John Hunter as an oral pathologist.

John Hunter was one of the great surgeons and anatomists of the eighteenth century and one of the greatest comparative anatomists of all time. His legacy was a museum of over 1300 specimens and anatomical preparations in the Hunterian Museum of the Royal College of Surgeons in England, and a wealth of publications on a large variety of subjects, including two books on the teeth, gingival tissues, and their diseases.

Francis P. McCarthy, pioneer in oral medicine.

Francis P. McCarthy MD (1883-1970) was a major pioneer in the development of the discipline of Oral Medicine in America. A 1905 graduate of Tufts Medical School, he later became certified in both pathology and dermatology. As a practicing dermatologist Dr. McCarthy's attention was drawn to diseases of the mouth. In 1925 he introduced a course of lectures in Oral Medicine at Tufts Dental School. This was the first course in Oral Medicine presented at an American dental school. Dr. McCarthy gradually developed a clinic in Oral Medicine, where he would bring in some of his private patients with oral mucous membrane diseases. Students would also bring their patients with oral mucosal diseases to this clinic, where Dr. McCarthy's considerable background and experience would often be able to interpret complex oral mucosal manifestations. He retired as Professor of Oral Medicine after many years of teaching both predoctoral and postdoctoral students at the Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.

Lorenz Heister and oral disease with the original text from his papers.

Lorenz Heister (1683-1758) was the major academic surgeon of the eighteenth century. He served as an army surgeon in a number of campaigns and eventually became the professor of anatomy and surgery at Altdorf University. In 1739, he published a comprehensive book on surgery that became the standard text on the subject. It was widely reprinted and translated into many languages. The English version was the first systematic treatise on surgery to appear in that language. The book has many chapters devoted to diseases of the mouth and their treatment.

Philip Barrough, Elizabethan physician with the first English book on medicine.

Philip Barrough was an Elizabethan surgeon and physician who, in 1587, published the first book on medicine in the English language. In addition to a comprehensive presentation of the overall knowledge of medicine of the time, Barrough devoted several chapters to the diagnosis and management of the diseases of the teeth and diseases of the mouth and oropharynx. Very little is known about the life of Barrough, such as the dates of his birth and death and where he practiced medicine. It is curious that despite his major contribution to medicine, and the fact that his book went into seven editions, his name is not even mentioned in the major histories of medicine, such as those of Garrison, Castiglioni, Major, and Mettler. This paper attempts to place Barrough in his proper place in the history of medicine, and to emphasize his overall knowledge of medicine as well as his concern about diseases of the mouth and teeth.

Eleazar Parmly: clinician, educator, poet.

Eleazar Parmly was one of the major figures in the history of American dentistry. He was, to a large extent, responsible for rescuing American dentistry from a primitive craft and establishing it as a respected profession, with national societies, ethical principles, dental degrees representing appropriate qualifications, national journals where knowledge could be imparted, and the development of dental colleges. In addition to being a well-trained practitioner and educator, with graduate studies in England and France, Parmly was a gifted poet and set down his autobiography in verse.

Levi Spear Parmly: father of dental hygiene and children's dentistry in America.

Levi Spear Parmly (1790-1859) was one of the outstanding dental practitioners and teachers in the early part of the eighteenth century, both in America and Europe. He published two highly regarded books, practiced and taught in London for several years, before returning to America, where he became the most eminent dental practitioner in the southern United States. He had great financial success and used his time and money to offer free dental service to children. His major contribution to dental science was the concept that dental caries was caused by external influences related to foreign material on the tooth surface. This was before our knowledge of dental plaque and the action of the oral bacteria. Based upon this concept, he stressed the importance of clean teeth to prevent tooth decay.