QotD: My Biggest Fear

May 12, 2008 at 2:25 PM
10 comments

What is your deepest, darkest fear?
Submitted by [Susan].

G. Fälschung and A. P. Gracejo from Conte Grand Hospital (Switzerland) reported in the April issue of the Swiss Journal of Emergency Medicine that several children in southern Europe needed medical assistance for - get this - aural earwig infestations. Not only were earwigs living in their ear canals, but they were apparently imbibing hemolymph in well established "nests" sealed off with wax. (shudder) Several ears even showed evidence of burrowing by the wayward dermapterans, with at least one early instar earwig extracted from deep within the cochlea of one patient and eggs reportedly clustered on the temporal lobe of another. (yikes) Symptoms were described as "general irritation, scratching and 'popping' sounds, bloody discharge, dizziness, hearing loss, insomnia, depression, and, in one case, mild cognitive decline"
The x-ray below shows earwigs consuming aural hemolymph.
*SHUDDER*
I have to go poke my mind's eye out now.

Earwig

10 comments

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qotd,
biggest fear

Comments

:-o

This is the problem. There are just too many things we'd find terrifying if we knew about them.

Princesskasren replied to emily sears’ comment:
May 12, 2008
Reply

That is the problem with the internet...everything is at her fingertips...good and horrific. I do love being able to look up medical stuff online but sometimes too much info is bad when you do not have a professional to filter it for you.

emily sears replied to Princesskasren’s comment:
May 12, 2008
Reply

I do love being able to look up medical stuff online but sometimes too much info is bad when you do not have a professional to filter it for you.

Yes, we're all a step closer to being hypochondriacs!

The April issue you say? Issued on April 1st by any chance...?

Princesskasren replied to Monkey’s comment:
May 12, 2008
Reply

Oh right...well...still...they must be called earwigs for a reason and did you never see the Star Trek:The Wrath of Kahn?

ewwwwwwwww

Yeah, the April 1st issue,of a journal whose title doesn't otherwise exist.
(Or make sense- a Swiss medical journal wouldn't have an English title.)
The x-ray looks a little specious too.
I don't think you actually see the eustachian tube like that - it isn't solid bone.
(But he shouldn't have done that to Chekov!)

Princesskasren replied to lauowolf’s comment:
May 13, 2008
Reply

Well I did think it was too good to be true...as in finally proof of my fear of earwigs...everyone always dismissed it and when I found this I was feeling too righteous to check my facts...:). Still....they are creepy little insects.