Note 84 — Chapter XXVII · PHOSPHORUS AND LUCIFER MATCHES

As showing the extreme sensitiveness of the human mouth to phosphorus, I recite the following: Into the rather wide canal of the pipe of a friend who is a smoker there by chance entered a wax vesta, with its head pointing to the mouthpiece. Shortly after smoking the pipe my friend experienced a most unpleasant taste and disagreeable odour. He continued smoking. Next day he had violent toothache. On the second day so severe was the toothache that, on account of the suppurating gums, tender teeth, and painful jawbone, the dentist was obliged to extract five teeth. Although the teeth on their removal were slightly carious, there had been no toothache until the smoking of the pipe on the particular day. The acutely developed pain and rapid destruction of the gums must in this case have been principally caused by phosphorus fume.