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Art. XIII . — Account of William Dempster , who swallowed a 
Table-knife nine inches long ; with a Notice of a similar 
case in a Prussian Knife-eater. By Thomas Barnes, 
M. ]). Member of the Royal College of Surgeons, London, 
Member of the Wernerian Natural History Society, and Phy- 
sician to the Fever Hospital and Dispensary, Carlisle. 
Several cases of knife-eaters are on record. One of the 
most remarkable is that of John Cummings, who lived ten 
years after having swallowed a number of clasp-knives. His 
case is related by Dr Marcet, and an account of it is published 
in the seventh volume of the Edinburgh Philosophical Journal. 
The following case lately occurred in Carlisle, and excited con- 
siderable interest and sympathy, not only among the inhabitants of 
that city, but also very generally throughout the country. The 
case was particularly interesting to the medical profession, both 
as to the physiological fact, that the functions of life were not 
interrupted, and even suffered little disturbance by the presence 
of so large an extraneous substance as a table-knife in the 
stomach ; and as to the medical and chirurgieal treatment the 
profession could supply in so singular a case. 
William Dempster, a juggler, twenty-eight years of age, of a 
high complexion and sanguine temperament, came to Carlisle in 
November last, with the intention of exhibiting some tricks by 
slight of hand ; and on the evening of the 17 th of the same 
month, when in a small inn in Botchergate, with a number of 
people about him, whom he was amusing, by pretending to swal- 
low a table-knife ; and in the act of putting the knife into his 
throat, he thought some person near him was about to touch 
his elbow, which agitated and confused him so much, that the 
knife slipped from his fingers, and passed down the gullet into 
the stomach. Immediately after the accident, he became dread- 
fully alarmed, — was in great mental agony, and apprehended 
instantaneous death. The knife, when given to him, measured 
nine inches in length, and had a bone handle, which went first 
down into the stomach : the blade, which was not very sharp, 
was one inch in breadth. Medical assistance w r as soon pro- 
cured, and several attempts were made to extract the knife ; 
