When seafood scientists became food-poisoned by their own holiday seafood

Having failed to perish, they proceeded to publish. Serendipity and not-careful-enough cooking technique by Norwegian shellfish scientists (for their own Christmas gathering) led to a nasty illness for two-thirds of their group, which led to a biomedical investigation, which led to a published scientific study about it all, which led to a report in Forskening.no […]

Nauseated restaurant criticism

Restaurant reviews, some of them — especially the reviews written by non-professionals — have taken on new importance. They can be a means of identifying illnesses that otherwise go unreported to health officials. Mary McKenna (who is sometimes known professionally as “Scary Disease Girl”), writing on The Plate blog, explains: Yelp Helps NYC Health Department Track Foodborne […]

Instrumental Maladies (part 4: Violins)

A final (but by no means complete) roundup of the work-related instrument-specific health-risks that professional musicians may encounter during their career … Part 4 : Violins • Violin chin rest eczema due to east-indian rosewood (Dalbergia latifolia ROXB). • Chin rest allergy in a violinist • Allergic contact dermatitis on a violinist’s neck from para-phenylenediamine […]

Instrumental Maladies (part 2: Guitars)

Continuing Improbable’s partial listing of the work-related diseases which professional musicians might encounter … Part 2 : Guitars • Habit tic deformity secondary to guitar playing. • Incomplete anterior interosseous nerve syndrome in a guitar player • Contact dermatitis in guitar players • Occupational acroosteolysis in a guitar player • Guitar player acro-osteolysis • Selective […]