Pierre Fauchard (1678-1761), considered the father of modern dentistry, was indeed French and probably a frenchy french bastard. More about this French son of a bitch from The British Dental Journal:
Pierre Fauchard was born in Brittany,
France, in 1678. He was originally
apprenticed as a surgeon in the French
Navy, following which he began working
as a dentist in Western France. He read
widely and studied crafts such as watchmaking
and jewellery, from which he
adapted techniques and instruments that
he felt useful to his practice. Fauchard’s
unprecedented competency and conscientiousness
earned him an outstanding reputation,
attracting discerning patients who
journeyed great distances to see him.
In 1719 he established a practice at the University
Circle in Paris. Eighteenth century
Paris was regarded as the centre of learn-
ing and enlightenment in Europe. Quickly
recognised as a dentist of unparalleled skill
and acumen, Fauchard’s advice and talents
were regularly in demand by some of the
city’s most accomplished surgeons.
The practitioners of dentistry at that time
could broadly be described in two categories.
The first was the untrained ‘toothpuller’
who attended village fairs, and on
whom the poor relied. These frequently
employed the use of magic potions and
spells to treat dental diseases and
toothaches.
Members of the middle and
upper classes could afford the skills of more
reputable practitioners who had some form
of training, albeit in surgery rather than in
dentistry. The practice of dentistry in these
circles had been stifled by jealousy. Knowledge
and techniques were regarded as valuable
property by the more competent and
skilled practitioners, and were rarely shared
with colleagues.
In a significant break with
tradition, Fauchard published a textbook in
1728 entitled Le Chriurgien Dentiste ou
Traité des Dent (The Surgeon Dentist or
Treatise on the Teeth). This comprised two
volumes of over 800 pages and included
many illustrations. In this way Fauchard
shared his considerable knowledge and
wealth of observations with colleagues and
students, describing his techniques with
exceptional clarity and detail. Many of his
suggestions were radical for practice in
those days. For example, he advised the
seating of patients for dental procedures
when the conventional approach was to lay
the patient on the floor. He demonstrated the
presence of roots on deciduous teeth, something
that was not readily accepted at the
time. Fauchard’s openness was unprecedented.
Subsequent editions of his textbook
appeared in both French and German over
the following years, but the first English
translation was not published until 1946.
Fauchard adopted a rigorously scientific
approach to his practice. For example, the
presence of worms as the causative agent in
dental decay had been an accepted fallacy
for centuries. Fauchard demonstrated that
this was erroneous, as he studied decayed
teeth with a magnifying glass and was
unable to detect the presence of worms
within the carious lesion. His dedication to
precise and logical thinking, his conscientiousness
in treating patients and his clinical
skills led to his name becoming a byword for
excellence in the practice of dentistry.
The ‘Pierre Fauchard Academy’ was founded in
his honour in the 1930s as an international
dental honour society to recognise and
acknowledge the more dedicated and conscientious
dentists throughout the world.
Hey wow thanks Pierre.
Photo of Pierre Fauchard Courtesy of The National Library of Medicine. Pierre Fauchard and his Role in the Development of Obturators: British Dental Journal 2005;199:603-605.
