Fall 2006 - College of Dental Medicine - Columbia University

Melvin L. Moss ’46, PhD Anat ’54Melvin L. Moss ’46, PhD Anat ’54Melvin Lionel Moss DDS, PhD, was born in Manhattanin 1923. He had earned an AB from New YorkUniversity by the time he was 19, and four years later,in 1946, received his DDS from Columbia’s dentalschool. After serving in the Army Dental Corps duringWorld War II, he entered private practice for ashort period before returning to Columbia as a PhDcandidate in anatomy, with an emphasis on physicalanthropology. He joined the Columbia faculty in1952, was made assistant professor in anatomy in1955, and in 1967 became a professor of oral biology.He remained at Columbia throughout his career,earning the admiration of many generations of medicaland dental students for his outstanding courses inhuman anatomy.“THE NEWS OF DR. MELVIN MOSS’S DEATHIS A GREAT LOSS TO THE SCHOOL AND TOME PERSONALLY, AS HE HELPED SHAPE MYCAREER AT SDOS DURING MY STUDENTDAYS...” ROBERT RENNER ’68, PROSTH ’71A prolific scientist and author, with more than 50years of publications, Dr. Moss contributed to thestudy of dentistry and anatomy, and to physicalanthropology and zoology as well. His wide interdisciplinaryknowledge and keen perception of significantareas of biologic interaction led to otherdiscoveries in morphometrics, comparative calcification,marine biology, comparative histology of calcifiedtissues, and evolution.“THE DENTAL PROFESSION HAS TRULYLOST ONE OF [ITS] GREATEST TEACHERS.MY FONDEST MEMORY IS HOW DR. MOSSCOULD UNFLINCHINGLY EAT A HAM ANDCHEESE SANDWICH WITH HIS RIGHTHAND,WHILE HE UNERRINGLY DISSECTEDA CADAVER WITH HIS LEFT.WHAT A MAN!”LEWIS GROSS ’79Dr. Moss’s seminal work was the development ofhis “Functional Matrix” theory, which explained howthe jaw, cheekbones, and other facial bones growand coalesce. He tested and verified the hypothesisin his own lab, as did many other scientists throughoutthe world.“Mel’s important early insight was that bones per sehave no biological reality,” said Dr. Letty Moss-Salentijn, writing on her husband’s life in research forthe Journal of Dental Research in 1997. Describing Dr.Moss’s development of the functional matrix hypothesis,she says “[It became] readily apparent to Mel thatgrowth of the neurocranium was a response to the26primus2006