Inventor - Frank Abbott

Born: September 5, 1836

Died: April 20, 1897 in New York, age 61

Inventions:  

- Dental instruments including chisels, pluggers, scalers, some of which are still in use today.

- First automatic Mallet with back-action.

Raised on a farm in York County, Maine, Frank Abbott atended school until age 16 then began to travel. In 1855, he studied dentistry under local dentist Dr. J. E. Ostrander in Oneida, New York.  He opened his own dental practice in Johnstown, New York at age 22.

He married Catherine Ann Cuyler and they had three children.  When the Civil War began, he served as a Lieutenant in the 115th New York Volunteer Infantry. He was captured at Harper's Ferry, West Virginia and was released later as part of a prisoner exchange.

When he returned to his practice, he went to the City University of New York as a medical student and in 1866 was appointed as clinical lecturer in New York College of Denistry, then Professor of Operative Denistry in 1868 and as dean in 1869.

He collected rare American history prints and is mentioned in many dental textbooks and encyclopedias.