Dr. John R. Callahan was a pioneer in the field of dentistry

Dentistry

Dentistry is the branch of medicine that is involved in the study, diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions of the oral cavity, maxillofacial area and the adjacent and associated structures and their impact on the human body. Dentistry is widely considered...

 and particularly dental research in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Born in Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro, Ohio

Hillsboro is a city in and the county seat of Highland County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,605 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hillsboro is located at ....

 in 1853, Callahan received his dental degree from the Philadelphia Dental College in 1877. He practiced dentistry in San Francisco for two years before returning to Hillsboro where he practiced until 1890. He then moved to Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati, Ohio

Cincinnati is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio. Cincinnati is the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located to north of the Ohio River at the Ohio-Kentucky border, near Indiana. The population within city limits is 296,943 according to the 2010 census, making it Ohio's...

 joining the practice of Dr. C. R. Taft.

In 1884 he was selected Secretary of the Ohio State Dental Society and served until 1890. In 1892 he was elected President of the Society and was a member of the Board of Directors from 1894-1918. He served as President of the Cincinnati Dental Society 1906-1907.

His major research was in diseases of the dental pulp. He also contributed papers on materials and methods for filling root canals; notably, chloro-percha. His original contribution of the use of sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid

Sulfuric acid is a strong mineral acid with the molecular formula . Its historical name is oil of vitriol. Pure sulfuric acid is a highly corrosive, colorless, viscous liquid. The salts of sulfuric acid are called sulfates...

 for opening root canals was significant at the time as were his investigations on dental materials and patient management problems.

Callahan was a member of the Institute on Dental Research of the National Dental Association

National Dental Association

The National Dental Association is a professional association of minority dentists based in Washington, DC and operating in the United States, Canada and Latin America. Formed in 1913, it is the largest such association in the world...

. The Jarvie Fellowship Medal was awarded to him in 1917. He died on February 12, 1918.

The Callahan Memorial Award Commission

To perpetuate Callahan's memory, the Ohio State Dental Society in 1920 established the Callahan Memorial Award Commission which was given two charges. First, a bronze bust of Callahan sculpted by Frederick C. Hibbard of Chicago was placed on the grounds of the Cincinnati General Hospital — in 1937 it was moved to the College of Dentistry of The Ohio State University. Second, the awarding of an Annual Callahan Memorial Award Medallion, recognizing excellence in the profession. The names of the recipients are inscribed on a bronze plaque displayed in the Ohio Dental Association headquarters.

Since 1941, the Callahan Memorial Commission has also given a scholarship prize to the highest ranking dental graduate from both Case Western Reserve University and The Ohio State University. The names of the recipients are inscribed on bronze plaques displayed in these institutions.

Callahan Memorial Awardees

• 1922 - James Leon Williams
• 1923 - Frederick B. Noyes
• 1924 - Clarence J. Grives
• 1925 - Edward C. Rosenow
• 1926 - Percy R. Howe
• 1927 - Howard R. Raper
• 1928 - William J.Gies
• 1929 - Russel W. Bunting
• 1930 - Rodrigues Ottolengui
• 1931 - Weston A. Price
  Weston Price
  Weston Andrew Valleau Price was a prominent dentist known primarily for his theories on the relationship between nutrition, dental health, and physical health...
  
  
• 1932 - Herman Prinz
• 1933 - Homer C. Brown
• 1934 - U. Garfield Rickert
• 1935 - E.V. McCollum
• 1936 - C.N. Johnson
• 1937 - Harvey J. Burkhart
• 1938 - Joseph L.T. Appleton
• 1939 - Clarence O. Simpson
• 1940 - Arthur H. Merritt
• 1941 - Edward H. Hatton
• 1942 - Marcus L. Ward
• 1943 - Arno B. Luckhardt
• 1944 - J. Ben Robinson
• 1946 - James Roy Blayney
• 1947 - Edgar D. Coolidge
• 1948 - Herman Becks
• 1949 - Frederick S. McKay
• 1950 - Thomas J. Hill
• 1951 - Kurt H. Thoma
• 1952 - Holly Broadbent
• 1953 - Paul C. Kitchin
• 1954 - Charles F. Bodecker
• 1955 - Joseph L. Bernier
• 1956 - Edward C. Stafne
• 1957 - Allan G. Brodie
• 1958 - George C. Paffenbarger
• 1959 - Henry Trendley Dean
• 1960 - Paul H. Jeserich
• 1961 - Paul O. Pedersen
• 1962 - Clyde H. Schuyler
• 1963 - Francis A. Arnold
• 1964 - Hamilton Robinson
• 1965 - Herbert Cooper
• 1966 - Paul E. Boyle
• 1966 - Wendell D. Postle
• 1967 - Wilton M. Krogman
• 1968 - Ralph W. Phillips
• 1969 - Harold Hillenbrand
• 1970 - Carl O. Boucher
• 1971 - Donald Kerr
• 1972 - Hans H. Friehofer
• 1972 - Robert B.Shira
• 1973 - Philip E. Blackerby
• 1974 - Maynard K. Hine
• 1975 - Seymour J. Kreshover
• 1976 - Rafael L. Bowen
• 1977 - Lindsey D. Pankey
• 1978 - Robert J. Nelsen
• 1979 - Joseph F. Volker
• 1980 - Rex Ingraham
• 1981 - Wallace D. Armstrong
• 1982 - Louis J. Baume
• 1982 - Judson C.Hickey
• 1983 - William G. Shafer
• 1984 - Nelson W. Rupp
• 1985 - David B.Scott
• 1986 - Morgan L. Allison
• 1987 - Harry Lyons
• 1988 - Gardner Foley
• 1989 - Wilmer B. Eames
• 1990 - Charles McCullum
• 1991 - Alvin L. Morris
• 1992 - Julian B. Woelfel
• 1993 - D. Walter Cohen
• 1994 - Paul M. Flory
• 1995 - Harald Lõe
• 1996 - William R.Proffit
• 1997 - Irwin D. Mandel
• 1998 - Gordon J. Christensen
• 1998 - Samuel D. Harris
• 1999 - Arthur S. Dugoni
• 2000 - Burton C. Borgelt
• 2001 - Harold C. Slavkin
• 2002 - Lawrence H. Meskin
• 2003 - Clifton O. Dummett
• 2004 - Linda C. Niessen
• 2004 - P.I. Brañemark
• 2005 - Robert J. Genco
• 2006 - Jeanne Sinkford
• 2007 - Bernard Machen
• 2008 - Roy Page
• 2009 - Lysle Johnston