Andy Gump1
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SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION J Oral Maxillofac Surg 68:651-653, 2010 Andy Gump and His Deformity Shahid R. Aziz, DMD, MD* The “Andy Gump deformity” is a euphemism for an anterior mandibular defect that creates the appear- ance of an absent chin and lower lip and severely retrognathic lower jaw (Fig 1). Most commonly, this defect is due to ablative head and neck cancer sur- gery; however, this deformity is also used to describe bilateral body fractures of the edentulous and atro- phic mandible or a severely retrognathic mandible. 1 In all cases patients with this deformity are at risk for airway compromise, cosmetic embarrassment, exces- sive drooling, mastication difficulties, and speech im- pairment. Reconstruction is difficult but has become more successful over time with improved surgical technology. The namesake of this deformity is a cartoon char- acter from the early 20th century. Andy Gump was the patriarch in an extremely popular comic strip about a middle-class family, The Gumps. For 42 years, The Gumps was read daily, initially in the Chicago Tribune and later syndicated to newspapers through- out the United States. The idea of a comic strip about an ordinary American family was envisioned by Jo- seph M. Patterson, Editor and Publisher of the Chi- cago Tribune. Patterson referred to his middle-class readership as “gumps” and thought that this strip would be appealing. Patterson hired cartoonist Sidney Smith, and The Gumps came to life on February 12, 1917. Smith created a family of ordinary people: chin- less Andy with an oversized mustache, prominent nose, and bald head and his wife Minerva; their son Chester; Uncle Bim; and their housekeeper Tilda. 2 When Andy spoke, his mouth appeared as a small hole in his neck. Uncle Bim was Andy’s fabulously wealthy relative, who led an exorbitant lifestyle, com- pared with that of the average American family Gumps. Minerva (known as Min) was the brains be- hind the family, rescuing Andy from numerous pre- dicaments. Chester was often found throwing tan- trums, and Tilda was usually at odds with Andy and Min. The Gumps quickly became a favorite. It was the first comic strip to develop a daily soap opera–like story line; these storylines included political satires of Andy running for public office—Congress and the White House. The Gumps was the first comic strip to include the death of a character, Mary Gold, in 1929. In 1920, animated short films were developed by Paramount Pictures; in 1923 Universal Pictures pro- duced comedy films based on The Gumps. A radio adaptation of the strip was also developed, airing on WGN and CBS radio from 1931 to 1937. The facial features of Andy Gump are thought to be based on an actual person, David Hoag, who lived in the same town as Sidney Smith. On August 28, 1915, Hoag underwent surgery at Johns Hop- kins Hospital for extensive carcinoma of the lower lip. The surgeons at Hopkins included Drs Joseph Bloodgood, Roy McClure, and Walter Dandy. Dr McClure later went on to become a noted surgeon at Henry Ford Hospital and is attributed with insti- tuting iodized salt in the United States to prevent goiter. Dr Dandy went on to become one of the founding fathers of American neurosurgery. Sur- gery for Hoag’s carcinoma was limited to resection alone, leaving him with an unreconstructed ante- rior mandibular defect. After Hoag’s surgery and subsequent recovery, he returned to his native Canandaigua, NY, a small town in upstate New York where Sidney Smith also lived. Smith subsequently moved away from Canandaigua to Chicago, IL, to start the Gump comic strip. The Gump business empire (comic strip, merchandising, film, and cigar company) made Smith an exceedingly wealthy man, earning over $100,000 per year (Fig 2). Aware of the success of The Gumps and the similarity between Andy and his disfigured lower face, David Hoag brought suit against Smith and the Post Standard Company, the local central New York state newspa- per company carrying The Gumps strip: 3 That after the year 1915, one Sidney Smith began the production of the line of comic pictures known as the Gumps, picturing and portraying certain alleged mem- *Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur- gery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–New Jersey Dental School, Newark, NJ. Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Aziz: De- partment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School, 110 Bergen St, Room B854, Newark, NJ 07103; e-mail: [email protected] © 2010 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons 0278-2391/10/6803-0026$36.00/0 doi:10.1016/j.joms.2009.03.044 651
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SPECIAL CONTRIBUTION
J Oral Maxillofac Surg68:651-653, 2010
