February 26th 2009 11:35 pm

Sword Swallowers Awareness Day

Sword Swallowers Awareness Day

Saturday is Sword Swallowers Awareness Day, says Dan Meyer, sword-swallower.

“When I put the sword in my mouth, I will repress the gag reflex in the back of the throat. Then I have to go behind my Adam’s apple, my prominentia laryngea, behind the voicebox, the larynx, down about through the crichopharyngeal sphincter, up in the upper part of the mouth here. Then down into the esophagus, repress the peristalysis reflex, which is 22 pairs of muscles that swallows your food. From there relax the esophageal muscles, relax the lower esophageal sphincter, and slip the blade down into my stomach, repress the wretch reflex in my stomach.”

Read more at ScientificAmerican.com and listen to the podcast.

No Comments yet »

Trackback URI | Comments RSS

Leave a Reply

« | »