Jar Containing Mrs. Annie Hobson's Stomach Contents (Tacks, etc.)

Credit LineGift from St. Joseph's Health Care London, 2008.

Object number2008.005.027

Label TextThis jar contains the stomach contents of Mrs. Annie Hobson, who suffered from pica, the persistent eating of substances such as dirt or paint that have no nutritional value. It is a rare disorder which makes the sufferer feel a compulsion to eat non-food items. But who was Annie Hobson? According to an article in the Archives of Surgery, Mrs. Hobson was a 42-year-old woman who had been a patient for a year and a half at what was by this time called the Ontario Hospital. She had been diagnosed with manic-depressive insanity and she demonstrated suicidal tendencies. She had been observed on more than one occasion eating strange objects. X-rays showed that she had managed to pass those objects, simply because she didn’t eat many at a time. After a time, her condition improved, and she began to participate in occupational therapy in the sewing room. She seemed well even though she was observed swallowing objects now and then. On May 20, 1927, she complained of abdominal pain. An X-ray revealed foreign objects in her stomach and surgery was performed on June 10, 1927. -This is what they found…. Bent Pins - 947 Washers - 6 Pieces of Bent Wire - 865 Dress Hooks - 5 Pieces of Glass - 191 Roller Bearings - 2 Parts of Safety Pins - 176 Complete Safety Pins - 2 Tacks - 58 Nuts - 2 Parts of Corset Steels - 54 Broken Key - 1 Parts of Garter Fasteners - 28 Sewing Machine Needle - 1 Nails - 20 Coin (American Cent) - 1 Buttons - 17 Cuff Link - 1 Straight Pins - 9 Pen Nib - 1 Screws - 8 Beads - 8 Unclassified - 120 TOTAL - 2 533 The doctors concluded from the nature of the articles removed that Mrs. Hobson had attempted suicide several times. As it turned out, she did little harm to herself, much to the doctors’ surprise. We know that Mrs. Hobson recovered from the surgery. We know that as of publication of the article, she continued to swallow objects. The doctors wrote: “Unless she was placed in solitary confinement under close constant observation it would be impossible to prevent this entirely, and it would not be practical in this case. By reasonable care, however, it is hoped that the number of articles ingested may be small, so that they may have a chance to pass through the gastro-intestinal tract individually.” Other than that, her fate remains a mystery.

NameJar, Speciman