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The author in reporting this case first draws attention to two unusual features in it, the nature of the foreign body, and the persistent refusal of the patient to aid any of the five physicians who saw him in arriving at a diagnosis although he was intelligent and did not exhibit any real psychotic phenomena.
The case is briefly as follows: The patient, aged twenty-four, was admitted to hospital complaining of severe pain in the mid-lumbar region for two days. He told the doctor he had no idea of the cause of the pain. Examination by a surgeon on the next day revealed the presence of a full-sized drinking glass in the rectum (four inches high, two and three-eighths inches across the bottom, and two and five-eighths inches across the top) which had been introduced inverted. The glass was removed and the patient made an uninterrupted recovery.
When the patient was informed of what had been found he offered no explanation and remained rather sullen. He resented attempts to obtain a complete history. It was discoved, however, that he had introduced the glass five days before its removal, and he admitted he had done it for its erotic effect. He was a painter by occupation and lived with his family. He had been somewhat hypochondriacal during the past few years. He was of the seclusive type, rather inattentive, introverted, selfish, lazy, and had few friends. He always avoided the opposite sex, and denied masturbation as ordinarily practised. He admitted to active rectal eroticism since his fourteenth year. Twice when a boy he permitted rectal coitus. For a long time he introduced ordinary candles into his rectum, then he used medicine bottles of gradually increasing size, until finally the drinking glass.
The author considers this case remarkable from the fact that the 'man had a dangerous foreign body in the rectum; that it caused intense