Sword Swallower Research Articles

The Undertaking

The Undertaking Ellen Rogers (bio) When J began a side job as an undertaker at a funeral home, our partnership was ending—a death of a different sort. J was mainly a sword swallower. He performed in nouveau cirque shows along the West Coast. Even though he had traveled with tents big enough to hold hundreds of awe-struck showgoers across the country, neither of us ever had much money. He took on extra jobs to fill some of the gaps, most of them a little dangerous; prior to becoming an undertaker he worked as an arborist and an electrician. It was as if he wanted to confront death in all the work he chose. Before I knew him, early on in his career, J was rushed to the emergency room after nicking his epiglottis with his sword during a show—blood on the tip of his blade. He could have died. In the first months we dated, I could barely watch any time he performed. But soon the act felt normal, like breathing. To some, the circus might seem like fun and games, just a distraction from real life. But each act looks life and death right in the face: the drop from an aerial rig, the slice of a sword in the throat. It’s risky business. Performers swallow death, then bow. Fatality is always possible amidst impossible feats. Each show shows us all that death will cull and how it could. Then the glorious circus ends, and the train leaves town. [End Page 57] I was awed by these lessons even as I struggled with them. Since J and I broke up, my struggles with these lessons have not gone away. Though I don’t long to resurrect our relationship, this part of my life, even years later, haunts me—the daring I felt I never quite picked up, the wildness I later ceded to comfort, the sense of misdirection in my own life that didn’t end when we did. ________ I first met J at a music festival, not far from the Nooksack River’s teal waters, at the height of blackberry season when the Pacific Northwest teems with sunlight and no one wants to be inside. Even the way he walked was playful. His allure was his rare freedom. We got together and stayed partners for years. J made a point of meeting everyone. He shook any stranger’s hand, then spun his signature black felt bowler hat upside down on his finger and tossed it via triple-flip back onto his head—a little magic for the shuffling grocery store line or someone’s morning commute. For a person who risked his life with each performance, he was jovial and warm, nothing grim about him. I will always admire this, though sometimes I felt drab in comparison back then, forgettable except for the fact that I stood next to him. At my worst, I used to wonder if our partnership was to blame, as if his personality overshadowed mine. Our circus friends were brave and playful and crafty. I admired them too, even though I often felt awkward around them, not cut out for the bold life they led. People use the phrase “when pigs fly” to mean something will never happen. But when a friend wore a pig suit for a comedy burlesque act set to “Harlem Nocturne,” J and the crew figured out how to hoist her through dancing clouds on stage. Every day, what I didn’t think could happen happened. Whatever they dreamed, they did. Rose-petal confetti. A swordfish sword to swallow, a bouquet to swallow, a glowing neon sword to swallow that lit J from within. A tour down the Willamette River on a homemade boat that doubled as a floating stage. Impossibility flew above our heads, then stuck its landing. [End Page 58] The weekend before I broke up with J, we decorated his small circus tent as if for a funeral, his chosen theme for that night’s show. He borrowed a casket from work. We made bouquets of dead branches and dried flowers. We strung fraying fabric strips into white webs overhead and hauled...

Folia Otolaryngology orientalia rapier and esophagoscopy. B. I. 1932. Jerusalem

The art of sword swallowing has very long historical roots and was known to the ancient Greeks; in later times, this art form, especially from the 16th and 18th centuries, developed in Japan, being brought there by the Chinese neighbors. The sword swallowers were the first accomplices in the development of esophagoscopy, as they prompted doctors to think about the possibility of inserting metal tubes into the esophagus for diagnosis and therapy.

The Iron Henry: How One Sword Swallower Advanced Modern Medicine.

Sword swallowing is an ancient skill that was developed by the fakirs of India and slowly permeated the globe leading up to the late 19th century. Its rise as a popular circus act in Europe coincided with the surge of inventive young minds in the medical community. This crossroad brought about a working relationship between Dr Adolf Kussmaul and a sword swallower named the "Iron Henry." Together, they developed a scope that could be passed through the esophagus for evaluation of disease states from the upper aerodigestive tract all the way to the antrum of the stomach. The unique abilities refined by years of sword swallowing were vital in the work to develop and perform the first successful esophagoscopy and then disseminate the technology. This story should not be forgotten and can give insight into how historical practices and modern invention can come together to great effect.

