Theodor Blum | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | September 25, 1883 |
| Died | July 24, 1962 (aged 78) |
| Citizenship | American |
| Occupation | oral surgeon |
| Known for | founder of The New York Institute of Clinical oral Pathology; first to diagnose "radium jaw"; pioneer in use of x-rays and Novocain in oral surgery and dentistry |
| Spouse |
Bertha Roth
(m. 1909, divorced)Rosalie Heil Kahn
(m. 1946; died 1953) |
| Children | Oscar Maximilian Blum Elizabeth Theresa (Blum) Salz Ruth Elaine (Blum) Thurm Alice Kahn Ladas (stepdaughter) |
| Relatives | Barbara Susan (Blum) Leary (granddaughter), Tanya Roberts (Victoria Leigh Blum) (granddaughter) |
Theodor Blum (September 25, 1883 – July 24, 1962) was a pioneer in local anesthesia, in the use of x-rays in dental care, and in the management of many pathologic oral conditions. He has been described as “the most outstanding oral surgeon in America.”[1] He was a founder of The New York Institute of Clinical Oral Pathology.[2] Through his work and a few others, oral pathology gained recognition as a medical specialty. He was the first to make use in medical literature of the term “radium jaw” that arose from a case he treated that is described in the book The Radium Girls (2016).[3]