Dead fish in the pharynx

Abstract

A very unusual foreign body in the pharynx— a dead fish of one day duration, is reported.

Reviewing the literature such instances of fish obstructing the pharynx have been recorded by a few authors. These instances of fish obstructing the pharynx, Larynx and the oesophagus are common in the coastal areas of Madras where fishing is the livelihood of a large community called the “Sembacavars.” In this particular case the patient is a man who belonged to this community.