Andy Gump and His Deformity
Shahid R. Aziz, DMD, MD*GhdtM
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he “Andy Gump deformity” is a euphemism for annterior mandibular defect that creates the appear-nce of an absent chin and lower lip and severelyetrognathic lower jaw (Fig 1). Most commonly, thisefect is due to ablative head and neck cancer sur-ery; however, this deformity is also used to describeilateral body fractures of the edentulous and atro-hic mandible or a severely retrognathic mandible.1
n all cases patients with this deformity are at risk forirway compromise, cosmetic embarrassment, exces-ive drooling, mastication difficulties, and speech im-airment. Reconstruction is difficult but has becomeore successful over time with improved surgical
echnology.The namesake of this deformity is a cartoon char-
cter from the early 20th century. Andy Gump washe patriarch in an extremely popular comic stripbout a middle-class family, The Gumps. For 42 years,he Gumps was read daily, initially in the Chicagoribune and later syndicated to newspapers through-ut the United States. The idea of a comic strip aboutn ordinary American family was envisioned by Jo-eph M. Patterson, Editor and Publisher of the Chi-ago Tribune. Patterson referred to his middle-classeadership as “gumps” and thought that this stripould be appealing. Patterson hired cartoonist Sidney
mith, and The Gumps came to life on February 12,917. Smith created a family of ordinary people: chin-
ess Andy with an oversized mustache, prominentose, and bald head and his wife Minerva; their sonhester; Uncle Bim; and their housekeeper Tilda.2
hen Andy spoke, his mouth appeared as a smallole in his neck. Uncle Bim was Andy’s fabulouslyealthy relative, who led an exorbitant lifestyle, com-ared with that of the average American family
*Associate Professor, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sur-
ery, University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey–New
ersey Dental School, Newark, NJ.
Address correspondence and reprint requests to Dr Aziz: De-
artment of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, University of Medicine
nd Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School, 110 Bergen
t, Room B854, Newark, NJ 07103; e-mail: [email protected]
2010 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
278-2391/10/6803-0026$36.00/0
Goi:10.1016/j.joms.2009.03.044
651
umps. Minerva (known as Min) was the brains be-ind the family, rescuing Andy from numerous pre-icaments. Chester was often found throwing tan-rums, and Tilda was usually at odds with Andy andin.The Gumps quickly became a favorite. It was the
rst comic strip to develop a daily soap opera–liketory line; these storylines included political satires ofndy running for public office—Congress and thehite House. The Gumps was the first comic strip to
nclude the death of a character, Mary Gold, in 1929.n 1920, animated short films were developed byaramount Pictures; in 1923 Universal Pictures pro-uced comedy films based on The Gumps. A radiodaptation of the strip was also developed, airing onGN and CBS radio from 1931 to 1937.The facial features of Andy Gump are thought to
e based on an actual person, David Hoag, whoived in the same town as Sidney Smith. On August8, 1915, Hoag underwent surgery at Johns Hop-ins Hospital for extensive carcinoma of the lowerip. The surgeons at Hopkins included Drs Josephloodgood, Roy McClure, and Walter Dandy. DrcClure later went on to become a noted surgeon
t Henry Ford Hospital and is attributed with insti-uting iodized salt in the United States to preventoiter. Dr Dandy went on to become one of theounding fathers of American neurosurgery. Sur-ery for Hoag’s carcinoma was limited to resectionlone, leaving him with an unreconstructed ante-ior mandibular defect.
After Hoag’s surgery and subsequent recovery, heeturned to his native Canandaigua, NY, a small townn upstate New York where Sidney Smith also lived.mith subsequently moved away from Canandaigua tohicago, IL, to start the Gump comic strip. The Gumpusiness empire (comic strip, merchandising, film,nd cigar company) made Smith an exceedinglyealthy man, earning over $100,000 per year (Fig 2).ware of the success of The Gumps and the similarityetween Andy and his disfigured lower face, Davidoag brought suit against Smith and the Post Standardompany, the local central New York state newspa-er company carrying The Gumps strip:3
hat after the year 1915, one Sidney Smith began theroduction of the line of comic pictures known as the
umps, picturing and portraying certain alleged mem-
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652 ANDY GUMP DEFORMITY
ers of the Gump family, with Andy or Andrew Gump asts leading and principal character . . . portrayed as being
ithout a lower jaw or lowerpart of the face, the same ashe plaintiff . . .
