Did Her Stepson Kill Her – or Was It A Dental Abscess?
(and other weird dental stories)
Before Cleopatra, there was Queen Hatshepsut.
Or rather, Pharaoh Hatshepsut (1508-1458 BCE), the second female pharaoh of Egypt.
Several years ago, I visited the Temple of Hatshepsut at Deir el-Bahri. Located deep in a valley on the side of a mountain, it is a magnificent and impressive structure that rivals the pyramids. I wondered who was this woman for whom the temple was built?
Hatshepsut was born into royalty.
And, since royalty prefers to stick together, Hatshepsut was betrothed to her half-brother, Thutmose II. During the marriage, her husband fathered a son, Thutmose III, with a lesser wife. Upon his death, with Thutmose III still a boy, Hatshepsut became regent and ruled Egypt on his behalf.
Apparently Hatshepsut liked being in charge…After seven years, she broke with tradition and crowned herself pharaoh (king) of Egypt. She ruled for over 20 years and her reign was marked by peace and prosperity. Hatshepsut also shrewdly understood the significance of creating an outsized symbol to elevate and immortalize her image. She died around the age of 50 and the cause of death remains a mystery to this day.
For starters, her mummy wasn’t in her tomb.
It was not uncommon for mummies to be moved, hidden, or even stolen. Eventually the mummy was located in the tomb of Hatshepsut’s wet nurse and identified by an Egyptologist. At the time of her death, Hatshepsut was obese and suffered from a number of ailments including rampant cavities, gum disease, metastatic cancer, arthritis, and skin disease.
Over the years, there have been many theories regarding the cause of death:
Her stepson had Hatshepsut killed.
While this is certainly the juiciest theory, there was no physical evidence of any trauma on her mummy. However, Thutmose III did undo many of her accomplishments and destroy the bulk of the evidence of her reign, save for the temple which still stands as a monument to her legacy.
Hatshepsut succumbed to cancer.
The metastatic cancer was found in her bones and it’s conceivable that may have led to her death.
Hatshepsut died from a tooth infection.
Hatshepsut’s mouth was a mess, what with large cavities and uncontrolled gum disease. In her immune weakened state, it’s possible and consistent that a tooth abscess could’ve escalated into a full-body infection and killed her.
It’s important to note that up until as recently as 1908, dental infections ended in death between 10 to 40 percent of the time. With advances in medicine and pharmacology, today it is extremely rare to die from a dental abscess. Yet it happens.
A tooth or gum infection can spread elsewhere in the body and cause irreparable harm.
Seek medical care right away if you experience the following:
Difficulty breathing due to swelling in the mouth
Difficulty swallowing
One or both eyes become shut
High fever
Unrelenting headache, nausea, or vomiting
An inability to open your mouth
General feeling of malaise
And speaking of infections, there’s the story of Dr. Cotton.
Henry Cotton was an American psychiatrist who was convinced that mental illness stemmed from untreated infections. In 1907 Dr. Cotton began his 26-year tenure as the superintendent of the Trenton Psychiatric Hospital in New Jersey. In the quest to “save” his patients, he began extracting their infected teeth. When that didn’t work, Cotton proceeded to remove other infected body parts including tonsils, gallbladders, stomachs and colons, ovaries, and testicles. Since this occurred before the introduction of antibiotics, it’s no surprise that many of Cotton’s patients died from the unnecessary surgeries.
His beliefs extended to himself – and his family.
During a period of temporary “madness,” Dr. Cotton had some of his own teeth extracted. He also extracted the infected teeth of his wife and two children.
What’s the relevance to today?
Should you wholeheartedly embrace new treatment options? It’s interesting that parents of “mad” children clamored to get a slot in Cotton’s busy schedule. They may have been desperate in seeking a remedy for their ill child.
Before committing to a new treatment idea, do the following:
Research the information yourself
With the sheer amount of information – and misinformation – out there, this is understandably difficult.
Consider the source
Is it credible? Currently there’s a slew of medical misinformation on TikTok. For example, a trending recommendation is to mix flavored sparkling water with balsamic vinegar to create a “healthier” alternative to soda. Balsamic vinegar has a pH of 2 to 3 on a 0-14 scale where 7 is neutral; in other words, it’s very acidic. Flavored water usually means the addition of citrus, also acidic. This so-called healthier alternative will erode your enamel.
Is the source neutral? Or does it have an agenda that taints all the information provided?
Get a second opinion
This doesn’t mean asking your cousin. Make an appointment with a qualified medical professional – and be prepared to pay for that knowledge.
Give it some time
If there’s no urgency for treatment, time will usually determine the viability and success of a treatment method. Eventually Dr. Cotton’s surgical practices were investigated and found to be non-therapeutic if not outright harmful.
And take your time. Resist the urge to join the crowd. Just because everybody else is doing something doesn’t mean it’s the right decision for you.
THINK FOR YOURSELF
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THINK FOR YOURSELF 〰️