Harold Gladstone Watkin

Harold Gladstone Watkin (born 17 January 1882) in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, died 11 November 1965] ) known by many of his contemporaries as “Watty”, is considered one of the most pioneering English Orthodontists of the early 20th Century. [www.lmi.org.uk/medical_society/16/16Freeman.pdf ]

Watkin’s first worked in the Equipment Department of the National Telephone Company and helped develp the first fully automatic telephone exchange in Potteries that opened in 1904. Also in 1904, Watkin built his own X-ray machine and took the earliest known radiograph in Stoke-on-Trent for Mr. King Alcock, F.R.C.S., a local surgeon, who had a female patient who worked in a textile factory and the end of a machine needle had snapped off in her finger.

In 1914 Watkin came to Liverpool where he studied at the Liverpool School of Dental Surgery and qualified in 1918 with an LDS Liv. Watkin’s First Dental Practice 1919-1930 at 95, Durning Road, Wavertree, Liverpool with a Mr Cookson. He worked as a general dental practitioner and did some oral surgery, but his special interest was Orthodontics. In 1921 he became a member of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics (BSSO) and a member of European Orthodontic Society (EOS) in 1926.

Watkin performed the first successful jaw resection operation in the UK in 1928 with Mr G.C.E. Simpson FRCS. Together they published a paper ‘The Surgical Correction of an Exaggerated Case of Inferior Protrusion’, which discusses the extreme Bull Dog Jaw condition which was corrected. [ H.G. Watkin and G.C.E. Simpson, ‘The Surgical Correction of an Exaggerated Case of Inferior Protrusion’, Brit. Ortho. Oral Surg. & Rad. Int. Jnl, XVI, 1930, 1163-1167. ]

Watkin set up a specialist Orthodontic practice at 84 Rodney Street, Liverpool in 1930. At the time there were only two other such Orthodontic Specialist Practices in UK, one in London and the other one in Dublin. With a growing reputation as an outstanding clinician, in 1933, he became President of the British Society for the Study of Orthodontics. In his BSSO presidential address [ H.G. Watkin, ‘Treated Cases (President’s Address)’, Brit.Soc.Orthodontics 1933. Vol LIII, No.11.] he discussed the problems associated with welding steel wire [ H.G. Watkin, Joining Stainless Steel Wires. Brit. Soc. Ortho. Trans., 1932, 43-44. ] and the importance of considering the influence of soft tissue when undertaking Orthodontic correction. Both of these points put him ahead of the field and contributed to his success.

In 1934 he was elected as President of the Liverpool Odontological Society, and in 1937, of the West Lancashire, West Cheshire and North Wales Branch of the British Dental Association.

Watkin Orthodontic Appliances

In the early years of Orthodontics, removable appliances (plates), as opposed to the more expensive and complex fixed appliances, were commonly used. One such appliance that fascinated Watkin and had potential for development was the Pin and Tube Appliance. The Pin and Tube Appliance was time consuming and, therefore, expensive to construct. It lacked flexibility and needed adjusting every two to three weeks. Trauma to the teeth could only be avoided by very careful handling. These shortcomings concerned Watkin so he devised an adaptation, not only addressing these problems, but also endowing his appliance with extra beneficial features.He replaced the rather rigid ‘pin’ with a ‘loop and tube’ attachment permitting three-dimensional control of the tooth and extending the periods between adjustments to six weeks and provided means for quick arch-wire removal, cleaning, adjustment and reinsertion. The implications for the patients were great as it meant that they needed fewer appointments and those they had were shorter.

In 1934 high tensile stainless steel became available giving the appliances increased efficiency and flexibility, enabling the need for clinical adjustment to be extended to eight week periods.

The Watkin Appliance eventually developed into two distinct types; the Loop and Tube Appliance and the Free-Sliding Arch.

The Free-Sliding Arch was essentially a loop and tube appliance at the front but the correcting wires extended backwards to a banded molar on each side of the mouth.

His appliances relied on bends and coils in the correcting wire so it was necessary to have a specific tool for the purpose so local toolmakers, Elliots, [of Buckland Street Aigburth, in Liverpool} produced the Watkin Pliers commercially and The Dental Manufacturing Company in London also sold Watkin pliers.

As Watkin’s practice grew he took on a partner Mike Booth, then John Clifford who initially assisted at Watkin House, then in 1959 became Watkin’s partner and finally, in 1965, his successor. John became a great advocate of Watkin’s work and published the paper ‘The Watkin Free-Sliding Arch an introduction in The Dental Practitioner’ 1965 and this substantially raised the profile of this device. [E.J.S. Clifford, ‘The Watkin Free-Sliding Arch. An introduction’, The Dent. Pract. Vol 16, No 1, (1965), 35.] Watkin’s Role in Orthodontic EducationIn 1935 he became a Lecturer in Orthodontics at the Turner Dental School in Manchester and in 1937 in the Liverpool Dental Hospital.

The Watkin Welder

In the 1930s the invention of the spot welder by Harold Gladstone Watkin allowed a much greater success rate when soldering fine wires, especially, steel. Elliot’s of Liverpool produced the welder commercially and promoted it in the instruction manual: ‘The Watkin welder has been designed by an eminent orthodontist essentially for the speedy and efficient welding of stainless steel wire and tape. Weighing only 35lbs, it is completely portable. The Watkin welder has proved invaluable to other professions, and is used extensively in the engineering, electrical and allied trades.’ The Watkin Welder sold widely and it was used by the valve maker Mullard and by leading Orthodontists, clinicians and hospitals throughout the world for twenty-five years until an electronic spot welder superseded it. Watkin did become wealthy through its sales but as he did not believe in patents he did not make the great fortune he perhaps deserved. Modern spot welders still have more than a passing resemblance to his original design, especially in the rotating star head section.

Elliots Liverpool Ltd also produced the Watkin Dental Vibrator, but this never sold in great numbers.

His work was recognised and honoured by the highest authorities in the UK:1947 RCS, honorary FDS 1954 Diploma in Orthodontics from RCSRCS. Eng1954 Diploma of Dental Orthopaedic Royal Faculty of Physicians and Surgeons Glasgow. He also worked for a period on the examination board of the FRCS, Glasgow.1961 Life Membership of the BDA1965 Elected President of the Liverpool and District Odontological Society.

On 11 November 1965, he died at the age of 83 years, the day after seeing a full list of patients He was buried in Burslem Cemetery but, thanks to John Clifford, his memory lives on in both Liverpool and Manchester. 84 Rodney Street was renamed Watkin House about 10 years after his death and a padded upholstered seat in lecture theatre was named after him when Manchester Dental Hospital refurbished the post-graduate room around 1980.

[H.G. Watkin Obituary, Brit. Dent. J., 12 (1965).]

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