In a bizarre medical emergency that echoed a similar incident from years past, a 24-year-old man in Toulouse, France, was rushed to the Rangueil Accident and Emergency unit late on Saturday night, complaining of severe abdominal pain and discomfort. Upon examination, doctors discovered the shocking cause: an eight-inch-long World War I artillery shell lodged in his rectum. The unexploded ordnance, dating back to 1918 and measuring approximately 16 centimeters in length and 4 centimeters in diameter, was still live, prompting immediate safety concerns.

The incident unfolded rapidly, leading to a full evacuation of the hospital as staff and patients were ushered out to establish a security perimeter. Bomb disposal experts from the local authorities were summoned, along with fire brigade units, to assess and neutralize the potential threat. Surgeons performed emergency surgery to extract the shell, which had been inserted rectally for reasons not immediately disclosed by the patient. Fortunately, the device did not detonate during the procedure, and it was safely removed and disposed of by the specialists.

This event bears striking similarities to a 2022 case where an 88-year-old Frenchman arrived at the same hospital with a comparable WWI shell in his anus, also triggering an evacuation. World War I left behind millions of unexploded munitions across Europe, particularly in France, where battlefields like Verdun and the Somme were littered with artillery shells. These "iron harvest" relics continue to surface annually, posing risks to farmers, collectors, and in rare cases, individuals engaging in unusual activities. Authorities noted that handling such category-A munitions is illegal, and the young man is expected to face questioning by police once he recovers.

Medical professionals emphasize that rectal foreign body insertions, while uncommon, are not unheard of in emergency rooms, often involving everyday objects or, in this extraordinary instance, historical artifacts. The patient is reported to be in stable condition post-surgery, though undoubtedly sore and facing a lengthy recovery. Hospital operations resumed normally after the all-clear, but the story has sparked widespread media attention and online amusement, highlighting the enduring dangers of wartime remnants in modern life. Incidents like this serve as a reminder of the Great War's long shadow, over a century later, blending history with human eccentricity in unexpected ways.