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discodoc
09-26-2003, 05:19 PM
I need to know who wrote and where to find this tale of how the hand led a rebellion of the body.

I believe it was translated from Latin.

It goes like this

The hand decided that because it wasn't consuming food itself that it would no longer carry nourishment to the mouth. The teeth and tongue joined in saying that they only mushed up the food and delivered it to the esophagus and stomach so they, too, would no longer do so.

Then the stomach decided that since it didn't keep the food very long it would not store it...the story went on and on, each organ refusing to take part in the eating/digesting process until the body almost died because of lack of nourishment.

Anyone ever hear of it, know where to find it?

Many thanks,
Dr. A -?

Sindhu
10-17-2003, 05:13 AM
This SOUNDS like the story "The Rebellion againt the Stomach" included in The Book of Virtues, edited by William Bennett. But it says "author unknown" there. We have a traditional version of this story in Indan legend also. But in both versions, the stomach does not join the rebellion, it just keeps quiet till the other organs understand they have to provide food for te tomach to store and digest if they are to survive.
You can find the Bennett version of the story at
www.inspirationalstories.com/0/16.html -

Demogorgon
05-23-2004, 03:14 AM
I think I know this one:
The story starts with the rebellion of the plebejians against the patricians(not sure if these are the correct english words for it) in ancient Rome some time arround 490 BC.

The plebejians (I guess you could say that they were some kind of working class) leaves Rome and are planning to either attack Rome and the remaining patricians (rich landowners and noble class) or found a new city.

At this point the patricians sets up an army and send a delegation of negotiators, among them Menenius Agrippa who tells the story of the rebellion of the body.

The main point of the story is that the body goes on strike and refuses to feed the stomach and then the body dies without food. So would be the case for the society as well if the working class stopped feeding the rich and powerful.

As strange as it might seem, the plebejians calmed down and started to negotiate for reformation of the political system.

At this time Rome was an unsignificant town, and this was a first step towards the developement of the Roman republic that became the political platform for world dominion and a long line of dictators.

I think all this originates from a roman history writer by the name of Titus Livius who lived at same time as the emperor Augustus.

I know itīs been a while since this question was asked, but better late then never Iīll guess..... (wich by the way is a qoute from Titus Livius)