A closer look
Hydrochloric acid inside your stomach ranks between 1 and 2 on the acidity scale, making it corrosive enough to dissolve a single-edge razor blade in just two hours, as this potent chemical bath is designed to obliterate harmful bacteria and break down tough proteins, effectively neutralizing the countless pathogens you ingest every time you eat without washing your hands; to prevent this flesh-melting acid from digesting your own body, your stomach must constantly secrete a thick layer of alkaline mucus and completely regenerate its inner lining every three to four days, and if you ever wondered why heartburn feels like a literal fire in your chest, it is because actual battery-level acid is creeping up into your unprotected esophagus, confirming your body is a fragile meat sack containing a deadly chemical weapon, and the only thing keeping you intact is a thin wall of glorified snot
