Lewis Powell's Jaw

[Natty]

I’ve always wondered about the effects that Lewis‘ broken jaw had on his face. Apparently an untreated jaw fracture can lead to all kinds of complications, like facial deformity, nerve damage, pain, stiffness of the joint and additional wear and tear of teeth.

If you look at his photographs, the asymmetry is quite obvious; the left side of the area around the lower mandible is visibly thicker than the right, forming a distinct slant. What interests me most is the fact that his mouth appears immobile and smaller on that side, as though it is hanging to the right side of his face. According to accounts, his upper lip “protruded” when he talked; if he had some kind of nerve damage on the left side of his face, he might have been unable to fully utilize his entire mouth while speaking, which could lead to a more pronounced movement of the lips on the right. If you pinch one side of your mouth and immobilize it, you can easily simulate the impact of this kind of damage; the lack of movement from one side is compensated by exaggerated motion on the other. Combined with limited jaw mobility and a slight overbite, which is suggested by the protrusion of the right side of his upper lip, nerve damage could have created this effect. It would also mean that his smile would have been slightly crooked, perhaps even appearing somewhat cynical when very slight, almost suggesting a sneer. This would have affected the impression he made on people, possibly to his disadvantage, since irregularities, particularly in the face, are rarely perceived in a positive light. I have, however, not found any accounts where this is explicitly described or mentioned and am merely speculating. There are several references to his crooked, malformed jaw and I once read an account that describes the irregular slope to his mouth.


Did the mule kick him on the left side of his face? Is it possible that he suffered some form of nerve damage as a result?

[BettyO]

Excellent post, Natty!

Lewis was kicked on the left side of his face at age 12. Having been kicked by a horse myself at age 14 (and I was just "cow-kicked" meaning that the horse kicked out from the side and not straight back) - I was still knocked 3 feet, injuring my right arm and almost breaking it. It feels like someone has taken a sledge hammer to you.

Lewis was, according to his family, knocked unconscious. The injured child was quickly packed into a wagon by his father and driven down the road to the local doctor.

Lewis' jaw was broken between the first and second molar. The first molar was knocked out and the break healed nicely. This apparently resulted in nerve damage to the left side of Lew's mouth.

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You can see from the "roots" of the missing front teeth that his upper lip was a bit twisted to the left!

[MaddieM]

Oh, my Giddy Aunt... Those teeth! What a state they are in for someone so young. Would that have occurred through the four years he was in the army, or most of his life? Mind you, I'd still give my own eye teeth to have seen his smile.

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In that photograph of Powell, his nose looks crooked. Was it broken at some point?

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What happened to the rest of his body?

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he also looks as though he has the remnants of a black eye and bruised lip in that photo.

Below are two more shots that show the jaw as being lower on one side. Click to enlarge.
       

[BettyO]

Hey, Maddie!

I checked out his teeth (I did get to "Meet" Mr. Powell face to face and hold his head when he was "found" in 1992) -

I asked my dentist about the condition of the boy's teeth. I was told that since he chewed tobacco that young Powell had pyorrhea gingivitis. My dentist told me that she had seen repeated episodes of that in modern boys who chewed - the tobacco juices cause pyorrhea and the teeth are thus decayed. Add to this the lack of dental care in the rural south (and in the Victorian era in general) and even a 20 year old kid's mouth can spell disaster.

Lew's nose was not broken that I know of. Last Fall, myself, John Elliott and Barry Cauchon had a discussion re: Lew's facial injuries. I had noticed that the boy seemed to have a blackened eye and bruised lip. Dr. Blaine Houmes also got into the discussion. We four decided that Lew did indeed have these facial injuries as well as some abrasions which Dr. Houmes pointed out on the side of his nose and under his chin.

It was further indicated that Lew took a bad fall on the night of the assassination when his horse fell with him going at a gallop and attempting to jump a ditch.

The rest of his body? We're looking! More about that later!

You can see from this photo (it's my favorite) that his nose appears perfectly straight -- it's a handsome nose! HA! And yes, I, too would have loved to have seen that dimpled smile - cavities and all!

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[MaddieM]

(08-24-2012 05:46 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Hey, Maddie!

I checked out his teeth (I did get to "Meet" Mr. Powell face to face and hold his head when he was "found" in 1992) -

That must have been an odd feeling. I've practiced psychometry and it's amazing what you can pick up though it's not my forte. I'd have loved to lay hands on him. I've also done psychometry with photos.

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(08-24-2012 05:46 AM)BettyO Wrote:  Hey, Maddie!

I checked out his teeth (I did get to "Meet" Mr. Powell face to face and hold his head when he was "found" in 1992) -

I asked my dentist about the condition of the boy's teeth. I was told that since he chewed tobacco that young Powell had pyorrhea gingivitis. My dentist told me that she had seen repeated episodes of that in modern boys who chewed - the tobacco juices cause pyorrhea and the teeth are thus decayed. Add to this the lack of dental care in the rural south (and in the Victorian era in general) and even a 20 year old kid's mouth can spell disaster.

