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I'm fed up with serious research. Time to take a look at the lighter side of the pursuit of truth....
A Preliminary Survey of Rhinotillexomania in an Adolescent Sample
Chittaranjan Andrade, M.D., and B. S. Srihari, M.B.B.S.
Background: Rhinotillexomania is a recent term coined to describe compulsive nose picking. There is little world literature on nose-picking behavior in the general population.
Method: We studied nose-picking behavior in a sample of 200 adolescents from 4 urban schools.
Results: Almost the entire sample admitted to nose picking, with a median frequency of 4 times per day; the frequency was > 20 times per day in 7.6% of the sample. Nearly 17% of subjects considered that they had a serious nose-picking problem. Other somatic habits such as nail biting, scratching in a specific spot, or pulling out of hair were also common; 3 or more such behaviors were simultaneously present in 14.2% of the sample, only in males. Occasional nose bleeds complicating nose picking occurred in 25% of subjects. Several interesting findings in specific categories of nose pickers were identified.
Conclusion: Nose picking is common in adolescents. It is often associated with other habitual behaviors. Nose picking may merit closer epidemiologic and nosologic scrutiny.
________________________________________
Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self- Assessments
Justin Kruger and David Dunning
Department of Psychology
Cornell University
Abstract
People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error. Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.
_________________________________________
Scott Med J 1993 Dec;38(6):185
The collapse of toilets in Glasgow.
Wyatt JP, McNaughton GW, Tullett WM.
Three cases are presented of porcelain lavatory pans collapsing under body weight, producing wounds which required hospital treatment. Excessive age of the toilets was implicated as a causative factor. As many toilets get older episodes of collapse may become more common, resulting in further injuries.
________________________________
Dunking enhances the flavour
Scientists have finally explained the perfect way to dunk a biscuit.
People have long had to endure lumpy tea when their favourite nibble disintegrates to form a grey sludge at the bottom of the mug. Now researchers from the University of Bristol in the west of England have published the mathematical formula that governs the whole process.
Their work is set to revolutionise tea and coffee breaks the world over, especially when a list of recommended dunking times is published.
The study reveals precisely why we are drawn to dunking - it seems more of the flavour of the biscuit is released into our mouths if it has first been dunked in a hot drink.
The Bristol team calculate that up to 10 times more flavour is released this way than if the biscuit is eaten dry.
Their two-month investigation has also established the best strategy for dunking chocolate biscuits. The "flat- on" approach requires the nibble to be immersed biscuit side down.
This minimises "chocolate bleed" into the tea or coffee and keeps the coating rigid enough to prevent the biscuit from breaking in half. The team acknowledge this technique requires a degree of skill on the part of the dunker and have therefore designed a prototype dunking holder to help the less dextrous.
Dr Len Fisher, who led the research, said a biscuit could be viewed as lumps of starch glued together by sugar. When the hot tea or coffee enters the pores in the biscuit, he explained, the sugar melts and the structure becomes unstable.
"You have got a race between the dissolving of the sugar and your biscuit falling apart and a swelling of the starch grains so that they stick together, giving you a biscuit which is purely starch but rather softer than what you started with," he said.
When the hot tea or coffee enters the pores in the biscuit, he explained, the sugar melts and the structure becomes unstable.
"As with most things in physics, we can write equations which govern this."
In this case, the average pore diameter in a biscuit is equal to four times the viscosity of the tea, multiplied by the height the liquid rises squared, divided by the surface tension of the tea, multiplied by the length of time the biscuit is dunked.
Aware that some people may have problems with their maths, Dr Fisher plans to give people more user- friendly information.
"We are going to define critical times for different types of biscuit," he said.
"We will publish these as a table, you will be able to look them up and you will be able to dunk scientifically with confidence."
Although the research is not complete, Dr Fisher believes the temperature of the tea is also critical."I suggest for serious dunkers, take a thermometer with you," he said.
The research has been funded by the biscuit manufacturer McVitie's.
The company says its own research suggests that one-in-four dunks results in soggy biscuit sinking to the bottom of the mug. It may now print advice for consumers on its packaging.
______________________________________
How big's your penis?
The link between the size of a man's feet and the length of his penis has been a mystery to the world since the days of Adam and Eve.
Western medical school graduate Jerald Bain, now an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, along with colleague Kerry Siminoski from the University of Alberta, studied the old folklore which purported foot size comparable to penile length.
