As promised, here's part three of the nails-in-the-brain trilogy. Only, while nails may be the brain-poking standby, they're not the only foreign bodies to be shot, shoved or stabbed into the human brain.

For example, after getting into a fistfight a man reported to his local emergency room with a headache, black eye and a cut on his cheek. Imaging found a 10.5-centimeter paintbrush embedded in the man's brain. Surgery removed the paintbrush and the man experienced no lasting effects. The paintbrush had entered bristles-first.

Or take the case of a man who drilled a hole in his head and then fed into he hole the uncoiled wire from a sketchpad. He recovered, too.

But holding the Guinness Record for "largest object removed from human skull" is Michael Hill, who after answering the door at a friend's house, was stabbed with an 8-inch survival knife. With the knife embedded in his skull to the hilt, he walked down the street to another friend's house. The knife was removed four hours later. Hill recovered with slight memory loss and paralysis in his left hand.

Wait! I just remembered another heartwarming story of people punching holes in their heads. Stay tuned. I'll post it next Saturday. Be forewarned: it only gets better (worse).

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