How's this for a medical emergency: A man in India has been admitted to hospital with crippling stomach pains - after eating more than 40 knives.

No, we're being completely serious. 40. Knives. 

Doctors Remove 40 knives From Knife-eating Man’s Stomach https://t.co/JbIBuAwBp5 pic.twitter.com/gElI28UYqV

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A team of surgeons worked for more than five hours to remove the blades from the unnamed male patient's stomach after he eventually admitted to his unusual snack; Dr Jatinder Malhotra, managing director of The Corporate Hospital in the north-west region of Amritsar, said: "In my 20 years of practice, this is the most dreadful surgery I have ever seen or done."

The man, who works as a police officer, told The Times Of India that when it came to eating metal objects, he just couldn't help himself.

"I felt like eating knives, and I ate them," he said.

Doctors removed 40 knives from one man's stomach in India https://t.co/zZ6j608Tja pic.twitter.com/aBymHVMUoG

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Doctors suspect he could have an eating disorder known as Pica; sufferers find themselves with an uncontrollable appetite for "non-nutritive substances" such as metal, glass, paint, human hair and even chemicals.