Dentistry: From Pulling Power to Growing Your Own

Dental education in London

This exhibition explores the evolution of dental education in London - from the painful extractions of fairground quacks or the lucrative sideline of metal-bashers, to the self-confident expression of modern surgical science. It focuses on the experience of three of London's historic dental schools located at King's, Guy's Hospital and the Royal Dental Hospital now brought together and collectively known as The Guy's, King's and St Thomas' Dental Institute.

Dozens of rarely seen photographs of students, staff and equipment and unique images of the interior and exterior of the early schools chart the progress of dental surgery from the Victorian gas room to the most recent breakthrough in growing human teeth in the laboratory.

Other online exhibitions from King's College Archives include an exploration of the discovery of the secrets of the DNA helix, the career of the pioneering scientist Professor Jean Hanson and most recently on the contribution of refugee students to life in London.

King's College Archives acknowledges the help of The British Dental Association, the London Metropolitan Archives and the Gordon Museum and their permission to use images as captioned.