Care for A Bite? Self-Cannibalism and Its Controversy

CW: This article contains descriptions of violence and self-harming behavior.

The concept of self-cannibalism, a taboo subject that ignites a sudden fullness in your stomach, also known as autocannibalism, is observed in both humans and animals. This article will study the desire for and act of eating one's own flesh.

With hopes that no one's mouth is watering, we shall start this ravenous article.

Certain animals, such as the praying mantises, tadpoles, and cannibalistic spiderlings demonstrate self-cannibalism under certain circumstances. Some female praying mantises devour their male counterpart after mating. Although this does not completely equal self-cannibalism. It is one individual consuming another member of the same species. While certain cannibalistic spiderlings tend to eat their offspring when they produce more than what can be provided for, tadpoles, on the other hand, exhibit the behavior of eating their tails in the event of food scarcity. 

Cannibalism has long been a sparkling concept for art and literature. We all know how Saturn devoured his son, hoping he could rewrite the stars and change the doomed ending of his fate. Goya depicted a rather gruesome picture of the limits of fatherly love. Géricault also painted cannibalism as a means of survival. The painting 'The Raft of the Medusa' captures the desperation for survival and resorting to cannibalism after a shipwreck. 

Another depiction of self-cannibalism is the infamous Ouroboros eating its tail to become and unbecome itself through and through, without a due date for meeting his true self. In this way, Ouroboros becomes another Sisyphus, only without arms to carry its infinite burden and always satiated by the meat of his own flesh. 

The instances of cannibalism or self-cannibalism referenced above have one singular common quality: survival. Cannibalism, in such observances, occurred under conditions that led to consuming another individual from the same species so that the consumer could stay alive. Therefore, cannibalism rises as a solution for certain cases. A bloody and gore solution in which you can keep breathing while the other pays for your life with his own.

So, why do some people tend to eat their flesh if cannibalism is -usually- opted for the last resort?

To start with, cannibalism is categorized as a mental health condition characterized by the practice of eating parts of oneself, such as the skin, nails, and hair. One of the earliest known records of self-cannibalism was in the early 17th century when Elizabeth Bathory allegedly forced a group of her servants to consume their own flesh. Nevertheless, this can be categorized as a form of torture; therefore, we will gravitate toward the 'self-inflicted' cannibalism. 

As a disorder or a symptom, autocannibalism shows itself as fingernail-biting in most people. It may be a means for eating away the daily worries and anxieties that stem from our mundane environment. Therefore, it could be categorized as a coping mechanism, making it another form of survival; however, this time, the cannibalistic inclination is conducted on a microscopic level. The more advanced and gore practices of autocannibalism, thereby, reflect the bigger mental cases.

According to the National Library of Medicine, a 34-year-old male prisoner cut off the skin on his right leg and proceeded to eat it, which was 7x11 cm in size and 7 mm in thickness. The patient was not under any mental care despite another case in which he had done the same thing to his left arm a year before this occurrence. After being diagnosed with psychotic disorder, the patient was transferred to a psychiatric ward.

Yet, this article will not be undertaking auto-cannibalism as a disorder but will regard the ethical lines to which it extends. 

Autocannibalism or self-mutilation for personal consumption as a choice is, however, different. The design is very human. It is harmful, but it does not kill. It is intentional and self-inflicted. Hunger for curiosity gets the better of the human mind. Well, and stomach. (See what I did there?) People have consumed their body parts, such as an amputated foot, just for a taste bite and to ''see'' what it tastes like, which means some autocannibalism is done owing to the curious mind. 

What baffles me is that most instances of micro autocannibalism are disregarded. They are not even given a second thought. Do we even turn our heads when someone is biting on their lips or nibbling with their fingers? Is it a question of how much human flesh a person eats in terms of weight and size? Or is it simply that we disregard it because everybody is doing it? If all of us started eating certain parts from our bodies, would that become a custom as well, one we do not even cast as worthy of conscious thought? 

What exactly is it that prevents us from eating each other or consuming ourselves altogether? Is it that we do not possess the organism to regenerate the eaten parts? Then, the reason would be not desiring to become dismembered on purpose. For some, the reason we don't eat each other as a 5 o'clock dessert is because we have a certain understanding of ethics. For some others, because it is a criminal act. But do you feel like a delinquent when you pick at the skin on your finger or bite your lips until it bleeds? If not, why should someone else who eats more flesh than you become a criminal, especially if what he is consuming is himself? Brushing aside the concept's legal and ethical aspects, practicing cannibalism as a total form of one's diet can be doable. However, self-cannibalism would have to stop somewhere for obvious reasons. So, to maintain the status quo as a cannibal, one has to minimalize the self-cannibalistic tendencies or abandon them.

No matter the reason, self-cannibalism as a concept beckons a very primal and human trait. It is the interest in the taboo and curiosity toward the transgressive aspect of humankind that has been making it an uphill battle for us (i.e., Sisyphus) since our dawn, that is, according to certain teachings (i.e., Adam and Eve). At the end of the day, I think we have to eat something, be it ourselves or an apple. (oops.)

This article is by no means a justification for any cannibalism practice. It is more so written to provide food for thought. (oops again.) The questions proposed are only there to stimulate the critical thinking aspect of our perception and revitalize the ones who like to be the devil's advocate since I, for what it's worth, have always adored being one.