Darwin Award Winner: Chinese Man Swallowed A Spoon On A Dare And Lived A Year Before Removing It
Xinjiang Meikuang General HospitalAn x-ray of Mr. Zhang’s chest with the spoon lodged in his esophagus.
The Darwin awards continues with its subset category in “things we put into our bodies this year.” A man in China survived the removal of an eight-inch spoon from his throat which had reportedly been inside his esophagus for an entire year.
In 2017, the man in his early 20s identified as Mr. Zhang, swallowed the spoon on a dare, according to a statement from Xinjiang Meikuang General Hospital. Shockingly, the eight-inch spoon caused little discomfort to Mr. Zhang who was able to carry on as normal for months without any significant pain.
It wasn’t until sometime in mid-October 2018, when Mr. Zhang was punched in the chest that he complained of abnormal soreness and an inability to properly breathe. He finally sought medical attention for what turned out, obviously, to be a piece of cutlery lodged in his esophagus.
Xinjiang Meikuang General HospitalThe mucus-covered spoon removed from Mr. Zhang’s throat.
Once examined with an endoscope, the spoon in all its mucus-covered glory was discovered, indeed, the man’s body had formed a cocoon of mucus around the spoon.
“I was very surprised,” Yu Xiwu, the director of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology and one of the surgeons who operated on Mr. Zhang, said in the statement. “I have never encountered a similar patient.”
On Oct. 22, three doctors performed a two-hour procedure to safely remove the spoon. Unsurprisingly, once the spoon was out of his throat, Mr. Zhang felt relief from most of his symptoms. The hospital’s statement says that he is recovering well and after a couple days of rest he will be discharged.
At the end of the statement, Dr. Xiwu gave a gentle warning to those who are looking to perform a similar stunt as Mr. Zhang, saying, “Don’t be impulsive and do things that hurt you. Because foreign bodies that enter the esophagus or stomach, they can be life-threatening at any time.”
Good advice, doctor.
