He felt this thing moving, and it caused
difficulty in swallowing, and occasionally vomiting. On the
following day he began to spit up blood, and this continued until
he saw me. He stated that he once vomited blood, and that he
frequently felt that he was going to choke.
On examining his throat, a large clot of blood was found to be
adherent to the posterior wall of the pharynx. On removing this
clot of blood, no signs of the presence of a leech could be
detected. However, on account of the symptoms complained of by
the patient I introduced a polypus forceps into the lower part of
the pharynx and toward the esophagus, where a body, distinctly
moving, was felt. This body I seized with the forceps, and with
considerable force managed to remove it. It was a leech between 2
1/2 and three inches in length, and with a body of the size of a
Lee-Metford bullet. No doubt during the eleven days it had
remained in the man's throat the leech had increased in size.
Nevertheless it must have been an animal of considerable size
when the man attempted to swallow it. I send this case as a
typical example of the carelessness of natives of the class from
which we enlist our Sepoys, as to the nature of the water they
drink.
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