# A cure for flatulence... **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [December 18, 2002, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485 "2002-12-18T04:47:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 5:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/21 "2003-07-25T05:58:18Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CherryBomb \* > \*\*Odd - I read the same exact story on alt.tasteless several years ago authored by someone else… Unless you’ve been hanging out there as well **Wang Ka** , I’d be so bold as to call you a plagiarizer… \*\* Oh, naff off **CherryBomb**. Who bloody-well cares whether Mr. Wang is the author of such gems as these? It has brightened my day, and that’s all I care about! Geez. Talk about picky. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/22 "2003-07-25T06:09:08Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wang-Ka \* > \*\*One is that of a hi-tech 21st century surgeon accidentally exploding a patient due to his high-tech surgical tools detonating intestinal gas. \*\* Already happened. Fatalities are rare, but eight have been reported on medline to date. Please refer to the [Merk Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy](http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section3/chapter32/32b.htm) > [@](#): > > Despite the flammable nature of the H2 and CH4 in flatulence, working near open flames is not hazardous. Children have been known to make a game of expelling gas over a match flame. However, gas explosion, rarely with fatal outcome, has been reported during jejunal and colonic surgery and even when diathermy was used during endoscopic procedures in poorly evacuated patients. Also, Cecil has addressed it in [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_385.html) [quote] Dr. Michael Levitt, a Minneapolis gastroenterologist who is probably the world’s leading expert on flatulence, tells of a somewhat gassy patient who was having a rectal polyp cauterized one day and unexpectedly exploded on the operating table. No fooling. An electric spark caused the hydrogen in the patient’s bowels to detonate, blasting the surgeon backwards against the wall and slamming the patient’s head into the table. The explosion also ripped a six-inch hole in the patient’s large intestine. Luckily, they were able to sew him up OK and the poor guy recovered.Ain’t learning fun? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/23 "2003-07-25T06:10:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wang-Ka \* > \*\*One is that of a hi-tech 21st century surgeon accidentally exploding a patient due to his high-tech surgical tools detonating intestinal gas. \*\* Already happened. Fatalities are rare, but eight have been reported on medline to date. Please refer to the [Merk Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy](http://www.merck.com/pubs/mmanual/section3/chapter32/32b.htm) > [@](#): > > Despite the flammable nature of the H2 and CH4 in flatulence, working near open flames is not hazardous. Children have been known to make a game of expelling gas over a match flame. However, gas explosion, rarely with fatal outcome, has been reported during jejunal and colonic surgery and even when diathermy was used during endoscopic procedures in poorly evacuated patients. Also, Cecil has addressed it in [this column](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a2_385.html) > [@](#): > > Dr. Michael Levitt, a Minneapolis gastroenterologist who is probably the world’s leading expert on flatulence, tells of a somewhat gassy patient who was having a rectal polyp cauterized one day and unexpectedly exploded on the operating table. > > No fooling. An electric spark caused the hydrogen in the patient’s bowels to detonate, blasting the surgeon backwards against the wall and slamming the patient’s head into the table. The explosion also ripped a six-inch hole in the patient’s large intestine. Luckily, they were able to sew him up OK and the poor guy recovered. Ain’t learning fun? ---
**Author:** ![armedmonkey](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@armedmonkey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/armedmonkey)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/24 "2003-07-25T06:12:07Z")
Aw hell ---
**Author:** ![CherryBomb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@CherryBomb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CherryBomb)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/25 "2003-07-25T06:26:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by kambuckta \* > \*\*Oh, naff off **CherryBomb**. Who bloody-well cares whether Mr. Wang is the author of such gems as these? It has brightened my day, and that’s all I care about! > > Geez. Talk about picky. :rolleyes: \*\* And you can piss right the hell off too, my friend. If you’re going to post someone else’s work - which I have no problem with - at least have the decency to say you didn’t write it instead of attempting to pass it off as your own. It doesn’t speak very highly for him, and you just sound like an ass for defending him, whether or not you were entertained. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 6:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/26 "2003-07-25T06:38:29Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CherryBomb \* > \*\*And you can piss right the hell off too, my friend. If you’re going to post someone else’s work - which I have no problem with - at least have the decency to say you didn’t write it instead of attempting to pass it off as your own. It doesn’t speak very highly for him, and you just sound like an ass for defending him, whether or not you were entertained. \*\* Look, Sunshine, it was a story about FARTING. A story about the perils that may befall you if you attempt to light a fucking FART. **Wang-Ka** was not attempting to espouse some sort of social or political treatise, he was not claiming to personally have the answers to Theological Dilemmas of the World, he was merely reciting a very funny story about a bloke who took great pleasure in igniting his FARTS. And you want to get all prissy and pedantic about the actual source of that adventure? OMFG. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![CherryBomb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@CherryBomb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CherryBomb)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/27 "2003-07-25T07:33:22Z")
I’m not trying to get prissy about anything. It seems to me that you’re the one getting all worked up over it. I am merely asking that he give proper credit where it’s due. A story about farting is almost always entertaining, particularly if it comes from **lieu** , but at least he comes up with his own material. No problem with the fart story here, just a problem with **Wang Ka** posting it as his own material when it’s not. Get your panties untwisted long enough to get your head out of your ass **kambuckta**. ---
**Author:** ![Coldfire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@Coldfire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Coldfire)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/28 "2003-07-25T07:43:10Z")
I know this is the Pit and all, but knock it off, will yas? **CherryBomb** , any evidence to back up your claim of plagiarism? **Wang-Ka** , I seem to recall reading somewhere that you wrote a book, and that some of the posts here are excerpts from said book. Could that be the cause of the misunderstanding here? If so, you did nothing wrong, of course, since the copyright is yours. ---
