The Dr. Ira A. Lehman Papers represent this Michigan dentist's professional activities in the practice of dentistry and his correspondence with his peers and mentor. This collection is divided into three series: Personal Materials; Professional Correspondence and Materials; and University of Michigan School of Dentistry Class of 1913.
Dr. Ira A. Lehman (1891 - 1992) was a graduate of the University of Michigan, School of Dentistry, Class of 1913 and practiced in the Detroit, Michigan, area. He was very active in University of Michigan alumni activities, especially as related to the affairs of the School of Dentistry Class of 1913.
Ira Lehman was closely associated with Dr. Alfred LeRoy Johnson, a prominent teacher of orthodontics. In 1923, Dr. Johnson, Head of Orthodontics at Tufts University, was appointed Professor of Orthodontia at the University of Michigan. When Lehman, who had been practicing general dentistry, discovered that as an alumnus he could attend Johnson's lectures without having to pay registration fees, he became one of Johnson's students. This led to Lehman's shift into the practice of orthodontics and was the foundation of his long professional and personal relationship with Johnson.
Both men held views of dental education and orthodontics that were unpopular at the time. According to a statement by Lehman, all but 10% of their patients were children, and the popular view was that all treatments should be "mechanical" in nature, employing such prosthetic dental devices as braces, retainers, and elastic bands. Johnson's view was that because children were growing rapidly, their dental problems were often biological in origin and that if dealt with properly, would be outgrown. Lehman undertook research in this area by making mouth models of the patients that he and Johnson referred to one another. Johnson was so vehement in his views and so strongly disagreed with the Dean of the School, Marcus Llewellyn Ward, that he left at the end of his first academic year and went to the University of Pennsylvania. Lehman remained in Michigan, but as a follower and staunch supporter of Johnson, he had little status in the School. He continued to publish articles promoting his and Johnson's views. Lehman felt strongly that Johnson held a unique place in the history of dentistry and orthodontics and along with several other friends, persuaded Johnson to publish his book Dentistry - As I See It in 1935. Even after Johnson's death in 1967, Lehman continued to correspond with Johnson's family, especially with his daughter Jane, evidently with the hope of persuading some younger, scholarly dental student to write the complete biography of his mentor. It was partly with that hope in mind that Lehman wrote down his reminiscences of Johnson in 1989.
Throughout his life, Lehman was also active in various dental associations and organizations, both nationally and in Michigan. He was active in the Great Lakes Association of Orthodontics and received a Certificate of Lifetime Membership in the American Dental Association. His work with the American Association of Orthodontics centered on its museum and library and he was instrumental in building up their collection of books.
