# What the heck is this? (gross medical oddity or photoshop) **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 23, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738 "2003-06-23T10:58:53Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/1 "2003-06-23T10:58:53Z")
WARNING PORNOGRAPHIC WEBSITE **NOT SAFE FOR WORK!** I’ve never seen anything like this, is it real and if so what is it? **[link deleted]** Mods if I broke a rule linking there please accept my apologies. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/2 "2003-06-23T11:06:12Z")
More than likely it’s photoshopped. Check out the photographs forum of the Urban Legend Reference Pages message board for these kinds of things (There’s a thread on that same pic [here](http://www.snopes.com/message/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=60;t=000367)). Consensus there is that the pic is a photoshopped lotus pod / nipple. ---
**Author:** ![Eleusis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Eleusis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eleusis)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/3 "2003-06-23T11:25:41Z")
Thank you, **XJETGIRLX** , for putting my mind at ease. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/4 "2003-06-23T12:53:54Z")
I have to say (and this isn’t a complaint; I was fairly warned) that even though it is photoshopped and I already knew what a [lotus fruit](http://www.holoweb.com/cannon/images/pg45.jpg) looks like, it is still the most visually disturbing image I have seen since I can’t remember when (and I get some pretty sick unsolicited stuff in my company mailbox). I felt physically sick looking at it. I should have curbed my curiosity. As I said though, this isn’t a complaint or an appeal for the link to be broken, but I will say this: finish chewing your sandwich before you click. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/5 "2003-06-23T13:20:06Z")
I thought it was pretty gross too. Not that it’s blood-and-guts or anything - but who could possibly think that picture is attractive? Or the idea behind it? Looks like a breast full of buckshot. It’s just repulsive. Like looking at squashed bugs or something. Ick. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/6 "2003-06-23T13:23:14Z")
I thought it looked like an infestation of some kind; seriously, it icked me right out; I’ve had to sift through all kinds of nasties (including some really gross corpse stuff) while I’ve been teaching my email filter to recognise spam, but none of it made my stomach churn like that pic. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/7 "2003-06-23T13:37:22Z")
I’m glad I’m not the only one creeped out by this image. It’s probably the most disturbing image I’ve seen on the Net, and I’ve seen most stuff on **rotten**. I too thought it might be an infestation - it’s what I imagined a [human botfly infestation](http://www.gwu.edu/~cotw/answer5.html) (warning: gross images of a _real_ parasites). But if it were parasites, the rest of the breast shouldn’t look that healthy. ---
**Author:** ![WILLASS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/54ee81/32.png) [@WILLASS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WILLASS)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 1:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/8 "2003-06-23T13:38:28Z")
what the hell is that supposed to be? I didnt find it particularly repulsive - it looks like some kind of weird new piercing to me, like those things people put under their skin except poking through… ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/9 "2003-06-23T14:00:24Z")
I thought it was an interesting image. I’m not creeped out by it in the least, but it’s going to be in my mind for a good while now. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/10 "2003-06-23T14:31:23Z")
IMHO, it’s a dumb image. For some odd reason, however, it’s quite visually impacting. [sub]Note: I followed the Snopes link, seeing as it was the same picture. Don’t want to encourage spyware, etc.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![Tansu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/67e7ee/32.png) [@Tansu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tansu)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/11 "2003-06-23T16:16:25Z")
I felt the same way as Mangetout - even though it’s obviously photoshopped, it’s still extremely gross. Icked me out more than rotting flesh. I suppose the horror aspect hit a live “disgust” wire in the old brain. ---
**Author:** ![effac3d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@effac3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/effac3d)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/12 "2003-06-23T16:56:38Z")
I used to pick them from a pond when i was a kid so it didn’t really phase me,its defintely a lotus seed pod. It is interesting as art though. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/13 "2003-06-23T17:57:58Z")
**Eleusis** , I have deleted your link. The picture itself was iffy, but the main problem was that it is hosted by a porn site. Anyone wishing to see the picture can find a link from the Snopes thread linked to by **XJETGIRLX**. bibliophage moderator GQ ---
**Author:** ![Glory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/7cd45c/32.png) [@Glory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Glory)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2003, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-the-heck-is-this-gross-medical-oddity-or-photoshop/183738/14 "2003-06-23T19:51:31Z")
I saw this picture last night and was creeped out/disturbed by it. I just had an odd flash to it in the bathroom. I went to the sink to wash my hands, looked down at the drain with its small holes and immediately thought of the image. Why does it have such a visceral impact on so many of us?