PASSINGS : Louis Irwin Grossman; Pioneer in Root Canal Dentistry

Louis Irwin Grossman, 86, a pioneer in root canal dentistry. In 1940 he wrote one of the first textbooks on endodontics. “Endodontic Practice” is now in its 11th printing and is used worldwide. Grossman began teaching at the University of Pennsylvania dental school in 1926 and while there developed methods for removing diseased pulp, the soft tissue inside the tooth, sterilizing the hollowed area and filling it with inert material to strengthen the tooth. Before root canal therapy, abscessed teeth had to be extracted. In Newtown, Pa., on Thursday.