Expert: Dana Krempels, Ph.D. - 12/9/2007

Question
If it were possible and i could be shrunk to about 2inches in height, what would it be like if my girlfriend was to eat me? Lets just say she picks me up gently puts me in her mouth, sucks on me gently and the slowly swallows me whole and alive.

What would it feel like? would i survive the the swallowing process and enter her stomach unharmed?
How long could i survive in her stomach?
How long could i survive in her stomach if she had first taken ant-acids and kept swallowing air?
What exactly would happen to me? would it be painful?
Could she get me back out unharmed?

Strange question i know but I'm interested.

Thankyou

Answer
Dear Ian,

I'll assume this is a serious question and answer.

1.  No amount of antacids would get a stomach to a high enough pH to allow an animal to survive the human stomach.  Death by acid certainly would not be pleasant.

2.  There is little or no oxygen in the intestinal tract, so you might suffocate before you were digested.  A human can go without oxygen for only few minutes, maximum.

3.  The trip out the other end would not be pleasant, but you'd already be dead, so it's a moot point.

Simple answers to the strange question.  I hope you're not contemplating swallowing anything alive, because that would be unspeakably cruel and horrible.

Dana