Peter the Great: The Czar Who Couldn't Resist Pulling Teeth
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Peter wasn’t a man who could sit still for long. As soon as he solidified his position on the Russian throne, he embarked on an unprecedented journey across Western Europe, eager to learn the secrets of modern nations. Officially, it was a diplomatic mission to form alliances against the Ottoman Empire. In reality, Peter was on a personal quest to absorb knowledge firsthand.
For 16 months, he traveled through the Netherlands and England, disguising himself as an ordinary craftsman rather than revealing his royal identity. He didn’t just observe—he got his hands dirty. In London, he worked as an apprentice at a shipyard, learning everything from ship design to the smallest details of construction. By the time he returned home, he wasn’t just a czar—he was Russia’s most skilled shipbuilder.
But his curiosity wasn’t limited to shipbuilding. Peter also developed a fascination with medicine, surgery, anatomy, and dentistry. Whenever doctors performed surgeries or tooth extractions, Peter was there, watching closely, eager to learn. And when an opportunity arose, he didn’t hesitate to volunteer as the dentist himself.
Unfortunately, opportunities were rare. While in Western Europe, Peter wasn’t allowed to practice on patients as freely as he wished. But once he returned to Russia, he was thrilled—who could say no to the czar? If Peter wanted to pull your tooth, you didn’t argue.
One day, a courtier approached Peter with a peculiar request. Bowing low, he said,
“Your Majesty, my wife suffers from terrible tooth pain.”
Peter’s eyes lit up. “Really? Why didn’t you tell me sooner? Let’s pull it out immediately!”
The czar grabbed his dental kit and rushed to the courtier’s house. There, he found the wife reluctant and fearful, refusing to open her mouth. But when Peter’s face turned serious, she realized resistance was futile. She opened her mouth, trembling. With swift confidence, Peter pulled the tooth.
But something wasn’t right.
Instead of relief, the woman burst into tears. Days later, Peter learned the shocking truth: he had pulled a perfectly healthy tooth.
It turned out the courtier had tricked the czar. Angry after an argument with his wife, he had arranged for Peter to extract one of her healthy teeth as a form of revenge!
Despite the mishap, Peter’s enthusiasm for medicine never waned. He remained a ruler deeply invested in learning and modernization—though perhaps a bit too eager when it came to practicing his surgical skills.