WE ALL GRIEVE at the loss of Adrian William David Cowan, a man who overshadowed the dental profession of his time in so many ways for so many years, and yet remained available to us all for advice and help throughout that time. Adrian (this is not the occasion for nicknames) was born into dentistry, knowing all about life in a good, ethical dental practice.
After schooling in Dublin, he entered Trinity in 1936 and qualified in dentistry in 1941 and in medicine in 1943. Along the way he picked up, almost absentmindedly, any loose prizes available to those pursuing these, anything but conjoint courses, simultaneously. Here he met the antithesis between dentistry, then taught as a non biological art, and medicine, with a tradition of scientific diagnosis and respect of tissue.
This conflict of ideas left its mark on Adrian, who came down strongly on the side of medical teaching and, for the rest of his life, handled patients to their great benefit as biological entities with local dental problems. Throughout his life, colleagues and students were adjured to practise good, careful diagnosis, followed by as little tissue insult as possible.
His adaptation of tried medical practices to dentistry enabled Adrian to build up a practice of patients who worshipped him, and a large body of medical colleagues who respected him. The only surprise must be how he found time to build up a busy practice, to work for and obtain an FDSRCSEng in 1950, as well as starting the clinical dental research which led to a steady stream of publications (eventually over forty), films, lectures, seminars, demonstrations, appointments to medical teaching hospitals, and service in learned societies. To all these he added part time teaching in the Incorporated Dental Hospital in Ireland and lecturing and examining in Dental Surgery in the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, 1951 to 1963.
When the RCSI brought in a fellowship of the Faculty of Dentistry in 1963, Adrian was one of the foundation fellows. He became the first vice dean of the faculty (1963 to 1966) and dean 1966 to 1969. That the fellowship has its present status owes much to his work.
Whilst all these activities were going on, an earthquake in undergraduate dental education was taking place in Dublin. It was felt that dental education here had fallen out of line with English speaking countries, Scandinavia and the Netherlands. Clinical dental education here, by having virtually no input from whole time university teaching, was felt to be no longer adequate. Unfortunately, when change came, Adrian could not see a suitable place for himself in the system, so Dublin undergraduate teaching lost his services.
Dublin's loss was international dentistry's gain. Adrian built up an international career and contributed greatly to the present international regard for Irish dentistry. He was elected to fellowships of both the American College of Dentists and the International College of Dentists, membership of the Fauchard Academy, of the American Dental Association and of the List of Honour of the Federation Dentaire Internationale. He became a member, then vice chairman and finally chairman of the FDI's Commission on Dental Education and held too many other posts to list fully here. Finally, but certainly not least, the Irish Dental Association honoured him by its presidency in 1977-8.
Then tragedy occurred; Parkinson's Disease struck. He must have been buoyed up by seeing his principles being carried on by his dental son, Peter, his dental son in law, David Harris and so many ex students in different countries. We offer our respect and sympathy to Adrian's wife, Phyllis, and their children and families.