Thomas Wiltberger Evans (December 23, 1823 – November 14, 1897) was an American dentist. He performed dental procedures on many heads of state, including Napoleon III,[1] and received numerous medals for his dentistry,[2] including the Grand Croix of the Légion d'honneur.[3] He is noted for popularizing a number of techniques that have since become standard, including the use of amalgam fillings and of nitrous oxide.[4]
In 1868, Evans helped found the American Register, the first American newspaper published in Paris.[5] In 1884 he published the first English translation of the memoirs of Heinrich Heine, to which he also wrote the introduction.[3] He also was active in the arts; helping to launch the career of famous American sculptor Cyrus Dallin commissioning one of his first equestrian sculptures, The Marquis de Lafayette in 1889. The statue was prominently displayed at the Paris Exhibition of 1889.[6]
^Reichhold, Nicolette (2014). James Ernest Heesom (1837–1927): A Yorkshire dentist in Paris. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN978-1495330575.
Johnson, Rossiter; Brown, John Howard, eds. (1904), "Thomas William Evans", The Twentieth Century Biographical Dictionary of Notable Americans, vol. 4, Boston, Massachusetts: The Biographical Society, retrieved June 12, 2009