Once in awhile I'll come across that (in)famous Civil War story in medical digests (and the like) about that soldier who gets shot through balls. And the bullet that passes through him hits a nearby woman in the ovaries and impregnates her.

Sounds too absurd to be true...

XXX (imported) wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:32 pm Once in awhile I'll come across that (in)famous Civil War story in medical digests (and the like) about that soldier who gets shot through balls. And the bullet that passes through him hits a nearby woman in the ovaries and impregnates her.

Sounds too absurd to be true...

Truth can be stanger than fiction. But that could happen but very unlikely as there was very few women on the battle field it any and the death rate of being shot was very high.

There is a reported case of a women getting impregnated form using a hot tub

(a male before her had been sexually active)

_g

_g (imported) wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2004 6:44 am There is a reported case of a women getting impregnated form using a hot tub (a male before her had been sexually active)

_g

Giggles. Did their parents really believe this tale?

Kelly

That would've been physically impossible. No sperm cell could survive such heat. And the sheer speed of the bullet would destroy the cells on impact.

Both the sentry soldier and the nurse recovered from their wounds, the pregnancy was otherwise normal. I also understand the sentry soldier did in fact marry the nurse, and they had several more children through much more normal methods.

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Sounds like just a story to cover some infidelity ... I mean a nurse getting pregnant by a sentry wouldn't require any bullet.

XXX (imported) wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2004 9:32 pm Once in awhile I'll come across that (in)famous Civil War story in medical digests (and the like) about that soldier who gets shot through balls. And the bullet that passes through him hits a nearby woman in the ovaries and impregnates her.

Sounds too absurd to be true...

Probably because it is. Gullibility reigns supreme, but of course that's the basis for all urban legends.

In case you're interested, visit this URL:

http://www.snopes.com/pregnant/bulletbl.htm

Of course, a lot of questions have also been raised about another bullet that is supposed to have passed through two people, John Kennedy and John Connally. No pregnancy, and the bullet would not have been the one that mortally wounded Kennedy, but the theory about its trajectory also seems unlikely.

Maybe there could be an episode on Mythbusters to see if a pregnancy could happen this way. Any volunteers?

Jema

I suppose that anything is possible however unlikely.... The most common rifled muskets used during the American Civil War(Or the War of Northern Aggression) was both the British Enfield and US Springfield and both were .58 calber and over a half ounce of lead so.... wherever it hit would leave a large hole.

Geotarr (imported) wrote: Sun Apr 25, 2004 11:59 pm That would've been physically impossible. No sperm cell could survive such heat. And the sheer speed of the bullet would destroy the cells on impact.

Muzzleloaders had a slow muzzle velocity, so not as much heat through friction in the atmosphere.

However, since a 60 Calibre musket ball is unlikely to leave any thing intact maybe enterprising soul amy want to go here and ask the experts...

http://hoaxbusters.ciac.org/

Good surfing!

A-1