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The Dentist Who Saved an Empress
How to win friends, influence empires, and prevent cavities
In 1870, Emperor Napoleon III of France did something really stupid: he declared war on Prussia. The Prussians — better armed, better trained — made short work of the French army. After trying and failing to get himself killed at Sedan, Napoleon III surrendered.
Back in Paris, his wife and regent, Empress Eugénie, scrambled to save the monarchy. Barely sleeping, existing on coffee and chloral hydrate, Eugénie broke down when she heard what her husband had done.
Then the news got worse — the Prussians were on their way to Paris. Eugénie sent the Louvre’s valuable art away for safekeeping and gave her jewels to Princess Pauline Metternich to smuggle out of France in her husband’s diplomatic pouch.
As the exhausted empress prepared for an invasion, an American in Paris spotted an existential threat much closer to home.
Better Living through Dentistry
Dr. Thomas Evans of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania was the world’s first — and possibly only — rockstar dentist. In 1847, he’d moved to Paris to partner with another American dentist, Dr. Cyrus Brewster. As luck would have it, Brewster was out sick when French president Louis Napoleon Bonaparte had a…
