New Delhi, Feb. 3 -- A 24-year-old man in France was rushed to the hospital after doctors discovered something unusual. An 8-inch-long object was found in his rectum. The origin of the same goes back to the early 20th century. It was a World War I-era artillery shell.

The reason for the incident remains unclear. How the artillery ended up there is still a mystery. Authorities are investigating the circumstances.

The 37mm brass-and-copper shell was used by the Imperial German Army in the final stages of World War I. Such shells were mass-produced and widely used against British and French forces on the Western Front.

Many were date-stamped. Even today, similar unexploded shells are often found during the annual "Iron Harvest" across Eur...