Lew's nose was not broken that I know of. Last Fall, myself, John Elliott and Barry Cauchon had a discussion re: Lew's facial injuries. I had noticed that the boy seemed to have a blackened eye and bruised lip. Dr. Blaine Houmes also got into the discussion. We four decided that Lew did indeed have these facial injuries as well as some abrasions which Dr. Houmes pointed out on the side of his nose and under his chin.

It was further indicated that Lew took a bad fall on the night of the assassination when his horse fell with him going at a gallop and attempting to jump a ditch.

The rest of his body? We're looking! More about that later!

You can see from this photo (it's my favorite) that his nose appears perfectly straight -- it's a handsome nose! HA! And yes, I, too would have loved to have seen that dimpled smile - cavities and all!

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Yes, the nose is perfectly straight sideways on. From the front it's not. Perhaps that's just the way he was born.

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He scowled a lot, didn't he? He's even got the scowl on here...


   

[Houmes]

Yes, the nose is perfectly straight sideways on. From the front it's not. Perhaps that's just the way he was born.
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You wouldn't be able to tell if a nose had been broken from a skull (at least for the majority of fractured noses) because a nasal fracture usually involves only the cartilage. Cartilage deteriorates after death while the bones (depending on environment and trauma) take much longer. If the true nasal bones (projecting from the frontal bones of the skull) are actually smashed--like in the movies, where a karate chop to the face "pushes the nasal bones into the brain" and causes death--then other facial bones would invariably be involved and show signs of previous fracture.

The nerve injury from Powell's fractured jaw would not have interfered with his speech or swallowing. It's the inferior alveolar nerve and it has a sensory function to that side of the mandible. His left jaw would probably have been numb or partially numb his entire adult life.

[BettyO]

I've wondered about that....wonder if the kid needed glasses?

Kids will do that "squint" if they are a bit near or far sighted....I catch myself doing it and I only wear reading glasses! Again, something that was not that well known in the Victorian era, I guess....

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(08-24-2012 06:45 AM)Houmes Wrote:  Yes, the nose is perfectly straight sideways on. From the front it's not. Perhaps that's just the way he was born.

You wouldn't be able to tell if a nose had been broken from a skull (at least for the majority of fractured noses) because a nasal fracture usually involves only the cartilage. Cartilage deteriorates after death while the bones (depending on environment and trauma) take much longer. If the true nasal bones (projecting from the frontal bones of the skull) are actually smashed--like in the movies, where a karate chop to the face "pushes the nasal bones into the brain" and causes death--then other facial bones would invariably be involved and show signs of previous fracture.

The nerve injury from Powell's fractured jaw would not have interfered with his speech or swallowing. It's the inferior alveolar nerve and it has a sensory function to that side of the mandible. His left jaw would probably have been numb or partially numb his entire adult life.
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Wow! Thanks, Blaine!

Question - would he have that "drool" or "dribble" when he drank anything? Like when you have dental work done and your face is numb? Just curious!

[Natty]

Thanks for the amazing pictures, Betty! I've never had such a clear view of Lewis' teeth and jaw before.

In regards to his scowling: I once read a description of the court proceedings where Lewis was described as speaking with a frown every time he conferred with his lawyer. I used to be under the impression that he was simply scowling on the pictures because of the photo sessions, since he even tried to sabotage one of them by shaking his head, but this account made me wonder. It suggests that Lewis scowled frequently, even during personal interaction.

I would really like to know how severely the nerve damage would have affected the dynamics of his facial animation, since any peculiarities would have been very strong factors in how people characterized Lewis. Partial inability to move one side of the mouth is often quite pronounced in agitated, excited individuals, leading to increased spittle expulsion and a snarling, vicious appearance - if Lewis had such an inflection, he would have generated a certain amount of negative attention in such situations. Facial handicaps are also often initially viewed as signs of mental handicap and slow wit by many people, leading to the misconception that the individual might be primitive and retarded.

The actor Sylvester Stallone has a similar condition due to complications during his birth. The doctors had to apply forceps to his head and severed a nerve in the process. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed, including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin, which has given Stallone his snarling look and slightly slurred speech.

It is all very interesting, because we can actually see so very little from the few pictures that we have. The way Lewis used his face ultimately characterized him most; it is how he moved his mouth, the way he wrinkled his brow and formed dimples in his cheeks as he spoke and smiled........ these elements are the missing links that probably defined his appearance more than a few photos ever could.

[MaddieM]

(08-24-2012 06:45 AM)Houmes Wrote:  Yes, the nose is perfectly straight sideways on. From the front it's not. Perhaps that's just the way he was born.