Bain said he came up with the idea to conduct this research after his mother-in-law made a comment to his wife regarding the size of his feet. "That peaked my curiosity," he said.
While comparing height, foot size and penile length, Bain said the relationship was minimal. "We found a weak correlation," he said and added this ratio should not be used by anyone to assess the size of a man's penis.
The research conducted by Bain and Siminoski was recently rewarded when they received the Ig Nobel Prize, a spoof of the Nobel prizes, given out for research which for one reason or another should not be reproduced. Bain added their work was recently published in a University of Alberta publication, entitled the Annals of Improbable Research.
____________________________________
J Reprod Immunol 2000 Mar;46(2):155-66
Correlation between oral sex and a low incidence of preeclampsia: a role for soluble HLA in seminal fluid?
Koelman CA, Coumans AB, Nijman HW, Doxiadis II, Dekker GA, Claas FH.
The involvement of immune mechanisms in the aetiology of preeclampsia is often suggested. Normal pregnancy is thought to be associated with a state of tolerance to the foreign antigens of the fetus, whereas in preeclamptic women this immunological tolerance might be hampered. The present study shows that oral sex and swallowing sperm is correlated with a diminished occurrence of preeclampsia which fits in the existing idea that a paternal factor is involved in the occurrence of preeclampsia. Because pregnancy has many similarities with transplantation, we hypothesize that induction of allogeneic tolerance to the paternal HLA molecules of the fetus may be crucial. Recent data suggest that exposure, and especially oral exposure to soluble HLA (sHLA) or HLA derived peptides can lead to transplantation tolerance. Similarly, sHLA antigens, that are present in the seminal plasma, might cause tolerance in the mother to paternal antigens. In order to test whether this indeed may be the case, we investigated whether sHLA antigens are present in seminal plasma. Using a specific ELISA we detected sHLA class I molecules in seminal plasma. The level varied between individuals and was related to the level in plasma. Further studies showed that these sHLA class I molecules included classical HLA class I alleles, such as sHLA-A2, -B7, -B51, -B35 and sHLA-A9. Preliminary data show lower levels of sHLA in seminal plasma in the preeclampsia group, although not significantly different from the control group. An extension of the present study is necessary to verify this hypothesis.
______________________________________
Neuropsychobiology 1997;35(1):46-50
Chewing-gum flavor affects measures of global complexity of multichannel EEG.
Yagyu T, Wackermann J, Kinoshita T, Hirota T, Kochi K, Kondakor I, Koenig T, Lehmann D.
Global complexity of spontaneous brain electric activity was studied before and after chewing gum without flavor and with 2 different flavors. One-minute, 19-channel, eyes-closed electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded from 20 healthy males before and after using 3 types of chewing gum: regular gum containing sugar and aromatic additives, gum containing 200 mg theanine (a constituent of Japanese green tea), and gum base (no sugar, no aromatic additives); each was chewed for 5 min in randomized sequence. Brain electric activity was assessed through Global Omega (Omega)-Complexity and Global Dimensional Complexity (GDC), quantitative measures of complexity of the trajectory of EEG map series in state space; their differences from pre-chewing data were compared across gum-chewing conditions. Friedman Anova (p < 0.043) showed that effects on Omega-Complexity differed significantly between conditions and differences were maximal between gum base and theanine gum. No differences were found using GDC. Global Omega-Complexity appears to be a sensitive measure for subtle, central effects of chewing gum with and without flavor.
__________________________________________
Effect of ale, garlic, and soured cream on the appetite of leeches
The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association recently published an experimental study on the protective effect of garlic against vampires. Rather surprisingly, this study showed that garlic seems to have an attractive force on leeches (and probably also on vampires).
Leeches are used in microsurgery to prevent harmful swellings in replanted body parts. Sometimes however, the leeches refuse to do their job properly. To stimulate the leeches' appetite several remedies have been used, such as immersing them in strong beer before application or smearing soured cream on the skin. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of these remedies (ale, garlic, and soured cream). It was published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) 1994; 309: 1689.
Differences in willingness to bite were measured by median time from application on Hogne's forearm to biting him. Some leeches did not bite within the predefined time limit of 300s, but as the study was run according to the intention-to-bite principle, these incidences were registered with a time interval of 301s in the statistical analysis.
