Teething in the 19th Century

While writing about DeWitt Clinton Klinck, Sr., I fell into a rabbit hole of information about the untimely death of his son, Clinton, Jr, who died when he was only one year old. Although the Memphis city death record listed the cause of death as diarrhea, the records at Elmwood Cemetery say teething. Elmwood Assistant Director Jody Schmidt explained, “{children} didn’t die from teething, but from receiving too much laudanum or other medication that was rubbed on the gums to relive the pain of teething … diarrhea could also be a side effect of too much medication.” Researching this topic was interesting – and disgusting. Methods employed to ease the pain of teething included blistering, lancing, or applying leeches to the gums. Early medicines included ingredients like opium, morphine, alcohol, sugar, chloroform, cocaine, and calomel. Because there were no regulations at the time, manufacturers could make claims without providing proof of effectiveness or disclosing the ingredients. Lancing (cutting the baby’s gums down to the tooth), was performed without anesthesia and likely with non-sterile lancets. If you have a strong stomach, more information is available through the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.