Zahnwurm

Deutsches Medizinhistorisches Museum

Description

In its closed state, the original seventeenth-century object made from ivory looks like an 11-cm-high human molar. On closer inspection, however, a gap running from the crown to the tips of the tooth's roots on both sides can be observed: the tooth can be opened. Three pins connect the two halves. If one pulls them apart, one gazes into the field of activity of the dreaded tooth worm!

In one of the halves, the souls afflicted by toothache twist in a sea of flames – a representation that immediately reminds the spectator of the iconography of purgatory. In the other half, sits the tooth worm, which resembles a lindworm with a naked woman in its grip. The woman's hands are raised upwards in a plea for help.

The idea that holes in the teeth are caused by a tooth worm gnawing at them goes back to ancient times. It was not until the eighteenth century that doctors began to reconsider this theory. Among the lay population, it lasted much longer.

The museum's representation of the tooth worm is only a plastic replica. Since the original is not currently available, however, it is very popular as an illustration for publications on dentistry or pain research. It has also been, and will in future be requested, on loan for exhibitions on the history of dentistry.

Author

Marion Maria Ruisinger