The evidence is 'piling' up -- It's honestly not that bad! An answer to a 'Dear Abby' column
Just saying. Here’s a typical article in a ‘Dear Abby’ format that takes a professional look at a young and healthy couple experimenting with coprophagia. As you can imagine, it reeks of bias, but it’s not devoid of useful content.
Dear Cecil:
Being a woman of the world, I've encountered quite a few strange fetishes in my life. However, my brother Mikey and his hopelessly blond girlfriend recently got into coprophagia. I'm a pretty open-minded gal, but I draw the line when I have to kiss the face that … well, you know. Alas, pointing out the bizarre and repugnant nature of his behavior has done little to change my lost sibling's ways. After reading a column on your site that referenced how food-service workers not washing their hands after going to the bathroom could promote the spread of disease, I started to wonder just how dangerous coprophagia is. What are the risks? Beyond disease, what could go wrong?
Mistress Anastasia in San Francisco
Groan. Yet again, people just can’t help telling on themselves. You should be thankful for the openness with your brother and his loving girlfriend! Anyway…
The professional and for that matter the popular literature on coprophagia is pretty thin. Marine biologist Ralph Lewin, in his delightful (really) book Merde: Excursions in Scientific, Cultural, and Sociohistorical Coprology (1999), devotes a scant six pages to the subject, and these are entirely given over to a discussion of coprophagia among animals. Apparently the practice is common…
More common than you’d think! I’ve skimmed this work and unfortunately found it lacking, but it’s a better place to start than outright dismissal. Remind me to do another article on the prevalence of cancel culture — it seems most are as unwilling to listen to a proud coprophile, even if he (or she) provides scientific evidence to back up the hobby, and the only opposition seems to be “it’s gross.”
In a follow-up article (“More on Merde,” Perspectives in Biology and Medicine 2001), Lewin offers a few additional insights on coprophagy, including 1.5 paragraphs on its practice among humans, the general message of which is that only pranksters and crazy people do this.
ONCE AGAIN, outright dismissal. However, the evidence was just too much for them to swallow:
“However,” his inner scientist compels him to observe, “consumption of fresh, warm camel feces has been recommended by Bedouins as a remedy for bacterial dysentery; its efficacy (probably attributable to the antibiotic subtilisin from Bacillus subtilis) was confirmed by German soldiers in Africa during World War II.”
What a surprise! Even the most cursory glance will provide evidence of ancient practices and benefits. It’s almost as if it’s a completely legitimate area of scientific research! Who would have thought?
Combing further through the journals, we find near-unanimous professional belief that virtually all human coprophages are mentally ill, retarded, or otherwise missing a few teeth off the main sprocket.
Sigh….
OK, diseases. While the hazards of coprophagia as such have attracted little medical interest, it’s safe to say initiates in the brown arts are susceptible to many of the same ills dogging devotees of anilingus, fellatio following anal intercourse, and other more widely studied pastimes.
And there it is. What is considered “cool” or “normal,” and is in fact a searchable term on pornhub, is for some reason beyond reproach.
Although this article is disappointing in its tone, it’s undoubtedly filled with useful information about benefits — both personal and medical — of coprophagia. It’s really not that bad, and despite what your gut may tell you, your gut microbes have a different perspective on the topic.
Full article here.