DidYouKnow? Dentists inCulturalHistory Born in 1857, Dr. C.L. Josephine Wells married in 1877 and had three children. Her husband graduated from dental school in 1882, but then became ill. Her children lived with relatives while Dr. Wells studied dentistry. In 1893, she became the first woman to graduate from the Royal College of Dental Surgeons of Ontario, which made her the first Canadian woman to graduate from a dental school. She also received a doctorate from Trinity College of the University of Toronto in 1899. Born in 1861, Dr. Emma Gaudreau Casgrain grew up in Montmagny and studied at the Ursuline Convent in Quebec City. She married Henri-Edmond Casgrain—dental surgeon, inventor, alderman and early motorist—in 1879. She trained as a dentist under the tutelage of her husband beginning in the 1880s, and she studied at the Dental College of the Province of Quebec, graduating in 1898. Dr. Casgrain and her husband had an office on Rue Saint-Jean in Quebec City, and she practised dentistry until 1920. In 1897, Dr. Casgrain’s husband, Henri-Edmond, bought a Léon Bollée, a three-speed open vehicle with the maximum speed of 18 mph. The couple had to refuel at lamp-oil retailers because theirs was the first motor vehicle that ran on gasoline in Quebec. The city of Quebec placed a historical plaque at 180 Aberdeen Street, the house where the Casgrain’s lived. FirstFemaleDentist inEnglish-SpeakingCanada Dr. Wells practised as a dentist in Toronto for 36 years. She also provided dental care at the Andrew Mercer Reformatory for Women and at psychiatric hospitals in Toronto, Hamilton and Orillia, Ontario. For the final 10 years of her career, she practised exclusively in such institutions. FirstFemaleDentist inQuebec 43 Issue 2 | 2024 |
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