Editing Lord Peter Views the Body (section)

===The Piscatorial Farce of the Stolen Stomach===
Thomas MacPherson, a final year medical student in Scotland, shows Wimsey the very strange legacy his Great-Uncle Joseph Ferguson left him. Great-Uncle Joseph, who died at the age of 95 by throwing himself out of a sixth-floor window, bequeathed his grand-nephew only his stomach and alimentary organs, with their contents, preserved in a bottle. Wimsey suspects there is more to the story than an eccentric old man's whims, especially when he learns that Great-Uncle Joseph was said to be very rich but withdrew more than £84,000 (nearly £5.5 million today) from the bank in the years leading up to his death. The only other heir, one Robert Ferguson, is a greedy wastrel, and was upset to receive only a pittance.

Wimsey goes to [[Somerset House]] (where the Registry of Births, Marriages and Deaths was then located) and asks to see Great-Uncle Joseph's will. He finds that the old man was careful to specify that his entire alimentary canal be ligatured top and bottom, and that Ferguson was to study it, not keep it on the shelf. Wimsey encounters Robert there, and pretends to be writing a book on odd wills, hoping that will allay Robert's suspicions. He makes further inquiries and discovers from a friend in the jewellery business that Great-Uncle Joseph bought 12 large matching diamonds from assorted dealers, paying in cash for all of them. Wimsey immediately sends MacPherson a telegram advising him to open up the specimen, then washes his hands of the matter and attends a rare book auction.

However, the next day, Wimsey gets a telegram informing him that a burglar stole Great-Uncle Joseph's bottle from MacPherson's house. The burglar dropped the bottle in his flight, and the shards were found, but not the specimen. Wimsey heads back to Scotland, where he finds that MacPherson didn't see his first telegram, being out fishing at the time. Robert was also discovered fishing in the river that morning, but tried to flee when spotted by MacPherson and slipped and broke his kneecap, and is now staying in the house awaiting the arrival of a qualified doctor. Wimsey and MacPherson drive along the river until they find the specimen washed up on a bank and being eaten by seagulls. They bring it home, and dissect it. Eleven of the diamonds are still within, the twelfth having been presumably eaten by a gull. Wimsey then explains that he and Robert had both come to the conclusion that the old man had swallowed the diamonds shortly before committing suicide. MacPherson is more than happy with his eleven diamonds, though his manservant Jock insists upon shooting the gulls to find the twelfth.