Head-bangers, texting, Twist and Slam
Thursday December 18th, 2008
Texting may hold the key to running casualty tents at rock festivals - but heavy metal fans may need more wide-ranging public health measures, researchers report today.
Studies of heavy metal and rock festivals are among the traditional range of quirky reports in the Christmas issue of the British Medical Journal.
Australian doctors suggest a range of measures to protect head-bangers - who dance to heavy metal music - from head and neck injuries.
The risk of neck injury from shaking the head increases when music is played at more than 130 beats a minute - and the average heavy metal song plays at 146 beats a minute they say.
People who move their heads at an angle of 75 degrees or more are at most risk of headaches and dizziness, according to Declan Patton and Professor Andrew McIntosh of the University of New South Wales.
Other solutions suggested include: "calling for bands such as AC/DC to play songs such as Moon River instead of Highway to Hell, public awareness campaigns headed by musicians such as Cliff Richard and the labelling of music packaging with anti-head banging warnings."
Meanwhile a charity that provides medical services to rock festivals reports on the benefits of texting in casualty tents.
Staff at Festival Medical Services - which looks after the Glastonbury Festival, UK, amongst others, use texting to recognise when a reveller who has fainted has recovered - and can be discharged.
Texting has been used as an indication for two years after doctors noticed that the first thing recovering patients did was to text their friends.
At Reading this year, some 130 patients came to casualty within 90 minutes during a performance by a band called Rage Against the Machine - and were managed by some eight medical staff, Dr Mike Sinclair reports.
Another article in the journal accuses Charles Dickens of exaggerating Oliver Twist's troubles. Dr Sue Thornton, from Northampton, argues that workhouse children were given substantial meals of oatmeal, not thin gruel, and that Oliver would not have need to ask for "more".
And Dr Gareth Payne, from Cardiff, reports some evidence to back the legend that a Pope dies whenever Wales wins the rugby Grand Slam.
He warns the Pope has a 45 per cent chance of failing to survive 2008 following a Welsh success this year in the rugby contest.
Tags: Australia | General Health | Brain & Neurology | UK News
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