Medical staff at a hospital in Toulouse, France, faced an extraordinary emergency this weekend when a young man arrived with a dangerous historical relic lodged in his body.
Unprecedented Surgical Discovery
A 24-year-old patient presented at the medical facility complaining of significant pain but initially withheld specific details about the cause. During a necessary surgical procedure, doctors made a startling discovery: the man had inserted a 16 centimetre by 4 centimetre artillery shell from World War One, dating back to 1918, into his rectum.
Emergency Services Mobilisation
The medical team immediately contacted explosive ordnance disposal specialists, triggering a major emergency response. Law enforcement officers and firefighters swiftly descended upon the hospital premises to secure the area and manage the potentially lethal situation.
Fire service representatives confirmed to French media that they successfully defused the century-old munition, eliminating any immediate danger to hospital staff, patients, and the surrounding community.
Legal Consequences and Recovery
The patient remains under medical supervision while recovering from the surgical intervention. Authorities indicate he may face criminal prosecution for violating France's stringent weapons legislation, which governs the possession and handling of military explosives.
Not an Isolated Incident
This alarming case follows a pattern of dangerous rectal insertions documented in medical literature and news reports worldwide. In a separate incident, a 45-year-old man in Gujarat, India, endured ten days of agony after friends inserted a metal cup into his rectum during a drunken party in the dry state.
The cylindrical object, measuring approximately 3-4 inches in diameter and 6 inches long, became further embedded when he attempted self-removal. Embarrassment prevented him from seeking timely medical assistance, risking severe complications or fatal consequences.
Another notable case involved Mitchell C Vest, a 60-year-old American man apprehended in Houston, Texas, for inserting antique items including a makeup brush, vintage bottle opener, and tobacco tin into his rectum while wearing traditional Scottish attire. He was discovered replacing the contaminated objects on display shelves at The Antique Gallery.
These incidents highlight the serious medical risks and potential legal repercussions associated with inserting foreign objects into the body, particularly when those objects pose explosive hazards or contamination threats.
