The tooth-worm: historical aspects of a popular medical belief |
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Authors: | W E Gerabek |
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Institution: | Institute for the History of Medicine, Bayerische Julius-Maximilians-Universit?t Würzburg, Oberer Neubergweg 10 a, D-97074 Würzburg, Germany, DE
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Abstract: | The concept of a tooth-worm, which according to popular belief, caused caries and periodontitis, has existed in diverse cultures
and across the ages. During the Enlightenment, however, the theory of the tooth-worm was assigned by medical doctors almost
exclusively to superstition. Even so, the idea that toothache was caused by gnawing worms held on even into this century.
There were many different ideas with regard to the appearance of tooth-worms. In England, for instance, it was thought that
the tooth-worm looked like an eel. In Northern Germany, people supposed the tooth-worm to be red, blue, and gray and in many
cases the worm was compared to a maggot. The gnawing worm was held responsible for many evils and, in particular, was blamed
for toothache provoked by caries. The question is discussed of how the belief in the existence of the tooth-worm in former
times can be explained. In popular medicine, numerous therapies were applied in order to eradicate the tooth-worm. In addition
to the fumigations with henbane seeds, which allowed the “tooth-worm” to develop in the form of burst seeds, there were also
magical formulas and oaths.
Received: 18 February 1998 / Accepted: 19 October 1998 |
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Keywords: | “ Tooth-worm” Toothache Caries Periodontitis Popular medicine Medical superstition |
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