Today Baroness Murphy - Dr Elaine Murphy in a previous life - came clean about her letter to the British Medical Journal in 1974, where she reported that she had observed a case of Cello Scrotum.  The disease doesn’t exist, she has now said, she sent the letter to BMJ for a laugh.

You can see the letter here:

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/pagerender.fcgi?artid=1610985&pageindex=1

The letter must now be retracted or amended in some way.  It has been cited by others who have, naturally, accepted the bone fides of the letter and assumed that you can get an irritated scrotum from playing the cello.

I wonder how many kids have used it as an excuse to get out of practising?

“Ma, me nads are sore from playing this bleedin’ Cello”.

“But, you’re a girl, Polly”.

“Damn”.