Willoughby D. Miller

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Willoughby Dayton Miller

Willoughby Dayton Miller (born August 1, 1853 in Alexandria , Ohio , † July 27, 1907 in Newark , Ohio) was an American scientist in the field of dentistry with Berlin for thirty years . He was the first oral microbiologist .

Life

Willoughby D. Miller was born in Alexandria, the son of farmers John H. and Nancy L. Miller. In 1865 he moved with his family to Newark , Ohio, where he attended high school, which he graduated in 1871. He was enrolled at the University of Michigan and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1875 . In the same year he went abroad to the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, where he studied chemistry , natural philosophy and applied mathematics . Originally, he wanted to become a mining engineer . In 1877 a serious illness forced him to interrupt his studies. He then went to Berlin to deepen his chemistry and physics studies. Miller received his first dental lessons from James Truman in 1877 .

Francis Peabody Abbott (1827–1886), who had studied at the New York Dental College and had now gained an excellent reputation in the dental world, ran a practice in Berlin . Abbott headed the so-called American Colony in Berlin, an association of American immigrants. When the young Miller had recovered from his illness, he made the acquaintance of Abbott and his daughter in the American Colony , who were very taken with him. Abbott posed a number of chemical questions, including the effects of combining tin and gold as a dental filling material . Studying these questions was a turning point in Miller's life. On the advice of his compatriot, he now turned entirely to dentistry . From 1877 to 1878 he studied first at the Pennsylvania College of Dental Surgery and from 1878 to 1879 in the new Dental Department of the University of Pennsylvania . After completing his Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) degree , he returned to Berlin and joined Abbot's dental practice. Shortly thereafter, he married Abbott's daughter on October 26, 1879.

In 1884 he was the first foreigner to receive a professorship at a German university for operative dentistry at the Charité . He also studied bacteriology with Robert Koch and obtained a doctorate in general medicine .

Miller contracted appendicitis in 1907 , which led to peritonitis . After an unsuccessful operation, he died in Newark City Hospital.

plant

His main work " The Microorganisms of the Human Mouth " was published in 1890 and set up the groundbreaking theory that is still valid today , according to which bacteria in the oral flora break down carbohydrates into acids, which in turn decalcify the tooth enamel , and then bacteria can penetrate the tooth and destroy the dentin . In doing so, he placed dental research on a solid biological basis. All scientific work in the field of caries prophylaxis since then has been based on Miller's research. Together with the US dentist Newell Sill Jenkins , who practiced in Dresden, he developed a toothpaste called Kolynos , which was the first to contain disinfectants.

Miller was president of the Central Association of German Dentists (CVdZ) from 1900 to 1906 . At the 4th International Meeting of Dentists in St. Louis in 1904, he was elected President of the Fédération Dentaire Internationale . On that occasion, he was offered the position of director of the University of Michigan dental school . In July 1907 he returned to the United States with his family, but died of peritonitis caused by a ruptured appendix before he could take up his new post. The newly established institute was taken over by Russell Bunting, who was designated as Miller's assistant and who continued Miller's work.

He published 164 specialist publications in German and international journals. He mastered the German language like his mother tongue English and published his findings mainly in German. At the same time, he strictly refused to accept German citizenship, even when initially wanted to make the granting of a professorship dependent on it. One of his important students was Alfred Kantorowicz (1880–1962). Because of his outstanding achievements, it was suggested that the 1890s be called "The Miller Decade".

One dental instrument bears his name - the Miller needle .

Honors

  • Miller was an honorary member of 39 dental corporations at home and abroad.
  • 1904 President of the FDI World Dental Federation
  • Honorary member of the Central Association of German Dentists,
  • Honorary member of the Association of Lecturers in Dentistry at German Universities,
  • Honorary member of the committee for the dental training courses in Prussia,
  • Dr. phil. honoris causa of Ann Arbor University ,
  • Dr. of Science from the University of Philadelphia ,
  • Bronze medal of the Société d'Odontologie de Paris ,
  • gold medal
  • Honorary President of the International Congress in Berlin.
  • Miller Foundation through the Central Association of German Dentists
  • Awarded the title of Secret Medical Councilor

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Obituary Willoughby Dayton Miller, Public Health in The British Medical Journal , August 31, 1907. p. 558. PMC 2358186 (free full text)
  2. ^ A b Burton Lee Thorpe, In Memoriam Willoughby D. Miller ( May 13, 2016 memento on the Internet Archive ), Dominion Dental Journal, Vol. 19, pp. 342-344 (1907). In: Forgotten Books. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  3. H. Tschernitschek, H. Günay, W. Geurtsen, On the 100th anniversary of the death of Willoughby D. Miller , DZZ, 62, 2007, 8, pp. 546-547. Retrieved May 13, 2016.
  4. Kolynos Toothpaste and Nalgiri Cosmetics - A curious blend of Greek and Hindu . Retrieved March 31, 2016.
  5. ^ Julius Parreidt: History of the Central Association of German Dentists 1859–1909 . Springer, 2013, ISBN 978-3-662-41001-1 , pp. 23– ( google.com ).
  6. a b W. D. Miller. A picture of life. Commemorative speech given on November 24, 1907 by W. Dieck, Korrespondenz-Blatt für Zahnaerzte, Verlag von C. Ash & Sons, Berlin. 1908. Issue 1.