STORY BY
Politics aside, American presidential history is full of surprising medical facts. Every week until the election, Health Leader will focus on the medical histories of a variety of presidents. This week, we will learn more about Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th president of the United States.
Grover Cleveland liked many things – including beer, good food and cigars. His fondness for them resulted in gout, obesity and oral cancer.
Although overweight and suffering from gout in his right foot, Cleveland remained active and in relatively good health until 1893. At age 56, he complained to his doctor of pain in the left side of the roof of his mouth, where he chewed his cigars before inhaling the smoke as deeply as his lungs could hold.
Soon diagnosed with cancer, Cleveland and his doctors hid the news from the public. A secret operation to remove the cancer took place aboard Cleveland’s yacht while anchored in Long Island Sound on July 1. Doctors excised the lesion in the roof of the mouth, using the utmost care to not leave any telltale scars, but the cancer necessitated removing part of the president’s upper left jaw and hard palate, using a cheek retractor the president’s doctor had bought in Paris. The operation, while a success, left the president’s mouth disfigured.
“I would guess that President Cleveland’s surgery site was packed with gauze to allow him to speak and swallow without fluids leaking out his nose, and it was allowed to heal somewhat on its own, since at the time there were no antibiotics or grafting procedures,” says Robert Engelmeier, DDS, assistant professor of prosthodontics at The University of Texas Dental Branch at Houston. “He was surely given heavy opiates for pain, but Cleveland had to have been a tough guy with a good basic constitution to have endured the procedure. Everything from the anesthesia and surgical technique to the wound care and pain control were pretty primitive by our modern standards.”
Sixteen days later, another shipboard operation took place in which the president was fitted with a hard prosthesis that restored his appearance and corrected his speech. “The appliance was actually made of vulcanite, which is what was the base material for dentures at the time,” says Engelmeier. “I’m sure they had to make multiple appliances for him as he healed, as vulcanite couldn’t be modified like modern acrylics.
“Today, a surgical obturator – a simple acrylic plate – would be wired or screwed into his mouth to cover the defect during the surgery,” explained Engelmeier. “It would support the medicated packing, enable him to swallow fluids, and speak. It also would lessen the pain and protect the wound. About 10 days later, he would be fitted with a new plate that would include any necessary false teeth. After about six months, he would finally be fitted with a final appliance that would consist of a metal framework and acrylic similar to a removable partial denture.”
A suspicious press was told that Cleveland had had two rotten teeth removed, and for the next 25 years the secret was kept. It was only in 1917, when one of the surgeons on board the yacht published an article detailing the surgeries, that the truth was known.
Cleveland left office for the final time in 1897. As far as we know, he never experienced another bout with cancer. He also never gave up his cigars, beer or rich food. Cleveland died at 71, on June 24, 1908.
Last Updated: 9-04-2008
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth), the most comprehensive academic health center in The UT System and the U.S. Gulf Coast region, is home to schools of biomedical informatics, biomedical sciences, dentistry, medicine, nursing and public health. UTHealth educates more healthcare professionals than any health-related institution in the State of Texas and features the nation’s seventh-largest medical school. It also includes a psychiatric hospital and a growing network of clinics throughout the region. The university’s primary teaching hospitals include Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center, Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital. Founded in 1972, UTHealth’s 10,000-plus faculty, staff, students and residents are committed to delivering innovative solutions that create the best hope for a healthier future.
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Simple Ways to Help
Young and Old Eyes
May is Healthy Vision Month and it is imperative to take care of eyes whether they’re young or old.
Children should have their vision checked by age 6, even if there aren’t any signs of eye problems. Healthy eyes and vision are very important to a child’s development. Finding and treating eye problems early on can save a child’s sight. Two common eye problems in children are:
Both of these eye problems can be treated if they are found early.
Here are ways to help your child develop vision skills:
Don’t let poor vision put elders at risk. Leave a three-foot, clear path through each room of their house. Outline edges of steps, coffee tables, doorways and bathtubs with colored tape to contrast with surrounding areas. Install lights along outdoor pathways and keep foyers well lit to avoid having to enter dark areas. Replace switch plates with colors that contrast with walls, or outline them with tape of contrasting colors. It is also always smart to use nightlights during the night.
