John Wrigley
Dentists Who Excelled in Other Fields
The history of dentistry is full of stories of great individuals who have made significant contributions to the field. But that’s not saying that dentists are limited only to dentistry.
At the other end of the spectrum are those who have excelled in other endeavors. These are the people who have risen above their profession to give us things many of us probably can’t live without.
To show you what I mean, here is a short list of dentists who have excelled in other fields:
Cotton candy – also known as fairy floss and candy floss – has always been an important part of a circus or carnival. In fact, owing to its popularity, the United States even celebrates National Cotton Candy Day on December 7. But did you know that this sweet confection was invented by a dentist?
The man behind this sugary treat was Dr. William Morrison, a dentist who lived in Nashville, Tennessee. In 1897, he and John C. Wharton invented cotton candy and the device that made it – a spinning bowl with tiny holes in it.
The two called their invention “candy floss” and introduced it in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair. They managed to sell over 68,000 boxes and started a tradition that continues to this day.
Who hasn’t heard of Welch’s Grape Juice? This popular brand is just one of over 400 products sold by the Massachusetts-based company Welch’s in the United States and in over 35 countries throughout the world.
Welch’s began in 1869 when Dr. Thomas Bramwell Welch, a physician and dentist by trade, and his dentist-son Charles successfully pasteurized Concord grape juice to produce an unfermented sacramental wine for fellow parishioners at his church in Vineland, New Jersey. The resulting product was well accepted and marked the beginning of the processed fruit juice industry.
In 1893, Welch’s Grape Juice became a hit at the Chicago World’s Fair, prompting Charles to quit his practice and concentrate in building the Welch’s brand. Today, that brand includes refrigerated juices, sparkling juice cocktails, jams and jellies.
Chewing gum has long been used for its antiseptic and medicinal properties. A 5,000-year-old chewing gum made of birch bark tar was recently found in Finland and it was also used by ancient Mayan women as a mouth freshener.
“Later forms of chewing gums have been used in ancient Greece. The Greeks chewed mastic gum made from the resin of the mastic tree. Many other cultures have chewed gum-like substances made from plants, grasses and resins. The American Indians chewed resin made from the sap of spruce trees. The New England settlers picked up this practice and in the early 1880s attempts were made to commercially market spruce gum,” according to the editors of Wikipedia.
Mexican dictator Santa Anna brought the first shipments of chicle to the United States. While living in exile in New York City, he hoped to make a profit from the use of chicle for carriage tires but his idea never caught on.
Thomas Addams, the American who aided Santa Anna in his experiments, later decided that chicle would make a great chewing gum. That idea was further developed by Dr. William Semple, a dentist from Mount Vernon, Ohio, who got the patent for this “improved bubble gum” in 1869.
Semple believed the gum would help exercise the jaw and clean teeth. However, he never manufactured his gum and it wasn’t until 1893 that chewing gum became popular through the efforts of the William Wrigley Jr. Company with its Juicy Fruit brand.
Early chewing gum was made of chicle or synthetic rubber. Because of price constraints and availability, manufacturers now use rubber although chicle has a smoother and softer texture and holds flavor better. (Next: No laughing matter: medicine’s first anesthetic.)
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About the Author
Sharon Bell is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and published author. Many of her insightful articles can be found at the premier online news magazine http://www.HealthLinesNews.com.
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