A 24-year-old Frenchman shows up at hospital with a World War I shell lodged in his rectum

https://english.elpais.com/international/2026-02-02/a-24-year-old-frenchman-shows-up-at-hospital-with-a-world-war-i-shell-lodged-in-his-rectum.html

Crossposted from https://feddit.uk/post/43715499

Medical staff had to halt the procedure, fearing a possible explosion. The hospital, unfamiliar with such protocols, immediately alerted the authorities, and around 1:40 a.m., police arrived and activated the bomb squad. The team established a security perimeter to neutralize the device so surgery could continue, though no one knew at that stage if the entire operation could blow up at any moment.

299 points · 63 comments · view on lemmy.world

63 Comments

Multiplexer@discuss.tchncs.de · 62 pts · 193d (5 replies)

But wait... Isn't he much too young to have fought in WWI?

Gonzako@lemmy.world · 66 pts · 193d (1 reply)

It actually was shot into it's great grandmothers abdomen and has been carried through birth in each generation. Now that the carrier is a man medics actually care about it.

fartographer@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 192d

But, it took him 24 years to get an appointment because France has universal healthcare.

- Americans who believe our politicians

Billy_fuccboi@lemmy.world · 10 pts · 193d (1 reply)

The shell time traveled and hit him straight in the ass

Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works · 3 pts · 192d

Dear me, what bad luck this poor lad has!

MasterBlaster@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 191d

Apparently didn't have enough cash to buy a butt plug, got creative, and is now forever globally embarrassed (both figuratively, and literally).

megopie@lemmy.blahaj.zone · 52 pts · 193d (10 replies)

IT KEEPS HAPPENING!

Come on people if you find century old ordnance in your back yard, make sure it has a flared base!

Stick with mortar rounds, not shells for infantry support guns or artillery!

The described size of the shell is interesting. “Over 3 centimeters” sounds like it could be a 3.7cm shell which were fairly common in WW1 but, none of those were “20 cm long” most being closer to 10 cm, such as the the 37mm mle.1916, the 1 pounder pom pom and the 3.7 cm TAK 1918.

Later ww2 3.7mm shells were often close to 20cm in length though.

Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 22 pts · 192d (4 replies)

It's not his fault. He fell on it.

Tanoh@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 192d (3 replies)

Million to one shot, doc

Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 192d (2 replies)

You've also watched Scrubs?

Tanoh@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 192d (1 reply)

I was thinking of Seinfeld, but indeed I have watched Scrubs too.

Remember_the_tooth@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 192d

I think I got my references mixed up. Thanks for setting me straight.

miked@piefed.social · 4 pts · 192d (3 replies)

Learned about the need for a flare base from Lemmy.

Thank you. 😒

GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world · 6 pts · 192d

If it doesn't have flared base, your ass will 'swallow' it. Pretty quickly, in fact. Don't fuck around with this, it's the most embarrassing ER trip you will have.

Because HIPAA be damned, you will end up being mocked online for weeks, and the shame will be yours, even if your name is omitted from the news cycle.

MasterBlaster@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 191d (1 reply)

sssssuuuuurrrreeee you did. (yes, that was a joke, don't be offended, plz)

miked@piefed.social · 2 pts · 191d

Not offended at all. This is Lemmy.

Akasazh@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 192d

Great advice for the butthole-fun-curious detectorist

AllNewTypeFace@leminal.space · 36 pts · 192d

“There’s a guy in the waiting room with a WW1 shell inside him”

“Rectum?”

“Not yet, but it’s touch and go”

TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 33 pts · 192d (12 replies)

Everything's a dildo when you're brave enough

klymilark@herbicide.fallcounty.omg.lol · 12 pts · 192d (9 replies)

That's the kinda mentality that lead to the fall of Yugoslavia

biggerbogboy@sh.itjust.works · 5 pts · 192d (7 replies)

Understood that reference

MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de · 4 pts · 192d (6 replies)

I'm too stupid to be afraid to ask today, apparently. "Please" enlighten me.

Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus · 8 pts · 192d (5 replies)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C4%90or%C4%91e_Martinovi%C4%87_incident tells: "The collapse of this taboo in the coverage of the Martinović case heralded the growth of nationalism that was to lead to the country's collapse in 1991."

MachineFab812@discuss.tchncs.de · 3 pts · 192d

Ouch, that poor bastard.

Aljernon@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 187d (1 reply)

Damn, that's wild. The worst thing of all (war and bloodshed aside) is that he probably just wanted to disappear in embarrassment and escape notice from the public but instead him and his bottle got written into the history books. I wonder how many academic papers have mentioned his anus?

Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus · 1 pts · 186d

::: spoiler Well, his default escape being "it was Albanians" is such an asshole move to make that he loses all sympathy points for that... (Pun about "asshole" originally unintended) :::

MasterBlaster@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 191d (1 reply)

I'm conflicted about learning this. I find it informative, yet very very disturbing.

At first, I thought it was going to be about the start of WW I, given that Franz Ferdinand was assassinated by a serb in what later became Yugoslavia. It seems these are cursed people.

Tuuktuuk@anarchist.nexus · 1 pts · 191d

::: spoiler They are lively people. ...and that makes them deadly people. :::

TigerAce@lemmy.dbzer0.com · -1 pts · 192d

And the current fall of the USA.

MasterBlaster@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 191d

Everything’s a dildo when you’re brave enough

Everything’s a dildo when you’re brave desperately horny enough

psoul@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 191d

Amen. Pain can be a great source of pleasure.

victorz@lemmy.world · 15 pts · 192d (6 replies)

Can't make this shit up.

bossito@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 192d (5 replies)

What's the app?

victorz@lemmy.world · 3 pts · 192d (4 replies)

Voyager on Android

bossito@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 192d (3 replies)

Thank you, looks cool. I think I'll try it, been using booster..

victorz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 192d (2 replies)

My pleasure, pal! Thunder is also a good one. Those are my top two I would say. There are so many now. I think I've tried the vast majority of them though. I had a bit of a trial period. 😅

bossito@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 192d (1 reply)

I think I've only tried Jerboa besides Boost. Thanks again.

victorz@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 192d

No prob! Good luck finding your favorite!

melsaskca@lemmy.ca · 15 pts · 192d (1 reply)

"Rectum!? Damn near killed 'em!!"

MojoMcJojo@lemmy.world · 8 pts · 192d

"Rectum!? Damn near killed us all!"

RestrictedAccount@lemmy.world · 13 pts · 192d (1 reply)

One in a million shot

SPRUNT@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 192d

Bulls/brown eye!

buwho@lemmy.ml · 12 pts · 192d (1 reply)

gen z's "one guy one jar" equivalent

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 1 pts · 191d

It is a bit more spicy

BetaBlake@lemmy.world · 12 pts · 192d (1 reply)

Time travelers coming ahead for medical care

zod000@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 192d

This feels like solid evidence that the UK medical system is going to get worse as otherwise the time traveler would just keep going further in time to get better treatment.

Ceruleum@lemmy.wtf · 11 pts · 191d

Those damn Germans! They attacked me from behind!

CompactFlax@discuss.tchncs.de · 8 pts · 192d

Flared base. Always insist on a flared base.

CameronDev@programming.dev · 8 pts · 192d (2 replies)

Rect

betterdeadthanreddit@lemmy.world · 7 pts · 192d

Damn near killed.

voodooattack@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 192d

Umm… fair.

Poteau_Poutre@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 192d

"Impossible n'est pas français" 😎

Wilco@lemmy.zip · 5 pts · 191d

The new YouTube series "Will it Dildo" has its first major setback.

mkhopper@lemmy.world · 5 pts · 192d

So, when he says something like, "Oh man, I'm going to bomb this bathroom", he's not lyin'.

bitflip@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 4 pts · 192d

peopleproblems@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 192d

That episode of Grey's Anatomy was horrifying

GalacticGrapefruit@lemmy.world · 4 pts · 191d

I've heard of an explosive orgasm before, but this is ridiculous.

SaveTheTuaHawk@lemmy.ca · 3 pts · 191d

Someonelol@lemmy.dbzer0.com · 3 pts · 192d

Hope he got a tetanus shot 'cause that thing's probably rusted to hell.

JabbaTheThott@lemmy.world · 2 pts · 191d

Weird movie from A24 but I'll take it

BarneyPiccolo@lemmy.today · 2 pts · 191d

A few years ago, I went out at the beginning of the summer to get some new pool noodles. I could t find them, no matter where I looked, all summer. So weird.

The following summer, they were everywhere, but they all had a sticker on them, that included "Not to be inserted rectally." Suddenly, I understood why they had been off the market for a season, as the regulators got involved.

So someone saw a pool noodle, and thought "Hmmm..."

possiblylinux127@lemmy.zip · 2 pts · 191d

Makes sense

FuglyDuck@lemmy.world · 1 pts · 193d

I don't suppose Badge502 is on lemmy?