Thursday, January 29, 2009

"Cello Scrotum" and "Guitar Nipple" - What's this?

i came across this article today, and i couldn't stop smiling sheepishly (yes, am still the immature me)... this is the first time i've heard of such ailments - cello scrotum, guitar nipple, fiddler's neck.

although the article reveals that cello scrotum is indeed a medical hoax, thought up by Elaine Murphy in the BMJ in 1974, these are some ailments i found while googling:

cello scrotum - apparently cellists suffer from the painful complaint caused by their instrument repeatedly rubbing against their body.

guitar nipple - some guitarists suffer from inflamed nipples because the edge of the guitar was consistently pressed against their chests, a condition otherwise known as irritant mastitis.

fiddler's neck - occurs when neck skin in contact with a violin or viola becomes thicker and discoloured, giving it a leathery, bark-like appearance.

other ailments include allergies to rosin (stringed instruments), cane reeds (clarinet, saxophone), and nickel (flautists, brass and string players) which cause dermatitis of the lips, chin or hands and sometimes chronic eczema.

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