A symphony of maladies

doi:10.1136/bmj.b378

Correction for Murphy and Murphy, BMJ 338 (jan27 4) b288.
Correction for Bache and Edenborough, BMJ 337 (dec12 1) a2646.

Published 6 February 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b378
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b378

Corrections

A symphony of maladies

This article by Sarah Bache and Frank Edenborough in our Christmasissue 2008 (BMJ 2008;337:a2646, doi:10.1136/bmj.a2646) referredto cello scrotum. It has now emerged that the reference thatthey provided for the first description of this condition (aletter published in the BMJ in 1974) was a hoax. The authorof the 1974 letter (a non-doctor) and his then wife (a doctorwho was involved in writing the letter) confessed to the hoaxin a rapid response posted on bmj.com in December 2008 (www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/337/dec12_1/a2646#207015)and published as a letter in January 2009 (BMJ 2009;338:b288,doi:10.1136/bmj.b288). We have not yet been able to verify whetherthey are right to conclude that the letter describing guitarnipple (Curtis P. Guitar nipple. BMJ 1974;2:226), which promptedtheir letter on cello scrotum, was also a hoax.