A
person that eats
stones to
entertain.
Similar in a way to the
geeks of the common
sideshow, a
lithophagus entertains a crowd by
ingesting stones and
gravel to
impress the
audience.
As
documented in
William Hone's
Table Book of Recreation (
1827):
"He not only swallowed flints of an inch and a half long, a full inch broad, and a half an inch thick, but such stones he could reduce to powder, such as marbles, pebbles, etc. he made into paste, which to him was a most agreeable and wholesome food. He recalled, 'When I went to school, I was a great favorite with the boys, for whenever there was a damson tart or cherry pie, I was well content to eat the stones and leave them the fruit'..."
I am not aware of any dedicated
lithophagus acts touring the
globe right now, however I did see a
fellow perform some stone-
chewing at a
freak show in
Hamilton,
Ontario last year, which did indeed
impress me
significantly.