Microbiological hazards of "whirling"?

[taylorpm at ARIEL.UCS.UNIMELB.EDU.AU]

>Nancy Hamlett <Nancy_Hamlett at hmc.edu> writes:
>
>>I am a faculty member at small college, which has a tradition I find
>>appalling.  Students who have a birthday, high-score an exam, or
>>have otherwise notable achievements are "whirled".  "Whirling"
>>consists of inverting the victim, sticking her his or head into the
>>bowl of toilet and flushing the toilet.  This tradition is deeply
>>ingrained in the student culture; however, our students are open to
>>persuasion by objective data.  Does anyone have an data or know of
>>any sources that might have data relevant to the microbiological
>>hazarads of whirling?
>
>I do not have the data which you require.  However, I can point out
>that this practice, which you find appalling, is very common among
>teenage males.  Where I grew up, in Washington DC, we called this
>kind of assault a "swirley."  To commit the assault was to "give a
>swirley."  Having both received and administered a number of
>swirleys, I cannot remember anyone having fallen ill as a result.
>It stings the pride a bit, but that's the point.
>
>Among friends, the practice is usually performed using a toilet
>which has been purged of any excreted matter.  Because it is a
>form of hazing, it represents rowdy comradery, and not hatred
>or a desire to alienate.  Well, hopefully that's the purpose of
>the practice at Mudd.
>
>Why not perform a controlled experiment?  Compare the rates of
>contageous illness between a group of swirly victims and a group
>of persons to whom no swirleys have been given during the period
>of study.


thats what i like to see, the potential for science is everywhere!!!!!!!!!



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Paul Taylor
Department of Microbiology and Immunology
University of Melbourne
Parkville   Victoria    3052
AUSTRALIA
Ph  : (03) 9344 5698
fax  : (03) 9347 1540
email : taylorpm at ariel.unimelb.edu.au