Doctor: Nails were fed to girl
Source: Xinhua |
June 19, 2010, Saturday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
POLICE in northwest China were poised to investigate reports that an 18-month-old Chinese girl who repeatedly excreted nails over the past weeks must have been fed the objects by one of her caregivers.
Shen Zhijun, a doctor at the Children's Hospital of Yulin City in Shaanxi Province said yesterday that after five days of isolation, the little girl excreted a final nail yesterday morning and a subsequent X-ray showed no more nails in her body.
Shen said he suspected it was a case of intentional injury and had advised hospital officials to report it to police.
The girl excreted more than 20 nails and five steel pins over the past six weeks, but showed no sign of an ailment and ate and drank as usual.
She continued to excrete nails even though she had been confined to the hospital bed since early May.
"This convinced us the nails had not been accidentally swallowed," said hospital President He Bo.
X-rays found new nails in Ting Ting's stomach after every excretion, he said.
"Starting on June 12, we put her under strict isolation and banned even her parents from entering her ward," said Dr Shen.
"Now for the first time in a month, no nail was found in her stomach and the girl appears perfectly healthy."
Meanwhile, he said the girl would stay in hospital for another day or two for further observation and on safety grounds.
Police in Yulin City said they had been closely following media reports of the girl's case and were ready to launch an investigation if there were evidence of abuse.
Last week, pediatricians from the provincial capital, Xi'an, suspected the girl was suffering from pica, an eating disorder characterized by persistent cravings to eat non-food items such as dirt or cigarette butts.
But unlike pica patients, the levels of zinc, calcium and magnesium in the girl's blood sample were normal.
The girl's case has aroused widespread attention from the media and health experts. On the Internet, many people suspected it was a case of child abuse.
Shen Zhijun, a doctor at the Children's Hospital of Yulin City in Shaanxi Province said yesterday that after five days of isolation, the little girl excreted a final nail yesterday morning and a subsequent X-ray showed no more nails in her body.
Shen said he suspected it was a case of intentional injury and had advised hospital officials to report it to police.
The girl excreted more than 20 nails and five steel pins over the past six weeks, but showed no sign of an ailment and ate and drank as usual.
She continued to excrete nails even though she had been confined to the hospital bed since early May.
"This convinced us the nails had not been accidentally swallowed," said hospital President He Bo.
X-rays found new nails in Ting Ting's stomach after every excretion, he said.
"Starting on June 12, we put her under strict isolation and banned even her parents from entering her ward," said Dr Shen.
"Now for the first time in a month, no nail was found in her stomach and the girl appears perfectly healthy."
Meanwhile, he said the girl would stay in hospital for another day or two for further observation and on safety grounds.
Police in Yulin City said they had been closely following media reports of the girl's case and were ready to launch an investigation if there were evidence of abuse.
Last week, pediatricians from the provincial capital, Xi'an, suspected the girl was suffering from pica, an eating disorder characterized by persistent cravings to eat non-food items such as dirt or cigarette butts.
But unlike pica patients, the levels of zinc, calcium and magnesium in the girl's blood sample were normal.
The girl's case has aroused widespread attention from the media and health experts. On the Internet, many people suspected it was a case of child abuse.
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