Lilian Lindsay
Encyclopedia
Dr. Lilian Lindsay, C.B.E., LL.D., M.D.S., F.D.S. R.C.S., H.D.D., F.S.A. (24 July 1871 – 31 January 1960) was a dentist
, dental
historian
, librarian
and author
. She was the first qualified woman dentist in Britain
, and became the first female president of the British Dental Association
.
in 1871, the daughter of a musician, and the third of eleven children. She was educated at the Camden School for Girls
, and won a scholarship to the North London Collegiate School
. The founder and headmistress of the school, Frances Buss
, informed Lilian that she would be suited to a career teaching deaf children; Lilian disagreed, and informed Miss Buss that she would become a dentist. Due to the argument, Lilian lost the scholarship and left the school in 1889.
Lilian was able to secure a three year apprenticeship in dentistry through a family friend, but did not feel this was enough and sought to enrol in dental school. She passed preliminary examinations, and in 1892 she applied for entry to the National Dental Hospital in Great Portland Street
. The dean, Henry Weiss, refused to admit her because she was a woman; he was so concerned that she would distract the male students that he interviewed her on the pavement outside the school. He also advised her not to apply to the Dental Hospital of London as the Royal College of Surgeons of England
did not allow women to sit their examinations at that time. He did suggest that she apply to Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School, and she was accepted there by the dean W. Bowman Macleod. Even then she met with the disapproval of some of the Edinburgh staff; Sir Henry Littlejohn
remarked "I am afraid, madam, you are taking the bread out of some poor fellow's mouth."
She met her future husband, Robert Lindsay, a member of the teaching staff, on her first day at the dental school. During her time in Edinburgh she won the won the Wilson Medal for dental surgery and pathology and the medal for materia medica and therapeutics in 1894. She graduated with LDS (Hons), RCS Ed.
in 1895, the first woman to become a licensed dentist in the United Kingdom
. She subsequently joined the British Dental Association
in November 1895, the first woman to become a member.
After qualifying, Lilian returned to North London to work until 1905, a move she had to make to pay off her debts. In 1905 she married Robert Lindsay and moved back to Edinburgh to practise with him at 2 Brandon Street. They continued in practice until 1920, when Robert was appointed the first full time Dental Secretary of the British Dental Association. They moved to a flat above the BDA headquarters in Russell Square
, London, and Lilian became honorary librarian to the BDA. She founded the library with books bequeathed by Gaddes, and contributed her own artefacts to start the museum. She learned French
, German
, Latin
and some Old English and Spanish
to help with her historical research.
Robert Lindsay died in November 1930. Following this Lilian became sub-editor of the British Dental Journal
(BDJ) in 1931, a post she held for 20 years. She remained on the BDJ editorial committee until her death, and published 57 papers in the BDJ between 1925 and 1959. In 1933 she published her book on the history of dentistry. In the same year she delivered the first C.E. Wallis lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine
, and later became President of the Odontological Section (1945) and History of Medicine Section (1950–2) of the RSM. She was also President of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics
(B.S.S.O.) in 1938.
In 1946 Lindsay became the first female President of the British Dental Association, was awarded an honorary doctorate
by the University of Edinburgh
, and was awarded the CBE
. She also published her translation of Pierre Fauchard
's Le Chirurgien Dentiste in 1946, the first time the landmark work had been translated into English. She continued to expand the BDA library until her death in 1960, and received a number of awards and honorary degrees during this time.
Dentist
A dentist, also known as a 'dental surgeon', is a doctor that specializes in the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of diseases and conditions of the oral cavity. The dentist's supporting team aides in providing oral health services...
, dental
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...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
, librarian
Librarian
A librarian is an information professional trained in library and information science, which is the organization and management of information services or materials for those with information needs...
and author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
. She was the first qualified woman dentist in Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
, and became the first female 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...
.
Biography
She was born Lilian Murray in Holloway, LondonHolloway, London
Holloway is an inner-city district in the London Borough of Islington located north of Charing Cross and follows for the most part, the line of the Holloway Road . At the centre of Holloway is the Nag's Head area...
in 1871, the daughter of a musician, and the third of eleven children. She was educated at the Camden School for Girls
Camden School for Girls
The Camden School for Girls is a comprehensive secondary school for girls, with a co-educational sixth form, in the London Borough of Camden in North London. It has about one thousand students of ages eleven to eighteen, and specialist-school status as a Music College...
, and won a scholarship to the North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School
North London Collegiate School is an independent day school for girls founded in 1850 in Camden Town, and now in the London Borough of Harrow.The Good Schools Guide called the school an "Academically stunning outer London school in a glorious setting which, in 2003, demonstrated its refusal to rest...
. The founder and headmistress of the school, Frances Buss
Frances Buss
Frances Mary Buss was a headmistress and an English pioneer of women's education.The daughter of Robert William Buss, a painter and etcher, and his wife, Frances Fleetwood, Buss was one of six of their ten children to survive into adulthood...
, informed Lilian that she would be suited to a career teaching deaf children; Lilian disagreed, and informed Miss Buss that she would become a dentist. Due to the argument, Lilian lost the scholarship and left the school in 1889.
Lilian was able to secure a three year apprenticeship in dentistry through a family friend, but did not feel this was enough and sought to enrol in dental school. She passed preliminary examinations, and in 1892 she applied for entry to the National Dental Hospital in Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street
Great Portland Street is a street in the West End of London. Linking Oxford Street with Albany Street and the busy A501 Marylebone Road and Euston Road, the road forms the boundary between Fitzrovia to the east and Marylebone to the west...
