Michel Lotito (; ) was a French entertainer famous for deliberate consumption of normally indigestible objects. He came to be known as Monsieur Mangetout (). His digestive system allowed him to consume up to of metal per day. He started eating this unusual diet at age 16.
Career
Michel Lotito began eating unusual material at 16 years of age, and he performed publicly beginning in 1966, around the age of 16. He had an eating disorder known as pica, a psychological disorder characterised by an appetite for substances that are largely non-nutritive. Doctors determined that Lotito also had a thick lining in his stomach and intestines, which allowed his consumption of sharp metal without suffering injury. Lotito also had digestive juices that were unusually powerful, meaning that he could digest the unusual materials. Soft foods, such as bananas, gave him heartburn, specifically when he had metal in his stomach."Michel Lotito" (video). ABC International. YouTube. 2018.
Lotito's performance involved the consumption of metal, glass, rubber, and other materials. He disassembled, cut up into small pieces, and consumed items such as bicycles, shopping carts, televisions, beds, and a Cessna 150, among other items. It took him roughly 2 years, from to , to eat the Cessna 150.
Lotito claimed not to suffer ill effects from his consumption of substances typically considered poisonous. When performing, he ingested approximately of material daily, preceding it with mineral oil and drinking considerable quantities of water during the meal; this allowed him to swallow the metal without damaging his throat. It is estimated that between 1959 and 1997, he "had eaten nearly nine tons of metal." He did not have any digestive problems as a result of his unusual diet.
Awards Lotito holds the record for the "strangest diet" in the Guinness World Records. He was awarded a plaque, made of brass, by the publishers to commemorate his abilities. He ate his award.
Death Lotito died of natural causes at age 57 on , in Grenoble.
List of unusual items allegedly consumed At least:
45 door hinges 18 bicycles 15 shopping carts 7 television sets 6 chandeliers 2 beds 1 pair of skis 1 computer 1 copy of the textbook Gravitation by Misner, Thorne, and Wheeler 1 Cessna 150 light aircraft 1 waterbed of steel chain 1 coffin (with handles) 1 Guinness World Records award plaque Assorted razors and bolts
In popular culture The Man Who Ate the 747 (2000) is the debut novel of Ben Sherwood. It follows a record keeper for The Book of Records who discovers a farmer attempting to romantically impress a woman by gradually eating a Boeing 747. The novel was heavily inspired by The Guinness Book of World Records; Sherwood interviewed Lotito via telephone as part of his research. How to Eat an Airplane (2016) is a picture book based on Lotito, written by Peter Pearson and illustrated by Mircea Catusanu.
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