We have all heard of the Greek Gods Aphrodite (love and beauty), Poseidon (sea, rivers, floods, droughts, earthquakes and horses), Zeus (The king of the gods, the ruler of Mount Olympus and the god of the sky, weather, thunder, law, order and fate) and my favourite Dionysus, God of wine, parties and festivals, madness, drunkenness and pleasure. Good times. But have you heard of Priapus, fertility god, protector of livestock, (when sheep were sheep and men were still men) fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia, best noted for his large, permanent erection. Fun date, you ask? Perhaps.
The God of Priapus gives rise to the medical term priapism meaning a potentially harmful and painful medical condition in which the erect penis does not return to its flaccid (limp; loose; flabby; drooping; sagging; lifeless) state. Not good. There are several causes of this condition most notably today, Viagra. But if bitten by the culprit, the Brazilian wandering spider, (a.k.a. banana spider) one could experience not only a continually erect penis but also loss of muscle control, severe pain, difficulty breathing and, if not treated, death, due to oxygen deprivation. The venom in the spider causes erections; however of the 7000 known bites, only 10 have resulted in death.
But while the spider’s bite may prove to be fatal, the venom could be used in treating erectile dysfunction, especially in those who do not respond to conventional treatments. This gives a whole new meaning to “bite me”.
No comments:
Post a Comment