Ig Nobel prizes hail 'digital rectal massage' - opinion - 06 October 2006 - New Scientist

Ig Nobel prizes hail 'digital rectal massage' - opinion - 06 October 2006 - New Scientist: "Runaway electrical impulses in the vagus nerve cause intractable hiccups, so Fesmire attempted to block them by stimulating the nerve. Gagging, tongue pulling, sinus massage and pressing the eyeball to stimulate the vagus all failed to stop the hiccups. Then he remembered reading about a case in which digital rectal massage – inserting a finger into a patient’s anus – had slowed a racing heartbeat, an effect similar to runaway hiccups."