Unshelved by Bill Barnes and Gene Ambaum
comic strip overdue media

Sunday, November 25, 2007

Wow

Surgeons Remove Ten-Pound Hairball From Teen Girl's Stomach

A teen with trichophagia, compulsive eating of hair, lost forty pounds in five months and had stomach pain that sent her to the doctor. Since the removal of the hair, she has since received psychiatric help and has returned to good health.

For the morbidly curious, pictures of human trichobezoars (hairballs) can be seen at Hairballs: Myths and Realities behind some Medical Curiosities from the National Museum of Health and Medicine. Then there's a picture of this particular trichobezoar. The article detailing it was published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Okay, you know you're meant to be a medical librarian when you find this sort of stuff interesting, right?

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