Dr greene vardiman black biography

American dentistry pioneer (1836–1915)

Greene Vardiman Black (August 3, 1836 – August 31, 1915) was an American dentist and academic.

He was one of the founders of modern dentistry in the United States. He is also known as the father of operative dentistry.

Early life

Black was born near Winchester, Illinois on August 3, 1836 to William and Mary Black.

G.v. black classification of instruments

He spent his early life on a farm and quickly developed an interest in the natural world. By the age of 17, Black began studying medicine with the help of his brother, Dr. Thomas G. Black. In 1857, he met Dr. J.C. Speer, who taught him the practice of dentistry.

Career

After the Civil War, in which he served as a union scout, he relocated to Jacksonville, Illinois in 1864.^[1] It was here that he began an active career and research in the developing field of dentistry.

He studied dentistry for 20 months (as was common at the time) followed by an apprenticeship ^[2