On Tuesday, April 23, 1996 3:00:00 AM UTC-4, Paul Seed wrote:   
   > Perhaps somebody can confirm/deny this story, which my sister told me several   
   > years ago having "read it somewhere".   
   >   
   > Apparently the treatment for a patient with tapeworm is to go into hospital,   
   > lie down and take no food for several days. A ripe and fragrant banana is   
   > placed on the patient's chest, which entices the starving tapeworm up from   
   the   
   > gut. The creature climbs up the oesophagus and pokes its head out of the   
   > mouth/nose of its unfortunate host, whereupon the attending medical staff   
   grab   
   > it, wrap it around a pencil and pull the whole thing out very slowly (trying   
   > to avoid breaking it and leaving half inside the patient).   
   >   
   > This all sounds like a scare story to me; in the days of modern medicine I   
   > can't believe it's true, but who knows? AFU readers, surely...   
   >   
   >   
   > - Paul "Sure hope he starves before I do (and that he likes bananas)" Seed   
   >   
   > (Opinions and hokum expressed herein are mine alone)   
      
   Cestode Infections are treated by chemotherapy (medication) and/or surgical   
   procedures depending on the species of cestode, severity of the infection, and   
   migration from intestine to organs, muscles, and brain.   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)