The military demining service should not do this kind of intervention every day! On Wednesday 1 December, at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester, West England, a man presented to the emergency room with a WWII shell stuck in his rectum.
This is the kind of mishap we would prefer to avoid! This Wednesday, December 1, the emergency department at Gloucester Hospital, England, was surprised to see a man presenting to doctors with a WWII shell stuck in his rectum. According to The Sun, which broadcast the news, the man explained to medical professionals that he “slipped and fell” on the 17 by 6 cm armor-piercing projectile, which came from his personal collection of military items.
“As with any incident involving ammunition, relevant safety protocols were followed to ensure that there was, at no time, a risk to patients, staff or visitors,” said a spokesperson for the hospital to our British colleagues. He added that “the object had been removed before the arrival of the police and the army’s demining team had been called in.”
Ultimately, the analysis showed that this was an empty abuse. “It was basically a piece of inert metal, so there was no risk,” one of the servicemen told The Sun.
The patient “passionate about military weapons” was finally able to leave the hospital and return home to recover. He does not risk forgetting this story which could have turned into a tragedy if the object had pierced the intestine.