Some time ago I did a post about a boy who had swallowed a fish in a fit of temper, and the effects of its existence inside him. A fish, lost and confused! 1950
Western Argus 2 Dec 1930 http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36410899
Yes, it was supposedly still alive and swimming around in his stomach.
I commented on the likelihood of a fish being happy with the living conditions while all around it was being digested and came to the conclusion that no, the fish was not alive in there, the kid was just sick.
Here I have found another article about an unlikely resident of the digestive system, a snake. At least a fish is happy in a watery environment, even though stomach juices are probably not an ideal habitat, but a snake? Naaaaw….
I wonder what symptoms this woman originally presented to the doctor with? Was she over-pronouncing her S’s?
The introduction of the snake to her insides was attributed to the woman having drunk from a spring and accidentally ingesting the reptile as a baby. Now, I have only seen a few baby snakes, but I doubt that any one of them could make its way down my throat without me noticing. Baby snakes are small (and very cute) but not that small!
That article also mentions that the snake is ‘steadily growing’. What is it eating?
It does sound absurd. If the snake was so small she didn’t notice it when she swallowed the creature, it seems it would have died.
If only the liquid that makes up our digestive juices was just water I could suspend my disbelief a little more, but really, it was designed to eat away at food wasn’t it! Plus there is the whole no air thing… oh well, another story in the can’t be true basket ;)
I keep wondering what would the snake live off of, unless the woman ate a steady diet of mice? Beetles? Yuck! Fun story, though!
I expect that the average French peasants diet in 1930 would have not been very snake friendly! It is a fun story. Aaahhh, the things they though were news, bless ‘em :)
…aaaand right after I read this, The Husband went to the grocery store and found a pretty little lizard inside a carton of a dozen eggs. : )
I love that! Maybe it was scheming for someone to take it home and put it in the fridge to cool off. :)
Really, snakes and fish living inside someone… some of your finds are weird, but these two top the list. I believe in mer-people more so. :)
Can you imagine the type of medical attention the kid was getting to kill the fish within? Crikey! No wonder he felt unwell :) You are right, mer-people are no less likely than critters living happily inside a stomach, are they!
-wide eyed naivety- maybe the snake ate the butterflies?
There was an old woman who swallowed a fly.
I don’t know why she swallowed a fly,
perhaps she’ll die.
Ahhh, memories ;) The kids still have that book, complete with an ever-growing cutout where her tummy gets bigger and bigger with the critters inside ‘er.
You would never feel anxious again if those darned butterflies were gone! What would you swallow to catch the snake though? ;)
-giggles- a mongoose? Or down under we could always send a kookaburra down to do the job. The feathers might tickle though. ;)
I dunno, Kookas are sneaky and tough. I bet it would take care of the snake and then go all Alien chestburster to get out! :D
lmao – yup! Serious indigestion.
My imagination went in another direction — exotic dining. In Douglas Addams’ Restaurant at the End of the Universe the cow discusses the cut of meat you’d like, in the manner of a helpful waiter. The live snake could be on another extreme menu. Totally fiction!
Eeeek! You would hope the snake didn’t change its mind on the way down though! :)
‘Some time ago I did a post about a boy who had swallowed a fish in a fit of temper’ – how could I miss this post? Have just checked it out!
And she din’t feel it go down her throat? Ewww. I even hate the sound of snakes! *running away screaming on top of my voice*
Sorry, you’ll have to scream louder, I can’t hear past the fish in your throat ;)