Cure For Hiccups Discovered By Thirteen Year Old

Charles Osborne is rolling over in his grave.

Thirteen year old Mallory Kievman from Connecticut has invented a remedy for one of the peskiest problems in recorded human history: the hiccup. Her brain child, Hiccupops, is on the fast track towards becoming stocked in first aid kits and hospitals nationwide, thanks to her victory at the Connecticut Invention Convention for kids.

A Life-Long Problem

In 1922, Charles Osborne was preparing to slaughter a 350 pound hog when a freak accident occurred; the beast fell on top of him. His life was changed forever, not unlike the accident that happened to Peter Parker.

“I was hanging a 350-pound hog for butchering, I picked it up and then I fell down. I felt nothing, but the doctor said later that I busted a blood vessel the size of a pin in my brain.” said Osborne.

While Osborne didn’t develop hog or spider-like abilities, the incident did trigger an onslaught of constant hiccups, one every three to ten seconds. Osborne was transformed into the Hiccupman, and the subject of much public fascination. He appeared on the Tonight Show and Ripley’s Believe it or Not. He tried holding his breath, being startled, drinking upside down and thousands of other remedies, but nothing worked. He didn’t stop hiccuping for 68 years.

Hiccupops: We Have a Cure

Mallory Kievman believes she has the fool-proof hiccup formula that coincidentally combines three of her favorite things: lollipops, apple cider vinegar and sugar. Not only is it delicious and easy to administer, it stops the annoying ailment dead in it’s tracks. “It triggers a set of nerves in your throat and mouth that are responsible for the hiccup reflex arc” said Mallory, “It basically over-stimulates those nerves and cancels out the message to hiccup.”

The thirteen year old budding entrepreneur and aspiring doctor isn’t bringing Hiccupops to the world alone. She’s already had the idea patented for her by the Connecticut contest holders. Similarly, UConn’s Innovation Accelerator is paying to send graduate business students to help her with an action plan. Mallory says that her father is chipping in too, “He’s helping me with a lot of the business stuff. And he’s also helping me handle stuff like using the stove.”

Hiccupops is an invention that everyone can enjoy; but unfortunately Osborne passed away without ever giving them a try. Though he may be rolling over in his grave, he’s not hiccuping anymore, and thanks to Kievman, we won’t be either.

NY Times

Comments

comments