India, June 24 -- In a medical case that has stunned both doctors and readers alike, a 64-year-old man from eastern China's Anhui province discovered that a toothbrush he had accidentally swallowed as a child had remained inside his body for 52 years, according to a report by the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

The man, surnamed Yang, had swallowed the toothbrush at the age of 12 but was too frightened to tell his parents. Believing it would dissolve or pass naturally, he kept the matter to himself and experienced no discomfort for many years.

(Also read: Chinese woman suffers severe skin damage after wearing make-up for 22 years without removal)

"I thought it would break down in my stomach or somehow disappear," Yang was quoted as sa...