Garant P R
State University of New York at Stony Brook 11794.
Quintessence Int. 1991 May;22(5):405-11.
Voltaire, the leading French intellect of the 18th century, was a notorious hypochondriac. His numerous letters contain hundreds of references to his medical and dental disorders, as well as to those of close friends. Voltaire lived to be 84 years old, but not without suffering from several systemic medical disorders and from periodontal disease that left him nearly edentulous by his mid-50s. His dental condition was diagnosed as a scorbutic condition, requiring systemic medication. As a result of neglect and possible mercury intoxication, his condition worsened, and he lost most of his teeth and suffered facial collapse because he did not wear a dental prosthesis. This paper recounts events in Voltaire's life that were connected to his medical and dental history, and in so doing provides a glance at medical and dental practice in 18th-century France.
伏尔泰是18世纪法国的杰出知识分子，也是一个声名狼藉的疑病症患者。他大量的信件中数百次提及自己以及密友的医疗和牙齿问题。伏尔泰活到了84岁，但一直饱受多种全身性疾病和牙周疾病的折磨，到50多岁时几乎牙齿掉光。他的牙齿状况被诊断为坏血病，需要进行全身治疗。由于忽视以及可能的汞中毒，他的病情恶化，大部分牙齿脱落，面部塌陷，因为他没有佩戴假牙。本文讲述了伏尔泰生活中与他的医疗和牙齿病史相关的事件，借此一瞥18世纪法国的医疗和牙科实践。
