Solyman Brown, a giant of dentistry and its poet laureate

Solyman Brown 1790-1876), widely hailed by his contemporary literary establishment as the poet laureate of dentistry," was one of the visionary individuals who put dentistry on a true foundation of professionalism. He was instrumental in the formation of the first dental journal, the first national dental society, and the first dental school. He is one of the true giants in the history of American dentistry. Solyman Brown's great-great-grandson was cleaning out his father's attic and found a trunk full of original material relating to his illustrious forebear. Among the wealth of material was a notebook kept by Solyman's daughter, Augusta. Selections from it give us a rare personal insight into the type of person this significant dental historical figure was, as well as the struggles he endured in his hard life.