Eben Byers was poised to lead a life of luxury and privilege. Born into wealth as the son of an industrialist, he received top-notch education in the United States and had a promising future ahead. Despite his early successes as a champion golfer, tragedy struck when his jaw deteriorated.

During Byers' era, medical practices were far less advanced compared to today. Radium, a newly-discovered element, gained popularity as a therapeutic treatment. Unfortunately, Byers' doctor recommended this remedy following an arm injury he sustained in 1927.

Byers gained notoriety for developing "Radithor jaw," an affliction caused by ingesting radium. His exposure to the deadly radioactive substance led to the disintegration of the entire lower half of his face, culminating in his untimely death from cancer.

This is the harrowing yet factual tale of Eben Byers, whose demise triggered a medical paradigm shift.

Eben Byers' Early Life Of Privilege

Born Ebenezer McBurney Byers on April 12, 1880, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Eben was the offspring of Alexander McBurney Byers. According to the Frick Collection, Alexander Byers was an art connoisseur, financier, and held positions as president of his namesake steel company and the National Iron Bank of Pittsburgh.

Raised amidst opulence, young Byers enjoyed unparalleled privileges, including access to the finest institutions money could afford. He attended esteemed establishments such as the renowned St. Paul's in Concord, New Hampshire, and what was then recognized as Yale College.

Young Eben Byers showcased exceptional talent as an athlete. In 1906, he clinched victory in the U.S. Amateur Golf Championship, as documented by the Golf Compendium.

Subsequently, Byers' father appointed him as chairman of the A. M. Byers Company, a prominent wrought iron producer in the United States. However, tragedy struck soon after, setting Byers on a path leading to an untimely demise and triggering a medical revolution.

Radithor, The Radioactive Medication That Disfigured Eben Byers' Jaw

In November 1927, while returning home from the annual Yale-Harvard football game, Eben Byers experienced a calamitous event. As per the Allegheny Cemetery Heritage, the train abruptly halted, causing him to fall from his berth and sustain an arm injury.

His physician, C. C. Moyer, recommended Radithor, a medication consisting of radium dissolved in water. During the mid-1920s, the dangers of radioactive material, including its potential for causing genetic mutations and cancer through prolonged exposure, were not widely understood. Hence, when William J. Bailey, a Harvard dropout, introduced Radithor, it gained rapid popularity.

As reported by Medium, Bailey falsely presented himself as a doctor and offered physicians a 17 percent rebate on each prescribed bottle of Radithor.

Over a span of three years, Byers consumed up to 1,400 doses of Radithor, imbibing as many as three bottles daily. Between 1927 and 1930, Byers attributed a "toned-up" sensation to Radithor, although some accounts suggest alternative motives for his usage.

According to the Museum of Radiation and Radioactivity, Byers earned the nickname "Foxy Grandpa" from his Yale classmates due to his charm with women, and Radithor reportedly revived his renowned libido as he approached his late 40s.

However, regardless of Byers' motives for using the medication, the repercussions were catastrophic.

The Horrifying Effects Of Radithor Jaw

In 1931, Byers faced a shocking revelation when he began experiencing severe weight loss and debilitating headaches. His world was turned upside down as his jaw started disintegrating, leaving him with a monstrous appearance as his bones and tissues deteriorated from within. Yet, amidst this ordeal, the silver lining was that the radium poisoning rendered him completely numb to pain.

As Eben Byers began experiencing the horrifying side effects, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) initiated an investigation into Radithor as a hazardous drug. Despite the FTC's request for Byers' testimony, his deteriorating health prevented him from appearing. Instead, an attorney named Robert Winn was dispatched to his Long Island residence to conduct the interview.

Winn later wrote, "A more gruesome experience in a more gorgeous setting would be hard to imagine… [Byers'] whole upper jaw, excepting two front teeth and most of his lower jaw had been removed. All the remaining tissue of his body was disintegrating, and holes were actually forming in his skull."

On March 31, 1932, Byers passed away at the age of 51. While officially attributed to radium poisoning, his demise resulted from cancer induced by Radithor. Such was the extent of radium accumulation in his body that even his breath emitted radiation. To prevent contamination of the surrounding soil, Byers was laid to rest in a lead-lined coffin.

According to the New York Times, the FTC swiftly shut down Bailey's company. However, Bailey later asserted that dwindling demand during the Great Depression prompted the cessation of Radithor sales. The government also intensified its crackdown on other enterprises peddling radium-infused "medications," recognizing Bailey's as just one among several such ventures operating at the time.

Even after Byers' demise, Bailey staunchly defended his creation, asserting, "I have drunk more radium water than any man alive and I never have suffered any ill effects." However, he eventually succumbed to bladder cancer.

Over time, the authority of both the FTC and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expanded significantly, leading to tighter regulations on medications. Presently, if a drug earns the FDA's approval, it's largely due to the impact of Eben Byers' death and the subsequent empowerment of these government agencies.

Sadly, these regulatory changes arrived too late for Eben Byers.