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SWINDON, England, Nov 10, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- A tooth from French dictator Napoleon Bonaparte is going on the auction block in England, 184 years after being pulled from his mouth.
The tooth was likely extracted by Napoleon's physician, Barry O'Meara, while Napoleon was in exile on the British island of St. Helena in the South Atlantic Ocean, Sky News reported.
Appraiser Chris Albury said the tooth is an upper right permanent canine of a male in his forties, which fits Napoleon's profile at the time O'Meara knew him.
History documented Napoleon first complained of a bad toothache in 1816, a year after losing the Battle of Waterloo.
"By the time of his death in 1821 he was a physical wreck and his gums were soft and bled easily and his teeth were loose," Albury said.
The tooth was expected to fetch at least $14,000, the report said.
The date for the Dominic Winter auction in Swindon has not yet been set.
URL: www.upi.com Copyright 2005 by United Press International
