[Pierre Fauchard (1677?-1761). Dental expert and master surgeon of Saint-Côme of Paris]. / Pierre Fauchard (1677?-1761). Expert pour les dents, et maître chirurgien de Saint-Côme de Paris.

ABSTRACT

Pierre Fauchard has raised enigmas namely as regards his professional life which we try to elucidate by the analysis of his book. He began his dental training with a naval surgeon who did not sail anymore and he started practicing at the age of 19 with some dangerous interventions in the mouth of a friend. He benefited from the imbroglio of his time when the dental practice was not much supervised. In 1699 there was a compulsory examination to receive the title of 'Dental expert' which Fauchard obtained around 1708 in Paris. A short time afterwards it appeared that he undertook studies to become a Master-Surgeon, which title he obtained around 1714-1717, if one follows the 'Observations' in his book. As a matter of fact he operated already before 1715 with the great master-surgeons of his time, which would have been paradoxical if he had been only an Expert whose surgical operations described were not allowed by the strict regulations of the College Saint-Côme. His position as master-surgeon is revealed in the 1758 register of this company. The title-page of his book indicates it too by its presentation, as one reads 'by Pierre Fauchard surgeon' and at the next line 'dentist in Paris'. The present paper intends to show that P. Fauchard was a practitioner with serious and long medical and surgical studies behind him.