Demystifying doctor-speak, old wives' tales
British journal decodes terms like 'Hasselhoff' and 'disco biscuit,' and debunks the turkey myth.
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Los Angeles Times
What is a "Hasselhoff" in doctor-speak? Does eating turkey really make you unusually sleepy? Why is it better to celebrate a big victory with champagne rather than beer?
Those are some of the questions addressed in the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue, which collects some of the more arcane reports the journal received during the year.
A Hasselhoff is a patient who shows up at an emergency room with an injury and a bizarre explanation, said Dr. Paul Keeley of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in a short compendium of newly minted words used by doctors. The term comes from former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff's bizarre 2006 shaving accident in which he struck his head on a chandelier; the broken glass severed four tendons and an artery in his right arm, requiring immediate surgery.
Even snarkier is the term "Ringo," after Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, which refers to a member of a team who is expendable. Draw your own conclusions.
Other new terms include: "disco biscuit," another name for the drug Ecstasy; "Jack Bauer," a doctor still up and working after 24 hours; and "testiculation," "the holding forth with expressive hand gestures by a consultant on a subject in which he or she has little knowledge."
(Continued here.)
By Thomas H. Maugh II
Los Angeles Times
What is a "Hasselhoff" in doctor-speak? Does eating turkey really make you unusually sleepy? Why is it better to celebrate a big victory with champagne rather than beer?
Those are some of the questions addressed in the British Medical Journal's Christmas issue, which collects some of the more arcane reports the journal received during the year.
A Hasselhoff is a patient who shows up at an emergency room with an injury and a bizarre explanation, said Dr. Paul Keeley of the Glasgow Royal Infirmary in a short compendium of newly minted words used by doctors. The term comes from former "Baywatch" star David Hasselhoff's bizarre 2006 shaving accident in which he struck his head on a chandelier; the broken glass severed four tendons and an artery in his right arm, requiring immediate surgery.
Even snarkier is the term "Ringo," after Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, which refers to a member of a team who is expendable. Draw your own conclusions.
Other new terms include: "disco biscuit," another name for the drug Ecstasy; "Jack Bauer," a doctor still up and working after 24 hours; and "testiculation," "the holding forth with expressive hand gestures by a consultant on a subject in which he or she has little knowledge."
(Continued here.)
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