De Aureo Dente Maxillari Pueri Silesii

Jacob Horst

1595

First description of a gold (swedge) crown, most likely prepared by a local goldsmith on a 6-year old child. The gold crown covered the lower left first molar. It was created to deceive wondering onlookers who paid a hefty sum to have a brief peak in the mouth of this child who was purportedly born during the winter solstice of 1586 when the alignment of the moon and other stars made the change of his tooth (bone) to turn into gold. The miracle was validated when the author of the book, Dr. Iacob Horst visited the area and was asked to opine. Characteristic of the ignorance of the time even so called learned individuals as Dr. Horst were gullible. He decided to write a book about it (the volume linked to this page). The hoax was debunked several years after the book was published when the crown worn off started to show the tooth underneath. The child and his associates were sent off to prison. The crown, albeit made not for prosthetic reasons, is the first example of a swedge crown.

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