Six leeches were dipped briefly in one of two different types of beer (Guinness Stout or Hansa Bock) or in plain water (control) before being placed on the forearms. Each leech was, in random order, exposed three times to each liquid. As serotonin probably is involved in controlling feeding behaviour, we also measured the serotonin content of both beers (high-pressure liquid chromatography).
After having been exposed to beer, some of the leeches changed behaviour, swaying their forebodies, losing grip or falling on their backs. Leeches dipped in Guinness bit after 187s, those dipped in Hansa after 136s, and controls after 92s. The serotonin content was low, and similar for the two beers (0.1 ug/ml).
After having completed the first part of the study the leeches became lazy, their scientific enthusiasm diminished. Discipline failed, appointments were forgotten, some even ran away on their own.
In the next study part six other leeches were therefore used. This time the left forearm was either smeared with soured cream or not prepared at all. Leeches exposed to soured cream were often seen sucking frantically on the wall of their container after they had been on the arm. While on the cream-smeared arm however they bit no sooner than the controls.
The other forearm was smeared with garlic. Two leeches placed on this arm started to wriggle and crawl without assuming the sucking position. They were placed in water, but their condition deteriorated. When placed on a bare arm they tried to initiate feeding, but did not manage to co-ordinate the process. Both died 2-3 hours after the exposure to garlic. For ethical reasons the garlic arm was abandoned at this point.
We believe this to be the first study showing lethal effect of garlic by skin absorption. Garlic has a definite force of attraction on leeches, but further research into this fatal attraction can only be performed by in-depth qualitative methods.
Let this study be a reminder of how medical beliefs may stand uncontradicted for decades. We should never forget the necessity of critical research on commonly
accepted medical truths.
__________________________________
Genitourin Med 1993 Aug;69(4):322
Transmission of gonorrhoea through an inflatable doll.
Kleist E, Moi H.
Sorry, no abstract available for this one
____________________________________
Watanabe, S., Sakamoto, J., & Wakita, M. (1995).
Pigeons' discrimination of paintings by Monet and Picasso.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 63, 165-174.
Pigeons successfully learned to discriminate color slides of paintings by Monet and Picasso. Following this training, they discriminated novel paintings by Monet and Picasso that had never been presented during the discrimination training. Furthermore, they showed generalization from Monet's to Cezanne's and Renoir's paintings or from Picasso's to Braque's and Matisse's paintings. These results suggest that pigeons' behavior can be controlled by complex visual stimuli in ways that suggest categorization. Upside-down images of Monet's paintings disrupted the discrimination, whereas inverted images of Picasso's did not. This result may indicate that the pigeons' behavior was controlled by objects depicted in impressionists' paintings but was not controlled by objects in cubists' paintings.
_____________________________________
Ergonomics 1994 Aug;37(8):1375-89
Impact of wet underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort in the cold.
Bakkevig MK, Nielsen R.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of wet underwear and to compare any influence of fibre-type material and textile construction of underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort of humans during rest in the cold. Long-legged/long-sleeved underwear manufactured from 100% polypropylene in a 1-by-1 rib knit structure was tested dry and wet as part of a two-layer clothing system. In addition cotton (1-by-1 rib knit), wool (1-by-1 rib knit), polypropylene (fishnet), and a double-layer material manufactured from 47% wool and 53% polypropylene (interlock knit) was tested wet in the clothing system. In the wet condition 175 g of water was distributed in the underwear prior to the experiment. The test was done on eight men (T(a) = 10 degrees C, RH = 85%, V(a) < 0.1 m/s), and comprised a 60 min resting period. Skin temperature, rectal temperature, and weight loss were recorded during the test. Total changes in body and clothing weight were measured separately. Furthermore, subjective ratings on thermal comfort and sensation were collected. The tests demonstrated the significant cooling effect of wet underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort. Further, the tests showed that textile construction of underwear in a two-layer clothing ensemble has an effect on the evaporation rate from clothing during rest in the cold resulting in a significant difference in mean skin temperature. The thickness of the underwear has more of an influence on the thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort, than the types of fibres tested.
____________________________________
Ann Emerg Med 1991 Jun;20(6):659-61
Failure of electric shock treatment for rattlesnake envenomation.
Dart RC, Gustafson RA.
The use of high-voltage electric shock therapy for the treatment of snake venom poisoning has recently gained popularity in the United States. We present a case that documents the dangerous, ineffective application of electric shock to the face of a patient envenomated by a Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus). The successful use of antivenin in this critically ill, antivenin- allergic patient is described.
