Swallowed a lizard? This one really makes me rather queasy. After eating a shrimp salad, a woman became very ill. A doctor was called in and, much to everyone’s surprise, he coaxed a live lizard out of her stomach.
Ale of an Oozy Thing
Melrose Highlands, Mass., Aug. 26. — Miss Rose Pickell has taken a vow never to eat shrimp salad again.
Miss Pickle tackled a dish of shrimp salad last night, and became exceedingly ill.
A doctor was called in. He could do nothing for her by the ordinary restorative methods.
So he used his stethoscope and announced to Miss Pickell’s anxious family that he had discovered the trouble.
“There is something alive in her stomach,” he said.
Whereupon Miss Pickell fainted, but recovered in time to suggest:
“Maybe it’s a shrimp.”
“No,” said the doctor, “bigger than a shrimp — much bigger.”
Miss Pickell fainted again.
Then the doc got busy. He had the family boil a head of lettuce , and when it was ready he propped open Miss Pickell’s throat, and held the lettuce at her mouth.
“That will bring it,” he said. “Lettuce always brings animals. They like lettuce.”
[Then] followed a commotion in Miss Pickell’s insides like unto the workings of seven unchained devils. A look of gloating triumph came over the face of the doctor.
“See!” he said, and held up the head of lettuce.
Miss Pickell saw, and promptly went off into another faint. On the head of lettuce was a very much alive and exceedingly energetic lizard.
Miss Pickell has recovered today, but she has developed an extraordinary hatred for shrimp salad and lizards. The Pickell-ed lizard is still living.
[Source: The Day Book (Chicago, Illinois newspaper). August 26, 1912.]
