A Dentist and a Gentleman : Gender and the Rise of Dentistry in Ontario

The historical development of dentistry as a profession in Ontario from the late nineteenth century to the end of the First World War is used as a case study to explore the significance of gender, particularly masculinity, in the formation of professions. Adams argues that gender was central to the establishment of the dental profession. Over time, dentistry developed from being a trade to garnering professional status. The early dentists worked to recruit, and indeed structured the profession in such a way as to recruit, middle-class white men into the profession. Gender and class divisions were drawn upon both to define and legitimate professional roles and claims to professional status; by definition, a professional was a gentleman. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" uses historical documents including dental journals and dental board and association meeting minutes to detail both the key events in the establishment of the dental profession and the efforts of professional leaders to define and structure their profession to meet the gentlemanly ideal. "A Dentist and a Gentleman" is a fascinating social history for anyone interested in profession creation and gender and professions. MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict MuPDF error: syntax error: invalid key in dict Contents 6 Preface 8 1 Dentistry, Gender, and Profession Creation 18 2 The Rise of the Dental Profession in Ontario 34 3 Defining Dentistry 54 4 Enforcing the Dental Ideal 71 5 Professional Status, Ideology, and Gender: Dentistry 1900–1918 91 6 Public Health, Public Education, Public Image 105 7 Gender and the Division of Dental Labour 125 8 On Becoming a Dentist: Dental Students 1903–1917 141 9 Women in Dentistry 159 Conclusion 182 Appendix 1 Historical Sources 202 Appendix 2 Women as a Percentage of Practitioners in Selected Male-Dominated Professions in Ontario, 1911–1996 210 Notes 212 References 222 Index 246 Machine generated contents note: 1 Dentistry, Gender, and Profession Creation 3 2 The Rise of the Dental Profession in Ontario 19 3 Defining Dentistry 39 4 Enforcing the Dental Ideal 56 5 Professional Status, Ideology, andGender: Dentistry1900-1918 76 6 Public Health, Public Education, Public image 90 7 GenderandtheDivisionofDentalLabour 110 8 On Becoming a Dentist: Dental Students 1903-1917 126 9 Women in Dentistry 144 Conclusion 167 Appendix 1 HstoricalSources 187 Appendix 2 Women s a Percentage of Practitioners in Selected Male- DominatedProfesions in Ontario, 1911-1996 195 Notes 197 References 207 Index 231. "In A Dentist and a Gentleman, Tracey Adams examines the historical development of dentistry as a profession in Ontario from the late nineteenth century to the end of the First World War to explore the significance of gender, particularly masculinity, in the formation of professions." "A Dentist and a Gentleman will appeal to anyone interested in professional and gender studies."--Jacket