Academics attack 'nursery rhyme' injuries -

Ananova ^ | December 10, 2003

[UnklGene]

Academics attack 'nursery rhyme' injuries -

Researchers have concluded that nursery rhymes show a cynical disregard for injuries, particularly to children.

Sarah Giles and Sarah Shea, from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Canada, say "Humpty Dumpty" should have been put on a spinal board immediately after his big fall.

In a satirical letter to the Canadian Medical Association Journal, they added the presence of all the King's men suggests a "shocking lack of crowd control".

They ask: "Could the crowded scene explain the inability of the responders to put 'Humpty Dumpty' together again?"

The pair argue that "Rock-a-bye baby" would have suffered serious injury in the fall from the tree, reports the Daily Telegraph.

The fact the child was in the tree in the first place suggests a reprehensible lack of parental responsibility.

They wrote: "Our study shows that not only do many nursery rhymes detail incidents that could have resulted in severe head injury but also that medical opinion is seldom sought."

They also criticise the rhyme about "Jack and Jill" for vagueness about the children's injuries and say that foul play could have killed off the old man in "It's Raining it's Pouring."

[GMMAC]

When I saw "Ananova" I wondered.
So, although the post sort of alludes to as much, I sourced down the original article and found it's an openly humorous article written by a couple of children's doctors for the Christmas edition of a Nova Scotia based medical journal.

You can't blame any right-thinking Canadian for checking though - there's no end to the politically-correct nonsense our socialist government will pee away tax-dollars on !!!

[katz]

When I was young, I had a big fat paper backed book of fairy tails. I read and read and read. I liked Rapunzel the best. I still have long hair.