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Detachable toys invariably carry messages on their packages that specify the age groups and a statutory warning that states swallowing small parts can be hazardous to health. But recently, a group of pediatric doctors from the University of Melbourne put the warning to test by swallowing six LEGO toy heads. What happens when you swallow a Lego head? Does it stay in your disgestive system or does the body excrete it? A group of doctors from Australia took part in an unusual experiment, in which they each swallowed a Lego head, just to find out, reports DailyMail. The researchers from the University of Melbourne were curious to know how long it would take to expel a Lego head. The report says that the bizarre experiment was branded as a symbol of ‘dedication to paediatrics’ by the team, and was published in a scientific journal. Dr Tessa Davis, a consultant in paediatric emergency medicine at Royal Hospital, London tweeted about their study and the results as well. “Questions: if six paediatric doctors ingest a lego head, how many of them will find it again? Yup, we did it. All in the name of science,” she tweeted. Parents will be pleased to know that if ingested by a child, the toy should come out of the other end of the digestive system between one to three days. Disturbingly, one researcher never found the toy piece that was swallowed. Before the experiment was conducted, the participants’ bowel habits were standardised on the basis of a ‘Stool Hardness and Transit (SHAT) score’, and the technique to look for the Lego head in faeces was decided by the participant. As if all of this wasn’t unusual enough, the excretion results were measured on the basis of ‘FART’ – the Found and Retrieved Time. |