3D-Printed Skull Reveals Jeremy Bentham’s Chronic Toothache and Jaw Disease

Using X-rays, researchers have created a 3D print of Bentham’s skull, showing that his teeth and lower jaw were in terrible condition and that he must have been in great pain.

This is confirmed by written sources, including a letter from 1830. In it, Bentham writes that he never liked having teeth extracted, “but I have more than once submitted to the temporary pain to free myself from the permanent one”.

Bentham died in 1832, and his remains are kept at University College London. At the age of 21, he registered his explicit wish for his body to be used for scientific purposes, so the research team is convinced that he would have consented to the study.