You wouldn't be able to tell if a nose had been broken from a skull (at least for the majority of fractured noses) because a nasal fracture usually involves only the cartilage. Cartilage deteriorates after death while the bones (depending on environment and trauma) take much longer. If the true nasal bones (projecting from the frontal bones of the skull) are actually smashed--like in the movies, where a karate chop to the face "pushes the nasal bones into the brain" and causes death--then other facial bones would invariably be involved and show signs of previous fracture.

The nerve injury from Powell's fractured jaw would not have interfered with his speech or swallowing. It's the inferior alveolar nerve and it has a sensory function to that side of the mandible. His left jaw would probably have been numb or partially numb his entire adult life.
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So it's safe to say that those dental caries on the left molars didn't give him much gyp?

[Gene C]

Very few people have a truely symmetrical face. (broken jaw or not)

You three have posted some great photo's

[Houmes]

I would really like to know how severely the nerve damage would have affected the dynamics of his facial animation, since any peculiarities would have been very strong factors in how people characterized Lewis. Partial inability to move one side of the mouth is often quite pronounced in agitated, excited individuals, leading to increased spittle expulsion and a snarling, vicious appearance - if Lewis had such an inflection, he would have generated a certain amount of negative attention in such situations. Facial handicaps are also often initially viewed as signs of mental handicap and slow wit by many people, leading to the misconception that the individual might be primitive and retarded.

The actor Sylvester Stallone has a similar condition due to complications during his birth. The doctors had to apply forceps to his head and severed a nerve in the process. As a result, the lower left side of his face is paralyzed, including parts of his lip, tongue, and chin, which has given Stallone his snarling look and slightly slurred speech.



Sylvester Stallone's injury was different from the nerve affecting Mr. Powell. Stallone had a Facial nerve injury from either improperly placed or "rigorously used" obstetrical forceps. That's why many docs are now trained to use a vacuum extractor (one type looks very much like a toilet plunger) to the top of the baby's head during difficult deliveries. The Facial nerve injury is a whole different ballgame from an inferior alveolar nerve injury. Facial nerves control facial expressions, control of eating (classic example in adults is Bell's Palsy, where they have trouble keeping food in one side of the mouth, often drooling saliva) and have different degrees of facial paralysis with a facial droop. Find a copy of the one known image of William Seward after Powell's attack and that's a facial nerve injury. I would suspect Powell's healed jaw, since it appears to have a malformation in photographs of his skull and from life, gave him more problems than numbness of the skin.

[Natty]

(08-24-2012 10:17 AM)Houmes Wrote:  Sylvester Stallone's injury was different from the nerve affecting Mr. Powell. Stallone had a Facial nerve injury from either improperly placed or "rigorously used" obstetrical forceps. That's why many docs are now trained to use a vacuum extractor (one type looks very much like a toilet plunger) to the top of the baby's head during difficult deliveries. The Facial nerve injury is a whole different ballgame from an inferior alveolar nerve injury. Facial nerves control facial expressions, control of eating (classic example in adults is Bell's Palsy, where they have trouble keeping food in one side of the mouth, often drooling saliva) and have different degrees of facial paralysis with a facial droop. Find a copy of the one known image of William Seward after Powell's attack and that's a facial nerve injury. I would suspect Powell's healed jaw, since it appears to have a malformation in photographs of his skull and from life, gave him more problems than numbness of the skin.

Thank you very much for the information! I just have a few more questions, please bear with me!
How do you think that Lewis' malformed skull would have given him problems specifically, aside from its crooked appearance?
Was he able to fully use his entire mouth, without any numbness or disadvantages from the nerve damage? Was the protruding lip and slant to his mouth purely a result of the skull deformation?

You are very kind to help me here! Much appreciated!

[BettyO]

One question from me, Blaine!

And I hate to barrage you with all of this, but would the nerve damage or could the nerve damage have cause him to drool, since his lower jaw was numb, much as we do when we are given Novocaine and have numbness in our lower jaw after dental work and attempt to drink something? Would he have had this problem while drinking or eating?

Thanks!

[Gene C]

Pppprobbbly not

[Natty]

Hi Gene C!
Oh Betty, I found the following information about inferior alveolar nerve (IAN) injuries, just to kill some time:

IAN injury not only gives rise to unpleasant sensations, but may also affect the ability to talk and masticate effectively without traumatizing the affected area (Jones et al. 1990). The nerve deficit may give rise to continuous aching in the lower face (hyperalgesia, neuralgia) and social suffering. Some patients complain of pain or other strange sensations (allodynia, dysesthesia, paresthesia) when touching the area of altered sensation in the lower lip.
Furthermore, kissing may become an unpleasant experience.

It doesn't answer my specific Lewis oriented questions though. Only Houmes can do that!