___________________________________
J Trauma 1984 Nov;24(11):990-1
Injuries due to falling coconuts.
Barss P.
Falling coconuts can cause injury to the head, back, and shoulders. A 4-year review of trauma admissions to the Provincial Hospital, Alotau, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, revealed that 2.5% of such admissions were due to being struck by falling coconuts. Since mature coconut palms may have a height of 24 up to 35 meters and an unhusked coconut may weigh 1 to 4 kg, blows to the head of a force exceeding 1 metric ton are possible. Four patients with head injuries due to falling coconuts are described. Two required craniotomy. Two others died instantly in the village after being struck by dropping nuts.
_________________________________
Child Dev 1975 Mar;46(1):53-61
An ecological study of glee in small groups of preschool children.
Sherman LW.
A phenomenon called group glee was studied in videotpes of 596 formal lessons in a preschool. This was characterized by joyful screaming, laughing, and intense physical acts which occurred in simultaneous bursts or which spread in a contagious fashion from one child to another. A variety of precipitating factors were identified, the most prevalent being teacher requests for volunteers, unstructured lags in lessons, gross physical-motor actions, and cognitive incongruities. Distinctions between group glee and laughter were pointed out. While most events of glee did not disrupt the ongoing lesson, those which did tended to produce a protective reaction on the part of teachers. Group glee tended to occur most often in large groups (7-9 children) and in groups containing both sexes. The latter finding was related to Darwin's theory of differentiating vocal signals in animals and man.
A Preliminary Survey of Rhinotillexomania in an Adolescent Sample
Chittaranjan Andrade, M.D., and B. S. Srihari, M.B.B.S.
Background: Rhinotillexomania is a recent term coined to describe compulsive nose picking. There is little world literature on nose-picking behavior in the general population.
Method: We studied nose-picking behavior in a sample of 200 adolescents from 4 urban schools.
Results: Almost the entire sample admitted to nose picking, with a median frequency of 4 times per day; the frequency was > 20 times per day in 7.6% of the sample. Nearly 17% of subjects considered that they had a serious nose-picking problem. Other somatic habits such as nail biting, scratching in a specific spot, or pulling out of hair were also common; 3 or more such behaviors were simultaneously present in 14.2% of the sample, only in males. Occasional nose bleeds complicating nose picking occurred in 25% of subjects. Several interesting findings in specific categories of nose pickers were identified.
Conclusion: Nose picking is common in adolescents. It is often associated with other habitual behaviors. Nose picking may merit closer epidemiologic and nosologic scrutiny.
________________________________________
Unskilled and Unaware of It: How Difficulties in Recognizing One's Own Incompetence Lead to Inflated Self- Assessments
Justin Kruger and David Dunning
Department of Psychology
Cornell University
Abstract
People tend to hold overly favorable views of their abilities in many social and intellectual domains. The authors suggest that this overestimation occurs, in part, because people who are unskilled in these domains suffer a dual burden: Not only do these people reach erroneous conclusions and make unfortunate choices, but their incompetence robs them of the metacognitive ability to realize it. Across 4 studies, the authors found that participants scoring in the bottom quartile on tests of humor, grammar, and logic grossly overestimated their test performance and ability. Although their test scores put them in the 12th percentile, they estimated themselves to be in the 62nd. Several analyses linked this miscalibration to deficits in metacognitive skill, or the capacity to distinguish accuracy from error. Paradoxically, improving the skills of participants, and thus increasing their metacognitive competence, helped them recognize the limitations of their abilities.
_________________________________________
Scott Med J 1993 Dec;38(6):185
The collapse of toilets in Glasgow.
Wyatt JP, McNaughton GW, Tullett WM.
Three cases are presented of porcelain lavatory pans collapsing under body weight, producing wounds which required hospital treatment. Excessive age of the toilets was implicated as a causative factor. As many toilets get older episodes of collapse may become more common, resulting in further injuries.
________________________________
Dunking enhances the flavour
Scientists have finally explained the perfect way to dunk a biscuit.
People have long had to endure lumpy tea when their favourite nibble disintegrates to form a grey sludge at the bottom of the mug. Now researchers from the University of Bristol in the west of England have published the mathematical formula that governs the whole process.
