文：黃郁芩醫師

暑假來臨，你有什麼計畫呢？黃醫師特別幫大家挑選了一本英文圖書 – 「You Wouldn’t Want to Live Without Dentists！」(你不會想活在沒有牙醫的世界)，讓大家一起來聽故事！

這週續接前兩週講的故事書，你知道以前牙齒痛時，有的人塗蜂蜜，有的人找巫師，有的人讓自己燻黑煙，還有的人抓青蛙…幹嘛呢？

Really a Remedy?

If you lived thousands of years ago and had tooth troubles, who would help you? In ancient Egypt there were doctors; in ancient Greece you could go to a temple and hope to be cured in a dream. In other places, you might ask a traditional healer to east your pain with risky remedies. North African village healers would put a dead mouse in your mouth. In Scotland, they’d tell you to suck a caterpillar. In Asia, you’d swill poisonous mouthwash to kill(imaginary) toothworms. The Aztecs of ancient Central America found biting on a hot chili pepper surprisingly soothing.

Early Tooth Treatments

CRANK, CRANK! Ancient Egyptians drilled holes in jawbones to let pus from rotten teeth and gums drain away. Very risky, very painful.

BUZZ OFF! To treat toothaches, ancient Egyptians rubbed gums with sweet, sticky honey from beeds – gentle, soothing and mildly antiseptic, but rarely a cure.

PINS AND NEEDLES. Chinese healers stuck needles into patients to numb pain from diseased teeth. This is called acupuncture. It may have helped, sometimes.

COUGH!SPLUTTER! To ease tooth troubles, ancients Greeks breathed poisonous smoke from burning leaves. We don’t know how many died from the poison.

SIZZLE, SIZZLE! Greek doctors used red-hot wire to cut away infected gums and diseased flesh in the mouth. Absolutely terrifying!