Charles G. Heyd

Charles Gordon Heyd (27 August 1884 – 4 February 1970) was an American surgeon and president of the American Medical Association in 1936–1937.

Biography

Heyd obtained a B.A. from the University of Toronto in 1905 and M.D. from University of Buffalo in 1909. During World War I he served as a Major in France.

He was President of the American Medical Association (1936–1937). In 1940, Heyd noted that most infections of the neck have their origin in the oral cavity.

Heyd died on 4 February 1970.

Opposition to water fluoridation

Heyd was an opponent of water fluoridation. He has been quoted as saying "I am appalled at the prospect of using water as a vehicle for drugs. Fluoride is a corrosive poison which will produce harm on a long-term basis".

Heyd's comment has been widely cited in anti-fluoridation literature as an argument from authority because he was a former President of the AMA. However, Heyd was President of the AMA for two years in the 1930s long before evidence of the effectiveness from fluoridation was available to examine. Since Heyd, no other AMA President has opposed fluoridation.

Selected publications

Liver and Its Relation to Chronic Abdominal Infection (1924) The Doctor in Court (1941)