From Australia’s Jewish Past: Joseph Hyams and Simon Lear – ‘’my son the dentist’’
As Jews, we are generally concerned about our health. Jewish law tells us that we have a religious duty to look after our physical and mental well-being. The medical and dental professions have always been popular amongst Jews worldwide.
Cartoon depicting a sadistic dentist Source: Wikimedia Commons
Before you read this week’s story about two very interesting ‘’dentists’’, the following facts from years gone by make some very interesting reading.
Various types of pain and distress suffered by the prophets and sages are attributed to trouble with their teeth; diseases of the gums were classified and treated; mouth hygiene was stressed: the use of toothbrushes, toothpicks and salt were recommended, and teeth were scraped to remove deposits; the drilling of teeth was known and a doctor had to be careful not to carry out a dental operation badly, even on a slave; toothache was treated with remedies such as salt, pepper, garlic, cinnamon, ginger and cloves; vinegar was used by some, but opposed by others because of its acidity; bad teeth were recognised as causing digestive disorders, and a person was urged to chew his food well; the extraction of teeth was favoured by some and opposed by others; fillings and false teeth, sometimes inserted for reasons of vanity, were made of various substances. The relative virtues of silver and gold false teeth were discussed (Maimonides speaks of a gold shell or crown covering a broken-down or unsightly tooth); a kohen might be disqualified from officiating because of missing teeth, since his appearance might attract criticism and his general health and speech be affected.
Surprisingly enough, there is little knowledge of Jewish doctors and dentists in Australia in the 18th and 19th centuries. The British Government deported over 150,000 convicts to Australia, and amongst this large number, there were only two known Jewish “dentists” – Joseph Hyams and Simon Lear.
Joseph Hyams, born in London in 1789, was sentenced at the Old Bailey in October 1813 and transported to Sydney a year later. His crime is not known, but he was given a pardon as his profession was badly needed in the colony. In December 1814, he opened a dental practice in Pitt Street, Sydney. This advertisement in The Sydney Gazette and New South Wales Advertiser read
“Joseph Hyams, Dentist, 31, Pitt Street, respectfully offers his Services to the Public in the Line of his Profession – scaling, cleaning and drawing the Tooth, when necessary, without causing pain; and supplying the vacancy with others of pure Ivory – Also corns extracted with ease and safety. Attendance at home or abroad; and Charges very moderate.”
Soon after, Simon Lear, who was born in Amsterdam in 1787 and later moved to England soon found himself convicted of an unknown crime and was transported to Sydney in April 1817. In 1818 the following advertisement was seen in the Sydney Gazette:
“Simon Lear, Dentist and Corn Operator, No. 7, Castlereagh-street, respectfully informs the Public at large, that he makes a perfect Cure of Corns without Pain. N. B.- Artificial Teeth made in a most perfect manner, and the Teeth cleansed from the Scurvy and other Disorders, and brought to a beautiful white”
On 29 July 1820, the Sydney Gazette published an article that Australia’s first medical board had prompted to bring people’s attention to the fact that Hyams and Lear, conmen from the West, were not properly trained and therefore unqualified to practice as physicians and surgeons.
Following this, Joseph’s practice was closed down, and he went back to a life of petty crime in 1817, and was transported to Moreton Bay. He returned to Sydney in 1834 and became ranger of the racecourse in Hyde Park, more or less opposite where the Great Synagogue stands today. He eventually had another run-in with the law and in 1843, was sent to Van Diemen’s Land, where he died within a year.
Simon apparently continued to practice as a dentist as well as an oculist, and sold “exotic snuff” as a remedy for headaches. Though he had married a gentile woman in Sydney in 1823, he officiated as a Mohel until at least 1835, performing some of the early circumcisions in Sydney.
His premises were at the southwestern corner of Macquarie Street and Martin Place. Simon passed away in 1847 on the eve of Yom Kippur, having left instructions in his will for his property to be left to “the Jewish Synagogue in Sydney” and “the Hebrew Philanthropic Institution”. It was said that the synagogue was built on the shoulders of cavities and corns!
In the 1870s, when the present Great Synagogue was under construction, Simon’s premises were sold for 2,448 pounds. The proceeds contributed almost ten per cent towards the cost of the new Synagogue building, which was costed at just under 27,000 pounds. This was indeed, a very philanthropic act, and despite Simon’s interesting profession, such an act of kindness meant a great deal to the community at the time.
Joseph and particularly Simon seemed to combine a number of professions, which at that time, were not yet fully recognised as part of the medical profession.
The historian, Sydney B Glass, remarked of Simon Lear (and the same could be said of Joseph Hyams) that “as a dentist and a corn operator, he could be described as a curer of foot and mouth diseases”!
The AJHS acknowledges the following references in the preparation of this story
Jewniverse – Jewish Telegraphic Agency; State Library of NSW; Oz Torah – Rabbi Dr Raymond Apple and Great Synagogue Journal
The Australian Jewish Historical Society is the keeper of archives from the arrival of the First Fleet in 1788 right up to today. Whether you are searching for an academic resource, an event, a picture or an article, AJHS can help you find that piece of historical material. The AJHS welcomes your contributions to the archives. If you are a descendant of someone of interest with a story to tell, or you have memorabilia that might be of significance for the archives, please make contact via www.ajhs.com.au or its Facebook page.
