Funtabulously Frivolous Friday Five 026

• An auditory sensation produced by a stimulus of another sense e.g. taste, smell, etc.
• Phonism is also known as, auditory synesthesia.

• Delicate threadlike inclusions seen in peripheral the red blood cells
• Most commonly in the peripheral blood of some patients with severe/megaloblastic anaemia.
• They may appear as rings, figures-of-eight, or twisted and are blue-staining.
• Their origin is unknown.
• They were first described in 1903 by American physician, Richard Clarke Cabot (1868-1939)
• Note: Contrary to Cabot’s belief, these structures have nothing to do with the nucleus or the nucleus’ membrane.

A - Cabot ring, B - Howell-Jolly body

• Slipped upper femoral epiphyses (SUFE).
• Also known as Slipped capital femoral epiphysis (SCFE)
• SUFE is a Salter-Harris type 1 fracture through the proximal femoral physis. Stress around the hip causes a shear force to be applied at the growth plate

• Lilliputian hallucinations are perceptual distortions reported in a variety of states ranging from toxic metabolic states, medical, neurological and psychiatric conditions most commonly seen in
  • Alcohol withdrawal - herds of elephants/monsters roam the room
  • Mid-brain lesions - little people are seen (often occurs whilst falling asleep)
• The reference to Lilliput refers to Gulliver’s Travels (1726). On his first voyage, Gulliver is washed ashore after a shipwreck and awakes to find himself a prisoner of a race of people one-twelfth the size of normal human beings, less than 6 inches (15cm) high, who are inhabitants of the neighbouring and rival countries of Lilliput and Blefuscu.

Following this, his sleep had markedly reduced and he started seeing little people all over the house. They were about a foot high, with funny colorful dresses, weird faces, big eyes and mouths. Some of them were also wearing spectacles. They would follow him all around the house and he could hear their footsteps. Patient would also see them drinking his blood (did not elaborate further) and complained of physical weakness as a result. Initially, patient attributed his experiences to some evil spirits present in the house and changed the house. But the experience continued. [Reference]

• A slowing of the heart rate (bradycardia) in response to (manual) compression of an arteriovenous fistula.
• A circulatory phenomenon observed in angioma racemosum of the extremities.
• Compression of an arteriovenous fistula causes bradycardia…if there is a significant circulation through the fistula.
• The phenomenon was first described by Nicoladoni in 1875, then by Israel in 1877 and Branham in 1890, and subsequently rediscovered by Wigdorowitsch in 1915.