History of Dentistry

IV. Women in Dentistry.
The first woman dentist in England was a widow of Dr. Povey - 1719. When he died she took over his practice. The first woman dentist in the United States was Emeline Rupert Jones of Connecticut. She too, took over her husband's practice after he died. In 1854, soon after they were married, she offered to assist him. He refused, stating that dentistry was no occupation for frail and clumsy fingers. Secretly she filled several hundred extracted teeth and demonstrated her skill to her husband. He then let her operate on a few of his patients. After his death, she took over and practiced for at least 50 years. She was accepted in both the Connecticut State Dental Society in 1893 and National Dental Association in 1914. The honor of being the first woman graduate dentist goes to Dr. Lucy Hobbs, 1865. She graduated from the Ohio Dental College.
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