Not many occurrences have the capacity to amaze, but this one is genuinely remarkable—and not in the way you’d typically anticipate.
If you’ve ever watched a medical drama, you’re probably familiar with the recurring theme of a patient inserting something in an unconventional place. However, the least expected scenario is encountering such an incident in reality.
In a strange twist of fate, doctors in France were left astounded when an 88-year-old man showed up at the hospital on a Saturday night with a World War One (WW1) bomb stuck in his rectum.
It’s an undeniably exceptional situation.
The incident triggered a bomb scare in the hospital, prompting a partial evacuation. Hospital Sainte Musse in Toulon had to intervene urgently between 9 pm and 11:30 pm on that Saturday evening, involving bomb disposal experts and the evacuation of both adult and pediatric emergency areas, as well as redirecting incoming emergencies.
A spokesperson from the hospital shared with Var-Matin, “They reassured us by telling us that it was a collector’s item from the First World War, used by the French military.”
Once the bomb disposal experts confirmed that the artillery shell, measuring eight inches in length and over two inches in width, was unlikely to explode inside the man, the situation was considered safe.
With the clearance from bomb experts, doctors boarded on the risky task of removing the explosive from the man’s rectum.
Despite their expertise, the medical team found the choice of object perplexing. One doctor reportedly commented, “An apple, a mango, or even a can of shaving foam, we are used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be. But a shell? Never!”
Despite initial attempts, the bomb couldn’t be removed through examination alone. The elderly man had to undergo surgery for a safe extraction. Following the procedure, which involved cutting open his abdomen to remove the unusual antique, the hospital confirmed that the man is expected to make a full recovery.