French Hospital Evacuated After Man Arrives with WWI Artillery Shell in Rectum
Emergency rooms witness countless bizarre cases, but some incidents are so extraordinary they defy belief. A recent medical emergency in France certainly falls into this category, involving a historical artifact that turned a routine procedure into a major security operation.
The Unusual Emergency Admission
Earlier this year, medical staff at a hospital in Toulouse, France, encountered a patient presentation unlike any other. A 24-year-old man arrived complaining of severe pain, vaguely indicating that "an object" was lodged inside his body. He provided no explanation regarding how or why the item became trapped, simply expressing that something was terribly wrong.
Doctors immediately scheduled him for surgical intervention, unaware that they were about to uncover an object of historical and potentially dangerous significance.
From Medical Crisis to Security Emergency
During the procedure, surgeons made a startling discovery. The foreign body was not an everyday object but a World War I artillery shell, measuring approximately 16 centimeters in length and 4 centimeters in width, dating back to 1918.
This realization instantly transformed the situation from a private medical matter into a public safety concern. With uncertainty about whether the century-old shell remained live or inert, hospital authorities took decisive action.
They evacuated the affected area and summoned the bomb disposal squad and firefighters during nighttime hours. The surgical team halted their operation until explosive experts could assess the artifact.
Bomb Squad Intervention and Safe Resolution
Fortunately, the bomb squad examination determined the shell was a harmless collector's item, originally used by French military forces during the First World War. Once declared safe, doctors successfully removed the object without injury to the patient or medical personnel.
The emergency department remained evacuated from 9:00 PM to 11:30 PM on a Saturday, with patients temporarily diverted to other facilities. A hospital spokesperson confirmed to local media that "an emergency occurred that required the intervention of bomb disposal personnel."
Firefighters were additionally mobilized as a precautionary measure to prevent any fire risk during the delicate operation. Following the incident, police initiated an investigation into possession of Category A ammunition, though no charges were ultimately filed against the recovered patient.
Historical Context and Previous Incidents
This extraordinary case is not an isolated occurrence in France. In 2022, another hospital faced similar disruption when an elderly man arrived with a World War I shell lodged in the same anatomical location, necessitating another bomb squad response and facility evacuation.
Such incidents highlight how historical artifacts from the World Wars continue to surface in modern French life. Between 1914 and 1918, the Imperial German Army launched hundreds of thousands of artillery shells against Allied forces on the Western Front.
France experiences what locals call the "Iron Harvest" annually, with thousands of unexploded bombs and shells from both World Wars still being unearthed by farmers and construction workers. While discovering these relics in fields is common, encountering one in a hospital operating room represents an entirely different dimension of historical reappearance.
The patient made a full recovery, leaving medical professionals and security personnel to reflect on one of the most unusual emergencies they had ever encountered.
