Klarinet Archive - Posting 000251.txt from 2000/06

From: "Doug Sears" <dsears@-----.net>
Subj: Re: [kl] Saxophonists Die Younger?
Date: Fri, 9 Jun 2000 14:15:23 -0400

The original article can be found at
http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/319/7225/1612

We've been through this before. The original article was clearly a joke, and Don
correctly saw the ridiculous aspects, even though it had been filtered through a
credulous second- or third-hand write-up. It just showed up in my local paper,
too. Some wire service should have its knuckles rapped. The quality of medical
reporting is abysmal -- please, folks, don't believe anything you read in papers
or magazines about the latest greatest advance in medical research. It's almost
always sensationalized BS.

--Doug
----------------------------
Doug Sears dsears@-----.org/~dsears

-----Original Message-----
From: Don Yungkurth <clarinet@-----.net>
>In today's paper:
>
>"Saxophonists die younger than musicians who specialize in any other
>instrument, says <The British Medical Journal>.
>
>Studying 813 jazz saxophonists born between 1882 and 1974, the researchers
>discovered that half died before they were 40. Half of other musicians
>hung on until at least 60.
>
>The researchers thought the "circular breathing technique", in which a
>player inhales through the nose while blowing out through the mouth, might
>reduce blood flow to the heart and brain and contribute to the "high" a
>players feels. It might also facilitate strokes and heart attacks, the
>study said."
>
>The above was the entire article, at least as reported by our local paper.
>
>A number of questions come to mind:
>
>1. Do these "researchers" have any clue what the word "high" means to a
>jazz musician?
>
>2. Was Charlie Parker included in the group examined and do they know what
>he was high on and how it affected his health? Did Parker use circular
>breathing?
>
>3. How common was circular breathing in the group examined?
>
>4. Is this why I've never gotten around to learning circular breathing?
>
>5. Are these researchers suggesting a cause and effect relationship, or
>merely reporting a correlation?
>
>6. And finally, how is Kenny G's health?
>
> Don Yungkurth (clarinet@-----.net)
>

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