The grave of John Smith, Warriston Cemetery

John Smith (1825–1910) was a Scottish dentist, philanthropist and pioneering educator. The founder of the

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

school of dentistry, he served as president of the

Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh The Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) is a professional organisation of surgeons. The College has seven active faculties, covering a broad spectrum of surgical, dental, and other medical practices. Its main campus is located o ...

(1883) and president of the

British Dental Association The British Dental Association (BDA) is a registered trade union for dentists in the United Kingdom. Its stated mission is to "promote the interests of members, advance the science, arts and ethics of dentistry and improve the nation's oral he ...

. He was the official surgeon/dentist to

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

when in Scotland.

Life

Smith was born in Edinburgh, the son of dental surgeon John Smith. His family lived at 30 Frederick Street in the New Town. He was educated at the Edinburgh Institution, the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

(MD 1847) and the

Royal College of Surgeons The Royal College of Surgeons is an ancient college (a form of corporation) established in England to regulate the activity of surgeons. Derivative organisations survive in many present and former members of the Commonwealth. These organisations a ...

. He conducted postgraduate studies in London and Paris, making drawings of gunshot and sabre wounds. He took over his father's dental practice in 1851. In 1856 Smith started teaching the first regular courses on dental physiology and diseases in Scotland. His lectures were given at Surgeons' Hall as part of the

Edinburgh Extramural School of Medicine Extramural medical education in Edinburgh began over 200 years before the university medical faculty was founded in 1726 and extramural teaching continued thereafter for a further 200 years. Extramural is academic education which is conducted o ...

. He was surgeon dentist to the Royal Public Dispensary. He co-founded the Hospital for Sick Children in 1859. Recognising the need for improved training, he founded, together with Francis Brodie Imlach, Peter Orphoot and Robert Nasmyth, the Edinburgh Dental Dispensary in 1860. In 1871 Smith was appointed Surgeon Dentist to

, and elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, upon the nomination of

John Hutton Balfour John Hutton Balfour (15 September 1808 – 11 February 1884) was a Scottish botanist. Balfour became a Professor of Botany, first at the University of Glasgow in 1841, moving to the University of Edinburgh and also becoming the 7th Regius Kee ...

. In 1876 he was elected a member of the

Aesculapian Club The Aesculapian Club of Edinburgh is one of the oldest medical dining clubs in the world. It was founded in April 1773 by Dr. Andrew Duncan. Membership of the Club is limited to 11 Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh ...

and was Honorary Secretary from 1887-1905. The Dental Dispensary grew into the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School by 1879. He was awarded an honorary doctorate (LLD) by the University of Edinburgh in 1884. Smith was also a moderately successful playwright. He was a senior elder in St Andrews Parish Church in Edinburgh. In his final years he lived at 11 Wemyss Place, a fine Georgian house on the

Moray Estate The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. Back ...

Edinburgh's New Town The New Town is a central area of Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. It was built in stages between 1767 and around 1850, and retains much of its original neo-classical and Georgian period architecture. Its best known street is Princes Stree ...

.Edinburgh and Leith Post Office Directory 1909-10 The dental practice element (in the same property) was taken over by

William Guy William Augustus Guy (13 June 1810 – 10 September 1885) was a British physician and medical statistician. Life He was born in Chichester and educated at Christ's Hospital and Guy's Hospital; he then studied at the University of Heidelberg an ...

from around 1899. He died on 15 April 1910. He is buried on the edge of the path which runs over the central vaults in

Warriston Cemetery Warriston Cemetery is a cemetery in Edinburgh. It lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly-formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping si ...

Family

In 1853 he married Elizabeth Marjory Peters (1830–1912).

Publications

* ''Handbook of Dental Anatomy and Surgery'' (1864).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, John 1825 births 1910 deaths 19th-century Scottish educators 19th-century British philanthropists 19th-century dentists Philanthropists from Edinburgh People educated at Stewart's Melville College Alumni of the University of Edinburgh Scottish dentists 19th-century Scottish people Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh People in health professions from Edinburgh Scottish educators 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Scottish surgeons Presidents of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh Scottish dramatists and playwrights Burials at Warriston Cemetery