A306: Records of Liverpool Dental School and Hospital

This collection is comprised of the historical and administrative records of the Liverpool Dental School and Hospital ranging in date from 1824 to 1993.

Originally named The Liverpool Dispensary for Diseases of the Teeth, the Liverpool School of Dentistry was established in 1861 by Captain W. J. Newman. By 1863 his dental practice at 82 Russel Street was renamed The Liverpool Dental Hospital.

The school was recognised by the Royal College of Surgeons in 1876 and in 1880, the hospital moved to 50 Mount Pleasant. This was the start of full-time students being taught at the hospital, which became associated with the University in 1899. The Dental School and Hospital on Pembroke Place was opened on 19 March 1910. The hospital fully merged with the university when the Louis Cohen Chair in Dental Surgery was established in 1920. W H Gilmour, the third dean, obtained the first professorship in dentistry in the UK. This school was later demolished to make way for the current dental school in 1969.

The picture above shows Captain W. J. Newman and R. E. Stewart, the founders of the Liverpool School of Dentistry. Captain Newman operated the Liverpool Dispensary of Diseases of the Teeth and in his own private clinic devoted three mornings a week to treating patients for free.

The prospectus shown here is from the years 1900-1901, in the very early days of operation for the school. It contains a brief history of the school, rules for students, details of courses and the cost of the course. Every student on entering the school was required to sign an obligation of conformity to the rules and regulations of the College. An example of the rules and regulations that had to be followed by the dental students is rule number fourteen, which states, “A certificate of having performed to the satisfaction of the Dental Officer 100 fillings during each winter session, and 50 fillings during each summer session of his attendance, will be required from every Student before his Schedule or Certificate can be signed.”

This advertisement was printed in Ward’s Directory of Birkenhead in 1857. There are a number of advertisements in the collection relating to the dental profession, including adverts for false teeth and gums, dental instruments and dental treatment. As well as these advertisements the collection contains a number of photographs showing the evolution of the school and hospital from its very beginnings in the 1880s to the modern renovations.

Katy Gribbin, Graduate Library Assistant