Eel Enema
2003 Honorable Mention
Confirmed True by Darwin
(Late 2003, Hong Kong) An unidentified Hong Kong resident, age 50, entered
the Accident and Emergency Department of a local hospital complaining of
abdominal pain. The doctor's examination revealed peritonitis, an
inflammation of the abdomen. Wondering what had caused this problem,
doctors ordered an x-ray and spotted what appeared to be an eel inside his
colon! Could an eel be the source of his pain?
Confirmed True by Darwin
Yes, the man admitted, there was an eel inside him. He had been suffering from constipation, he told the dubious medical staff, and thought that inserting an eel into his rectum would relieve it.
The man was rushed to the operating room, where an emergency laparoscopy disclosed that a 50-cm (19-inch) eel was biting the side of his colon. The eel also had also taken a bite out of his rectum wall in transit, so to speak. After surgeons removed the animal and reconstructed the rectum, the man's pain and constipation were both cured. He was discharged from the hospital a week later.
