First lady of dentistry commemorated with plaque

First lady of dentistry commemorated with plaque


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Lilian Lindsay's blue plaque unveiled by her niece, Margaret Murray (left), and Dame Margaret Seward. ©English Heritage On 17 April an English Heritage blue plaque was unveiled in


Islington, London to commemorate Lilian Lindsay (1871-1960), the first woman dentist to qualify in Britain. The plaque was unveiled by Dame Margaret Seward, past President of the General


Dental Council (GDC) and past Chief Dental Officer, together with Margaret Murray, Lilian's niece, at 3 Hungerford Road, Lower Holloway, the house where Lilian lived when she first


decided to become a dentist. Dame Margaret Seward said: 'As a newly qualified dentist in 1959, Lilian Lindsay's ground-breaking achievements became my inspiration and remained so


throughout my career. The English Heritage blue plaque is a wonderful tribute to an amazing pioneer in the dental profession. I am truly humbled to have been invited to unveil the plaque


today and rejoice that all her struggles have been so richly rewarded.' Lilian Lindsay studied at Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School after an unsuccessful attempt to enrol at the


dental school of the National Dental Hospital in London, where she was interviewed on the pavement outside as women were not allowed to enter the building. Qualifying with honours from


Edinburgh in 1895, Lilian set up a practice in Upper Holloway and later in Edinburgh. After retiring from dental practice Lilian became the British Dental Association's (BDA's)


Honorary Librarian and was responsible for gathering together the country's first dental library and expanding it from 350 works to more than 10,000. She was the first woman to be


appointed a branch president of the BDA in 1933 and to be elected President of the BDA in 1946, the same year she was also awarded an OBE. Her name is perpetuated by the Lindsay Society,


founded in 1962, which exists to promote the study of dental history. RIGHTS AND PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE First lady of dentistry


commemorated with plaque. _Br Dent J_ 214, 435 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.bdj.2013.447 Download citation * Published: 10 May 2013 * Issue Date: 11 May 2013 * DOI:


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