It is common for doctors to witness the most diverse scenes and somewhat eccentric personal situations. However, what they experienced in a hospital in the south of France was something unusual.
The medical team removed a projectile dating from World War I (1914-1918) from the rectum of a 24-year-old man, according to the French regional press.
The young man presented himself on the night of January 31 to February 1 at the emergency room of the Rangueil hospital, in Toulouse, complaining of pain in his back and claiming to have inserted an object into his rectum.
After his admission, a medical team performed emergency surgery and discovered the explosive lodged in the man’s rectum due to circumstances that have yet to be clarified.
According to the newspaper The Dispatchthe 37mm caliber projectile, made in Germany, measured about 16 centimeters long and four centimeters in diameter.
“Surgeons removed the object before alerting police, given its nature,” the newspaper reported.
Faced with the unusual and dangerous discovery, the hospital called on a team of bomb squads and firefighters, who imposed a security perimeter. The device was then neutralized. “The operation went well. He was able to leave on Sunday morning,” the doctors reported.
When questioned by the police, the patient did not offer more details about the reason for this unusual appearance in the town of Munitionnettes, he simply stated that he had ingested cocaine.
Possible complaint
Once the circumstances of this episode are clarified, the young man could be reported to court for possession of category A ammunition, subject to a maximum prison sentence of 5 years and a fine of up to 75,000 euros.
However, as reported The Dispatch who contacted The Toulouse prosecutor was blunt: “We will not prosecute him, since there is no criminal offense. The ammunition was demilitarized,” said David Charmatz.
It’s not the first
This is not the first time in France that a patient shows up at the hospital with a bullet in the rectum.
In December 2022, an octogenarian underwent surgery in a hospital in Toulon (southern France) after presenting this device in the anal passage. The medical center had to be evacuated as a precaution.