Their work is set to revolutionise tea and coffee breaks the world over, especially when a list of recommended dunking times is published.
The study reveals precisely why we are drawn to dunking - it seems more of the flavour of the biscuit is released into our mouths if it has first been dunked in a hot drink.
The Bristol team calculate that up to 10 times more flavour is released this way than if the biscuit is eaten dry.
Their two-month investigation has also established the best strategy for dunking chocolate biscuits. The "flat- on" approach requires the nibble to be immersed biscuit side down.
This minimises "chocolate bleed" into the tea or coffee and keeps the coating rigid enough to prevent the biscuit from breaking in half. The team acknowledge this technique requires a degree of skill on the part of the dunker and have therefore designed a prototype dunking holder to help the less dextrous.
Dr Len Fisher, who led the research, said a biscuit could be viewed as lumps of starch glued together by sugar. When the hot tea or coffee enters the pores in the biscuit, he explained, the sugar melts and the structure becomes unstable.
"You have got a race between the dissolving of the sugar and your biscuit falling apart and a swelling of the starch grains so that they stick together, giving you a biscuit which is purely starch but rather softer than what you started with," he said.
When the hot tea or coffee enters the pores in the biscuit, he explained, the sugar melts and the structure becomes unstable.
"As with most things in physics, we can write equations which govern this."
In this case, the average pore diameter in a biscuit is equal to four times the viscosity of the tea, multiplied by the height the liquid rises squared, divided by the surface tension of the tea, multiplied by the length of time the biscuit is dunked.
Aware that some people may have problems with their maths, Dr Fisher plans to give people more user- friendly information.
"We are going to define critical times for different types of biscuit," he said.
"We will publish these as a table, you will be able to look them up and you will be able to dunk scientifically with confidence."
Although the research is not complete, Dr Fisher believes the temperature of the tea is also critical."I suggest for serious dunkers, take a thermometer with you," he said.
The research has been funded by the biscuit manufacturer McVitie's.
The company says its own research suggests that one-in-four dunks results in soggy biscuit sinking to the bottom of the mug. It may now print advice for consumers on its packaging.
______________________________________
How big's your penis?
The link between the size of a man's feet and the length of his penis has been a mystery to the world since the days of Adam and Eve.
Western medical school graduate Jerald Bain, now an endocrinologist at Mount Sinai Hospital in Toronto, along with colleague Kerry Siminoski from the University of Alberta, studied the old folklore which purported foot size comparable to penile length.
Bain said he came up with the idea to conduct this research after his mother-in-law made a comment to his wife regarding the size of his feet. "That peaked my curiosity," he said.
While comparing height, foot size and penile length, Bain said the relationship was minimal. "We found a weak correlation," he said and added this ratio should not be used by anyone to assess the size of a man's penis.
The research conducted by Bain and Siminoski was recently rewarded when they received the Ig Nobel Prize, a spoof of the Nobel prizes, given out for research which for one reason or another should not be reproduced. Bain added their work was recently published in a University of Alberta publication, entitled the Annals of Improbable Research.
____________________________________
J Reprod Immunol 2000 Mar;46(2):155-66
Correlation between oral sex and a low incidence of preeclampsia: a role for soluble HLA in seminal fluid?
Koelman CA, Coumans AB, Nijman HW, Doxiadis II, Dekker GA, Claas FH.
The involvement of immune mechanisms in the aetiology of preeclampsia is often suggested. Normal pregnancy is thought to be associated with a state of tolerance to the foreign antigens of the fetus, whereas in preeclamptic women this immunological tolerance might be hampered. The present study shows that oral sex and swallowing sperm is correlated with a diminished occurrence of preeclampsia which fits in the existing idea that a paternal factor is involved in the occurrence of preeclampsia. Because pregnancy has many similarities with transplantation, we hypothesize that induction of allogeneic tolerance to the paternal HLA molecules of the fetus may be crucial. Recent data suggest that exposure, and especially oral exposure to soluble HLA (sHLA) or HLA derived peptides can lead to transplantation tolerance. Similarly, sHLA antigens, that are present in the seminal plasma, might cause tolerance in the mother to paternal antigens. In order to test whether this indeed may be the case, we investigated whether sHLA antigens are present in seminal plasma. Using a specific ELISA we detected sHLA class I molecules in seminal plasma. The level varied between individuals and was related to the level in plasma. Further studies showed that these sHLA class I molecules included classical HLA class I alleles, such as sHLA-A2, -B7, -B51, -B35 and sHLA-A9. Preliminary data show lower levels of sHLA in seminal plasma in the preeclampsia group, although not significantly different from the control group. An extension of the present study is necessary to verify this hypothesis.
