The
fish quickly bolted into his mouth, and, although he grasped the
tail with his right hand, and squeezed his pharynx with his left,
besides coughing violently, the fish found its way into the
esophagus. Further attempts at extraction were dangerous and
quite likely to fail; his symptoms were distressing, he could not
hold his head erect without the most agonizing pain and he was
almost prostrated from fright and asphyxia; it was thought
advisable to push the fish into the stomach, and after an
impaction of sixteen hours the symptoms were relieved. The fish
in this instance was the Anabas scandens or "walking perch" of
Ceylon, which derives its name from its power of locomotion on
land and its ability to live out of water for some time. It is
from four to five inches long and has a dorsal fin as sharp as a
knife and directed toward the tail, and pectoral fins following
the same direction; these would admit of entrance, but would
interfere with extraction. MacLauren reports the history of a
young man who, after catching a fish, placed it between his
teeth. The fish, three inches long, by a sudden movement, entered
the pharynx. Immediately ensued suffocation, nausea, vomiting,
together with the expectoration of blood and mucus.
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