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Sir John Tomes (21 March 1815 – 29 July 1895) was an English
dental surgeon A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providi ...
.


Life

The eldest son of John Tomes and Sarah, his wife, daughter of William Baylies of
Welford-on-Avon Welford-on-Avon is a village situated some west-south-west of Stratford-upon-Avon in the county of Warwickshire, England. The population was measured at 1,420 in the 2011 census. Until 1931, Welford-on-Avon was in Gloucestershire (as part of ...
, then in
Gloucestershire Gloucestershire ( , ; abbreviated Glos.) is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by Herefordshire to the north-west, Worcestershire to the north, Warwickshire to the north-east, Oxfordshire ...
, he was born at Weston-on-Avon in Gloucestershire on 21 March 1815. He was articled in 1831 to Thomas Furley Smith, a medical practitioner in
Evesham Evesham () is a market town and Civil parishes in England, parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, in the West Midlands (region), West Midlands region of England. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, England, Worceste ...
, and in 1836 he entered the medical schools of
King's College, London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
and the
Middlesex Hospital Middlesex Hospital was a teaching hospital located in the Fitzrovia area of London, England. First opened as the Middlesex Infirmary in 1745 on Windmill Street, it was moved in 1757 to Mortimer Street where it remained until it was finally clos ...
, at that time united. He was house surgeon to the Middlesex Hospital during 1839–40. Research with Madder on histology of bone and teeth brought Tomes to the notice of Sir Thomas Watson and James Moncrieff Arnott, who advised him to concentrate on
dental surgery Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, disorders, and conditions o ...
. He was admitted a member of the College of Surgeons of England on 21 March 1839, and in 1840 he went into practice at 41 Mortimer Street (now Cavendish Place). He was also preoccupied with the question of general anæsthesia, shortly after the introduction of
ether In organic chemistry, ethers are a class of compounds that contain an ether group, a single oxygen atom bonded to two separate carbon atoms, each part of an organyl group (e.g., alkyl or aryl). They have the general formula , where R and R� ...
into surgical practice by William T. G. Morton, and in 1847 he administered it at the Middlesex Hospital for the extraction of teeth as well as for operations in general surgery. He was admitted a Fellow of the
Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
on 6 June 1850. Tomes was one of those who in 1843, and again in 1855, unsuccessfully approached the Royal College of Surgeons of England with the aim of allying dentists with surgeons. In 1858 he was successful in inducing the Royal College of Surgeons to grant a license in dental surgery. He was also one of the main founders in 1856 of the
Odontological Society of London The Royal Dental Hospital was a dental hospital in Leicester Square, London, which operated from 1858 until 1985. In 1859, it opened the London School of Dental Surgery, later renamed to the Royal Dental Hospital of London School of Dental Surge ...
and in 1858 of the Dental Hospital, where he was the first to give systematic clinical demonstrations. After the dental licentiateship had been established about twenty years, Tomes, with James Smith Turner, was instrumental in obtaining the
Dentists Act 1878 A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in providi ...
( 41 & 42 Vict. c. 33) for the registration of dental professionals. After carrying on a good practice for many years, Tomes retired in 1876 to Upwood Gorse,
Caterham Caterham () is a town in the Tandridge (district), Tandridge district of Surrey, England. The town is administratively divided into two: Caterham on the Hill, and Caterham Valley, which includes the main town centre in the middle of a dry valle ...
, in
Surrey Surrey () is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Greater London to the northeast, Kent to the east, East Sussex, East and West Sussex to the south, and Hampshire and Berkshire to the wes ...
, where he remained for the rest of his life. He was elected on 12 April 1883 an honorary fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of England, and on 28 May 1886 he was knighted. He was twice president of the Odontological Society, and in 1877 he was elected chairman of the dental reform committee. On the occasion of his golden wedding he was presented with an inkstand, and the rest of the money subscribed was devoted to the endowment of a Royal College prize for researches in the field of dental science. The first recipient of this prize was his son, Charles Sissmore Tomes, in 1896 Tomes died on 29 July 1895, and was buried at St. Mary's, Upper Caterham.


Works

At the Middlesex Hospital, Tomes invented an innovative tooth-extracting forceps with jaws adapted to the forms of the necks of teeth, in place of the dental key. On 3 March 1845, he took out a patent (No. 10538) for a machine for copying in ivory irregular curved surfaces, for which he was awarded the gold medal of the
Society of Arts The Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, commonly known as the Royal Society of Arts (RSA), is a learned society that champions innovation and progress across a multitude of sectors by fostering creativity, s ...
. Tomes published: * ''A Course of Lectures on Dental Physiology and Surgery'', London, 1848. These classic lectures from 1845 were delivered at the Middlesex Hospital, but Tomes had trouble attracting an audience. * ''A System of Dental Surgery'', London, 1859, which became a standard work. A third edition was revised and enlarged by his son C. S. Tomes, London, 1887; it was also translated into French, Paris, 1873. A fifth edition of the work was published in 1906. He contributed a series of papers on "Bone" and dental tissues to the ''
Philosophical Transactions ''Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society'' is a scientific journal published by the Royal Society. In its earliest days, it was a private venture of the Royal Society's secretary. It was established in 1665, making it the second journ ...
'' between 1849 and 1856. His writing on
dentine Dentin ( ) (American English) or dentine ( or ) (British English) () is a calcified tissue of the body and, along with enamel, cementum, and pulp, is one of the four major components of teeth. It is usually covered by enamel on the crown ...
led to the nomenclature "Tomes's fibrils". Over 1300 tooth preparations made by Tomes and his son were presented to the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1920. This collection is still held at the Royal College of Surgeons and is particularly rich in microscopic preparations of mammal teeth.


Family

On 15 February 1844 Tomes married Jane, daughter of Robert Sibley of Great Ormond Street, London, an architect. They had one surviving son, Sir Charles Sissmore Tomes, who was also a dental surgeon.


See also

* Tomes's fibers *
Tomes's process Tomes's processes (also called Tomes processes) are a histologic landmark identified on an ameloblast, cells involved in the production of tooth enamel. During the synthesis of enamel, the ameloblast moves away from the enamel, forming a proje ...


References

Attribution


Further reading

* Ellis, Harold (2 April 2015). "Sir John Tomes: father of modern dental surgery in England". ''British Journal of Hospital Medicine''. 76 (4): 248–248. doi:10.12968/hmed.2015.76.4.248.
ISSN An International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) is an eight-digit to uniquely identify a periodical publication (periodical), such as a magazine. The ISSN is especially helpful in distinguishing between serials with the same title. ISSNs a ...
 1750-8460. {{DEFAULTSORT:Tomes, John 1815 births 1895 deaths English surgeons English dentists Fellows of the Royal Society 19th-century dentists People from Gloucestershire (before 1904) People from Stratford-on-Avon District