Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1874-06-25
The Man Who Swallowed a Fork.

OUR readers are aware that in Paris
| that city Of @ sensations"-One of the chief
sensations" Of today relates to the man
who swallowed fork. We are happy to
be able to lay before our readers the fol
lowing communication on the subject,
from one of the most distinguished ply
sicians of France, DR.. Julius SeguIn, the
brother Of DR.. Edward Seguin, Of this
city.-N. z Eg6nGng Post.
de is a clerk in the dry goods store LIE
Printemps. Since this accident hap
pened, the Partisan papers quote all the
analogous cases they find in old records,
more to excite curiosity than to help the
poor fellow by good suggestion. After
fifteen days Of experiments made in view
Of relieving him, without success, by
eminent surgeons, he left the hospital de
Ia Piete and resumed his position in the
store, wheEeJ see him again.
He is nineteen years old, we'll built,
healthy and intelligent; shows no trace
Of suffering, but some Of q preoccupation
Of his mind; though he knows by the ex-
amples quoted that he runs very little
risk. The fork, whose presence in the
stomach has been ascertained beyond q
doubt, does not cause him any pain, ex-
cept when he bends his body sideways,
or when the stomach is empty. The lat
ter Obliges him to eat oftener than he
would only for the satisfaction Of true
appetite.
To understand how this accident hap
pened, and, moreover, to warn the i'm
prudents who expose themselves to a
similar mishap it is good to know how
this takes place. When food or body is
introduced into the mouth, it remains
there under the control Of the will; but
if it is allowed to go even partly farther,
it, or d part of it, is seized between the
muscular fibers which form the middle
coat Of the digestive canal, upon which
the will has no action, and down it goes,
carried by the peristaltic (naturaD move
ment of these muscles, unless it is
stopped by its bulk, weight or form.
Children, in particular, must be made, as
early as possible, aware of this danger. of
which the details are quite unknown.
Things thus involuntarily swallowed NAV
become dangerous by their substance
whose chemical decomposition NAV bro.
duce poisons; by their bulk, which can
obstruct the alimentary canal; by their
confguration, whose asperites may hurt;
by their length, which cannot follow uOr
straighten the fieXuOsities Of the organs
o. digestion.
The chemical alteration of fork-as
in the present instance-may, ACCORDING
to its composition, produce oxides, SUI,
phurets, salts Of copper, Of nickel, of zinc.
Of arsenic, whose danger is lessened nv
constant elimination, but greater if anti
mony is present in the compound, and
greater if lead. Therefore it is necessary
in a case Of that sort to have analyzed an
object similar to the one swallowed. and
to watch for the advent Of the possible
signs of absorption. Another danger
consequent to chemical decomposition Of
such body may be an alteration of its
shape, by which cutting or pointed sur
faces may be formed, capable of forcing
their way out through the tissues.
In the present case the fork is not of a
bulk sufficient to obliterate the WAYS.
The handle, first introduced, has slipped
along the grand curve of the stomach, and
is directed toward the pylore. Thus, so
far, the fork lies at the bottom of the
stomach. If it enters the intestines. their
peristaltic movement will carry it along;
but their curves are so numerous and
short that it is difficult to imagine how
they could be travelled through by an in
flexible, straight body, seven inches long.
On this account such movement does not
seem desirable.
On the other hand, the digestions are
good. By some infammatory process