Projectile vomit

Posted by James Briggs on July 31, 2009 at 09:26

In Reply to: Projectile vomit posted by RRC on July 30, 2009 at 21:15:

: : Does any one have a definitive origin of the phrase "projectile vomit" I actaually think I coined this phrase at Sheffield uni in 1973. Is this possible?

: Believe it or not, it is an actual medical term that goes back over 100 years at least. I found it in a medical book (on Google Books) from 1848.

Medical indeed. It describes the vomiting produced by narrowing of the junction between the stomach (pylorus) and the small intestine (duodenum). The symptom is often noted in children with pyloric stenosis.

• Projectile vomit ESC 31/July/09