- In 1897 the Bazaar of Charity was organized in a wooden barracks in Paris, a fire caused the death of 126 people, of whom 120 were women. Many of them are of high society and identified with the pieces deposited in calcined bodies. Forensic dentistry was born out of the beat of classism.
Paris, 4 May 1897. The upper class of the city met, as in recent years, in Charity Bazaar. The event began in 1885 and was already one of the most prominent dates of the Parisian social calendar. The rich sold and bought some works of art, books and hardware to deliver to those who needed it most and, in passing, to boast of their social position. For the market of that year, a wooden barracks of 80 meters long and 20 meters wide was built, and the roof was made with fabric packed. On one side of the barracon, a new invention was put in place to attract and entertain visitors: the cinematographer.
But the gadget didn't work well, the technician said there was no proper ventilation. And around 16:15, when the kinematographer's ether lamp was turned off, the worker turned on a fence to see what happened. The fence caused a small explosion and soon the whole barracks burned. The revolving doors were stuck and those who had not died were crushed to death.
They were willing to fake charity, but not to bury blended ladies and creatures. And the solution occurred to the Consul of Paraguay: to go to the dentists of the deceased, to obtain the files of their teeth and to compare them with the teeth of the deceased.
A total of 126 deaths, 120 women. It is true that the event brought more women together, although not in that proportion, and that their clothes favored fire and impaired movements of escape. But most men preferred to change the concept of “women and children first”. At first the authorities wanted to blame the anarchists, but as it was clear that it was an accident, the worker who was handling the cinematograph was sentenced to eight months in jail, who would then commute him because he tried to save several people.
But in addition to sharing responsibilities, they had another job: identifying burned bodies. And the jewelry on top of the upper class checkers didn't work for it, because the corpses were looted that same night. The families of the high-level victims needed a solution. They were willing to fake charity, but not to bury blended ladies and creatures. And the solution occurred to the consul of Paraguay: to go to the dentists of the deceased to obtain their dental files and compare them with the teeth of the deceased. Thus were identified, among others, Sofia Carlota of Bavaria, sister of empress Sissi of Hungary, wife of the Spanish consul and other members of the aristocracy and the bourgeoisie able to pay for dental services. Poor victims who could not afford the dentist were buried in a mass grave.
And so, from the ashes of Charity Bazaar and classism, forensic dentistry emerged.