Pawn
The Toothache
In an age before painkillers or painless extraction, the toothache was one of the curses of mankind. Then, the only administration likely to bring a result was the consumption of whisky.
Regrettably, once the effects of the whisky had worn off, the toothache, invariably, remained.
‘Tam O’ Shanter’ - 1790 Robert Burns
“My curse upon your venom'd stang, That shoots my tortur'd gums alang, An' thro' my lug gies mony a twang, Wi' gnawing vengeance,
Tearing my nerves wi' bitter pang, Like racking engines!”
‘Having a Tooth Pulled’ 182 Boilly, Louis Leopold The Stapleton Collection / Bridgeman Images