# What happens if you literally eat shit? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 21, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977 "2017-12-21T03:40:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![UCBearcats](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/77aa72/32.png) [@UCBearcats](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UCBearcats)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/1 "2017-12-21T03:40:59Z")
I know urine is generally sterile and won’t cause problems if ingested. If someone literally eats shit, will they die?? ---
**Author:** ![j666](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9de0a6/32.png) [@j666](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/j666)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/2 "2017-12-21T04:37:14Z")
It’s actually a simple and effective treatment for some with lower intestinal issues, as a means of providing necessary digestive flora, or fauna. If you’re really interested I can look for more information. The material is ingested as a pellet, and is effective in a very short period of time, apparently. ---
**Author:** ![snfaulkner](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snfaulkner/32/433_2.png) [@snfaulkner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snfaulkner)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/3 "2017-12-21T04:39:29Z")
Need answer fast? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/4 "2017-12-21T04:46:23Z")
I am not a doctor, but I would guess that it would be non-lethal the vast, vast majority of the time. (Since you asked about dying.) It would most likely make you sick or feel intensely sick, though. ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/5 "2017-12-21T05:15:01Z")
And of course you’ll get a new nickname. ---
**Author:** ![Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/brown_eyed_girl/32/3574_2.png) [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Brown_Eyed_Girl)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/6 "2017-12-21T05:20:56Z")
There’s a damn good reason we treat public water and why raw sewage is considered a serious health risk. There are all kinds of nasty pathogens in fecal matter from E. Coli and salmonella to rotovirus and norovirus. Ingestion of human feces pathogenic organisms are responsible for very serious infectious diseases such as cholera and dysentery, both of which kill many people every year. Don’t eat shit. It’s [bad for you](https://www.zocdoc.com/answers/20474/what-types-of-risks-do-human-feces-pose). ---
**Author:** ![Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/face_intentionally_left_blank/32/288_2.png) [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Face_Intentionally_Left_Blank)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/7 "2017-12-21T09:09:27Z")
[Not such a great idea.](https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/i-drank-dirty-water-from-the-thames-to-prove-it-could-be-made-safe-but-it-put-me-into-a-coma/) The poo pellets they give folks with bowel issues are specially treated and prepared from special poop donors. > **[Here’s what it takes to be the perfect poop donor](https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/08/31/heres-what-it-takes-to-be-the-perfect-poop-donor/?utm_term=.68f50758ecce)** > > This guy is saving lives with his poop, and maybe you can, too. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 10:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/8 "2017-12-21T10:32:49Z")
> [@Dag\_Otto](#): > > And of course you’ll get a new nickname. “Duncan the bridgebuilder!” ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/9 "2017-12-21T12:13:14Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > special poop donors. ATTENTION: Are you currently donating sperm, but looking for an even easier way to earn beer money? ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/10 "2017-12-21T12:19:29Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > ATTENTION: Are you currently donating sperm, but looking for an even easier way to earn beer money? Are laxatives deductible as a business expense? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/11 "2017-12-21T12:37:03Z")
One of my favorite weird books is Dan Sabbath and Mandel Hall’s **End Product: The First Taboo** , because it’s – as far as I know – the first non-technical, non-specialist book on this deeply verboten topic. Their verdict is that no, you won’t die from this, and they cite cases. You don’t even necessarily get sick, although feces do contain bacteria. > **[End product: The first taboo: Sabbath, Dan: 9780916354756: Amazon.com: Books](https://www.amazon.com/End-product-first-Dan-Sabbath/dp/091635475X)** > > End product: The first taboo \[Sabbath, Dan\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. End product: The first taboo There’s also the charming topic of _coprophagia_ – which includes those who do this as a sexual kink. The less I know about this, the better. But presumably practitioners don’t die of it. > **[Coprophagia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprophagia)** > > Coprophagia (/ˌkɒprəˈfeɪdʒiə/) or coprophagy (/kəˈprɒfədʒi/) is the consumption of feces. The word is derived from the Ancient Greek: κόπρος copros, "feces" and φαγεῖν phagein, "to eat". Coprophagy refers to many kinds of feces-eating, including eating feces of other species (heterospecifics), of other individuals (allocoprophagy), or one's own (autocoprophagy) – those once deposited or taken directly from the anus. > In humans, coprophagia has been described since the late 19th century in individ... ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 1:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/12 "2017-12-21T13:15:54Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > One of my favorite weird books is Dan Sabbath and Mandel Hall’s **End Product: The First Taboo** , because it’s – as far as I know – the first non-technical, non-specialist book on this deeply verboten topic. Their verdict is that no, you won’t die from this, and they cite cases. You don’t even necessarily get sick, although feces do contain bacteria. > > [https://www.amazon.com/End-product-first-Dan-Sabbath/dp/091635475X](https://www.amazon.com/End-product-first-Dan-Sabbath/dp/091635475X) > > There’s also the charming topic of _coprophagia_ – which includes those who do this as a sexual kink. The less I know about this, the better. But presumably practitioners don’t die of it. > > [Coprophagia - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coprophagia) This. If the…donor is free of infectious diseases, then you aren’t going to catch any of those diseases. Contrast this with exposure to raw sewage generated by a large population containing unknown disease vectors, and you’re much more likely to get sick. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/13 "2017-12-21T14:01:01Z")
> [@Face\_Intentionally\_Left\_Blank](#): > > special poop donors I saw them perform live at the sewage treatment plant. They were crappy. It’s a mystery why coprophagia isn’t more popular as an alternative health practice, seeing how many people go in for urine-drinking. Maybe the breath mint expenses are too high. ---
**Author:** ![coffeecat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/coffeecat/32/3405_2.png) [@coffeecat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/coffeecat)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/14 "2017-12-21T14:15:12Z")
Cecil writes about _[everything.](https://www.straightdope.com/columns/read/2600/is-coprophagia-dangerous/)_ (When searching for this, I got ad links to “Coprophagia 25% off” and “Get coprophagia now.” :rolleyes: ) ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/15 "2017-12-21T14:46:20Z")
For a real like practitioner, google G.G. Allin. I will NOT provide a link, but a warning: Prepare to be totally grossed out on the highest level possible. ---
**Author:** ![Alley\_Dweller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alley_dweller/32/430_2.png) [@Alley\_Dweller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alley_Dweller)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/16 "2017-12-21T15:17:21Z")
> [@running\_coach](#): > > Are laxatives deductible as a business expense? It depends on whether the donor is an employee or self-employed. The new tax bill eliminated all employee business expense deductions, so the answer is “no” if the donor is an employee (as of 2018). I would say “yes” if the donor is self-employed. I base this on the findings of the [Tax Court in Green v Commissioner 74 T.C. 1229 (1980)](https://www.leagle.com/decision/1980130374cltc122911214). Margaret Green had a rare blood type and frequently sold her plasma. On her 1976 tax return “Petitioner claimed as business-expense deductions amounts allegedly spent for medical insurance premiums, special drugs, high protein diet foods, and transportation to and from the laboratory where petitioner donated her plasma. Petitioner also claimed as a business deduction a depletion allowance for certain minerals and antibodies in her blood.” The Tax Court denied the deduction for health insurance and the depletion allowance as business expenses (but it did allow the normal itemized deduction for health insurance). It allowed all the other deductions, except that it allowed a reduced deduction for the special foods. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/17 "2017-12-21T15:52:09Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > For a real like practitioner, google G.G. Allin. I will NOT provide a link, but a warning: Prepare to be totally grossed out on the highest level possible. The Wikipedia account of his death and funeral is fascinating. There are many strange people in the world ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/18 "2017-12-21T16:23:33Z")
> [@Brown\_Eyed\_Girl](#): > > There’s a damn good reason we treat public water and why raw sewage is considered a serious health risk. There are all kinds of nasty pathogens in fecal matter from E. Coli and salmonella to rotovirus and norovirus. Ingestion of human feces pathogenic organisms are responsible for very serious infectious diseases such as cholera and dysentery, both of which kill many people every year. Don’t eat shit. It’s [bad for you](https://www.zocdoc.com/answers/20474/what-types-of-risks-do-human-feces-pose). Since the main concern would be the spread of infectious diseases would it be safe to eat your own, under the assumption that any microbes in there would already be part of your gut fauna? Don’t worry I have no intention/desire to try this. ---
**Author:** ![FoieGrasIsEvil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/foiegrasisevil/32/16638_2.png) [@FoieGrasIsEvil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FoieGrasIsEvil)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/19 "2017-12-21T16:33:06Z")
You know who _else_ had coprophagia? ---
**Author:** ![BwanaBob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bwanabob/32/2985_2.png) [@BwanaBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BwanaBob)\ **Post date:** [December 21, 2017, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977/20 "2017-12-21T16:41:21Z")
> [@FoieGrasIsEvil](#): > > You know who _else_ had coprophagia? Not sure of the name, but they were always grinning. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-happens-if-you-literally-eat-shit/804977.md?page=2)