I was introduced to smellypoop.com, which is a real web site with poop gag products, poop research, and lots of scatology info. I read thru most of the info, and yup, all the stuff you’ve ever wanted to know about poop, and more. Emphasis on the “and more.” At some points I was fascinated in a scholarly sense, and at other points — like the part about animals and people eating poo (coprophagy, it’s got a name!) — I was just disgusted. And then I was horrified by this little tidbit of info:

“Can you get sick from eating poop?

Yes, you can definitely get sick from eating poop, even in minute quantities! Although urine emerges sterile from the body (unless the person has an infection), poop emerges loaded with bacteria and sometimes other life forms. Many diseases, including food poisoning, cholera and typhus, are spread by fecal contamination. Many parasites, such as the notorious tapeworm, can be spread through deliberate or accidental ingestion of poop.
There are some parasites, such as pinworms, who depend on people eating their own poop to keep the population up. Pinworms are small nematodes that live in the colon. The females emerge from the anus at night to lay their eggs. Their activity makes the anal area itch. The person scratches the itch (often doing so in his sleep), procuring a small amount of fecal matter and eggs under his fingernails, and then puts his fingers in his mouth. Once the eggs are consumed, the person is infected with a new generation of pinworms.
I have read that almost everyone has pinworms. Luckily, pinworms don’t do much harm. You only notice them if you have a lot of pinworms! If you want to find out if you do indeed have them, get someone to gently touch around your anal area with Scotch tape while you are sleeping. The worms will stick to the tape and you’ll be able to see them.”

What does he MEAN, “almost everyone”?! It instantly made me wonder if I have pinworms, and then I imagined finding out that I have pinworms by the, uh, scientific technique the author suggested, and then I just thought it’s better that I don’t know.

Oh yeah. I’m not at work today. Took a “mental health” day off with permission from my supervisor.