Solyman Brown (November 17, 1790 – 1876) was an American dentist known for his role in creating the first dental school, the first US National Dental Society and the first US Dental Journal. He was also known as a poet of dentistry.
Personal life and major events
Solyman Brown was born in Litchfield, Connecticut, on November 17, 1790, son of Nathaniel and Thankful Brown. Renowned for being a member of the Society of Surgeon Dentists of New York City and the State of New York, he was also a founder and a member of the American Association of Dental Surgeons. In 1812, he graduated from Yale College, and two years later, he became a licentiate of the Congregational church. For seven years, he exercised his professional responsibilities, being also involved in youth instruction.
Brown worked in several areas. He graduated with the degrees BA, MA, MD, and DDS from Yale University, and subsequently his professional life ensued as a Christian missionary in Connecticut, but disputes with some of the Church leaders led him to a different prominent field. Brown published several books charting his viewpoints on how religion should be portrayed. According to the Journal of the American College of Dentists, Brown was best appreciated for establishing the first dental learning institution in the nineteenth century, the First national Dental Society, and the first dental journal within the United States' boundaries so called the 'American Journal of Dental Science'.
During his first year in college, a severe illness of the lungs afflicted him. Having been troubled by fragile health and irritation of the bronchia, he was forced almost completely to abandon public speaking to make teaching his full-time career. Brown moved to New York to proceed with his labours as a formal instructor in 1822. Here, he renowned and embraced Emmanuel Swedenborg's doctrines and was constituted a regular preacher of the New Jerusalem Church. Nevertheless, he continued to teach until 1832. Having verified himself in his new career, he married Elizabeth Butler, daughter of Amos Butler, in 1834.
He acted as editor and owner of "The New York Mercantile Advertiser" for several years while making New York City his residence. Having written several articles explaining dental principles and rules, he finally became one of the editors of "The American Journal and Library of Dental science."
Brown also wrote several poems, articles, and essays and consistently contributed to the periodical press, especially to the lines of "The New York Mirror", before his death in 1876 in Minnesota.
Poetry, books, and writings
Early in his career, Brown resolved to turn his hand to poetry. Best known for "Dentologia, a Poem on the Diseases of the Teeth and their Proper Remedies", he wrote his 80 pages epic poem in 1833. An article researched and complied by Ring discusses the founders of dentistry as a profession, where he argues that this was one of his most noteworthy achievements, which brought him approving reviews from scholars and establishments in America including his critics; his modern literary foundation hails him as the "poet laureate of dentistry". According to Ring, it was a poem that discussed various teeth diseases and their treatment options. This did enough to raise dentistry status within the United States and many other parts of the world.
Many of his poems were about dental ailments and possible prevention, management, and treatment. Portions of them were published in the American Journal of Dental Science which did in fact elucidate the improvement and elevation of his dental professional status.
Solyman Brown's poetry attracted the majority of the American Society on February 22, 1822, when he was requested to recite the narrative poem, "The Birth of Washington," at Washington Hall in New York City during Natal day celebrations of the United States' first president George Washington. In the same year, he was entrusted to re-recite the same poem on March 4.
The leading literary journal, The Knickerbocker, published and republished large sections of Brown's poem between 1833 and 1860. In 1838, he published another major work on dentistry, "Dental Hygeia, a Poem on the Health and Preservation of the Teeth" where his main concern was discussing and suggesting the appropriate ways to preserve our teeth, made him receive the title "poet laureate of dentistry."
Brown's most famous writing was "A Treatise on Mechanical Dentistry". Unluckily, it caused the anger and backlash of some of his associate dentists "for revealing the secrets of the profession".
The following are some of his other famed titles;