Charles Edward Wallis and the rise of London's school dental service.

C. E. WALLIS "FATHER" OF LONDON'S SCHOOL DENTAL SERVICE CHARLES EDWARD WALLIS was born in Lambeth on 25 March 1869, son of Fanny and Augustus Wallis; his father was an insurance clerk.' Wallis was educated at Bedford Grammar School and King's College Hospital, which was then sited in Portugal Street near the Strand.2 It was there that he gained the conjoint medical diploma in 1894. Following one or two house appointments, he became a ship's surgeon, initially on RMS Garth Castle, voyaging to Canada, the United States, Cape of Good Hope, and the Antarctic. He then spent some time studying in Paris. Upon returning to England, Wallis studied at the Dental Hospital of London, gaining the diploma of Licentiate in Dental Surgery of the Royal College of Surgeons of England in 1897. He then began to practise in Queen Anne Street, London. For twenty-two years, Wallis was an active member of the British Dental Association, including its Metropolitan Branch. He was an elected member of the Association's Representative Board for six years. His literary efforts led him to membership of the editorial committee of the British Dental Journal from 1908 to 1919; he was Chairman from 1914 onwards. However, Wallis was not interested only in teeth. The Royal Society of Medicine's History of Medicine section claimed much of his time.3 Indeed, there is now a "C. E. Wallis Memorial Lecture" delivered in his memory to a joint meeting of the Society's History of Medicine and Odontological Sections. He had a great interest in archaeology as well as history, and was an authority on the old cities of London and Paris. His writings ranged from dentistry in ancient times to papers on Marat and the French Revolution, Malthus, Cagliostro, and Garibaldi.4 His lectures to troops during the First World War on "The Art of War in Rome" were reported to be outstanding. At the time of his death, Wallis was writing a history of Harley Street. He also kept in touch with medical matters as a member and one-time vice-president of