Complete Record - Heirs of Hippocrates No. 1825

SIR JOHN TOMES (1815-1895) A system of dental surgery. John Churchill 1859 viii, 599 pp., illus. 17.1 cm.

For more information on this author or work, see number: 1824

Tomes began his medical career as an apothecary's apprentice and later studied medicine at King's College and Middlesex Hospital in London. He received his medical degree from the University of London in 1839, and in 1840 decided to become a dentist. In 1841 he invented extraction forceps that could be adapted to accommodate different sizes of teeth and in 1845 he developed his dentifractor which could fabricate dentures by transmitting the shape of the model to the denture material. He received a major award from the Royal Society of Arts for the latter achievement. In 1856 he reported on his discovery of dentinal fibrils which are fully described in the present work. This work is an excellent example of the practical nature of Tomes' writings. In the Preface he stated: "In the following pages an attempt has been made to produce within the limits of a manual a strictly practical work on dental surgery." Dental anatomy, teething, dental care, dental diseases, and dental surgery are among the many subjects discussed.

Gift of John Martin, M.D.