Neil Jenkins and Andrew J.Rugg-Gunn.
- "Modern Humanism" by Alfred Hoburn and Neil Jenkins. First published in 1989 by Dene Books and updated by NEH.