THIRTY-FOUR years after the fact, a British doctor who is now a member of the House of Lords has confessed to fabricating a disease called “cello scrotum” and getting its details published in the British Medical Journal.
The “disease” was characterised by chafing of the scrotum when the instrument was placed between the cellist’s legs.
In a follow-up letter to the journal published on Thursday, Baroness Elaine Murphy confesses that she and her husband, John, had concocted the letter about the cello-related ailment after reading a report in the journal describing a disease called “guitarist’s nipple”, which they thought was also a hoax.
That disorder, which is apparently real, is characterised by inflammation caused when the instrument is repeatedly pushed against the chest.
Every Christmas, the journal publishes a collection of humorous articles that have a thin tether to medical reality, but the Murphys seem to have pushed the boundaries of creativity too far.
“Anyone who has ever watched a cello being played would realise the physical impossibility of our claim,” they wrote.
Their article lay dormant until the recent Christmas issue, when a team of researchers described a series of real ailments called “a symphony of maladies” that included fiddler’s neck, flautist’s chin and cellist’s chest.
A footnote in that article referenced the Murphys’ original publication – which was signed only by the non-doctor husband – and the couple decided that it was time to come clean.
Fiona Godlee, editor of the journal, has been quoted in the British press as saying: “We frown on misconduct, and medical fraud is taken very seriously. But in this case, I hope I am right in saying that no harm has been done.” – (LA Times-Washington Post)