6 minute read
Winston Churchill and the Dentures that Saved the World
William J. Maloney, D.D.S.
Today, as people make their way along the congested thoroughfare in the Bronx known as Jerome Avenue, little thought is paid to the eponymous Leonard Jerome (1817-1891), an American financier and the maternal grandfather of Winston Churchill, two-time prime minister of the United Kingdom.
Leonard Jerome and his wife, Clarissa, had a baby girl in 1854. They christened her Jeanette, but she was known as Jennie, as she was named after her father’s favorite opera singer, Jennie Lind. Little Jennie grew up and married Lord Randolph Churchill in 1874 and became known as Lady Randolph Churchill. Eight months later, a son, Winston, was born.
Winston grew up to be what some historians consider to be the most important figure of the 20th century. He was known for his rousing speeches, which inspired millions of people to bravely forge on despite seemingly overwhelming odds. However, Churchill suffered out of the light of the public, succumbing to manic depression starting in the early 1900s for periods that would last for months. Then, he would become paralyzed by despair, loss of energy, concentration and appetite.[1]
Churchill was also plagued with dental problems, which caused him to lose some of his teeth at a young age. He was extremely fearful of the effect the loss of these teeth would have on his speech. As such, he placed much faith in and importance on the talents of his dentist and lab technician.
Churchill also had a speech impediment all his life. Whether it was a lisp[2] or a stutter[3] is still a matter of some debate. But, this difficulty, which manifested itself in his pronunciation of “s” as “sh,” led to the importance he placed on his dental prostheses and, in turn, his dentist.
As early as 1897, Churchill consulted Dr. Felix Semon, a well-respected German doctor who specialized in throat surgery and speech. Some years later, Churchill was told that his tongue “was restrained by a ligament which nobody else has” by an America masseuse. Churchill went back to Dr. Semon begging him to cut this attachment. Dr. Semon refused[2] and Churchill forged on. He actually, in time, became fond of this lisp and the “rattling noise in the throat,” which the Boers had described in an advertisement for his capture after, as a young military man, Churchill had escaped from a Prisoner of War camp.[3]
-Winston Churchill, 1938, in reference to Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s praise of the German annexation of the Sudetenland in an effort to have “peace in our time.”
Wilfred Fish was Churchill’s trusted dentist who designed the dentures Churchill wore while delivering some of the most famous speeches in history. Churchill’s first dentures were made from a hardened rubber, which proved to be uncomfortable. So, Churchill would often put his denture in his pocket. He once sat on it causing the need for an emergency repair.[4]
The dental technician who made Churchill’s partial dentures was Derek Cudlipp. The dentures were designed with the explicit intent of preserving Churchill’s lisp. The maxillary partial dentures worn by Churchill during his wartime broadcasts consisted of seven teeth (#5,7,8,9,10,12,13) with a gold base and platinum clasps on teeth #6 and #14.
Churchill placed much more than a personal value on his teeth. He saw his dentures as being vital to the war effort. When Cudlipp’s draft papers arrived, Churchill tore them up saying that the lab technician would be much more valuable in London repairing his dentures, as Churchill would routinely fling them across the room depending on how the British war effort was going.[5]
Churchill had three or four partial dentures constructed for him by Cudlipp, who purposefully designed the dentures to not completely adapt to the top of Churchill’s mouth in order to preserve the lisp. These partial dentures were constructed at the beginning of the war and one is buried with Churchill.
Two letters, written in 1952 and 1954,[6] were auctioned in 2008. They were written on 10 Downing Street headed notepaper to Dr. Wilfred Fish. In one letter, Churchill tells Dr. Fish that he recommended him for knighthood, while enclosing a denture for Fish to repair:
“My dear Sir Wilfred, thank you so much for your letter. I am very glad it fell to me to recommend you for a well-deserved honor. I enclose one set of dentures and I should be so much obliged if you would tighten them up a little for me. The others are working very well.”[7]
Two years after the letters were put up for sale, one of Churchill’s partial dentures was sold by the son of lab technician Derek Cudlipp. Churchill’s dentures sold for $23,723.[8]
The great orator and statesman Winston Churchill led his nation through her darkest hour. He became an iconic figure known for his bravery, stoicism and inspirational behavior. But, even Churchill was no different from any other dental patient. He was extremely self-conscious about his dental condition and the fear of the potential public humiliation and embarrassment which may present itself if his partial denture was lost or became broken.
Actually, Churchill was different from other dental patients in one respect. At his visits to the dentist, he refused to rinse his mouth with water or mouthwash. Rather, he insisted upon brandy.
Dr. Maloney is clinical associate professor, New York University. He holds a postgraduate certificate in healthcare writing from Harvard Medical School, is a fellow of the New York Academy of Medicine and a member of The Explorers Club. Queries about this article can be sent to Dr. Maloney at wjm10@nyu.edu.
REFERENCES
1. Ghaemi N. Winston Churchill and his ‘black dog’ of greatness. The Conversation. Available at: https:/theconversation.com/amp/winston-churchill-and-his-black-dog-of-greatness.36570.
2. Mather J. International Churchill Society. August 29, 2008. Available at: https://internationalchurchill.org/resources/myths/churchills-speech-impediment-was-stuttering. Accessed on 12/2/22.
3. The Stuttering Foundation. Winston Churchill. Available at: https://www.stutteringhelp.org/famous-people/winston-churchill. Accessed on 12/2/22.
4. Evening Standard. Churchill’s key ally was his dentist because he feared his teeth problems would affect his public speaking. April 12, 2012. Available at: https://www.standard.co.uk/hp/front/churchill-s-key-ally-was-his-dentist-because-he-feared-his-teeth-problems-would-affect-hispublic-speaking-6681165.html?amp.
5. Worthington M. The false teeth that ‘helped win WWII’ are auctioned. BBC News. July 29, 2010. Available at: https://www.bbc.com/news/ uk-england-norfolk-10795088.
6. The Guardian. Winston Churchill’s ‘world saving’ teeth sell for 15,200 pounds. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2010/jul/29/winston-churchill-false-teeth-sold. Accessed on 12/3/22.
7. Sowden S. Chard and Ilminster News. The town dentist and the Churchill letters. February 22, 2008. Available at: https://www.chardandilmasternews.co.uk/news/2057859.the-town-dentist-and-the-churchill letters. Accessed on 12/4/22.
8. CBS News. Churchill’s dentures sell for $23K. July 29, 2010. Available at: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/churchills-dentures-sell-for-23k. Accessed on 12/7/22.