______________________________________
Neuropsychobiology 1997;35(1):46-50
Chewing-gum flavor affects measures of global complexity of multichannel EEG.
Yagyu T, Wackermann J, Kinoshita T, Hirota T, Kochi K, Kondakor I, Koenig T, Lehmann D.
Global complexity of spontaneous brain electric activity was studied before and after chewing gum without flavor and with 2 different flavors. One-minute, 19-channel, eyes-closed electroencephalograms (EEG) were recorded from 20 healthy males before and after using 3 types of chewing gum: regular gum containing sugar and aromatic additives, gum containing 200 mg theanine (a constituent of Japanese green tea), and gum base (no sugar, no aromatic additives); each was chewed for 5 min in randomized sequence. Brain electric activity was assessed through Global Omega (Omega)-Complexity and Global Dimensional Complexity (GDC), quantitative measures of complexity of the trajectory of EEG map series in state space; their differences from pre-chewing data were compared across gum-chewing conditions. Friedman Anova (p < 0.043) showed that effects on Omega-Complexity differed significantly between conditions and differences were maximal between gum base and theanine gum. No differences were found using GDC. Global Omega-Complexity appears to be a sensitive measure for subtle, central effects of chewing gum with and without flavor.
__________________________________________
Effect of ale, garlic, and soured cream on the appetite of leeches
The Journal of the Norwegian Medical Association recently published an experimental study on the protective effect of garlic against vampires. Rather surprisingly, this study showed that garlic seems to have an attractive force on leeches (and probably also on vampires).
Leeches are used in microsurgery to prevent harmful swellings in replanted body parts. Sometimes however, the leeches refuse to do their job properly. To stimulate the leeches' appetite several remedies have been used, such as immersing them in strong beer before application or smearing soured cream on the skin. The present study was designed to evaluate the effect of these remedies (ale, garlic, and soured cream). It was published in the BMJ (British Medical Journal) 1994; 309: 1689.
Differences in willingness to bite were measured by median time from application on Hogne's forearm to biting him. Some leeches did not bite within the predefined time limit of 300s, but as the study was run according to the intention-to-bite principle, these incidences were registered with a time interval of 301s in the statistical analysis.
Six leeches were dipped briefly in one of two different types of beer (Guinness Stout or Hansa Bock) or in plain water (control) before being placed on the forearms. Each leech was, in random order, exposed three times to each liquid. As serotonin probably is involved in controlling feeding behaviour, we also measured the serotonin content of both beers (high-pressure liquid chromatography).
After having been exposed to beer, some of the leeches changed behaviour, swaying their forebodies, losing grip or falling on their backs. Leeches dipped in Guinness bit after 187s, those dipped in Hansa after 136s, and controls after 92s. The serotonin content was low, and similar for the two beers (0.1 ug/ml).
After having completed the first part of the study the leeches became lazy, their scientific enthusiasm diminished. Discipline failed, appointments were forgotten, some even ran away on their own.
In the next study part six other leeches were therefore used. This time the left forearm was either smeared with soured cream or not prepared at all. Leeches exposed to soured cream were often seen sucking frantically on the wall of their container after they had been on the arm. While on the cream-smeared arm however they bit no sooner than the controls.
The other forearm was smeared with garlic. Two leeches placed on this arm started to wriggle and crawl without assuming the sucking position. They were placed in water, but their condition deteriorated. When placed on a bare arm they tried to initiate feeding, but did not manage to co-ordinate the process. Both died 2-3 hours after the exposure to garlic. For ethical reasons the garlic arm was abandoned at this point.
We believe this to be the first study showing lethal effect of garlic by skin absorption. Garlic has a definite force of attraction on leeches, but further research into this fatal attraction can only be performed by in-depth qualitative methods.
Let this study be a reminder of how medical beliefs may stand uncontradicted for decades. We should never forget the necessity of critical research on commonly
accepted medical truths.
__________________________________
Genitourin Med 1993 Aug;69(4):322
Transmission of gonorrhoea through an inflatable doll.
Kleist E, Moi H.
