Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1879-10-09
Poison In a Tooth.

arsenic introduced into an aching tooth to kill
the nerve. Mr.. A. c. Lewis, who was with
Mr. Gardiner all through his illness, gave
reporter the following account of the case
"There cannot be a doubt that Mr. Gardi-
ner died from the effects Of arsenic placed by
a dentist in his tooth to kill the nerve. i
didn't know before that the use of arsenic was
so common among dentists. They nearly all
use it. They ought to be compelled to quit
using it altogether. The case could not pos
sbly be clearer. A brief description of Mr..
Gardiner will show this. He was in the
prime of life He was one of the most perfect
men physically ever saw. He was . feet
| Ia inches high, of perfect form, with not an
ounce of superfuous flesh, weighing la
pounds, and being A. inches around the naked
chest. | had known him nearly all my life
and never had known him to be sick. lie
was sngularly free from bad habits, never
having used tobacco or intoxicating liquors
in any form, and was singularly careful about
his person and food. He was aesthetic in the
true sense, was very well educated, and he
naturally sought the society of intelligent
men. He had business in New York, and
started from Boston on Thursday. He reached
his boarding house on Friday morning. On
Saturday he sent for me and found him suf-
tering greatly. He said it was an ulcerating
tooth, and thought it was. could see what
thought was the pustule of an ulcer about
ready to break. treated him for an ulcer
ated tooth. The next day, Sunday, the ulcer
broke, yielding yelowish substance and an
offensive smell. / then found that Gardiner
tongue was curled up rigidly, and retained
this position until death. Under the tongue
was a large scar, which l knew must have
been burned with something as strong as
t,t.... tfVh
cheek was black and swollen, both eyes were
closed with swelling, and the jaws set, with
the teeth about a quarter Of an inch apart.
The pus emitted increased in volume and in
odor' and every symptom of arsenical poison
ing showed itself. Gardiner being conscious
all the time, questioned him closely. He
said that on Thursday he was suffering Sc
verely from toothache, and went to his cousin
in Boston, DR.. Waters. DIR. Waters, think
ing there was no nerve in the tooth, filed it |
with a rubber plug, which he forced in to
keep out the air But Gardiner couldn't
stand the pressure of the plug on the sides OF
the sensitive tooth. and he returned to DIR.
Waters later in the dBy. At that time he
told the Doctor that he intended to start that
night for New York, and that he wanted the
tooth fixed up so that it would not annoy him.
DIR. Waters then filed it with something and
capped it. On the boat his tooth and head
troubled him so much that he could neither
sleep nor rest.
Early Friday morning he called on ply
stefan in Brooklyn, who advised him to go to
a dentist, and he went to DIR. Marvin. Gar
diner said that it appeared TO him that Marvin
treated his tooth just as Waters had. Both
DIR. Guy and myself called three times on
Marvin. He once admitted that the Boston
dentist might have used arsenic, but he re-
fused to say anything about himself except
that he had treated the tooth scientifically.
No man ever died such terrible death as
Gardiner died When he was dead every
connection between his head and body, ex
cept the spine, had been eaten through and
completely severed BY the action of
the poison. Every time blood-ves-
sci was thus severed there would be new
A few days before he died one
of these hemorrhagcs suddenly occurred, and
the blood spouted up into the attendants
face. The slOughing Of the decayed parts
was so great that four missions had to be
made into his neck to keep his throat clear.
Through these incisOns We had continually
to draw out the sloughed parts, and they came
in long strips like soft gum, and had to be
broken of. | suppose if he could have done
so he would have killed himself rather than
remain so offensive. lie was dying while
awe all tie time. Anu tnlnk OF tnat man |
being conscious all that time. We called in
two consulting physicians, DIR. Richardson,
Of Henry-street, Brooklyn, IN the 18th ult.,
and DIR. Helmuth, of New York, on the 10Th.
Both agreed with DIR. Guy as to the cause of
the disease. DR.. Helmuth said the case was
absolutely hopeless, and had been from the
start. He pronounced it the most marked
case of arsenical poisoning of the kind that
had ever come under his notice, and said that
there could not be any doubt that the poison
had been placed i'm tooth to kill nerve,
and that medical literature did not contain
another case of the kind quite as clear in
every respect. In treating such cases, one
of the last resorts of the physician is to at
tempt to Offset the arsenic by administering
lachesis, the active poison Of the rattlesnake.
While that treatment was being used on Gar
diner, / took two different pieces of the |
sloughed parts to chemists, and had them an
alyzed. Each analysis showed that even
then the arsenic was the predominatng poi
son. intend to have Mr.. GARDENERS jaw
bone exhumed, and If DIR. Waters is worth |
suing, mean to make him pay for his mis-
take. Just before Gardiner died he signaled |
that he wished to write something held
piece of paper stretched across a book cover
before his face, and he wrote on it, Il leave
you, Lewis, to stand between my family and |
the world Soonl afterward he Iexpired.
| mean to carry out his wish. Dentists
should stop the dangerous practice that has |
cost this noble man his life"