Thomas Lewis Gilmer (1849–1931) was an American Oral Surgeon who was the founder of

Northwestern University Dental School The Northwestern University Dental School closed in 2001, 110 years after opening in 1891. Its first dean was Edgar Swain. According to the trustees, the mentioned financial stresses and reputation as reasons for the closure of the program. Histo ...

(1891) and

Institute of Medicine The National Academy of Medicine (NAM), formerly called the Institute of Medicine (IoM) until 2015, is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Medicine is a part of the National Academies of Sciences, E ...

in Chicago. Dr. Gilmer made several contributions in Oral Surgery, such as the Gilmer Splint and "Gilmer wiring", which are named after him.

Life

He was born in

Lincoln County, Missouri Lincoln County is located in the eastern part of the U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over ...

in 1849. He attended

Missouri Dental College The Washington University School of Dental Medicine (WUSDM) was the dental school of Washington University in St. Louis. It operated from 1866 to 1991. Over 5,000 dentists were educated at WUSDM. WUSDM was a pioneer in the practice of scientific d ...

and obtained his dental degree in 1882. He attended Quincy College of Medicine and obtained his Medical Degree in 1885. He then served as an Oral Surgeon at St. Mary's Hospital in Quincy, Illinois. Along with practicing, he was also the Professor of Histology at Quincy College of Medicine. Dr. Gilmer then moved to Chicago in 1889 where he was a professor of Oral Surgery at the

Chicago College of Dental Surgery The Chicago Dental Infirmary was the first dental school in Chicago. It only accepted students that already possessed Doctor of Medicine degrees, making it a post-doctorate school. Training consisted of two courses of lectures in dentistry. A year ...

. In 1891, he founded the Northwestern University Dental School. Dr. Gilmer served as a dean of the school eventually. He also founded the Institute of Medicine, Chicago. He was married to Ella M. Bostick and they had a daughter named Virginia Gilmer.

Awards and positions

* Illinois State Dental Society - President (1883) * Quincy College of Medicine - Faculty * Chicago College of Dental Surgery - Faculty (1889) * Northwestern University Dental School - Founder (1891), Dean, Professor * Institute of Medicine, Chicago - Founder, President * Honorary Sc.D. Degree by Northwestern University (1911)

References

1849 births 1931 deaths American dentists American dentistry academics Northwestern University faculty Washington University School of Dental Medicine alumni Washington University in St. Louis alumni 19th-century dentists 20th-century dentists {{US-med-bio-stub