From the Elephant Man to Barbie Girl: Dissecting the Freak from the Margins to the Mainstream

From the Elephant Man to Barbie Girl: Dissecting the Freak from the Margins to the Mainstream

Street Performers and Society in Urban Japan, 1600–1900: The Beggar’s Gift by Gerald Groemer

Reviewed by: Street Performers and Society in Urban Japan, 1600–1900: The Beggar’s Gift by Gerald Groemer Adam L. Kern (bio) Street Performers and Society in Urban Japan, 1600–1900: The Beggar’s Gift. By Gerald Groemer. Routledge, London, 2016. xviii, 415 pages. $240.00, cloth; $54.95, E-book. The urban experience has everywhere always derived a lion’s share of its charm from the spectacle of street artists, be they the jongleurs of old-world markets or the jugglers of metropolitan public squares today. In the shogun’s capital of Edo, the proverbial Chinese lion dancers themselves come to mind, though other exemplars of these lowly, and therefore often little-studied, figures abound: standup comic duos (manzai), sand painters, puppeteers, automata operators, peepshow impresarios, blind minstrels, [End Page 142] Zen flutists, Buddhist mendicants reciting benedictions, yin-yang diviners, sacred dancing mimes, vocal impersonators, storytellers, soapbox orators, prestidigitators, conjurers, thimble riggers, acrobats, ladder balancers, basket jumpers, and sword swallowers, to name a few, not to omit professional regurgitators. One such regurgitator (okematsu in Japanese—a term this reviewer admits to not having known previously) would routinely swallow a handful of loose needles and a length of string, then, with neither apparent bodily harm nor dearth of razzmatazz, cough these up perfectly threaded (p. 224). Thrusting us into this dazzling if at times lurid world is Gerald Groemer’s thoroughly researched, well-argued, clarifying, and frequently entertaining Street Performers and Society in Urban Japan, 1600–1900. By “street performers,” Groemer means freelancers who, performing in liminal if public spaces such as street corners and market places, were never beholden to theater managers or highbrow tastes, though these artists occasionally moved to indoor performance halls (yose) and stages. Street Performers presents a wonderfully kaleidoscopic view of urban Japanese society during the Edo (1600–1868) and Meiji (1868–1912) periods through these freelancers without devolving into sentimental eulogy for their lost performance arts. Groemer’s main conviction is that “little tells one more about a society than the way in which the arts it supports can free themselves from their immediate determination by economic, political, and social forces” (p. 7). To this end, Groemer (who teaches ethnomusicology and Western musicology at the University of Yamanashi in Kōfu, Japan) judiciously builds on a dozen of his own articles on street performers and related topics, published in major journals over the past two decades. The result may well be his magnum opus. It certainly represents a considerable achievement and contribution to the study of the period’s urban popular culture. As such, it should be required reading for scholars of literature, culture, and history, though it may not be quite broad enough for general readers, let alone for use in college courses. At least two major challenges must have confronted Groemer, the first being that street arts are notoriously ephemeral. The perceived low social status of performers and a Confucian disdain of amusements do not help matters. Detailed reliable accounts of these arts and their particular performances are scant. What records survive range from the likes of oblique references within comic haiku (senryū) to snippets of dialogue in works of fiction (often illustrated), woodblock prints (often texted), works related to the kabuki stage, even legal documents. Groemer admirably marshals these sources, including 83 images by my count (regrettably, there is no list of illustrations—or credits), with the guidance of Japanese scholarship, providing the most comprehensive account in English of these street arts to date, at least since the pioneering work of Andrew Markus. [End Page 143] The second challenge concerns a basic understanding of the shifting identities of these performers. The conventional wisdom has long been that they were the disenfranchised, particularly “nonhuman” outcastes (hinin), the poor, the homeless, the physically or mentally disabled, the economically hobbled, not to mention Buddhist and other sorts of religious mendicants. One surprise, however, is that members from all four major social classes could and did resort to performing street arts. Given the downward social mobility of the day, this is not surprising. Still, the mental image of samurai literally putting on a song and a dance is striking. Samurai were only willing to do...

