Polina Rytova
Member-only story
The Farmer Who Grew Wheat Out Of His Eye
In the 1890s, an Indiana farmer had a very unusual medical issue
Those who are truly dedicated to their work can get too close to their vocation. This was taken to dangerous levels more than a century ago when an Indiana farmer made headlines as it was discovered that he had growing wheat out of one of his eyes.
John Sansley of South Bend garnered horrified attention from many people after it was discovered that he had gotten something in his eye and it literally became part of him. In the winter of 1892, it was reported that the previous September he had been threshing his wheat crop when he had to stop when one of his eyes became irritated and inflamed.
Unfortunately, instead of whatever was in his eye simply coming out on its own over time, the poor man continued to suffer from the pain. Months later, he finally consulted an eye doctor, hoping to get some relief.
The medical professional did a thorough examination and was shocked to find that what was causing all of the discomfort was a grain of wheat that had lodged behind one of the farmer’s eyes. However, it had since sprouted and was in the process of finding its way to daylight, working a passage that ran along his skull and was starting to emerge from the corner of his right eye.
With the utmost concentration, the doctor removed the sprout, providing Sansley with the relief he sought. Not wanting to waste a good plant, the tiny wheat was transplanted into a hot bed and continued to grow.
It was said that Sansley rapidly returned to good ocular health. It must have been incredibly satisfying to remove a growing plant from his eye, but he was likely thanking his lucky stars that the errant kernel hadn’t sprouted into a potato or a pumpkin.
