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BMJ 2008; 336 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/sbmj.0805220 (Published 01 May 2008) Cite this as: BMJ 2008;336:0805220

Eyespy brings you the latest quirky medical stories from around the world

>> A 7 month old girl presented with an indurated, erythematous, scaling plaque on her left little finger. First noticed at birth, every few weeks it seemed more prominent and blistered. At the time of blistering, a flush would develop all over the body and would last two hours. She was otherwise well and was developing normally. This was thought to be a solitary mastocytoma with no evidence of systemic involvement. Mast cell infiltration of the skin and histamine release induces symptoms such as pruritus and flushing. Mast cell release can be precipitated by physical touch. It's usually self limiting: this child is now 2 years old and the lesion has almost completely resolved.1 (This item was first published in the BMJ, 2008;336:676; doi: 10.1136/bmj.39521.451053.47.)

Ella SeccombeF1 dermatologyJustine Hextallconsultant dermatologist Worthing Hospital, Worthing BN11 2DH ellaseccombe@gmail.com

>> Medical students become less empathetic as they progress through medical school. These worrying findings are based on a survey of 419 medical students from the …

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