The life and work of Adolph Kussmaul 1822-1902: 'Sword swallowers in modern medicine'.

The life and work of Adolph Kussmaul 1822-1902: 'Sword swallowers in modern medicine'.

Esophageal Perforation in a Sword Swallower

Esophageal Perforation in a Sword Swallower

A Budding Sword Swallower: Serial Escalation of Multiple Foreign Body Ingestions in a Pediatric Patient

Introduction: Over 100,000 cases of foreign body ingestions are reported each year in the U.S; 80% occur in children between the ages of 6 months and 3 years, and 98% of foreign body ingestions in children are accidental. Serial intentional foreign body ingestions are more prevalent in adults due to underlying psychiatric disorders, mental retardation, alcohol ingestion, or in prisoners seeking secondary gain (i.e., transfer to medical facility). We present a case of a 16-year-old female who started serial intentional foreign body ingestions at the age of 10. We describe the nature of progressive escalation and innovation of foreign bodies ingested. Case: The patient is a 16-year-old female with a history of depression, bipolar disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder who presented with recurrent sel-mutilation behaviors and foreign body ingestions since 10 years of age. Despite being in a highly monitored inpatient psychiatric facility, she has continued to ingest foreign bodies intentionally for secondary gain. The patient self reports her ingestions so she can be transferred to a “safer” hospital. She initially started swallowing smaller, blunt objects such as coins, EKG leads, and AA batteries. Some of these objects were allowed to pass spontaneously and required no intervention. In order to meet urgent endoscopic criteria for foreign body removal, she quickly learned to start swallowing a variety of innovative long, sharp, and large foreign bodies such as sharpened coloring pencils (10 cm), pencils (6-10 cm), sharp razor blades (3 cm), broken CD pieces, sharp metal nails taken off walls, plastic spoons (6 cm), and broken toothbrush to create sharp edges (6 cm). Recently, she has learned to break and ingest sharp and long pieces of wood from a bookshelf. She has undergone 15 endoscopies in the past 4 months for foreign body retrieval. Thus far, patient has not required surgical intervention and survived with minimal morbidity. (Images to be included in presentation.) Discussion: Despite having complete supervision in an inpatient psychiatric facility, our 16-yearold enterprising pediatric patient started escalating foreign body ingestion patterns starting at 10 years of age and identified new techniques for ingesting longer, larger, and sharper foreign bodies, which are associated with higher complications rates. Although ingestions are usually accidental in the pediatric population, we describe a child who started ingesting foreign bodies intentionally, similar to adult patients. Pediatric and adult gastroenterologists caring for pediatric patients need to be aware of this behavior, as well as the endoscopic techniques for removal of intentionally ingested sharp foreign bodies.

Sword Swallowers in Transition

Sword Swallowers in Transition

О “глотателях” в русской зрелищной культуре

The article discusses the history of one particular field of entertainment in Russia: sword swallowers, fire eaters, “human fountains”, conjurors and illusionists, as they performed in the balagan, in theatres and circuses. The author considers these phenomena from a cultural-philosophical and anthropological perspective, as she connects them with aspects of corporeality, food and ritual, emphasizing the dimensions of religion, magic and the supernatural. In addition, the author adduces a number of Russian literary texts and memoirs in which these phenomena occur.

Sword swallowing and its side effects

Objective To evaluate information on the practice and associated ill effects of sword swallowing. Design Letters sent to sword swallowers requesting information on technique and complications. Setting Membership lists of...

