9 ms·

Check out the perfect set of teeth on the skull of the soldier shown in the article. Amazing how human dental health has changed since then.

torben-friis 11mo ago
We’re talking about a foot soldier on Napoleon’s army, easy to keep a good set considering he could be 18-25.
- hermitcrab 11mo ago
  And probably with limited access to sugar.
  - boomboomsubban 11mo ago
    Probably, cane sugar was unavailable due to blockades and the Napoleonic expansion of beet sugar was only just starting.
bluedino 11mo ago
Due to "softer" diets and all the sugar, right?
- travisjungroth 11mo ago
  Harder diets were more common in ancient humans, and straighten teeth in childhood. I don’t know what the diet was like in 1800.
  - georgeburdell 11mo ago
    Do you have any proof? A doctor once mentioned this to me, but then I talked to an orthodontist and he called it BS
    - lithocarpus 11mo ago
      Not proof, but logic: Without machinery to do the work of processing food, it has to done by hand or not at all, which leads to a lot more jaw work. Especially if you're eating a lot of animals where you'll be eating off of bones. But even with plants too.
      - deleted 11mo ago
        [deleted]
      - georgeburdell 11mo ago
        Where is the feedback mechanism that ties extra jaw exercise to straight teeth?
        travisjungroth 11mo ago
        The strengthening of the jaw during childhood leads to a larger jaw, and more room for teeth. Our jaws are too small. "Straightening" (like I said earlier) isn't exactly correct. This whole topic is debated.
    - user____name 11mo ago
      I think the theory is that modern jaws are too narrow to contain all the teeth, causing them to overlap and grow in "unintended" directions. The reason for the narrowness is lack of exercise in childhood due to the soft nature of prepared foods. I'm also a bit sceptical.
manoDev 11mo ago
1. The soldier probably died young 2. Good dental health has always been part of the screening to join a professional army
tgv 11mo ago
They were looking to analyze teeth. This might be selection bias.
dang 11mo ago
the photo is here: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/dna-reveals-real-killers-brought-down-napoleons-army https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/dna-reveals-real-killers-b... (parent comment was posted before we merged the threads)
zingababba 11mo ago
Weston A. Price thought it was from K2 -> https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vitamin-k2-mk-4-dr-prices-activator-x-and-its-transformational-potential/ https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vitamin-k2-mk-4-d...

torben-friis 11mo ago

We’re talking about a foot soldier on Napoleon’s army, easy to keep a good set considering he could be 18-25.

hermitcrab 11mo ago
And probably with limited access to sugar.
- boomboomsubban 11mo ago
  Probably, cane sugar was unavailable due to blockades and the Napoleonic expansion of beet sugar was only just starting.

bluedino 11mo ago

Due to "softer" diets and all the sugar, right?

travisjungroth 11mo ago
Harder diets were more common in ancient humans, and straighten teeth in childhood. I don’t know what the diet was like in 1800.
- georgeburdell 11mo ago
  Do you have any proof? A doctor once mentioned this to me, but then I talked to an orthodontist and he called it BS
  - lithocarpus 11mo ago
    Not proof, but logic: Without machinery to do the work of processing food, it has to done by hand or not at all, which leads to a lot more jaw work. Especially if you're eating a lot of animals where you'll be eating off of bones. But even with plants too.
    - deleted 11mo ago
      [deleted]
    - georgeburdell 11mo ago
      Where is the feedback mechanism that ties extra jaw exercise to straight teeth?
      - travisjungroth 11mo ago
        The strengthening of the jaw during childhood leads to a larger jaw, and more room for teeth. Our jaws are too small. "Straightening" (like I said earlier) isn't exactly correct. This whole topic is debated.
  - user____name 11mo ago
    I think the theory is that modern jaws are too narrow to contain all the teeth, causing them to overlap and grow in "unintended" directions. The reason for the narrowness is lack of exercise in childhood due to the soft nature of prepared foods. I'm also a bit sceptical.

manoDev 11mo ago

1. The soldier probably died young 2. Good dental health has always been part of the screening to join a professional army

tgv 11mo ago

They were looking to analyze teeth. This might be selection bias.

dang 11mo ago

the photo is here: https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/dna-reveals-real-killers-brought-down-napoleons-army https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/dna-reveals-real-killers-b... (parent comment was posted before we merged the threads)

zingababba 11mo ago

Weston A. Price thought it was from K2 -> https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vitamin-k2-mk-4-dr-prices-activator-x-and-its-transformational-potential/ https://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/vitamin-k2-mk-4-d...