unsigned char get_eeprom(unsigned short address);
void put_eeprom(unsigned short address, unsigned char value);

The internals of these functions handle the slave address, register addressing etc.

There is nothing C++ about this at all. You may well choose to have an error return from the put() function in case the chip is write protected.

The advantage of a standard calling method is readability. You can implement the accessor as a real function or with a macro or inline function.

David.