MUST READ: Ant munches on brain!
7:39 PM
<WARNING: The introduction is lengthy. Skip to the non-italic part to get to the main content>
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| Kisah Sang Semut (Photo from Disney's A Bug's Life) |
Pada satu hari, ada
seekor semut telah bersiar siar mencari makanan. Si semut telah memasuki suatu
gua yang besar. Si semut pun berkata "Di dalam gua ini pasti ada habuan
yang lumayan".
Si semut pun masuk ke
dalam gua tersebut. Dia menemui satu dinding yang menghalang jalannya. Dia pun
menggali dinding tersebut sehingga dia menemui satu tempat yang dipenuhi objek
yang lembut dan berlendir. Si semut pun cuba memakan objek tersebut dan ianya
rasa sedap teramat sangat.
Si semut pun
memanggil rakan rakan nya yang lain untuk berkongsi habuan. Oleh sebab usahanya
itu, si semut telah menanambat hati Permaisuri semut dan mereka hidup bahagia
di tempat itu bersama semut semut yang lain dan anak anak dan cucu cicit mereka
berdua.
This is how I imagine
the origin story of this viral Whatsapp message to be like.
ANATOMY
If the ant enters the
ear, how is it possible for it to wind up in the brain? As far as I know, there
is no direct connection with the brain. There is a tympanic membrane (TM) separating the middle ear from the external ear. Even though there is a
puncture, there are many other structures in the inner ear obstructing an
ant's path. The furthest an ant can go may be the throat, via the Eustachian tube. Just look at this diagram. Do you see any brain matter?
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| Diagram from audiospecialist.com |
Has anyone ever
experienced an insect burrowing in your ear? I assure you that you will feel
indescribable pain and irritation as the ant moves around. You will be seeing
doctors the same day to get it removed. When I was working night shifts in ED,
there will be at least one case of insect in the ear per shift. Most of the
cases are children.
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| Image from popthatzits.com |
IMAGING
X rays to see ants?
Are you kidding me? What is the barrier between the brain and the external
environment?......Yeah, bagus. Pandai pun.
Its the skull! We can see the bone structures with X rays, but not the brain.
OK la, we try use CT scan and MRI...but really? Can see ants ah? I have seen susuk though, but not insects. Even a tulang tercekik can be hard to find in X
rays...You think ants can seen easier?
SYMPTOMS
When a person has
ants biting chunks off a brain of a living person, do you think the presenting
complaint would be JUST a headache? I assume, if it was even possible, a
seizure, severe vomiting and loss of consciousness would be more fitting (pun
intended?).
MORAL OF THE STORY
Yes, you shouldn't
leave food lying around where you sleep. But its mainly because you don't want
ants to be infesting your sleep area. A small bite can leave you severe
urticaria. Redness and itchiness all over the place.
Sekian kisah dongen kita harini. Maybe I can start a TV series - PEMECAH MITOS PERUBATAN (Medical mythbusters). I can be like that Uncle Seekers guy.
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7 comments
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ReplyDeleteHahaha .... You definitely should do that. Do eet!
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