Sausages and technical vessels: examples of the most unusual weapons in the history of duels (5 photos)

A duel in the classical view is a beautiful, noble duel with swords or pistols. Or, at the very least, a contest of wits. But there have been cases in history of the use of completely non-standard weapons. For example, sausages.





How can you fight with sausages? Throw, try to poke them in the eye or eat them at speed? Once the Prime Minister of Prussia Otto von Bismarck clashed with one of the members of parliament. The future Iron Chancellor considered the only possible way to unite the German lands to be violent. And Rudolf Virchow believed that such measures were not only ineffective, but also empty the treasury in vain.



Bismarck

Bismarck became angry and decided to prove to Virchow in practice that physical methods of influence were more than effective. And he challenged Rudolf to a duel. Virchow absolutely soberly assessed his chances of standing against the experienced duelist Bismarck: there were none. But he was a resourceful man, and also a doctor who specialized in such an area as physiology. And he told his seconds that he would choose the weapon himself, since that was the case.





Virchow

And I chose. Two sausages. One of which, according to Virchow, was loaded with Trichinella - dangerous parasitic worms. The second was a completely ordinary delicious sausage. Virchow told Bismarck's seconds that he reserved the right to be the first to choose and eat the sausage. He will use the second one himself. The shocked envoys, out of harm's way, refused both weapons and a duel. Virchow emerged from a difficult situation with honor. There was not a single person who would accuse the politician of cowardice.

Simple chemistry



Louis Pasteur

An equally instructive story happened with another famous scientist, explorer and innovator Louis Pasteur. There is no exact information about whether he was aware of the sausage duel. But he also found a brilliant way out of the situation without losing face.



Smallpox causative agent

A messenger came to Pasteur from a certain aristocrat, who believed that the microbiologist had made an unflattering statement about the count, thereby offending him. Which needs to be washed away with blood. Pasteur calmly listened to the second's complaints and announced that he accepted the challenge. But he reserves the right to choose weapons. And he chooses flasks for this purpose. One will contain the smallpox pathogen, the other will contain clean water. Let the venerable count drink the contents of one of them, and Pasteur will get the second.

There was no duel. After all, the threat invisible to the eye is much more terrible than the usual pistols and swords. And against its background, even an insult already looks like just an unsuccessful statement, which can be completely forgiven.