“For my story, one coffee is not enough! “Laughed at me the Dr Arto Demirjian when I offered him this interview.
Posted September 18
The Dr Demirjian is very well known in his field, but I didn’t really know him until he left me a moving message at The Press. His granddaughter gave him my novel manam which evokes the memory of the Armenian genocide. The 91-year-old man felt like he was reading his own story, he who is the son of survivors of the 1915 genocide and went into exile in Canada in 1957.
I was curious to know more about the story of this Armenian dentist from Istanbul who became professor emeritus at the University of Montreal, known as the inventor of the “Demirjian method” used worldwide for solving crimes. I have not been disappointed.
***
Arto Demirjian was born in Istanbul in 1931. Three years later, following the passage of an assimilationist Turkish law forcing minorities to adopt a Turkish surname, his father had to change his name. Arto Demirjian became Artin Demircioglu.
He was only 12 years old when his father, a survivor of a genocide he did not talk about, died of tetanus, a disease practically eradicated today thanks to vaccination. “As he was a shoemaker, his fingers were scratched by his tools. And he really liked the garden. That’s how he got infected with tetanus and died. »
His uncle then took him in. Nothing destined this man from a modest family to pursue long studies. “Normally, someone in my financial and family situation would have to work right after primary school. »
When he was 13, his uncle asked him if he wanted to become a jeweler. “Everything my uncle asked me, I said yes! »
The young Arto was sent to a reputable Armenian jeweler in a chic district of Istanbul. In the beginning, he prepared the Turkish coffees for the customers. Then he started mopping the floors. He then learned to polish jewelry and use small saws to painstakingly cut gold coins.
At the end of the summer, the jeweler called his uncle. “This little guy, he works very well. But as soon as he has a break, he does not stop reading! »
In the evening, the uncle asked his nephew if, given his passion for reading, he would like to continue his studies. “I was embarrassed to say yes to him because he was going to pay! »
This is how the curious young man was able to continue his studies at the Saint-Michel school in Istanbul, a private French high school, founded by the Brothers of the Christian Schools. He then enrolled in dentistry at university, where he was the only Christian Armenian student among his Muslim Turkish peers.
“I spent four years without regret with my colleagues. We were good friends. The hatred that exists against Armenians comes from the government, not from the people. And we use all kinds of excuses such as religion to influence the population in this direction. »
With the support of his uncle, he opened his own dental practice in 1953. In an ideal world, scientific research interested him more than dentistry. But you had to make a living…
On the front of his cabinet, he dared to affix a sign with the inscription of his Armenian first name. “I had put Arto. I wanted to assert myself! »
He treasures a piece of this sign, glued to a large notebook, in memory of a night when his life, like that of other fellow citizens of religious minorities in Turkey, changed.
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On the night of September 6-7, 1955, the Greek, Armenian and Jewish minorities of Istanbul were victims of a pogrom.
“We lived with my mother in a district of Istanbul where there were a lot of Greeks. We heard noise outside. Below the house, there was a business run by a Greek girl where they sold papers and pencils. We broke down the store door. They came in and ransacked everything inside…”
The Dr Demirjian takes a deep breath. “It hurts me to talk about it…” He puts his hand on his heart and continues. “They started breaking the ceiling of the store with pickaxes…”
Just above this ceiling was the waiting room of his dentist’s office. An Armenian man who was cleaning the neighbor’s house came out and said to them, “Show a Turkish flag!” “He’s the one who came to break my sign so that it wouldn’t be seen that it was an Armenian name.” »
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Dr Arto Demirjian
Of what has been modestly called the “events of September 6-7” in Istanbul, Arto Demirjian keeps in mind memories of atrocious violence that still haunts him.
These persecutions mark the beginning of a new chapter in the life of the young Armenian dentist. “That day, I decided to go to Canada. »
He asked for letters of recommendation from his professors at the school of the Brothers of Saint-Michel in Istanbul, in order to send them to the Dean of the Faculty of Dentistry at the University of Montreal.
