Man eats 40 knives, promises surgeons he won't do it again

A man in India ate 40 knives before promising doctors he "will not do it in the future."
(Image credit: iStock)

An Indian man went to the hospital after experiencing stomach pain only to confirm to the shocked surgeons that yes, he had willingly consumed the dozens of knives they found in his stomach. "In 20 years, I've never seen such a patient," chief surgeon Jatinder Malholtra told The Washington Post. "I was amazed."

The pocket knives were both swallowed with and without their blades out, and were about seven inches long. The man was bleeding badly internally, and the surgeons, who recovered 28 knives, said he would not have lived much longer without their intervention. Although the patient said he'd eaten 28 knives total over a two month period, the surgeons' suspicions were aroused. They scanned him again, and found an additional 12 knives in his stomach.

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.