Jan 28 2009
Cello scrotum hoax finally revealed
For all you men out there who play the cello, you can finally rest a little easier. According to a story from CNN, a condition named “cello scrotum” that has been talked about for 34 years is not a real ailment. Its inventor, British lawmaker Elaine Murphy, admitted in a letter to the British Medical Journal that the whole thing is a hoax. She and her husband made it up after reading about the real condition “guitar nipple” in the journal in 1974 and decided to take it one step further. Nobody noticed the hoax until last year, when a researcher actually made a reference to cello scrotum, prompting Murphy to finally come clean. I guess she figured the jig would be up once people realized you don’t really rest the cello on that part of the body. I think it is a great prank and it makes me wonder if I could somehow convince people of the existence of an ailment I made up. Maybe something sports-related, in the same tradition as tennis elbow or swimmer’s ear. I will have to think about it.
Sam: Yes, I found that pretty funny. I have never had that, but I am close to developing Guitar Hero thumb.
Jim: This revelation is sure to extend the career of many a male cellist.