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-Short Attention Span Theater-
Doctors Find Loose Wiring & Change in Man's Stomach
2004-09-02
Wed Sep 1, 5:38 PM ET
BANGKOK, Thailand - It was almost like breaking open a piggy bank. Doctors performing emergency surgery on a man who was rushed to hospital writhing in pain were stunned when more than 4.2 pounds of loose change spilled out of his stomach.
I know exactly how this guy feels. Just the other day, I stole a woman's purse. I thought the change would do me some good. [rimshot]
Sanguan Pongsawat, 37, who has a history of mistrusting banking institutions and does not own a mattress mental disorders, was operated on Tuesday in the northern town of Payao, said Dr. Sakchai Athawiboon of the Payao hospital. Sakchai said that Sanguan, who lived with his mother, had been swallowing the coins for a long time without her knowledge.
"Otherwise I would have made him wear a diaper!"
"He is in safe but not sane condition. But he has to be in the hospital for some time in case of side effects because the metal coins had been in his body for a long time," Sakchai said Wednesday. The coins had turned black from stomach acid. Sanguan was in excruciating pain on Tuesday and was taken to a hospital, where an X-ray showed hard objects in his stomach. They weren't identified until the surgery. Payao is about 375 miles north of Bangkok.
I don't think this is what Pongsawat's doctor had in mind when he recommended a "change in diet."
Posted by:Zenster

#7  thanks craig i guess silver would be fairly safe the big mystery is the earlier dime that guy dont look like a barber to me
Posted by: Half   2004-09-03 7:28:52 AM  

#6  wtf are you talking about Half? They are made from the conventional 90% silver 10% copper alloy typical of all 1964 and prior dimes.

"The common name of mercury comes from The portrait on the face side of the coin is actually that of Liberty wearing a winged cap symbolizing freedom of thought. However, because of the resemblance of this portrait to Mercury, the coin has always been popularly referred to as a Mercury dime."

http://coins.about.com/library/weekly/aa042901a.htm
Posted by: Craig   2004-09-02 8:25:09 PM  

#5  all funnies aside please avoid eating mercury dimes because they contain heavy metal
Posted by: Half   2004-09-02 6:48:31 PM  

#4  A really nice 1914-D always makes me a little hungry. I mean if the wheat ears are in good shape of course... I'm not that weird.

Posted by: Shipman   2004-09-02 5:41:10 PM  

#3  This is actually a recognized mental problem, swallowing coins.

What would be the technical name, I wonder?

Numismaphagy?

Apparently, this is a lot more common than one would think.
Posted by: Zenster   2004-09-02 4:45:55 PM  

#2  This is actually a recognized mental problem, swallowing coins.

What would be the technical name, I wonder?

Nothing comes up on a quick google, but I did stumble across this:

Estimating the Airspeed Velocity of an Unladen Swallow
Posted by: mojo   2004-09-02 2:22:21 PM  

#1  The X-rays probably showed a big, solid mass in his gut. How much fun that must have been!
Posted by: Robert Crawford   2004-09-02 8:28:33 AM  

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