A Short History of The School of Dentistry
Marquette University School Dentistry began as the Dental
Department of the Milwaukee Medical College (MMC) on September 26,
1894. On that day there were 9 faculty for the 30 entering freshman
students. The dental clinic consisted of 16 chairs and a technique
laboratory.
Humble Beginnings
Trinity Hospital of the Milwaukee Medical
College. Located at Wells & 9th Streets, it was here on
September 26, 1894 that the School of Dentistry admitted its
first freshman class |
In 1897 the National Association of Dental (NADF), the acknowledged
regulatory body of the day, investigated the MMC and elected it to
membership. This membership recognized the MMC as a reputable school.
By 1900 the Dental Department of the MMC had graduated 103 students.
Many of them became prominent and played important roles in advancing
dentistry in Wisconsin.
In 1899 another dental school came into existence in Milwaukee. The
Wisconsin College of Physicians and Surgeons (P & S) which had
opened in 1893 added a dental department. Both schools competed for
students and faculty. P & S was never well attended and in 1913
it merged with what by then was Marquette University.
In 1902 Dr. Henry L. Banzhaf, a very prominent Wisconsin dentist,
was named dean of the Dental Department of MMC. His affiliation with
the school would last 42 years.
Creation of Marquette University
The creation of Marquette University came about in 1907. Marquette
College, a liberal arts college in Milwaukee affiliated with the MMC
and its four departments, dentistry, medicine, nursing and pharmacy
and thereupon became a University. Dr. Banzhaf, while retaining his
appointment as dean of the dental college, also became business manager
of the dental, pharmacy and nursing schools. In 1921 he was appointed
business manager of the entire university.
The dental school in front and the old medical
school attached behind. This is where the current science library
was constructed in the early 70s.
The old dental clinic as seen from a second
floor balcony. |
The course of instruction in the dental school consisted of a six
day week with a lecture at 8am each day and another at 5 p.m. Clinic
and laboratory hours extended from 9 a. m. to 12 noon and from 1 p.m.
to 5 p.m. during each of the 6 days. Lecturers received no remuneration,
but laboratory and clinic instructors were paid. Tuition fees were
$100 per student per year up until 1906. By 1916 they had been increased
to $170 per year. Books for a four year education cost $130 and instruments
and supplies cost another $560.
In 1921 a new dental school opened at 604 North 16th Street. The acquisition
of the old Milwaukee Dental College helped make Marquette a University.and
our steps have been well worn by countless students, patients, staff
and faculty over nearly eight decades. Over time, however, buildings
age, programs change, and absolutely nothing lasts forever.
In 1921 Dean Banzhaf secured permission to build a new dental building.
The new building was ready for occupancy in 1923. It featured a dental
clinic of 150 chairs. The clinic eventually expanded to 167 chairs
and would earn the reputation of being "the largest dental clinic
under one roof." A major innovation of its day in the new building
was a diagnosis laboratory for dental patients. It was one of the first
laboratories of this type to be established in connection with a dental
clinic. It was visited by dental educators from many other schools
and was praised as a pioneer effort of great significance in the history
of dentistry.
Something Old, Something New
In the early 1970s the antiquated 1921 facility was gutted, and a
brand new dental school emerged. There were compromises involved in
using the old shell, and for a quarter century students and faculty
have, on occasion, struggled with their environment, trying to maintain
a quality program.
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