Making of the Dentiste, c. 1650-1760

• Contents: Introduction; ’Problematizing’ the history of dentistry; Pretending to draw teeth: the mountebank drug-seller of the fairs and markets; Drawing teeth: practitioners below the ladder of ’official’ surgery; Teeth as surgical practice in the 17th century; The fall and rise of academic surgery in the ancien régime and the appearance of a surgical science for teeth; The making of the dentiste technically: Pierre Fauchard and the work of the chirurgien dentiste; The making of the dentiste socially: appearance, ennoblement and the court; Bibliography; Index.

'The Making of the Dentiste, c. 1650-1760 can be recommended not only to a serious reader who is interested in the history of the health professions. It can equally be enjoyed by a student or a person who is inquisitive about our past. Even your own dentist may be interested to know how it all began.' Canadian Bulletin of Medical History, Vol. 16, No. 1 '...a valuable contribution to the history of early modern medicine.' Medical History, vol. 44 ’...an interesting historical survey with a strong thesis.’ ISIS, 92: 1 '... King delivers a history that is at once technical, cultural, revisionist, and entertaining.... this book conveys some of the rich potential for scholars and curators to use the resources of the world's museums creatively.' Technology and Culture, Vol. 42