The advancement and acceptance of endodontics as a special discipline has been meteoric. Its rise was predicated on a foundation of principles laid down by the early investigators of the field.
Acceptance of endodontics probably would not have occurred without the efforts of Callahan, Johnston, Coolidge, Sharp, Sommer, Blayney, Grossman, and others who disagreed with and
disproved the focus of infection theory proposed by Rosenow! and his Mayo Clinic disciples.
Through the perseverance of these dentists who demonstrated predictable success of treatment, who used cultures to verify sterility, and who employed the “‘miracle drugs,”’ a positive attitude developed toward the value of root canal therapy.