Afterward the knife was abstracted from his groin.

Fabricius Hildanus cites a somewhat similar case.
Early in the century there was a man known as the "Yankee knife-swallower," whose name was John Cummings, an American sailor, who had performed his feats in nearly all the ports of the world.

One of his chief performances was swallowing a billiard ball.

Poland mentions a man (possibly Cummings) who, in 1807, was admitted to Guy's Hospital with dyspeptic symptoms which he attributed to knife-swallowing.

His story was discredited at first; but after his death, in March, 1809, there were 30 or 40 fragments of knives found in his stomach.