Fountain Man Haji Ali (6 photos + 1 video)

The human body is a clearly functioning and well-functioning system. If something unnecessary gets into it, the body tries to cleanse itself.





This is a matter of health, life and death. And a sane, healthy person would not deliberately provoke himself to vomit. But there was one character in history who learned to do this professionally and earn good money from his peculiarity.



The Great Belcher, also called the Egyptian Mystery, was born in Egypt in 1892. In the 1920s, Haji Ali became something of an American vaudeville sensation due to his unusual ability to swallow various objects and vomit them back out in a manner that suited the audience's demands. Another signature number was the so-called human fountain.





Actually, professional burping was actually nothing new. In the mid-17th century, a Frenchman named Jean Royer was known for his ability to absorb and spew water. Another belcher, Blaise Manfre, was noted for his ability to drink water and turn it into wine.

Naturally, there was no talk of Christian miracles. The magician first swallowed Brazilwood extract, which colored the liquid a rich red color. The act of regurgitation was common enough that Houdini mentioned it and his sincere disgust for it in his book The Miracle Workers and Their Methods.



There was really no trick to the act of burping, as it was just a matter of controlled vomiting and training the stomach and throat muscles to contract at will. Some artists have been known to use substances that cause severe stomach cramps while maintaining control of their lips. But these people lacked self-control, so their careers were short-lived.



Ali brought many unique elements to a largely forgotten performance. Of course, the audience was attracted by his exotic appearance, which, combined with some kind of animal fury with which the man absorbed the water, turned an ordinary action into a mesmerizing performance.

Ali could swallow two or three aquariums of water, cup after cup, and spew a stream almost two meters high into a small basin. Ali was able to perform this feat even after swallowing many objects in front of the water.



At the end of the performance, with the drums pounding and his assistant erecting a small metal castle on the stage, Ali drank about 5 liters of water, and then the same amount of kerosene. By releasing kerosene in a powerful stream, Ali ignited the castle, fed the flames with subsequent gusts, and then extinguished the fire with the previously ingested water.

The great belcher performed at least 22 times a week.

Although other spewers performed during Ali's era, their performances were not as popular due to the lack of aesthetic appeal of the performances.

The very fact that Ali's eruption of liquid was perceived by the audience as impressive entertainment indicates that his performance was indeed a spectacular show.

While touring England and at the height of his unexpected popularity, Haji Ali died of heart failure on November 5, 1937.