Anal probing

Anal probing is the insertion of an instrument into the anal cavity of a human or animal to assess the condition of the lower bowel. Instruments used include pliers, tongs, fiber-optic cables, syringes, eye droppers, thermometers, and specialized balloons. Anal probing is most often used to identify digestion problems; however, it can also be used to identify parasites, organ damage, anal flooding, anal bruising, and foreign objects in the rectal cavity. (McLoughlin's Sign)

In popular culture

Anal probing by aliens is a common theme in popular culture that originates with the book Communion: A True Story (1987) by Whitley Strieber:

There were clothes strewn apart, and two of the stocky ones drew my legs apart. The next thing I knew I was being shown an enormous and extremely ugly object, grey and scaly, with a sort of network of wires on the end. It was at least a foot long, narrow, and triangular in structure. They inserted the thing into my rectum. It seemed to swarm into me as if it had a life of its own. Apparently, its purpose was to take samples, possibly of fecal matter, but at the same time I had the impression I was being raped and for the first time I felt anger.

In 1989, this book was made into a movie starring Christopher Walken. Alien anal probing has been a comedy staple since 1995, when Saturday Night Live did a segment about it. It is also referenced in the following examples:

• In the "Citizen Kang" segment of the Simpsons episode Treehouse of Horror VII (1996), the character Homer Simpson gets abducted by aliens and reacts by saying "I suppose you want to probe me. Well, you might as well get it over with" and starts mooning the aliens. The obviously disgusted aliens however react by saying "Stop! We have reached the limits of what rectal probing can teach us!".
• The South Park episode "Cartman Gets an Anal Probe" (1997) in which Cartman gets an anal probe by aliens, which is also the Pilot episode. Also, in the episode "The Death of Eric Cartman", Butters is "examined" by a doctor through use of a giant, red, vibrating anal probe.
• A memorable sketch, "Career Crisis", from the TV program The Kids in the Hall S04E11, features two aliens discussing the purpose and motivation for anally probing Earthlings, and that all they have learned is that "one in ten likes it."
• Gaia Online, an anime-based role-playing game website, held a 2006 Halloween event featuring trading of alien, human, and bovine anal probes.
• In the cartoon series Futurama, the character Philip J. Fry is abducted by a flying saucer whose vanity plate reads "PROBE #1."
• In the Destroy All Humans! video game series, there is a weapon called the anal probe, which is shot at people for brain stems.
• In the movie Men in Black II, the character Newton (played by David Cross) raises the question, "What's up with anal probing?"
• In the "Mothership Zeta" downloadable content for the video game Fallout 3, the player is abducted by aliens and gets anal probed.
• The Supernatural episode "Tall Tales" deals with aliens probing humans.
• In the movie Planet 51, two aliens have a conversation about probing and using corks to prevent it.
• In the"Glee" episode "Britney/Brittany" Brittany says "this reminds me of the spaceship where I was probed"
• The 2011-film Paul plays on the theme of American paranoia about anal probing several times.

See also

• Colonoscopy
• Rectal examination