That during the early years of the life of the said Sidneymith, he and his parents lived in the immediate vicinity ofhe plaintiff’s home and that for about fifty years the saididney Smith has known the plaintiff and the said Sidneymith knew of the deformity and disfigurement to thelaintiff’s face and saw the plaintiff and knew how he
ooked and was also well acquainted with the plaintiff’seight and other physical proportions and in adopting theaid caricature of Andy Gump he not only made his facerom that of the plaintiff’s but also his whole body . . .
That by reason of the publication of the said libelousatters in the defendant’s said newspaper, the defendantas held the plaintiff up to ridicule and contempt andaused him to be shunned and avoided and to be made anbject of ridicule and comment wherever he may go andas caused him great pain and suffering and disgraced andumiliated him, all of his damage in the sum of One Million
ollars.4 nOf note, this is one of the first million-dollar libeluits in the United States. It is unclear why Hoagnvolved only the local newspaper company whoublished the comic strip, as opposed to the Chicagoribune, who syndicated the strip; the assumption ishat it was a decision based on geographic conve-ience. Smith denied basing Andy Gump on Davidoag. Despite these denials, there remains specula-
ion about whether Hoag’s facial deformity influencedmith, directly or indirectly. Smith’s father was a den-ist—was Hoag one of his patients? Herb Galewitz, aomic strip historian, noted that Smith may have de-ied these allegations to “protect himself legally.”4
oag ultimately lost his lawsuit. Smith was subse-uently killed while driving his Rolls-Royce home onctober 20, 1935, in Chicago. He had just left thehicago Tribune offices after signing a $150,000 an-
GURE 1. A, Forty-one-year-old man with a severely retrog-thic mandible due to bilateral condylar fractures as a child. B,eoperative lateral cephalogram. C, Profile after distraction ofndible.
ahid R. Aziz. Andy Gump Deformity. J Oral Maxillofac Surg10.
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SHAHID R. AZIZ 653
artoonist Gus Edson replaced Smith and continuedhe strip. In the 1950s the popularity of The Gumpsaned and the strip was canceled on October 17,
959. A statue of Andy Gump was commissioned byhe Chicago Tribune and given as a gift to Sidneymith in the 1930s. It stood on his Lake Geneva, WI,state until his death. The statue was then shifted toake Geneva’s Flat Iron Park, where in 1967 it wasestroyed during a drunken riot by “young, beer-willing Fourth of July revelers who smashed it tomithereens.”5 The city council of Lake Geneva re-laced the statue, which was subsequently stolen.he current Andy Gump statue overlooking Lake Ge-eva is the fourth replica; it is alarmed and made ofberglass, and the city created a mold to quicklyeplace it as needed (Fig 3).5,6
The 20th-century chinless cartoon character Andyump is the namesake of a deformity resulting fromn absent or retrognathic lower jaw. History providesvidence that Andy Gump’s appearance may be basedn an actual head and neck cancer survivor. With
IGURE 2. Andy Gump cigar label. Note lack of lower jawcourtesy of www.vintagepaperimage.com).
hahid R. Aziz. Andy Gump Deformity. J Oral Maxillofac Surg
010.dvances in maxillofacial reconstruction, the Andyump deformity may become a part of history asell.
eferences. Seshul MB, Sinn DP, Gerlock AJ Jr: The Andy Gump fracture of
the mandible: A cause of respiratory obstruction or distress.J Trauma 18:611, 1978
. The Gumps. Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gumps.Accessed October 1, 2008
. David A. Hoag, Plaintiff v The Post Standard Company, SupremeCourt, County of Ontario, State of New York, May 14, 1928
. Steckler RM, Edgerton MT, Gogel W: “Andy Gump.” Am J Surg128:545, 1974
. Soloman A: A party place grows up. Chicago Tribune, August 14,2005
. Andy Gump statue. http://www.roadsideamerica.com/story/
IGURE 3. Andy Gump statue, Flat Iron Park, Lake Geneva,I (courtesy of www.flickr.com/photos/digitalsextant/37354334/
n/photostream/).
hahid R. Aziz. Andy Gump Deformity. J Oral Maxillofac Surg010.
11771. Accessed October 1, 2008