**Author:** ![friedo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8edcca/32.png) [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 7:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/29 "2003-07-25T07:44:54Z")
Well, I can’t find **Wang-Ka** ’s post in the alt.tasteless archives on google. ---
**Author:** ![CherryBomb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@CherryBomb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CherryBomb)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/30 "2003-07-25T08:04:29Z")
I’ve searched for it as well and am coming up with nothing. Of course, you wouldn’t find it with **Wang-Ka** associated with it as I don’t believe he is the original author of this piece. Unfortunately I originally read this serveral years ago on a.t, which I’ve been reading for close to 7 years now. I do recognize the story though. If it’s his or has been reprinted with permission I’ll humbly apologize. Otherwise I’m standing my ground on the basis that (especially if he is an author) he should know better than to post someone else’s work without even the slightest acknowledgement. As I can find no proof of my claim I’ll gracefully back out of my argument with **kambuckta** (even though he’s acting like a putz), but it would be nice for **Wang-Ka** to come in with some clarification on this. ---
**Author:** ![kambuckta](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kambuckta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kambuckta)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 8:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/31 "2003-07-25T08:12:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CherryBomb \* > \*\* > > As I can find no proof of my claim I’ll gracefully back out of my argument with **kambuckta** (even though he’s acting like a putz), …\*\* Heh…I’ve been accused of ‘putzism’ on many occasions, but this one would have to be the most lame of all. Heh. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Mariemarie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/58f4c7/32.png) [@Mariemarie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mariemarie)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/32 "2003-07-25T12:28:32Z")
Is this the same Bob who had the turtle clamped onto his ass? [Cite.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=200002) Maybe if he had let go one, the turtle would have let go sooner! ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 12:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/33 "2003-07-25T12:28:49Z")
…could this be the origin of the phrase, “Pain in the Ass”? ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/34 "2003-07-25T13:48:27Z")
I am the original author of this piece. I originally posted it several years ago on a friend’s board, _Message Board Addicts,_ at MSN Communities, and I have posted it several other places since then, including here… last year, I might add, if you’ll check the date on the post. If someone has posted it on a newsgroup, they have done so without my knowledge or permission. If anyone managed to read it seven years ago, I will be awfully surprised, since I didn’t write it until 2000 or so. And yes, I do know better than to claim someone else’s work as my own. Particularly in this case, since the work in question is _copyrighted;_ I did so when I assembled some of my essays into book form for publication. …and yes, it’s the same Bob. He liked to live dangerously. ---
**Author:** ![NotMrKnowItAll](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6bbea6/32.png) [@NotMrKnowItAll](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotMrKnowItAll)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/35 "2003-07-25T14:02:31Z")
That’ll take the wind out of his tail. ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/36 "2003-07-25T14:09:00Z")
I might also point out that I do not use the name “Wang-Ka” anywhere else except here. When I signed up here, the board wouldn’t let me use the name I use on most other boards: [Doctor Bedlam.](http://www.angelfire.com/journal2/doctorbedlam/) The story’s original title was “Sins Of The Farter.” ---
**Author:** ![CherryBomb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/919ad9/32.png) [@CherryBomb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CherryBomb)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/37 "2003-07-25T15:31:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Wang-Ka \* > \*\*I am the original author of this piece. > > If someone has posted it on a newsgroup, they have done so without my knowledge or permission. > > If anyone managed to read it seven years ago, I will be awfully surprised, since I didn’t write it until 2000 or so. > \*\* Well then, my most humble of apologies as it appears then that your work had been plagiarized. I was also just clarifying that I’d been reading a.t for a while, it was shortly before I left my last place of employment that I read it there. I left that place in Sept of 2000. I have now learned my one thing for the day… ---
**Author:** ![World\_Eater](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/f04885/32.png) [@World\_Eater](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/World_Eater)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/38 "2003-07-25T15:47:18Z")
Good OP 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Master\_Wang-Ka](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/master_wang-ka/32/3325_2.png) [@Master\_Wang-Ka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Master_Wang-Ka)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/39 "2003-07-25T22:21:08Z")
Um… Cherrybomb, while I think you may have spoken a little hastily, I hold no grudge against you. The “fart story” is perhaps the oldest thing I have floating around on the net. The original response to that story is what encouraged me to write more, and I know it’s been spread around quite a bit. It irritates me more that someone posted it somewhere without my permission … …than it irritates me that you think I didn’t write it. I WAS kind of irritated this morning… until my kid pointed out to me that you might well have seen it somewhere with the author credit given to “Doctor Bedlam”… which turned an irritant into a chuckle. If you can find it again, though, I sure would appreciate a link to it. I’d kind of like to know who’s borrowing my stuff. No hard feelin’s? ---
**Author:** ![Michael\_Ellis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/977dab/32.png) [@Michael\_Ellis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael_Ellis)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2003, 10:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485/40 "2003-07-25T22:40:28Z")
I was listening to my _Best of Bond_ CD while reading the OP. Just as I read the part about the tongue of pink flame, Tom Jones sang “He strikes like Thun-der-baaalllllllll!” Divinely inspired timing. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/a-cure-for-flatulence/143485.md?page=3)