Bite the bullet

In many cultures, amulets are common devices worn to protect the wearer against all sorts of diseases and afflictions. At a Primary Health Care center in Mauritania, West Africa, an ex-soldier was prescribed a tetanus vaccination; however, he told us it was impossible because a powerful amulet had made his skin impenetrable and the needle would break. He explained how he had been shot while in the army and to prevent a similar incident he bought a very expensive amulet. Being a sceptic, I suggested that we could just try the injection. My translator helpfully suggested he could remove the amulet for a short time; however, he was unable to remove it because as opposed to a normal amulet you wear on an arm or around the neck (see figure 1), he had swallowed it. He promptly left without the vaccination and dismissed the question as...
Source: Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health - Category: Epidemiology Authors: Tags: JECH Gallery Source Type: research