Contributions To Science
The abilities of sword-swallowers have proven useful to the progress of medical knowledge, specifically in the development and advancement of upper endoscopy. In 1868 Adolf Kussmaul of Freiburg, Germany performed the first esophagoscopy on a sword-swallower using a rigid 47 cm tube, mirrors, and a gasoline lamp. The apparatus, an early endoscope, allowed him to examine the esophagus and the fundus of the stomach. Stevens, a Scottish physician, performed digestive experiments with his sword-swallowing assistant; small metal tubes, pierced with holes and filled with meat, were swallowed and after a time regurgitated, allowing Stevens to examine the extent of the digestion that had taken place. In 1906 Dr. Cremer performed the first electrocardiogram on a professional sword-swallower in Wales by passing an electrode down the esophagus. This approach has since been proven useful by numerous studies; esophageal recording at a location in proximity to the heart improves signal detection.
In 2007 sword swallower Dai Andrews worked alongside Dr. Sharon Caplan and other physicians at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore MD USA. The study was conducted to determine whether the techniques involved in sword swallowing could be used to help patients who suffer from achalasia or those who had suffered severe throat trauma and were having trouble swallowing as a result. The Fluoroscopic video, (Video x-ray) can be seen here.
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