John Smith (dentist)
Encyclopedia
John Smith was a Scottish dentist, philanthropist and pioneering educator. The founder of the Edinburgh
school of dentistry
, he served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
(1883) and president of the
British Dental Association
.
Smith was born in Edinburgh, the son of dental surgeon John Smith, and educated at the Edinburgh Institution, Edinburgh University (MD 1847) and the Royal College of Surgeons
. He conducted postgraduate studies in London and Paris, making drawings of gunshot and sabre wounds. He took over his father's dental practice in 1851, and married Elizabeth Marjory Peters in 1853.
Smith started teaching the first regular courses on dental physiology and diseases in Scotland, in 1856. He was surgeon dentist to the Royal Public Dispensary. He co-founded the Hospital for Sick Children
in 1859. Recognising the need for improved training, he founded, together with Francis Imlach and others, the Edinburgh Dental Dispensary in 1860. Smith wrote the Handbook of Dental Anatomy and Surgery (1864).
In 1871 Smith was appointed Surgeon Dentist to Queen Victoria, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
, upon the nomination of John Hutton Balfour
.
The Dispensary grew into the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School by 1879.
He was awarded a doctorate by Edinburgh University in 1884.
Smith was also a moderately successful playwright
.
He died on 15 April 1910.
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
school 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...
, he served as president of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
(1883) and president of the
British Dental Association
British Dental Association
The British Dental Association is the largest voluntary membership organisation for dentists in the UK.-Structure:The majority of the BDA’s 22,000 members are family dentists, working in general practice providing both National Health Service and private care...
.
Smith was born in Edinburgh, the son of dental surgeon John Smith, and educated at the Edinburgh Institution, Edinburgh University (MD 1847) and the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh is an organisation dedicated to the pursuit of excellence and advancement in surgical practice, through its interest in education, training and examinations, its liaison with external medical bodies and representation of the modern surgical workforce...
. He conducted postgraduate studies in London and Paris, making drawings of gunshot and sabre wounds. He took over his father's dental practice in 1851, and married Elizabeth Marjory Peters in 1853.
Smith started teaching the first regular courses on dental physiology and diseases in Scotland, in 1856. He was surgeon dentist to the Royal Public Dispensary. He co-founded the Hospital for Sick Children
Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh
The Royal Hospital for Sick Children is a hospital in Edinburgh, Scotland, specialising in paediatric healthcare. It is commonly referred to simply as the Sick Kids. The hospital provides care for children from birth to around 13 years of age, including a specialist Accident and Emergency facility...
in 1859. Recognising the need for improved training, he founded, together with Francis Imlach and others, the Edinburgh Dental Dispensary in 1860. Smith wrote the Handbook of Dental Anatomy and Surgery (1864).
In 1871 Smith was appointed Surgeon Dentist to Queen Victoria, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
, upon the nomination of John Hutton Balfour
John Hutton Balfour
John Hutton Balfour was a Scottish botanist. Balfour became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow in 1841, moving to Edinburgh University and also becoming Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh and Her Majesty's Botanist in Scotland in 1845...
.
The Dispensary grew into the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School by 1879.
He was awarded a doctorate by Edinburgh University in 1884.
Smith was also a moderately successful playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
.
He died on 15 April 1910.