To the Editor.—
In 1979, Kalin1 reported the unbelievable self-surgeries of a young man who successfully performed a bilateral orchiectomy and two months later attempted to denervate his adrenal glands. The second surgery was aborted because he became tired and was experiencing more pain than anticipated in retracting his liver. Therefore, he came to the hospital for wound closure and postoperative care.
There have been numerous cases of self-mutilation but this patient was unique because of his understanding and skill. Kalin was unable to locate any previous accounts of abdominal self-surgery. I recently discovered a case with startling similarities that occurred 100 years earlier.2
Report of a Case.—
A 37-year-old man performed complete circumcision on himself. Then, "in order to see what was inside," he slit up his abdomen from the symphysis to the navel. He came to a hospital with prolapsed peritoneum and intestines but was soon
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