Photo: Wikimedia Commons/Siga
Question: how do you know when your seemingly simple dare has gone a little too far? Answer: when you become the star of a medical case study. From inhaling too much helium to shooting pressurized air up someone's butt, we've seen our share of stunts gone wrong here at Seriously, Science? And this one, although lacking pressurized gas, is another doozy. Here doctors report a soldier who ate a beetle on a bet. Sound pretty harmless? Not when the beetle turns out to be
Berberomeloe majalis, an insect that produces the chemical cantharidin--aka "Spanish fly." Despite its well-known aphrodisiac effects, this chemical also has the unfortunate side effect of causing kidney damage. Fortunately, the soldier recovered. Sadly, however, the beetle did not.Acute kidney injury by cantharidin poisoning following a silly bet on an ugly beetle "Cantharidin is a poisonous substance secreted by blister beetles, including the ‘Spanish ...