Sorry, no abstract available for this one
____________________________________
Watanabe, S., Sakamoto, J., & Wakita, M. (1995).
Pigeons' discrimination of paintings by Monet and Picasso.
Journal of the Experimental Analysis of Behavior, 63, 165-174.
Pigeons successfully learned to discriminate color slides of paintings by Monet and Picasso. Following this training, they discriminated novel paintings by Monet and Picasso that had never been presented during the discrimination training. Furthermore, they showed generalization from Monet's to Cezanne's and Renoir's paintings or from Picasso's to Braque's and Matisse's paintings. These results suggest that pigeons' behavior can be controlled by complex visual stimuli in ways that suggest categorization. Upside-down images of Monet's paintings disrupted the discrimination, whereas inverted images of Picasso's did not. This result may indicate that the pigeons' behavior was controlled by objects depicted in impressionists' paintings but was not controlled by objects in cubists' paintings.
_____________________________________
Ergonomics 1994 Aug;37(8):1375-89
Impact of wet underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort in the cold.
Bakkevig MK, Nielsen R.
The purpose of this study was to investigate the significance of wet underwear and to compare any influence of fibre-type material and textile construction of underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort of humans during rest in the cold. Long-legged/long-sleeved underwear manufactured from 100% polypropylene in a 1-by-1 rib knit structure was tested dry and wet as part of a two-layer clothing system. In addition cotton (1-by-1 rib knit), wool (1-by-1 rib knit), polypropylene (fishnet), and a double-layer material manufactured from 47% wool and 53% polypropylene (interlock knit) was tested wet in the clothing system. In the wet condition 175 g of water was distributed in the underwear prior to the experiment. The test was done on eight men (T(a) = 10 degrees C, RH = 85%, V(a) < 0.1 m/s), and comprised a 60 min resting period. Skin temperature, rectal temperature, and weight loss were recorded during the test. Total changes in body and clothing weight were measured separately. Furthermore, subjective ratings on thermal comfort and sensation were collected. The tests demonstrated the significant cooling effect of wet underwear on thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort. Further, the tests showed that textile construction of underwear in a two-layer clothing ensemble has an effect on the evaporation rate from clothing during rest in the cold resulting in a significant difference in mean skin temperature. The thickness of the underwear has more of an influence on the thermoregulatory responses and thermal comfort, than the types of fibres tested.
____________________________________
Ann Emerg Med 1991 Jun;20(6):659-61
Failure of electric shock treatment for rattlesnake envenomation.
Dart RC, Gustafson RA.
The use of high-voltage electric shock therapy for the treatment of snake venom poisoning has recently gained popularity in the United States. We present a case that documents the dangerous, ineffective application of electric shock to the face of a patient envenomated by a Great Basin rattlesnake (Crotalus viridis lutosus). The successful use of antivenin in this critically ill, antivenin- allergic patient is described.
___________________________________
J Trauma 1984 Nov;24(11):990-1
Injuries due to falling coconuts.
Barss P.
Falling coconuts can cause injury to the head, back, and shoulders. A 4-year review of trauma admissions to the Provincial Hospital, Alotau, Milne Bay Province, Papua New Guinea, revealed that 2.5% of such admissions were due to being struck by falling coconuts. Since mature coconut palms may have a height of 24 up to 35 meters and an unhusked coconut may weigh 1 to 4 kg, blows to the head of a force exceeding 1 metric ton are possible. Four patients with head injuries due to falling coconuts are described. Two required craniotomy. Two others died instantly in the village after being struck by dropping nuts.
_________________________________
Child Dev 1975 Mar;46(1):53-61
An ecological study of glee in small groups of preschool children.
Sherman LW.
A phenomenon called group glee was studied in videotpes of 596 formal lessons in a preschool. This was characterized by joyful screaming, laughing, and intense physical acts which occurred in simultaneous bursts or which spread in a contagious fashion from one child to another. A variety of precipitating factors were identified, the most prevalent being teacher requests for volunteers, unstructured lags in lessons, gross physical-motor actions, and cognitive incongruities. Distinctions between group glee and laughter were pointed out. While most events of glee did not disrupt the ongoing lesson, those which did tended to produce a protective reaction on the part of teachers. Group glee tended to occur most often in large groups (7-9 children) and in groups containing both sexes. The latter finding was related to Darwin's theory of differentiating vocal signals in animals and man.
