History of Dentistry • Defendants' Rights • British Museum's Near East Collection • Music of Babylon [28min]

Sue Cook and the team answer listeners' historical queries and celebrate the way in which we all 'make' history. 1) Making History listener Marian Brown was enjoying a memoir about life in London's East End during the inter-war years when she came across quite gruesome references to the practice of 'dental clearances' -- the removal of a complete set of teeth (without anaesthetic) to save on dental bills later on in life. Could such drastic measures really have been taken, she asks? Dylan Winter spoke to the author Melanie McGrath, who confirmed her sources, and then visited an East End luncheon club where elderly people repeated the stories. Finally, he spoke to Jonathan Evans, the archivist at the Royal London Hospital. 2)"Making History" listener Thomas Garnell contacted the programme, having read up on the trial of his ancestor Mary Pyner who was hanged at Tyburn for stealing from her employer. It appears that Mary could not speak for herself at the trial. Was this always the case?"Making History" consulted Victor Tunkel, Secretary of the Selden Society. 3) Dilly Barlow went to the British Museum to find out more about two exhibits from the Near East collection. 4)"Making History" consulted Richard Dumbrill on the kind of music that would have been heard in the Near East in the years before and after Christ.