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Subject:Re: CHAT: New maladies From:Tim Altom <taltom -at- IQUEST -dot- NET> Date:Mon, 5 Aug 1996 12:54:00 EST
At 01:00 PM 8/5/96 -0400, you wrote:
>I just noticed a blurb in the Pen Pals (networking column of the Writer's
>Digest Book Club requesting info on the following "occupational hazards:"
>torticollis, blepharospasm, "writers cramp", and other dystonias.
>These terms are all new to me, beyond RSI's and carpal tunnel, which have been
>ingrained from both piano and computer keyboard.
>Can anyone explain? Avoidance measures? Thanks
>Helen Blakey
>Communication Concepts
>word -at- infocomm -dot- net
It sounds like a tongue-in-cheek warning, actually. "Torticollis" is a
nervous/muscular malady that makes the neck muscles contract spasmodically,
making the head twist sideways. I suppose this could be a distant reference
to the "crick in the neck" that comes with looking forever sideways at
materials to be typed. "Blepharospasm" is more commonly known as a "tic,"
which makes one or both eyes wink uncontrollably. Perhaps this is a
reference to eyestrain making the orbital muscles twitch. I know of nothing
to suggest that writers are any more prone to these conditions than bakers
or candlestick makers.
As I say, it sounds like tragicomedy joking to me. I'm sure the wittier list
members could come up with better ones than these.
Tim Altom
Vice President, Simply Written, Inc.
317.899.5882 (voice) 317.899.5987 (fax)
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