Musicians and Infectious Diseases

[germdoc]

At the risk of tooting my own horn, so to speak, I am offering up this article I recently published on the infectious illnesses of well-known musicians, from Mahler to Charlie Parker to Freddie Mercury.

I think many of you would find this interesting.

http://www.clinmedres.org/cgi/content/full/8/2/106

[big tim]

I just glanced through it, Jeff but I can tell that it must have taken a massive amount of time to research, never mind writing it up. I wonder if the same is true to some extend in the acting communities, particularly those in the movie industry?

Tim

[phrog]

So that's where you've been. I was just about to put out a missing person's report on you. Welcome back.

PS. Congrats on a job well done.

[gsmittle]

I just glanced through it, Jeff but I can tell that it must have taken a massive amount of time to research, never mind writing it up. I wonder if the same is true to some extend in the acting communities, particularly those in the movie industry?

Tim

I can't speak to the infectious disease in acting communities, although it wouldn't surprise me. Judging from the behavior of some of my compatriots in the brief time I was a professional actor, it's quite common for actors (and technicians) to have multiple partners and overindulge in all sorts of licit and illicit drugs. Schools are FINALLY starting to address the self-destructive behavior that most acting students think is required.

Jeff, that's a fascinating paper, and I only had to Google a couple of terms! I had NO idea that the human lifespan had increased that much in only 100 years. Wow! What gave you the idea for the research? Also, are we sure Salieri didn't have Mozart murdered?

g.

[TB Roye]

Jeff

That was a lot work for you. Very interesting. Learned something new today so it was a good day. Try to learn something new every day keeps the brain going.

Tom

[sparkeyjames]

The only infectious disease I have known about in most musicians I have met is GAS. Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Kinda like Tool Acquisition Syndrome only different. hehe I guess however that that only counts as a mental disorder.

[gsmittle]

The only infectious disease I have known about in most musicians I have met is GAS. Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Kinda like Tool Acquisition Syndrome only different. hehe I guess however that that only counts as a mental disorder.

Are you saying we're crazy???? Nah, can't be… We're sane, it's the rest of the world that's crazy.

g.

[atgcpaul]

My co-worker's father was a producer in the music industry for several years
and had his share of groupies, etc. While in HS this guy asked him, "Dad,
have you ever had an STD?" His dad laughed back, "ONE STD, that would have
been too lucky!"

[HarmsWay]

Great piece Jeff. Any chance of it getting published anywhere else? It belongs somewhere more accessible - at least New Scientist or Scientific American.

Bob

[atgcpaul]

Great piece Jeff. Any chance of it getting published anywhere else? It belongs somewhere more accessible - at least New Scientist or Scientific American.

Bob

That's generally a no-no in the publishing world. You pick a journal, submit, get it accepted, and that's it. No more shopping around. How articles like this make it to the big time is to get picked up by one of the newswires and then you see it on the Today show or the evening news.

[docrowan]

Very well written article - informative, factual, yet with a true writer's flair for capturing emotion.

Thanks for sharing.

[germdoc]

Thanks for all the interest. The research for this article was really fun, and in fact I was able to speak with Stan Getz's son on the phone (he went to my high school for a year BTW). It's always neat to be able to combine your work and your hobbies!

Since I wrote the article Gregg Allman has gone on to have a liver transplant.

I have had several friends require treatment for hepatitis C, 1 needed a liver transplant. I have lost a few classmates from HIV. So the sex and drugs part of the equation hasn't worked out so well for a lot of us...

[MilDoc]

Great article Germdoc. Well researched and very well written.

I've had some articles myself, and often had to rewrite or explain a section better to the peer reviewers before they were accepted for publication. It's a great feeling when an article is accepted as is.

So, just wondering, any negative initial feedback on your article? I'd bet not since it is so well written and researched.

[gsmittle]

So the sex and drugs part of the equation hasn't worked out so well for a lot of us...

Go figure.

It would be interesting to follow up in about ten years with the still-living musicians, plus perhaps survey younger musicians and see if the same infection rates still hold.

I'm not a doctor, but I played a guy who knew somebody who played a doctor on TV.

A side note: Bruce Springsteen was my roommate for a time.









Not The Boss, but his cousin Bruce. Honest.

g.