Topic of the Day - Toothpicks

History

The toothpick has been around longer than our species. The skulls of Neanderthals, as well as Homo sapiens, have shown clear signs of having teeth that were picked with a tool, according to anthropologist Christy G. Turner of Arizona State University. Since ancient times, men of note have used toothpicks. Agathocles, tyrant of Syracuse, died in 289 B.C. when he used a toothpick soaked in poison by an enemy. The prophet Muhammad assigned the care of this important tool to a servant called the "master of the toothpick."

More than 3,500 years before Christ, the Babylonians picked their teeth with toothpicks, as man's oldest tool to enhance oral hygiene. Buddha encouraged toothpick use by his followers to fight bad breath.

The ancient Chinese hung carved bronze pendants around their necks for adornment, which were assigned double-duty as toothpicks.

Before greeting his evening guests, the Roman Emperor Nero used a silver toothpick. The prophet Mo-hammed, in honoring Allah, directed one of this wives to bring a toothpick to his deathbed.

Long ago, toothpicks were called "chewing sticks." The Talmud includes descriptions of sticks frayed on one end by chewing and used for cleaning teeth. Islamic influence spread by the use of these chewing sticks. Mohammed directed his followers: "You shall clean your mouth, for this is a means of praising Allah."

For centuries, the upper classes used elegant toothpicks often made of gold, silver or ivory and inlaid with precious stones. The tool became so popular that a body of etiquette grew up around its use, resulting in books such as The Tanhausers Court Manners, which advised that poking around the teeth during the course of a meal was a grave offense. The permanent crafted toothpick also became a notable dowry item. When the infant Louise Marie Therese of Parma married a prince of Asturias, for example, her dowry listed a dozen valuable toothpicks.

Shakespeare included toothpicks in his prose. George Washington's dentist urged our first president to use a "quill toothpicker." Picks of silver, ivory, and gold as well as porcupine and hedgehog were once popular.

Charles Forster first saw natives using wooden toothpicks on a trip to South America, and he sent a sample box home to his wife in Strong, Maine, who showed them around. Before that time, people used goose quills for toothpicks. Soon Mr. Foster had orders for more, especially from hotels. He set up a factory in Strong, and machinery was developed to peel blocks of wood into long, thin ribbons-an eight-inch block of wood could produce a ribbon ninety feet in length. These ribbons were cut into toothpicks, which were moved by pitchfork into the sun to dry like hay, and then sorted and packed by hand.

Fascinating Facts

One year, Mr. Forster sold 30,000 cases of 250,000 toothpicks each. He was said to make three-fifths of all the wooden toothpicks made in the United States. On average, Forster Manufacturing used about a thousand cords of birch and poplar a year for toothpicks.

A complete toothpick machine system would include a veneer lathe, six cutting machines, one drying oven, and one straightening and box filling machine. This system would require about 15 horsepower and the hourly output would be about 1,440,000 toothpicks. A standard cord of good wood yields about 6 - 9 million flat toothpicks.

The toothpick was first used in the United States at the Union Oyster House, Boston. To promote his new business Forster hired Harvard boys to dine at the Union Oyster House and ask for toothpicks.

According to recent estimates, Americans consume about 75 million toothpicks a day. Some dental experts now even herald a toothpick as a major preventive dentistry tool against gum disease.

Additional Uses of Toothpicks

As an art form, folks have used toothpicks to build ships, a dolphin, a famous tower, and even a religious figure.

Some believe toothpick use can deliver a higher form of consciousness.

And let us not forget one of the best ever use for toothpicks.