Secrets of the sideshows

The carnival sideshows of the past have left behind a fascinating legacy of mystery and intrigue. The secrets behind such daring feats as fire-eating and sword swallowing and bizarre exhibitions of human oddities as Alligator Boys and Gorilla Girls still remain, only grudgingly if ever given up by performers and carnival professionals. Working alongside the performers, Joe Nickell blows the lid off these mysteries of the midway. The author reveals the structure of the shows, specific methods behind the performances, and the showmen's tactics for recruiting performers and attracting crowds. He also traces the history of such spectacles, from ancient Egyptian magic and street fairs to the golden age of P.T. Barnum's sideshows. With revealing insight into the personal lives of the men and women billed as freaks, Nickell unfolds the captivating story of the midway show.

Management of Esophageal Perforation in a Sword Swallower: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Management of Esophageal Perforation in a Sword Swallower: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Development and application of endoscopy

The Early Years or the Dark Age of Endoscopy Endoscopy is impossible without adequate illumination. Beginning early in the 19th century, several primitive instruments were constructed for endoscopy. l-3 Bozzini (1806) used reflected light from a candle for various specula. Desormeux (1853) used a mixture of alcohol and turpentine (gasogen) to provide light for a cystoscope. In 1868 Kussmaul, taking his cue from sword swallowers, constructed the first rigid gastroscope, using the gasogen lamp. There is no record of any clinical use. In 1882 Billroth’s pupil Mikulicz, with the instrument maker Nietze, developed the first potentially usable gastroscope using a watercooled electrically heated platinum wire loop; however, the instrument was soon abandoned. Rosenheim in 1896, using the same illumination, reported use in patients, but no one else used his instrument and it too was abandoned.

Gastroscopy in Clinical Medicine

Gastroscopy, the examination of the interior of the stomach, originated in 1873 when Kussmaul introduced a 13-mm-caliber metal pipe into the stomach of a professional sword swallower. It was Mickulicz, however, who in 1881 first visualized the pylorus and thus stimulated many others to study this procedure. It was not until 1910 that Loening and Stieda produced the first, easily usable, nonflexible gastroscope. In 1923, Schindler2presented an atlas of colored gastroscopic pictures, the result of many examinations without untoward reactions and thus removed the fear of gastroscopy. His introduction in 1932 of the flexible Wolf-Schindler gastroscope heralded a new era, since the new scope made gastroscopy easier, almost dangerless, and a routine procedure in many hospitals, thus aiding in the solution of many diagnostic and therapeutic problems in stomach diseases. Gastroscopy as a Diagnostic Tool Gastroscopy, which started in Germany but flourished in the United States since 1932 under

The Value of Gastroscopy in Diagnosis

GASTROSCOPY was first attempted by Kussmaul in 1868, the subject of the experiment having been a professional sword swallower. A rigid instrument was used, the lighting was indirect, and no view of the stomach was obtained. Mickulicz, about 1881, again attempted gastroscopy with a rigid instrument, but the results were unsatisfactory. Since 1900 gastroscopy with rigid instruments has been practised in a few clinics, principally in Germany, but most physicians have felt that for diagnostic purposes the results obtained did not justify the difficulties and dangers encountered in passing the instrument. The invention of the Wolf-Schindler flexible gastroscope (1) has made possible the frequent and general use of gastroscopy in diagnosis. The flexibility of this new instrument, invented by Dr. Schindler in 1932, has made the procedure relatively easy and safe. In a series of 400 gastroscopies performed at the Massachusetts General Hospital since 1933, I have had only one complication. This occurred in one of ...

A COMBINED GASTROSCOPE AND GYROMELE FOR DIAGNOSTIC AND THERAPEUTIC PURPOSES.

Gastroscopy is used to determine the condition of the mucous membrane of the stomach by inspection. For this purpose a stiff tube is used with an electric light at the end and a reflector to carry the image to the eye through a system of lenses within the tube. The method of such examination demands the use of a long, straight, rigid tube reaching far into the stomach. The possibility of introducing a long, stiff, straight instrument has been shown to be possible in the exhibitions made by sword swallowers. Leube¹recommended a stiff sound introduced into the stomach to be palpated through the abdominal wall for the purpose of determining dilatation of the stomach. When it was found practical to introduce a stiff, straight instrument into the stomach the idea of inspection of the gastric cavity through a hollow, straight tube naturally presented itself. Mikulicz²was the first to