Why Montreal? Did he already know people there? ” Nope. But I knew French! »
He received a letter from the dean confirming that he could be accepted. “But I was told that I had to start my studies again from the first year. »
The young dentist accepted this second chance offered to him.
Accompanied by his mother, Arto Demirjian left his suitcases in Montreal on August 4, 1957 and began his studies at the University of Montreal a few weeks later. In the middle of his second year of studies, we realize that there is no need for him to redo his entire dentistry. “I was told: sir, you know a lot of them. You cannot continue in second. We make you jump in fourth! »
Dreaming of a university career, the Dr Demirjian continued his studies with this goal. “I didn’t want to play until the end of my life in people’s mouths! And I wasn’t chasing the money either. »
He has only good words for the welcome he received at the University of Montreal. “I found a real family here who helped me,” he says, referring to the brotherly ties he has forged with Dr.r Jean-Paul Lussier, in particular, now deceased, a pioneer in the teaching of the Faculty of Dentistry for whom he had great esteem and affection. “I became like a member of his family. I attended his 100e anniversary ! »
Upon his arrival in Montreal, he told Dr.r Lussier that he would like to return to his Armenian name. “He took me to a notary to make the change and make me happy. With great emotion, Artin Demircioglu officially became Arto Demirjian again. He was finally free. He no longer had to hide his identity.
Faithful to his host family, the Dr Demirjian, after obtaining a master’s degree in human anatomy at the University of Toronto, will return to the University of Montreal, where he has distinguished himself for more than 40 years as a rigorous scientist, a tireless researcher and a highly appreciated teacher.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The professor emeritus at the University of Montreal is known as the inventor of the “Demirjian method”.
We therefore owe him the famous “Demirjian method”, which he took 20 years to develop. This method, developed through a longitudinal study, makes it possible to determine dental age, particularly in forensic medicine, in criminal investigations, after migratory tragedies, in the Mediterranean and elsewhere, or when it is necessary to assess the age of refugees without papers. It is also useful in the medical monitoring of children’s development. “To my delight, it’s used all over the world. »
The Dr Demirjian, who founded the Center for Research on Human Growth in 1966, is also known in Quebec as the father of the famous growth charts used in all CLSCs and hospitals in the province for the medical follow-up of children.
Passionate about teaching, he considers his students as his children. “Even though it’s been many, many years since I retired, there are still students who come to see me! »
Grateful to his alma mater, Dr.r Demirjian is a proud ambassador of the Université de Montréal’s planned giving campaign, committed to giving back to his university family. “For me, education is so important. »
He could have talked to me about it for hours. After nearly two hours, our cups were empty and my notebook full.
“You think I’ve talked enough?” Do you have time until tonight? “, he asks, tongue-in-cheek.
He was quite right. One coffee was not enough.
Questionnaire without filter
Coffee and me: I learned to make coffee when I was 13 when I worked in a jewelry store in Istanbul. I started drinking Turkish coffee. Then, here, filter coffee and espresso. But today, I no longer take it, because it is not good for my health!
People, dead or alive, that you would like to gather at your table : People with a smile. A sense of humor is so important in life. I have a lot of fun laughing and making people laugh.
Important reading for you : The Tiger in Flames by Peter Balakian. This is a book about the Armenian Genocide and America’s and the West’s response.
Advice you often give to younger generations : You have to know how to give rather than take… in all areas.
Who is Arto Demirjian?
- Born in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1931
- He sold his dental practice and went into exile in Montreal in 1957.
- Holder of a doctorate in dental medicine from the University of Montreal in 1959 and a master’s degree in human anatomy from the University of Toronto in 1961.
- Inventor of the “Demirjian method”, used worldwide in forensic medicine to determine a person’s dental age.
- Winner of numerous awards, including the Tribute Award from the Order of Dentists of Quebec, which aims to recognize his exceptional contribution to the development of the profession.