Lifestyle

Man Undergoes Surgery After Eating Forty Knives

By  | 
Tony Maples Photography

 

Doctors in Amritsar, India took two days to carefully develop a surgical plan before starting a five-hour operation last week. Their 42-year-old male patient was a particularly strange case who had consumed 40 folded and unfolded knives in the past two months.

Dr. Jatinder Malhotra told CNN, “He had a wild urge to consume metal. Even for us, the experienced surgeons, it was frightening. We were so nervous…a small mistake could have taken the patient’s life. In my 20 years of practice, I have never seen anything like it.”

Many of the knives were folded, but several were also opened to reach about 7″ long. Doctors also note that some of the knives had already started to rust and break. The surgery went well, but now doctors must consider the psychological diagnosis.

CNN quotes the patient as saying, “I don’t know why I used to swallow knives. I just enjoyed its taste and I was addicted…how people get addicted to alcohol and other things, my situation was similar.”

Doctors speculate that perhaps he was craving iron, but also hypothesize that the mental issues go deeper. The patient is feeling much better and will continue to undergo mental health evaluations.