'Godless' founder of utilitarianism had severe dental problems and was in 'excruciating pain,' CT scans of his severed head reveal
Jeremy Bentham, the "godless" philosopher who founded modern utilitarianism, had severe dental and jaw problems, a CT scan of his skull reveals.
The founder of utilitarianism, Jeremy Bentham, experienced severe dental issues throughout his life, as evidenced by CT scans of his severed head. Bentham, who lived from 1748 to 1832, was missing many teeth and had advanced arthritis in his lower jaw when he died at the age of 84. His remains, including his auto-icon, have been on display at University College London (UCL) for over 150 years.
The scans revealed that Bentham's jawbone had thinned significantly, indicating the severity of his pain. Despite his belief that his body would be donated to science, Bentham's remains were preserved as an auto-icon, a wax reconstruction of himself with his real head attached. The auto-icon has been a point of interest at UCL ever since.
Written by urgent.news from Live Science's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
