Doctor’s Nutty Hoax

Well, most false submissions to medical journals fall into the category of academic fraud. This one probably deserves a gentler treatment.
Perhaps we should join the BMJ spokesman who said that this case “added to the gaiety of life.”

According tho this story, from BBC News:
Peer reveals ‘cello scrotum’ hoax

A top doctor has admitted her part in hoodwinking a leading medical journal after inventing a medical condition called “cello scrotum”.
Elaine Murphy – now Baroness Murphy – dreamt up the painful complaint in the 1970s, sending a report to the British Medical Journal.
She came clean when the hoax resurfaced in the 2008 Christmas edition.

Interesting to see that the BMJ is laughing this off — but at the same time contemplating a formal retraction. I guess a reputable scholarly journal with a sense of humour wants still to be thought of as a reputable scholarly journal.

~ by Nancy Walton on January 29, 2009.

One Response to “Doctor’s Nutty Hoax”

  1. Your post is short, but meaningful.

    “A reputable scholarly journal with a sense of humor wants still to be though of as a reputable scholarly journal” Maybe you’re right about this.

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