. The dean, Henry Weiss, refused to admit her because she was a woman; he was so concerned that she would distract the male students that he interviewed her on the pavement outside the school. He also advised her not to apply to the Dental Hospital of London as the Royal College of Surgeons of England
Royal College of Surgeons of England
The Royal College of Surgeons of England is an independent professional body and registered charity committed to promoting and advancing the highest standards of surgical care for patients, regulating surgery, including dentistry, in England and Wales...
did not allow women to sit their examinations at that time. He did suggest that she apply to Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School, and she was accepted there by the dean W. Bowman Macleod. Even then she met with the disapproval of some of the Edinburgh staff; Sir Henry Littlejohn
Henry Littlejohn (surgeon born 1826)
Sir Henry Duncan Littlejohn was a Scottish surgeon, forensic scientist and public health pioneer. He served as Edinburgh's first Medical Officer of Health , introducing model sanitation improvements and the legal requirement to notify cases of infectious diseases...
remarked "I am afraid, madam, you are taking the bread out of some poor fellow's mouth."
She met her future husband, Robert Lindsay, a member of the teaching staff, on her first day at the dental school. During her time in Edinburgh she won the won the Wilson Medal for dental surgery and pathology and the medal for materia medica and therapeutics in 1894. She graduated with LDS (Hons), RCS Ed.
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...
in 1895, the first woman to become a licensed dentist in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
. She subsequently joined 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...
in November 1895, the first woman to become a member.
After qualifying, Lilian returned to North London to work until 1905, a move she had to make to pay off her debts. In 1905 she married Robert Lindsay and moved back to Edinburgh to practise with him at 2 Brandon Street. They continued in practice until 1920, when Robert was appointed the first full time Dental Secretary of the British Dental Association. They moved to a flat above the BDA headquarters in Russell Square
Russell Square
Russell Square is a large garden square in Bloomsbury, in the London Borough of Camden. It is near the University of London's main buildings and the British Museum. To the north is Woburn Place and to the south-east is Southampton Row...
, London, and Lilian became honorary librarian to the BDA. She founded the library with books bequeathed by Gaddes, and contributed her own artefacts to start the museum. She learned French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
and some Old English and Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
to help with her historical research.
Robert Lindsay died in November 1930. Following this Lilian became sub-editor of the British Dental Journal
British Dental Journal
The British Dental Journal is the official academic journal of the British Dental Association, published for them by the Nature Publishing Group...
(BDJ) in 1931, a post she held for 20 years. She remained on the BDJ editorial committee until her death, and published 57 papers in the BDJ between 1925 and 1959. In 1933 she published her book on the history of dentistry. In the same year she delivered the first C.E. Wallis lecture to the Royal Society of Medicine
Royal Society of Medicine
The Royal Society of Medicine is a British charitable organisation whose main purpose is as a provider of medical education, running over 350 meetings and conferences each year.- History and overview :...
, and later became President of the Odontological Section (1945) and History of Medicine Section (1950–2) of the RSM. She was also President of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics
British Orthodontic Society
The British Orthodontic Society is a membership organisation with over 1800 members in the United Kingdom. It is the largest of the dental specialist groups and dates back nearly a century to the formation of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics...
(B.S.S.O.) in 1938.
In 1946 Lindsay became the first female President of the British Dental Association, was awarded an honorary doctorate
Legum Doctor
Legum Doctor is a doctorate-level academic degree in law, or an honorary doctorate, depending on the jurisdiction. The double L in the abbreviation refers to the early practice in the University of Cambridge to teach both Canon Law and Civil Law, the double L indicating the plural, Doctor of both...
by the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
, and was awarded the CBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
. She also published her translation of Pierre Fauchard
Pierre Fauchard
Pierre Fauchard was a significant French physician, credited as being the "father of modern dentistry". He is widely known for his book, Le chirurgien dentiste, "The Surgeon Dentist" 1728, where he described the basic oral anatomy and function, signs and symptoms of oral pathology, operative...
's Le Chirurgien Dentiste in 1946, the first time the landmark work had been translated into English. She continued to expand the BDA library until her death in 1960, and received a number of awards and honorary degrees during this time.
Awards and honours
- 1894 – Wilson Medal for dental surgery and pathology and the medal for materia medica and therapeutics, Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School
- 1895 – Licentiate in Dental Surgery, Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School
- 1938 – President of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics
- 1945 – John Tomes Prize, Royal College of Surgeons of England; President of the Odontological Section of the Royal Society of Medicine
- 1946 – President, British Dental Association; honorary LL.D., University of Edinburgh; Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
- 1947 – Fellowship of Dental Surgery (FDS), Royal College of Surgeons of England
- 1950–2 – President of the History of Medicine Section of the Royal Society of Medicine
- 1959 – Colyer Gold Medal, Royal College of Surgeons of England; Fellowship of Dental Surgery, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
- Master of Dental Surgery (MDS), University of Durham
- Fellowship of the Society of Antiquaries
- Honorary Member of the Odonto-Chirurgical Society of Scotland
- Vice-president of the JohnsonSamuel JohnsonSamuel Johnson , often referred to as Dr. Johnson, was an English author who made lasting contributions to English literature as a poet, essayist, moralist, literary critic, biographer, editor and lexicographer...
Society - Honorary Member of the Edinburgh Women Students
- Honorary Member of the American Academy of the History of Dentistry