Eben Byers: The Man Whose Jaw Fell Off
Eben Byers after his jaw fell off from the effects of drinking radium. Photo: Danny Dutch
Eben Byers was a wealthy man from Pittsburgh who drank radium for years until it made his jaw fall off. He eventually died from cancer.
Who was Eben Byers?
A photo portrait of Eben Buyers.
Eben Byers was born on April 12, 1880, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, with the full name of Ebenezer McBurney Byers.
He was the son of Alexander McBurney Byers, an art collector, financier, and president of his steel company and the National Iron Bank of Pittsburgh, according to the Frick Collection.
Due to his family's considerable wealth, Eben had access to top-notch education and attended renowned schools like St. Paul's in Concord, New Hampshire, and Yale College.
Eben Buyers was a master golfer.
Eben’s true talent lay in sports, and in 1906, he won the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, as noted by the Golf Compendium. Eben's father later appointed him as the chairman of his business, the A. M. Byers Company, which was among the largest producers of wrought iron in America. Tragically, Eben’s life would be cut short due to an overindulgence in toxic, radioactive radium.
Why did Eben Byers Drink Radium?
Radithor, the drug containing radium that slowly killed Eben Byers. Photo: Wikipedia
In November 1927, Eben Byers was returning home after attending the annual Yale-Harvard football game when the train suddenly came to a halt and he fell from his berth, injuring his arm.
He was prescribed Radithor, a medication made by dissolving radium in water, by his doctor, C.C. Moyer.
At the time, no one knew that radioactive material could cause genetic mutations and cancer with high levels of exposure, and Radithor became popular. William J. Bailey, who falsely claimed to be a doctor, created Radithor and offered physicians a 17 percent commission on each bottle of the drug they prescribed.
Over three years, Byers consumed up to three bottles of Radithor per day, totaling around 1,400 doses. He claimed that the drug made him feel “toned-up,” although some reports suggest he took it for sexual reasons.
The earlier stages of Eben Byers’ disease. Photo: Find a Grave
Byers had been known as “Foxy Grandpa” by his Yale classmates due to his way with women, and Radithor was said to have revived his libido as he approached his late 40s. Unfortunately the drug's side effects were catastrophic, regardless of Byers' reasons for taking it.
Eben Byers’ disease caused by radium
Eben Buyers after his jaw fell off.
Byers ceased taking Radithor in October 1930, after consuming approximately 1,400 doses, when the drug's effects began to diminish. He experienced weight loss, headaches, and tooth loss. In 1931, the Federal Trade Commission requested Byers to testify about his ordeal, but his illness prevented him from traveling.
A lawyer was sent to his home to take his statement, and he reported that Byers had lost most of his upper jaw, except for two front teeth, and a significant portion of his lower jaw. The remaining bone tissue in his body was disintegrating, and holes were developing in his skull.
The Death of Eben Byers
On March 31, 1932, Eben passed away, and at that time, it was believed that he died due to "radiation poisoning."
It was later discovered that his death was caused by cancer and not acute radiation syndrome. He was laid to rest at Allegheny Cemetery located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Byers was interred in a coffin lined with lead. In 1965, when his body was exhumed for examination, it was discovered that his remains still emitted high levels of radiation, measuring at 225,000 becquerels.
For reference, the average human body contains roughly 0.0169 grams of potassium-40, which produces approximately 4,400 becquerels of radiation.
