Cutting Off the Nose to Save the Penis

A provocative study, from the American midwest, about safety: “Cutting Off the Nose to Save the Penis,” Steven M. Schrader, Michael J. Breitenstein, and Brian D. Lowe, Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 5, no. 8, 2008, pp. 1932–40. The authors, at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, Ohio, report [AIR 15:5]: “The […]

History Detectives Interpret a Subtle Clue (Walks/Orgasms)

It’s always a good time to look back and ponder on this study about how some people stroll: “A Woman’s History of Vaginal Orgasm is Discernable from Her Walk,” Aurélie Nicholas, Stuart Brody, Pascal de Sutter, and François de Carufel, Journal of Sexual Medicine, vol. 5, 2008, pp. 2119-24. (Thanks to Sam Petuchowski for bringing […]

The “Holy Plane” of Rectal Surgery

“The ‘Holy Plane’ of Rectal Surgery,” R.J. Heald, Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, vol. 81, September 1988, pp. 503–8. The author, at Basingstoke District Hospital, Basingstoke, U.K., explains [AIR 16:1]: this is the story of a simple artisan’s pleasure in the actual style of performing an operation—in essence the way to use a […]

A Quick Take on Fast Walkers

Some scientists struggle to understand walking, as is evident in this study: “Walking Fast—Ranking High: A Sociobiological Perspective on Pace,” A. Schmitt and K. Atzwanger, Ethology and Sociobiology, vol. 17, no. 5, September 1996, pp. 451–62. The authors explain [AIR 15:5]: “We hypothesized that habitual fast walking might be a means to acquire and/or to […]

ICKY: Enema with Garden Hose

“Kendi Kendine Lavman Uygulamasina Bağli Kolorektal Perforasyon” [Colorectal Perforation Due to Self Administered Retrograde Enema with Garden Hose], Tugba Topcul, Ulus Travma Acil Cerrahi Derg, 2003, vol. 9, no. 4, 2003, pp. 297–9. The author, at Akcakoca State Hospital, Duzce, reports [AIR 16:1]: We report a case of colorectal perforation due to self administered retrograde […]

The Logic of Ménage à Trois

“The Logic of Ménage à Trois,” Magnus Enquist, Risa H. Rosenberg, and Hans Temrin, Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biological Sciences, vol. 265, no. 1396, April 7, 1998, pp. 609–13. Enquist and two colleagues were awarded the 2003 Ig Nobel Prize in interdisciplinary research for their 2002 report “Chickens Prefer Beautiful Humans.” The 1998 monograph […]