Cello scrotum, published in the BMJ, now revealed to be a hoax

The interesting journey of so-called “cello scrotum” has come to an end.

Inspired by “guitarist’s nipple,” which is a real disease caused by irritation caused to the breast from guitar playing, a doctor submitted the spoof 34-years ago to the British Medical Journal.

Described as “chafing of the scrotum when the instrument was placed between the cellist’s legs,” the author of the hoax decided to come clean after seeing it cited in a recent medical article.

It doesn’t look like there will be any repercussions stemming from the incident, but a formal retraction may be in the works, as the faux-condition will show up during medical literature search on related topics.

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