Doctors Find 350 Coins in Patient's Belly

[Danieljay]

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040218/ap_on_he_me/coin_eater_2
By JEFF DONN, Associated Press Writer


This gives a whole new meaning to the saying "put your money where your mouth is!"


BOSTON - French doctors were taken aback when they discovered the reason for a patient's sore, swollen belly: He had swallowed around 350 coins — $650 worth — along with assorted necklaces and needles.


The 62-year-old man came to the emergency room of Cholet General Hospital in western France in 2002. He had a history of major psychiatric illness, was suffering from stomach pain, and could not eat or move his bowels.

snip

Still, doctors were awed when they took an X-ray. They discovered an enormous opaque mass in his stomach that turned out to weigh 12 pounds — as much as some bowling balls. It was so heavy it had forced his stomach down between his hips.


snip

"When he was invited and came in some homes, he liked to steal coins and eat them," Francois said.


snip

The patient's rare condition is called pica, a compulsion to eat things not normally consumed as food. Its name comes from the Latin word for magpie, a bird thought to eat just about anything.

[rumguy]

1. Holy god...

that is crazy...

[Ediacara]

2. you know...

I know people seem to have problems with banks, but this is rediculous.

Ok, and in all seriousness, it's too bad that this could not have been treated before, and he had to die from his condition.

[MichaelHarris]

3. other stuff

Did they find any WMDs?

[Occulus]

4. Wow.

Ingesting for the future.

[0rganism]

5. With the way mutual funds have been lately, who can blame him?

Although now he could himself be liable for insider trading...

[0007]

6. No Biggy - The guy was a rare coin collector

[ret5hd]

7. i wonder if he was gong to "pass them on" to his children (nt)

[R Hickey]

8. My two cent's worth

My brother, who is schizophrenic, went thru a period of time where he was eating coins. I don't remember how many the doctor took out of him, but the rest of the family thought it was pretty weird, and it did answer some questions about where all the money was going.

The doctor told us that some of the coins were harmless, but that other coins can desolve in the stomach's acid, and the metal can poison the coin-eater.

I myself have collected coins, but never ate any.

[UpInArms]

9. gives the old saying

"put your money where your mouth is" a whole new meaning :crazy:

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

10. So, did he give change?

[Braden]

11. was it enough to pay for his funeral?