Life is hard for lab rats and camels
By topffer
@topffer (42156)
France
May 3, 2018 1:06pm CST
I was looking at the IGNobel web site yesterday and found this posthumous prize given in 2016 to «The late Ahmed Shafik, for studying the effects of wearing polyester, cotton, or wool trousers on the sex life of rats, and for conducting similar tests with human males.»
I wonder how these studies, published in 1992-1993, can have stayed unnoticed so long ! The first study was done on 75 rats divided in 4 test groups and 1 control group. I guess the searcher needed a budget for a taylor, as you do not find easily shops selling underpants for rats. 15 rats wore during 6 months pants made in 100% polyester, 15 others pants in a 50/50 polyester/cotton mixed textile, 15 pants in 100% cotton, and 15 pants in 100% wool. The final conclusion is that the sexual activity decreases when a rat wears pants in polyester. It would be due to static electricity according to the author. 6 months after removing the pants the sexual activity of the rat becomes normal again.
I also wonder how this genius switched to human experiments and found that applying a sling/suspensors in polyester could render men azoospermic after a few months. He concludes that «It is a safe, reversible, acceptable and inexpensive method of contraception in men.»
The «acceptable» is questionable. Makes me think at a joke told by a friend about bricking camels. In North-Africa, to make sure that a camel drinks enough for a long journey, the camel driver comes behind it with 2 bricks when the animal is drinking and gives a good shock on its testicles with the bricks. The camel takes a deep breath and water intake and is ready to go. A tourist said to the camel driver : «it should hurt badly !» and he got this response : «Not at all, you have just to take care to not put your thumbs inside the bricks.»
I have the feeling that camels might have a different opinion, and also that the men who had to wear these suspensors in polyester might have had a different opinion than Dr Shafik. RIP to this benefactor of humanity, a pity that he did not lived long enough to enjoy his IGNobel prize.
The picture of a rat wearing pants illustrating this post is extracted from the original article : "Effect of Different Types of Textiles on Sexual Activity. Experimental study," Ahmed Shafik, European Urology, vol. 24, no. 3, 1993, pp. 375-80.
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12 people like this
10 responses
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
3 May 18
So what type are you wearing right now? 
I am very glad no one bricks me while I'm drinking water especially on this hot climate we are having, otherwise the bricks would land on top of his head
I am very glad no one bricks me while I'm drinking water especially on this hot climate we are having, otherwise the bricks would land on top of his head6 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
3 May 18
@louievill I have cycling shorts in polyester, but the bottom is in buckskin. You sweat too much inside pure polyester it cannot be used efficiently for any sport except swimming. I pity the rats.
Sun blisters are painful but bricking you might be a good way to forget a moment that they are painful. We had a nice spring weather today, a bit fresh with a max of 18°C. We reach 30 only in July/August here, and not every day.
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Sun blisters are painful but bricking you might be a good way to forget a moment that they are painful. We had a nice spring weather today, a bit fresh with a max of 18°C. We reach 30 only in July/August here, and not every day.2 people like this
@louievill (28851)
• Philippines
3 May 18
@topffer If I wear anymore polyester I might burst into flames due to simultaneous combustion yeah poor rats.
The heat is driving me nuts, I envy your climate, it was almost 40 here the other afternoon, everything you touch is so hot even the glass dinning table top. Our use of the aircons are limited because of extremely high power costs until I would have enough money to buy the newer inverter types that costs a lot.
yeah poor rats.
The heat is driving me nuts, I envy your climate, it was almost 40 here the other afternoon, everything you touch is so hot even the glass dinning table top. Our use of the aircons are limited because of extremely high power costs until I would have enough money to buy the newer inverter types that costs a lot.2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
4 May 18
I heard only this one with the thumbs and it was long ago.
This IG Nobel prize made me laugh and I read the original articles. One does not need to torture rats and humans to realize that polyester is not comfortable. But now we know that it makes men sterile.
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This IG Nobel prize made me laugh and I read the original articles. One does not need to torture rats and humans to realize that polyester is not comfortable. But now we know that it makes men sterile.2 people like this
@YrNemo (20261)
•
5 May 18
You always seem to come up with amusing posts. Didn't know about rats, but scientists did do some research about the sperm count being down badly when men wearing tight jeans and underwears (3 decades ago if my memory serves me right). I remember reading somewhere (from some magazines) where the writers were with tongue in cheek attitude, saying, 'if men want to to have children, they should not wear any underwear or tight trousers'.
re: polyesters, I am thinking... While females' underwears are mainly polyester (and gorgeous!), males' ones are either cotton or silk. Hmm... very interesting!
(I hope what you said about 'brick the camels' are just joking stuff, that sounded a bit bad for the camels if it was real. That rat study seems odd and somehow not very reliable to me. (I don't know, something doesn't sound right there but I can't really think of why yet.)
2 people like this
@topffer (42156)
• France
5 May 18
The rat study is weird. It seems to have been done scientifically, but the analysis involving static electricity is perhaps questionable. I am not a specialist of rats and polyester so I let that to true specialists. Bricking camels is a tragic necessity but it may stop by opening more watering places for camels. You can send a donation to morewaterforcamels.sahara.org
. Bricking camels is a tragic necessity but it may stop by opening more watering places for camels. You can send a donation to morewaterforcamels.sahara.org2 people like this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
17 Jun 18
How cruel is that to to that to the poor camel and how would he have liked if they had done it to him instead?
I bet he would have been howling his head off for sure.
Poor camel alas my love you didst me wrong very wrong.
Where on earth did they get that idea from?
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
17 Jun 18
@topffer
Thank God for that there you go again teasing.
If they really did that I would want to do it to them back as well.
I am being wicked thinking of a few things that they would not like done to them even the rats that I don´t like at all I could not do that to them not anything I am silly really I suppose.
1 person likes this
@topffer (42156)
• France
17 Jun 18
@lovinangelsinstead21 Not silly at all, I have a red vole coming in the house that the cat has not been able to catch (he is more gifted for birds
), and, even if this vole makes me angry, I do not want to kill it : I have bought an ultrasonic repeller and a trap cage. For the moment, the repeller seems to work and it does not come again, but if I catch it with the cage, I will release it in the public park not far
.
), and, even if this vole makes me angry, I do not want to kill it : I have bought an ultrasonic repeller and a trap cage. For the moment, the repeller seems to work and it does not come again, but if I catch it with the cage, I will release it in the public park not far.1 person likes this
. The studies about rats are real though.
@DaddyEvil (137142)
• United States
16 Jun 18
Have you seen the clothing by Russell? There is a whole line of polyester clothing for men being sold in Walmart across the US.
There are shirts, shorts and underwear. They are sold as a cooling method since polyester wicks sweat away from the body.
Yes, I have been wearing these clothing for at least two years now.
Since I am already sterile, there can be no effect like that on me!
1 person likes this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
4 May 18
Wow. Some people have too much time on their hands.
The fact that rats don't usually wear any pants at all may have had some effect on the rat's romance life...
2 people like this
@FayeHazel (40246)
• United States
4 May 18
@topffer lol that was what I thought as to the rats... bit hard to remove when you don't have thumbs
2 people like this
