A MAN WHO BANKED IN HIS STOMACH.

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXVII, Issue 169, 18 July 1903, Page 6 (Supplement)

A MAN WHO BANKED IN HIS STOMACH.

A powerfully-built, healthy-looking .ittle man, about 30 years of age, recently cam© to tho Egerton Hospital, ' Peshawar, and gave the follo%ying extraordinary Btory.

He said that he was an Afghan, chat he resided in a village in Afghan territory several inarches across the border, and that ho was an ardent disciple of a mulla (h.oly man) who lived in the Peshawar district. He had been in the habit of making periodical visits to this mulla with the object of receiving religious instruction in the Mahomedan faith.

TCight days before he arrived at the hospital he was coining into British territory on a visit to his mulla. On arriving at a place called Dahki (one march beyond Landi Kotal ) he found that all travellers were searched by the Amir of Ka- | bul's order and that all property in ' their possession, including money, was taxed. He said that a tax of three per cent, was levied on all cash in the possession of travellers . and that in order to evade this tax, he conceived the idea of swallowing all the money he had with him. . j THE SHOCKING FEAT. While some of his .companions Were"" being searched iip-^Gc to work to _£is»£k>K"Tis fast as he could a sum of 65 Kabuli rupees which he had with him. He had nearly completed his wonderful feat when the Amir's oflicials detected his game and rushed at him. He took to his heels and ran down the road, swallowing sis fast as he could the remainder of his cash, but before he could finish his " meal " he was caught and six remaining rupees ( some of which were in his mouth still ) were seized by the officials and forfeited. As the patient had 65 rupees to start with, and as six only remained when he was caught, he was satisfied that he had swallowed G9 of the coins. He was, however, allowed to proceed on his journey. On his arrival next day at Landi Kotal, he .'went at once to the small Government dispensary there, told his story and asked for a strong purgative, which was given to him. This though it purged him thoroughly failed to. bring him any of his lost treasure. | A day or two afterwards another L purgative was given, and this was as unsuccessful as the first. He then went on to Peshawar ( three marches ) and related his grievance. Tho cash had then been inside him eight days. The only symptoms he complained of were a feeling of weight in his stomach and some loss of appetite. His grief over the loss of his raon--1 ey was however, very acute, and his j only thought appeared to be the recovery of his hidden treasure. He wanted Lieutenant-Colonel Dennys, who relates this story in the " Lancet," to cut him open at once and .to-restore to him his money. V The- obliging medical officer i proceeded to open the patient's banking account and draw his money for him in which he succeeded alter a long •operation. The patient was a wild j trans-border Pathan and could not be made to understand the danger of the operation which he had undergone. It was only by placing a man on duty over him night and day and keeping a watchful eye on him constantly that he could be prevented from tearing off his dressings and getting up. j He admitted on the sixth day that he has stolen and drunk a pint of milk two hours after the operation. But apparently no evil resulted from this rash act on his part. For the first three days it was found necessary to keep him more or less deeply under the influence of morphia owing to the impossibility of keeping \iim quiet otherwise. ****** The actual coins found in his sto--1 inach were 55 Kabuli rupees. The patient was very indignant when told that only Rs. 55 had been found inside him, for he contended that he had swallowed 59, but he afterwards admitted that he might have dropped some when he was boing chased by the Kabul's ofiicials. The exact weight of these 55 rupees was found to be 17f ounces. The man's great terror all the time he was under treatment—and nothing the medical officer could say would allay his fears—was that after all they had done for him the operator was sure to insist on his be- , coming a Christian.

On the 14th day after the operation the man was in excellent health able to eat anything, and left the hospital for his homo on the 30th day.