“Primary Spontaneous Pneumomediastinum” [article in Japanese], K. Togashi and Y. Hosaka, Kyobu Geka, vol. 60, no. 13, December 2007, pp. 1163–6. The authors, at Nagaoka Red Cross Hospital in Japan, explain [AIR 16:1]: “We report 5 cases of spontaneous pneumomediastinum [air in the space between the lungs]…. 1 patient had a karaoke-related condition. Primary spontaneous […]
Tag: Improbable Medical Review
The Roller-Coaster and the Lens
A cautionary tale for anyone who simultaneously uses intracoular lenses and a roller coaster: “Repositioning of a Dislocated Intraocular Lens During a Roller-Coaster Ride,” M.M. Bosch, K. Landau, and M.A. Thiel, New England Journal of Medicine, vol. 349, no. 11, September 11, 2003, pp. 1094–6. [AIR 15:5] The authors, at the University of Zurich, report: […]
Petting pets, inviting immunity
Ig-Nobel-winning work, in some cases, is just one step in pursuing an idea down a long path. “Effect of Petting a Dog on Immune System Function,” C.J. Charnetski, S. Riggers, and F.X. Brennan, Psychological Reports, vol. 95, no. 3, part 2, December 2004, pp. 1087–91 [AIR 15:4]. Charnetski and Brennan, who shared the 1997 Ig […]
The Curious Case of the Boyfriend and the Replacement Cat
“A Zoocentric Capgras Syndrome” [article in German], U. Ehrt, Psychiatrische Praxis, vol. 26, no. 1, January 1999, pp. 43–4. The authors, who are at Klinik und Poliklinik fur Psychiatrie und Psychotherapie, Halle/Saale, Germany, report that: “We present a case of a 23-year-old women who had the delusional belief that her cat had been replaced by […]