We review the histories of 26 patients who were treated at the Royal Perth Hospital for retained rectal foreign bodies. The foreign bodies that were retrieved and the age, sex and marital status of each patient are recorded and a number of the histories is presented. The complications that arose from either the insertion or removal of the foreign body are discussed, as are the methods of treatment that were employed. The various methods that the practitioner has at his disposal for dealing with this increasing problem are reviewed, and a plan of management of patients with non-perforating rectal foreign bodies is suggested.