# "Split Tongue", slicing your tongue in half - how dangerous? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 16, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673 "2003-05-16T13:46:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DrLiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/90ced4/32.png) [@DrLiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrLiver)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/1 "2003-05-16T13:46:58Z")
Check this out: [Crazy guy with his tongue split in two!!!](http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&u=/030513/168/41qw2.html&e=2&ncid=996) :eek: So, how dangerous is that? Can that be reversed? I would think this kind of procedure would be a “forever” kind of thing. Can he still ‘move’ his tongue after that? Can he become tongue paralyzed or get an infection and have to have it amputated? And as long as we’re on the subject, what hapens to someone with an amputated tongue? ---
**Author:** ![One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/838e76/32.png) [@One\_And\_Only\_Wanderers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/One_And_Only_Wanderers)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/2 "2003-05-16T14:11:21Z")
I saw the same picture in a different article, unfortunatey I can’t remember the url. In it he claimed he could move each half of the ‘fork’ seperately. the following is a quote from the subject taken from [ananova.com](http://ananova.com) ‘…he insists: "When I first saw it, I thought tongue-splitting was the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in my life.’ As they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Its damn sure that I can’t see any beauty in this particular ‘body modification’ ---
**Author:** ![Tir\_Tinuviel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bc79bd/32.png) [@Tir\_Tinuviel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tir_Tinuviel)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/3 "2003-05-16T15:17:33Z")
**How dangerous?** Not very if done properly. The tongue is acutally two muscles, the splitting goes down the join between them. **Can it be reversed?** Yes it can, (the American Army will force you to have a reversal), it a much worse procedure than splitting it in the first place though. **Can he still move his tongue after that?** Yes, it’s quite possible to move the halves independantly. Although depending how far back the splitting goes, you might get a slight lisp, but that can be overcome once you learn to speak with a split tongue. **Can he become tongue paralyzed?** I’m not sure about ‘paralyzed’ but if it’s done incorretly, it can cause problems, same as a badly pierced tongue. **What happens to someone with an amputated tongue?** The have great diffculty forming words, and possibly eating, not really sure. It’s actually something I would quite like to have done, but I don’t think the boy would approve! I’d want the tongue splitting and _lengthening_ though! heee! 😛 There’s an interesting article on it [here](http://www.bmezine.com/tsplitfaq.txt). ---
**Author:** ![Cluricaun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bb73d2/32.png) [@Cluricaun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cluricaun)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 3:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/4 "2003-05-16T15:39:46Z")
A witless worm you have become. Therefore be silent, and keep your forked tongue behind your teeth. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/5 "2003-05-16T17:24:42Z")
- - - Helpful Hint: you don’t need surgery to do this. I saw a magazine article somewhere about a girl that did it by placing a piece of fishing line through her tongue piercing and tying+tightening it repeatedly over a weekend. She reported that there was no blood, only the odd taste/texture of lots of skin sloghing off, and not much pain (though I guess this is a relative term). She could move both halves of hers separately too, the mag had photos demonstrating as much. ~ ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [May 16, 2003, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/6 "2003-05-16T20:39:49Z")
There have just been two times in my life when I regretted clicking on a link. The first time was a body mod, too. Kind of like this one but farther south :eek: ---
**Author:** ![plain\_jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@plain\_jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/plain_jane)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/7 "2003-05-17T00:26:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel \* > \*\*\*\*…There’s an interesting article on it [here](http://www.bmezine.com/tsplitfaq.txt). \*\* I read your entire post thinking, “this person is well informed… I bet it’s a bme fan”, and then came to your link… ---
**Author:** ![stockton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@stockton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stockton)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/8 "2003-05-17T01:12:54Z")
I had my tongue replaced with a #5 DORRANCE STAINLESS STEEL PROSTHETIC HOOK. It’s interesting at fondue parties, but it’s hell on the cell phone. ---
**Author:** ![Ms2001](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ms2001/32/18463_2.png) [@Ms2001](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ms2001)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/9 "2003-05-17T01:28:47Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by CookingWithGas \* > \*\*There have just been two times in my life when I regretted clicking on a link. The first time was a body mod, too. Kind of like this one but farther south :eek: \*\* Then you’ve never met Mr. Goatse. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/10 "2003-05-17T02:27:07Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Tir Tinuviel \* > **Can it be reversed?** > Yes it can, (the American Army will force you to have a reversal). > \*\* The rest of your post made some sort of sense, Nightingale. But I can’t figure this comment out at all. Clarification? Having sewn a few tongues back together in my career (and having bitten a hole thru mine years ago in a plane crash), I really don’t see the desirability for elective surgical mucking around in such a nerve and blood-vessel rich muscle. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/11 "2003-05-17T02:40:10Z")
You sewed them back together? And totally ignored the miracle of staple guns? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/12 "2003-05-17T02:49:33Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dr\_Paprika \* > \*\*You sewed them back together? And totally ignored the miracle of staple guns? \*\* I did try superglue first, but ran into some…ummmmm… _problems_. Yeah, that’s it, problems! By the time I got the patient’s upper lip detached from his nostril, one of the other docs had taken off with the staple gun to do a vasectomy. So I had little choice save to catgut his tongue. ---
**Author:** ![AskNott](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asknott/32/5790_2.png) [@AskNott](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AskNott)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/13 "2003-05-17T02:56:37Z")
Catgut your tongue?:eek: :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/14 "2003-05-17T03:04:18Z")
😃 ---
**Author:** ![lurker\_anonymous](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9fc348/32.png) [@lurker\_anonymous](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lurker_anonymous)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/15 "2003-05-17T03:12:57Z")
y?😕 ---
**Author:** ![zorch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/50afbb/32.png) [@zorch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zorch)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/16 "2003-05-17T04:13:48Z")
In an interview on the radio, I heard the guy say it took almost two months to heal. But he says the babes are all over him now… …still not for me. ---
**Author:** ![WonTon\_Sean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WonTon\_Sean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WonTon_Sean)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 4:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/17 "2003-05-17T04:26:41Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Mr2001 \* > \*\*Then you’ve never met Mr. Goatse. \*\* Or, for that matter, the Tubgirl. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/18 "2003-05-17T10:39:20Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Qadgop the Mercotan \* > Having sewn a few tongues back together in my career (and having bitten a hole thru mine years ago in a plane crash), I really don’t see the desirability for elective surgical mucking around in such a nerve and blood-vessel rich muscle. I don’t understand it, either. Guess that makes us both old fogies, **QtM**. As a father, how would you feel if your daughter came home with something like that? ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/19 "2003-05-17T12:14:48Z")
Harmonica players use something called ‘tongue-blocking’ to select notes and form chords. I expect tongue splitting would make possible some pretty exotic chords. But I think I’ll let a more dedicated harp player than me find out. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2003, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673/20 "2003-05-17T12:17:27Z")
The greatest risk is that of sounding like a cartoon character–Sylvester The Cat. “SSthufferin’ Sssuccotash!” 😃 [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/split-tongue-slicing-your-tongue-in-half-how-dangerous/175673.md?page=2)